Poker News Report
WPT CEO Steve Heller Aiming Far and Wide for Season 11
By: Phil / May 18, 2012
Season 10 of the World Poker Tour (WPT) hasn’t even drawn to a conclusion, yet organisers of the series have already revealed details about the first half of the Season 11 schedule – and proclaimed that the WPT is committed to extending its global reach.
Certainly, after also announcing the initial dates for next season’s WPT Regional and National Series, there can be little doubt that chief executive officer Steve Heller is accurate in his claims that this will be the biggest WPT season ever.
Several new stops have been added to next season’s WPT calendar, with the WPT Mazagan taking in Morocco, the WPT Copenhagen pulling into Denmark, and the WPT Parx Open Poker Classic taking place in Philadelphia.
With this in mind, Heller reinforced his stance, stating that, while Season 11 of the main tour will feature new stops in the US and abroad, the WPT is also determined to expand their Regional and National Series with the aim of deliveringthe WPT experience to as many players and fans as possible.
Eleven WPT Stops – So Far
Eleven stops have been announced so far – although more will be added to take in the first half of 2013 – with main event buy-ins kicking off at $3,500 all the way up to $10,300 for the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic at The Bellagio in Las Vegas in mid-December.
As always around this time of year, there is a near-two-month break in WPT action as the World Series of Poker (WSOP) takes centre stage in Las Vegas.
However, the first leg of the WPT’s 11th season begins on August 4 – just a few weeks after the WSOP stops before the main event final table is played out from October 28 to 30 – for the WPT Merit Cyprus Classic, with the non-televised $4,400 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em main event ending on the ninth.
Just one day later, the tour will then cross all the way over to the USA for the first ever WPT Parx Open Poker Classic in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. This stop will offer a $3,500 buy-in main event, which will be televised on the 15th once the final table has been reached.
Five Final Tables to be Televised
However, it’s not all-change for the tour, with favourites such as the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic, the Borgata Poker Open and the Legends of Poker still included on this new schedule.
Additionally, four other final tables from the 11-event schedule will be televised – and they are the Legends of Poker in California (August 24 to 29), the WPT Grand Prix de Paris (September 10 to 15), the Borgata Poker Open in New Jersey (September 16 to 21) and the Doyle Brunson Five Diamond World Poker Classic at The Bellagio (December 17 to 22).
2012 WPT Season 11 Schedule (First Half)
Leg 1: August 4 to 9, WPT Merit Cyprus Classic, Merit Crystal Cove Hotel and Casino ($4,000+$400 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry main event)
Leg 2: August 10 to 15, WPT Parx Open Poker Classic, Parx Casino, Bensalem, Pennsylvania ($3,300+$200 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em main event, televised final table)
Leg 3: August 24 to 29, Legends of Poker, The Bicycle Casino, Bell Gardens, California ($3,500+$200 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry main event, televised final table)
Leg 4: September 10 to 15, WPT Grand Prix de Paris, Aviation Club de France (€7,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry main event, televised final table)
Leg 5: September 16 to 20, WPT Malta, Casino at Portomaso, Portomaso, St Julian’s (€3,000+€300 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Re-entry main event)
