The World Series of Poker Gets Underway as EPT Return Announced
The 52nd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) got underway at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday. The traditional curtain-raising $500 Casino Employees event attracted 419 entries representing a significant drop in players from the corresponding pre-Covid competition in 2019. On that occasion, there were 685 entrants.
With a total prize pool of $175,980 and a $39,014 winner’s prize, this year’s competition had its smallest purse since 2004. A net drop of 38 percent in entries from the last time this competition was played in a live setting may concern WSOP organizers – they will be aware this figure is not a true barometer of things to come.
Calm before the storm: World Series of Poker tables are ready for action. ©RoBot19
Are We Set to See a Return to 2005 Numbers?
Historically less than one percent of the Casino Employees tournament participants come from outside of North America. Conversely, over 25 percent of players that claimed a prize-paying position at the 2019 WSOP event reside in a country outside of the USA or Canada.
Given ongoing Covid concerns and restrictions are sure to hit visiting numbers hard, and an early indication that domestic interest has lessened, it is very possible the 2021 WSOP Main Event will see a massive drop in numbers.
The record entry for the $10,000 entry Main Event competition came in 2006 when 8,773 players took part. 2019 featured the second-biggest field in history with 8,569 players. Not since 2005 have less than 6,000 players taken their shot at poker playing immortality.
PokerStars Announce the Return of the European Poker Tour
As the action was about to begin at the WSOP, online poker behemoth PokerStars issued a press release announcing their world-renowned European Poker Tour (EPT) will return in December. “We’re so excited to welcome our community back to our live poker felt with one of our most famous and well-loved poker tours,” said Severin Rasset, Managing Director of Poker at PokerStars in the statement.
The Czech Republic will be the first venue on the EPT calendar. It returns to its usual festive spot from December 8 to December 19, 2021, staged at the Hilton Hotel Prague. Organizers have stated everyone entering the casino must wear a face mask, have a temperature scan, and show proof of vaccination or a negative test.
PokerStars have announced the resumption of their European Poker Tour starting in Prague this December. ©PokerStars
Additionally, social distancing will be in place, personal protection equipment will be available, sanitization stations will be around the casino, and players and staff will sanitize regularly. There will also be enhanced cleaning at the tables and around the casino.
EPT Prague highlights include an EPT National (December 09-13) with a €1,100 buy-in; the EPT main event (December 09-13) with its €5,300 buy-in and an EPT High Roller (December 17-19) demanding a €10,300 entry fee. Thankfully players can win their way to EPT Prague and play for EPT glory through online satellites. They start at just €1.10 at the PokerStars website.
Greater Rewards for Stars Sit at Home Players
As if things could not get any better, PokerStars dropped another press release into editor’s inboxes on Friday afternoon. It pertains to the launch of a new and improved PokerStars Rewards program.
According to the site, which has facilitated more than 200 billion hands since its inception, the new program has been “built with player feedback and insights at its heart, and offers more value, more ways to earn, and more transparency.”
“This autumn we are celebrating 20 years of our PokerStars community, and we’re happy to kickstart the next chapter with our new and improved PokerStars Rewards program,” PokerStars Managing Director said in the latest news bulletin.
“Listening to community feedback, we know our players want more rewards, more ways to earn rewards, more transparency, and simplicity. Our recent trial program was not only very positively received – overall we saw a 78 percent jump in satisfaction scores for the players participating, but it also gave us more ideas about how to make it even better.”
Two big news stories in the space of as many days? It would appear PokerStars is making a concerted effort to appeal to the poker players that are not headed to the WSOP or have aspirations of winning a ticket to the Holy Grail of card playing.
