Last year the World Series of Poker Circuit series attracted a record 133,892 entries and awarded $66,585,658 in prize money, and the organisers expect the 2018-19 series – the fifteenth edition of the popular competitions – to pull in even more players.
The new season will see more benefits for players, including more starting chips and new price points, with a record 28 stops planned, all linked by a points system tied to the WSOP gold-bracelet awarding, $1,000,000+ prize pool, season-culminating Global Casino Championship.
The 2018-19 WSOP Circuit officially gets underway August 2 at Harrah’s Cherokee in western North Carolina, and continues virtually non-stop until the season-culminating stop at Harrah’s New Orleans that begins May 9, 2019.
WSOP has introduced several new updates and offerings to the Circuit, including:
* More starting chips – each official WSOP Circuit ring event now gives players many more starting chips than previously. The most popular price points, the $365 (now $400) and the Main Event (now $1,700) will increase starting stacks 50 percent each.
* Price point polishing – both to ease customer and cashier process time and to help beef up the prize pools, the WSOP Circuit will introduce some new price points in 2018-19. Buy-ins will now feature $250, $400, $600, $1,125, $1,700, $2,200, $3,250 and $5,300 ranges. The new primary price points will be $250, $400 & $600, while higher buy-ins remaining the same at $1,125, $2,200, $3,250 and $5,300.
* Introduction of Big Blind Ante – some ring events offered in 2018-19 will feature the Big Blind Ante format. The popular new innovation that replaces players anteing every hand, to anteing once an orbit when in the Big Blind, was tested at points during the last circuit season and has been introduced in some play at the 2018 WSOP. Gaining widespread approval and adoption, Big Blind Ante takes away the frustrations faced when players are slow or forget to ante, as well as eases dealer chip collection, thus making for a more fun and positive experience.
“For our fifteenth season, the time was right to take a hard look at our offering and refreshing it to give players a better experience all around,” said WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel in a statement Thursday. “Everyone loves more starting chips, and we think things like the Big Blind Ante and larger prize pools will be big hits for all players.”
In addition to the WSOP U.S. Circuit tour, the International WSOP Circuit will return, with a future announcement planned to detail the stops planned during the 2018-19 season. Confirmed already, is a new International stop in Montreal, Canada at Playground Poker from August 23 to September 4, 2018.