The World Series of Poker (WSOP) Circuit tour is expanding in 2020. As part of its efforts to live up to its name and become a global entity, the Circuit bandwagon will roll into new regions next year. As well as revisiting old favorites, the WSOP bandwagon will stop in Spain for the first time.
As per the November 13 press release, Casino Barcelona will play host to one of seven Circuit events scheduled to take place in 2020. Given Barcelona’s recent popularity as a poker destination, it’s little wonder the tour’s executives have chosen to add the Spanish hotspot to the roster. In August 2019, the European Poker Tour (EPT) broke yet another record.
WSOP Circuit Hoping for a Record Summer
Continuing the tradition of welcoming thousands of players for its main event, EPT Barcelona peaked with a record-setting 4,682 entries. Hoping to achieve a similar level of success next summer, the WSOP Circuit team will set up camp inside Casino Barcelona between June 11 and 21. However, before they do that, a full line-up of international events will take place at various exotic locations around the globe.
Starting in Morocco and taking in Germany, St. Maarten and France, the 2020 WSOP Circuit schedule is looking bigger and better than ever:
- January 10 – 19, 2020: Casino de Marrakech, Morocco
- March 5 – 23, 2020: King’s Resort Rozvadov, Czech Republic/Germany
- March 25 – April 5, 2020: Sonesta Maho Beach, Casino Royale, St. Maarten
- April 9 – 19, 2020: Casino Barrière Le Croisette Cannes, France
- May 18 – June 1, 2020: Club Pierre Charron Paris, France
- May 30 – June 7, 2020: Casino de Marrakech, Morocco
- June 11 – 21, 2020: Casino Barcelona, Spain
As ever, players in attendance will be fighting for Circuit rings. Alongside main events, a host of lower buy-in tournaments will also take place at each stop. To ensure the tour’s ethos of providing an affordable alternative to the main WSOP is kept intact, satellites will take place online and affiliated live venues. For those with love of virtual gaming, a rundown of the best online poker sites has 888poker listed as one of the industry’s leading lights.
As a partner of the WSOP, 888poker will be offering a selection of qualifiers for the 2020 schedule. Of course, for those who prefer to see the whites of their opponent’s eyes, live satellites will be available at host casinos closer to the time. Regardless of how and where players choose to qualify, or if they buy in directly, next year’s run of events is set to be impressive. Indeed, with live tournament poker on a high right now, the time is right to expand.
WSOP Circuit Becoming a Truly Global Event
From a small selection of U.S.-based tournaments back in 2005, the WSOP Circuit has grown to become one of poker’s top tours. Far from being an afterthought of the summer WSOP in Las Vegas, the Circuit is now a proving ground for emerging talent and, moreover, a draw for pros in search of value. This increase in popularity, coupled with burgeoning tournament fields around the world, has resulted in an improved schedule for 2020.
For players, that can only be a positive. With the downfall of PASPA (Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act) in the US making sports betting legal, new opportunities have arisen. Alongside this, new innovations such as social gaming have made poker more popular than ever. In tandem, these developments are providing a much-needed boost for the industry as a whole. In 2020, that means players will not only have access to a better WSOP Circuit tour but more live tournament prizes in general. That, whichever way you slice it, is fantastic news for everyone.
