As usual, the tournament poker world has entered its post-World Series of Poker slumber, allowing the players to recharge their batteries after the seven week grind in Las Vegas this summer. That will be changing soon, however, as several tournament circuits will get their new seasons underway in the month of August.
The World Poker Tour will kick back into action with its first Season XI tournament at the very start of the month. The WPT Merit Cyprus Classic will run from August 4-9 at the Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino with a $4000 buy in tournament that features a reentry option for those players who bust out on the first day. Although the tournament will not be televised, it is expected that many professionals will step up for the tournament due to its exotic locale.
The WPT will also be making its first stop in the United States soon after the conclusion of the Cyprus event. The inaugural WPT Parx Open Poker Classic will run from August 10-15 at the Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, featuring an official WPT stop with a $3500 buy in tournament and will be a featured broadcast on the 2012 WPT television schedule. There has been a good deal of buzz on this tournament over social media and it may be a very good stop for the “grinder” pros and amateurs in the Pennsylvania area.
Wrapping up the month of August, the WPT will make its annual pilgrimage to the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles for the 2012 Legends of Poker. From August 24-29, the $3700 tournament will be contested and the final table will be a part of the 2012 WPT television season. The Legends always draws well, with its proximity to Las Vegas and the wealth of tournament pros in the California area, so look for a strong field coming to sunny Los Angeles for this tournament.
Probably the most interesting tournament schedule that will start off next month is that of the European Poker Tour. After wrapping up a very successful Season Eight, EPT officials completely revamped their touring schedule and chopped off events rather than add them. While this might sound bad at first, the EPT is actually expanding their presence at those surviving tournaments rather than scaling back.
In the past, the EPT would simply pop in for a few days to run their Main Events in several locations around the European continent. For their Season Nine schedule, the EPT has expanded their stays in those locations that kept their tournament slot in offering more preliminary events prior to the start of their traditional Main Events. This will see the EPT perhaps expanding its role as the preeminent European poker circuit.
The EPT schedule starts off on August 15 when they make their foray to Barcelona, Spain and the Casino de Barcelona. Four days of preliminary tournaments will lead up to their Main Event, a €5000 entry event that will feature two Day Ones. In addition to the Main Event, the EPT will also offer their usual “High Roller” tournament and a Heads Up championship.
Following that stop (and perhaps because of the WSOP Europe, which begins on September 21), the EPT will take a break before resuming action in October. From October 3-11, the EPT will be in what has become a poker hotbed in San Remo, Italy, for their next €5000 Main Event.
One tour that has yet to offer a full schedule is the WSOP Circuit, which normally is announced during the last week of the WSOP Championship Event. This year, the official schedule announcement has been delayed as WSOP officials attempt to finalize a few details on some of their stops. An official announcement is expected this week, but it is known what the first stop will be.
From August 9-20, the WSOPC will be at the Imperial Palace Casino Resort and Spa in Biloxi, Mississippi, offering a schedule that will put twelve WSOPC rings up for grabs. The $1500 Main Event will feature two Day Ones, with the reentry option available for those who bust on Day 1A.
There has been quite a bit of buzz over this tournament, with many players a little peeved at the increase in rake being taken. For example, the $1500 Main Event will actually cost players $1675, with smaller events such as the $300 buy in tournaments charging $65 in rake. Many players have said that they might be passing on the Biloxi stop due to those increases.
One tournament circuit has already kicked back in action. The Heartland Poker Tour is currently in Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the Route 66 Casino as it continues their Season Eight schedule. Following this tournament’s conclusion on July 29, the HPT will take a small pause as their next tournament, at the Golden Gate Casino in Black Hawk, Colorado, won’t begin until September 3. (A tournament stop at Turning Stone Casino Resort in Verona, New York, scheduled for next month has been canceled.)
From the looks of the upcoming few weeks, those players looking to continue the grind of the game have little time in which to decide what their schedule will be. While the tournament poker world is enjoying its post-WSOP vacation, they will have to get their minds “back in the game” soon!
