The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) has always leaned more towards the elite. When the event called London ‘home’ the use of the £ versus the $ created a price hike, with a smaller curriculum geared towards to the grinders.
The location may have changed, but the modus operandi remains the same, if not even more accentuated.
From 13 October through to the 4 November, fans of the WSOPE can stakeout the King’s Resort in Rozvadov as Leon Tsoukernik continues his relationship with the most iconic brand in poker.
Last week (I know, I know, I am slow), the WSOP and King’s Resort announced plans to add another four events to the festival. What initially began as an 11-event festival is now 15, and two of the four new games hit the To-Do Lists of the types of people who park fancy sportscars in their garages.
The most violent of the announcements is the addition of a €250,000, €5m GTD Super High Roller. The original schedule had a €25,500, €1m GTD No-Limit Hold’em Platinum High Roller, and a €100,000, €5m GTD No-Limit Hold’em Diamond High Roller. It seems we’ve run out of gemstone superlatives. A €25,000, €1m GTD Mixed Game Championships will join the €25,500, €2.5m GTD Short-Deck High Roller. For the people with slightly smaller bankrolls, there will be a €2,500 Short-Deck, and a €2,500 8-Game, both with €250,000 guarantees.
Head over to the PokerNews website for the full schedule because I can’t be arsed retyping it.
Why change?
WSOP Vice President, Jack Effel, said the 50th Annual WSOP was so successful they felt they had to take another look at the WSOPE schedule. They did, and thought they could ‘enhance it.’
WSOPE High Roller History
The first time the WSOPE held an event with a buy-in greater than €10,000, was in 2012. The €51,000 No-Limit Hold’em Majestic Roller took place in Cannes. Much to the annoyance of Michael Watson, who beat 60-entrants to win the €1m first prize, the event was a non-bracelet affair.
The first WSOPE bracelet in a €10k+ event arrived the following year when Daniel Negreanu beat 80-entrants to win the €25,600 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for €725,000. The game was significant because the win saw Kid Poker beat Matt Ashton in the race for the WSOP Player of the Year award in the very last game.
There was no WSOPE in 2014, but when it returned in 2015, the €25,600 No-Limit Hold’em came with it. Jonathan Duhamel defeated 64-entrants to win the €554,395 first prize in Berlin.
Then in Rozavadov in 2017, we had two high stakes events.
Niall Farrell joined the Triple Crown club after winning the 113-entrant €25,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller for €745,287, and Dominik Nitsche defeated 132-entrants in the €111,111 High Roller for One Drop, to bank €3,487,463.
Finally, last year, Michael Addamo topped a field of 133-entrants to win the €848,702 first prize in the €25,500 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller. Martin Kabrhel vanquished 133 foes to win the €2,624,340 first prize in the €100,000 Super High Roller.