The WSOP.com Fall Poker Festival runs from October 25-November 1, marking the start of another glorious year for the World Series of Poker and the second for this event series. This online tournament series is open to players in New Jersey and Nevada only, and features guaranteed prize pools of $80,000 (for the Nevada site) and $60,000 (for the New Jersey site).
WSOP.com’s Fall Poker Festival serves as the pseudo-start to the 2016 World Series of Poker. The main WSOP takes place in June, but there are events around the world, and online, throughout the year.
Fall Poker Festival 4-1-1
Unlike many of the iconic brand’s events, buying into a WSOP.com Fall Poker Festival won’t cost an arm and a leg. The buy-ins range from as little as $10 on up to $200. There will be one daily tournament for eight days. It’s like Hanukkah, only you have to win in order to receive a present.
The series kicks off with a $200 buy-in no-limit hold ‘em re-entry tournament. Parent Caesars Interactive Entertainment guarantees a prize pool of at least $12,000 for that one.
No-limit hold ‘em is the game played in all eight events. The Fall Poker Festival will conclude on November 1 with a $200 buy-in Main Event that includes $30,000 in prize money and a slick champions ring to the winner.
New Jersey and Nevada players will not play in the same tournaments. WSOP.com has a separate site for those playing in each state, due to New Jersey failing to join the Multi State Internet Gaming Agreement that exists between Nevada and Delaware (wait until more states get on board, you’ll need a score card to remember who’s in bed with who). Since there are more WSOP.com players in Nevada, Caesars Entertainment will be offering up more guaranteed money than for folks in the Silver State than in New Jersey.
WSOP’s Year-Round Schedule
The Fall Poker Festival won’t be the only pre-2016 WSOP event. Many other tournaments take place around the globe throughout the year, including events in Europe, Asia, and across America.
WSOP Europe (WSOPE) is currently underway in Berlin, for example. Points accumulated during these 10 events count towards WSOP Player of the Year standings. Many top players compete in the WSOP in Las Vegas, WSOPE, and regional and global Circuit events.
World Series of Poker Circuit events in 2015/2016 will be hosted in 19 US cities and 4 international cities. The party started in August, with Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut hosting the first event. Campione, Italy became the first non-domestic city to host a WSOP Circuit event.
Mexico and the Czech Republic are also slated to host international tournaments. In the United States, events will take place in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, North Carolina, Omaha, and conclude May 23rd in New Orleans, a week before the start of the 2016 World Series of Poker at the Rio kicks off in Sin City.
By the time the world’s greatest players descend upon Las Vegas next June, the WSOP will have already paid out millions to winners since the end of the 2015 Main Event.
Circuit Breakers at WSOP
The first-ever WSOP Circuit event took place in 2004 in Atlantic City. The winner, Henry Tran, defeated Erick Lindgren heads-up. The final table also included poker greats Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Chad Brown, and John Esposito.
