World Series of Poker Europe
Encyclopedia
The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is the first expansion effort of World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
-branded poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
tournaments
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
outside the United States. Since 1970, participants had to travel to Las Vegas if they wanted to compete in the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Although the WSOP held circuit events in other locations, the main tournaments, which awarded bracelets to the winners, were exclusively held in Las Vegas. The inaugural WSOPE, held in 2007, marked the first time that a WSOP bracelet
World Series of Poker bracelet
The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...
was awarded outside of Las Vegas. Since its inception, players from 12 countries — Denmark (3) , Afghanistan, Germany, Italy, Norway and USA, UK (3), Canada, Finland, Australia, USA (2), USA/Indonesia (1) — have won bracelets.
History
In 2004, Harrah's CasinoHarrah's Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...
s purchased the rights to the WSOP label. Harrah's later purchased London Clubs International
London Clubs International
London Clubs International is a British gambling company that was bought by Harrah's Entertainment in 2006. At the time of purchase, LCI operated casinos in London, Southend and Brighton as well as in Egypt and South Africa...
(LCI). LCI operates three casino
Casino
In modern English, a casino is a facility which houses and accommodates certain types of gambling activities. Casinos are most commonly built near or combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships or other tourist attractions...
s in the London area—Fifty, Leicester Square, and The Sportsman. After the purchase of these casinos, Harrah's decided to expand its WSOP label into Europe. European casinos typically have a different environment than those in the U.S. Jeffrey Pollack
Jeffrey Pollack
Pollack has been named to Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal of "40 Under 40" and twice to The Sporting News 100. He has also won two Emmy Awards. Pollack is married, and resides in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas...
, the WSOP Commissioner, indicated that the WSOPE would have a "style and flair that is both unique and appropriate to the setting. So don't be surprised if we require participants to wear blazers at the tables. If James Bond
James Bond (character)
Royal Navy Commander James Bond, CMG, RNVR is a fictional character created by journalist and novelist Ian Fleming in 1953. He is the main protagonist of the James Bond series of novels, films, comics and video games...
were hosting a poker tournament
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
it may look like the World Series of Poker Europe."
The WSOPE was entering a crowded field as many major poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
tournaments were already established in Europe. Pollack, however, believed that brand recognition of the WSOP and that the "WSOP bracelet is the most recognized poker hardware globally will allow the WSOPE to quickly catch up."
2007 World Series of Poker Europe
In marketing the WSOPE, Harrah's Casino did not rely upon the reputation of Harrah's or the WSOP alone. On July 5, 2007, Harrah's announced its alliance with England-based BetfairBetfair
Betfair is the world's largest Internet betting exchange. The company is based in Hammersmith in West London, England. Since Betfair was launched in June 2000 it has become the largest online betting company in the UK and the largest betting exchange in the world. Betfair claim to have over 3...
, one of the largest online gaming companies in the world. The agreement builds on Betfair's European reputation in advertising the WSOPE while creating the largest agreement between a web-based and brick-and-mortar casinos. Due to changes in U.S. laws, effective in 2007, the WSOP could no longer accept money from online gambling companies. This prevented the WSOP from acknowledging WSOP qualifiers from online events. The WSOPE is not bound by this limitation. The United Kingdom Gambling Act of 2005 allows for legal regulated online poker sites. Furthermore, as the laws that govern the age of gambling differ in England than the U.S., the WSOPE admits younger players. In 2007, four of the five finalists at the first event of the WSOPE had won bracelets. Thomas Bihl
Thomas Bihl
Thomas Bihl is a German poker player who became the first person to win a World Series of Poker bracelet outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. Bihl was sponsored by Betfair, the official sponsor of the 2007 World Series of Poker Europe ....
, however, outlasted each of them to claim the first-ever WSOPE bracelet. No previous bracelet winners played at the second final table; Dario Alioto
Dario Alioto
Dario Alioto is a professional poker player from Palermo, Italy. Alioto's first major success in poker came at the European Poker Tour 2005 Barcellona main event, where he finished in 7th place and earned €52,000. Right after this score, he started grinding PLO cash games that became his best...
won the bracelet. Annette "Annette 15" Obrestad
Annette Obrestad
Annette Obrestad is a Norwegian poker player. Obrestad is the youngest person to ever win a World Series of Poker Europe bracelet...
, became the youngest player to win a WSOP bracelet event at age 18 years, 364 days in the final event of the tournament.
2008 World Series of Poker Europe
In 2008, the WSOPE added a fourth event and was held at the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square, London. The 2008 WSOPE was particularly notable, as Jesper HougaardJesper Hougaard
Jesper Hougaard is a poker player from Copenhagen, Denmark who has won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker.Hougaard won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event in 2008. Later that same year, he won another bracelet in the £1,500 No Limit Hold'em event at...
became the first person to win a bracelet at both the WSOP and WSOPE, let alone winning both in a single year. The WSOPE Main Event included several big name stars including Ivan Demidov
Ivan Demidov
Ivan Demidov is a professional poker player from Moscow, Russia.Demidov is one of the original 'November Nine', having made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008. He reached the heads-up stage along with Peter Eastgate, and took second place for $5,809,595...
, John Juanda
John Juanda
Johnson "John" Juanda is a Chinese Indonesian professional poker player based in Marina del Rey, California. Juanda lives in Los Angeles.-Personal life:...
and Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big...
. Demidov's appearance at the WSOPE final table was of particular interest. While sitting at the WSOPE Main event final table, he was one of the November Nine
November Nine
The November Nine is the name used to refer to the final nine contestants, or final table, at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker since 2008. The winner of the WSOP Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker....
players scheduled to play in November for the WSOP Main Event. This meant that for a period of time there was a chance that the same person could win both Main Events. As it was, he was the first player to make it to the final table at both the WSOP and WSOPE Main Events. Three-time bracelet winner John Juanda
John Juanda
Johnson "John" Juanda is a Chinese Indonesian professional poker player based in Marina del Rey, California. Juanda lives in Los Angeles.-Personal life:...
won his fourth bracelet in the WSOPE Main Event. Theo Jørgensen
Theo Jørgensen
Theo Jørgensen is a Danish professional poker player, based in Copenhagen who has made two European Poker Tour final tables.Jørgensen began playing poker in the early 1990s...
, who made it to the 2007 WSOPE Main Event final table, won his first bracelet in the £5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event. Sherkhan Farnood
Sherkhan Farnood
Sherkhan Farnood was the Chairman of Kabul Bank until late 2010, which is Afghanistan's largest private financial institution with over 1 million customers. Farnood holds 28.16% of the shares in the Kabul Bank. He also owns Pamir Airways, in partnership with Khalilullah Fruzi/Frozi, Mohammed Fahim...
, undoubtably had the most challenging final table as four of his final six opponents (Ivo Donev
Ivo Donev
Ivo Donev is a Bulgarian, with Austrian passport, who is a professional chess and poker player.-Chess:His father, Hristo Donev was a national master at chess....
, Howard Lederer
Howard Lederer
Howard Henry Lederer is an American professional poker player and brother of poker professional Annie Duke, and author and poet Katy Lederer. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...
, Phil Ivey
Phil Ivey
Phillip Dennis "Phil" Ivey Jr. is an American professional poker player who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables...
, and Jeff Lisandro
Jeff Lisandro
Jeffrey Lisandro is an Australian professional poker player, now residing in Salerno, Italy. Lisandro is known by many to be a cash game specialist, but is a well-known face on the poker tournament circuit and is regarded as one of the premier Seven Card Stud players in the world...
) had a combined 9 WSOP bracelets between them. The 2008 WSOPE also marked a technological advance with the advent of the mobile hole card camera. At previous tournaments, the viewing audience could only see the hole cards at select tables. In 2008, a special camera was used that enabled roaming camera crews to capture the action at adjacent tables.
2009 World Series of Poker Europe
The 2009 WSOPE was held from September 17 to October 1 at the Casino at the Empire in London, England. It consisted of four bracelet events including a £1,000 No-Limit Hold'em, a £2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha, a £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha, and a £10,000 World Championship No-Limit Hold'em Main Event.2010 World Series of Poker Europe
The 2010 World Series of Poker Europe was held from September 14 to September 28 at the Casino at the Empire in London, England. There were five bracelet events, culminating in the £10,350 WSOPE Championship No Limit Hold'em event which was won by James Bord, the first WSOPE bracelet winner from the UK.Main Event winners
| Year | Winner | Winning Hand | Prize (£) | Entrants | Runner-Up | Losing Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Annette Obrestad Annette Obrestad Annette Obrestad is a Norwegian poker player. Obrestad is the youngest person to ever win a World Series of Poker Europe bracelet... |
£1,000,000 | 362 | John Tabatabai John Tabatabai John Tabatabai is a Welsh professional poker player based in London, England. He was the runner-up to Norwegian poker player Annette Obrestad in the first World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. He is currently sponsored by Betfair.... |
||
| 2008 | John Juanda John Juanda Johnson "John" Juanda is a Chinese Indonesian professional poker player based in Marina del Rey, California. Juanda lives in Los Angeles.-Personal life:... |
£868,800 | 362 | Stanislav Alekhin | ||
| 2009 2009 World Series of Poker Europe The World Series of Poker Europe is the first expansion effort of World Series of Poker-branded poker tournaments outside the United States. Since 1970, participants have had to travel to Las Vegas if they wanted to compete in the World Series of Poker... |
Barry Shulman Barry Shulman Barry Shulman is an American poker player who has enjoyed success in competitive poker tournaments over the past 15 years, and is the CEO of CardPlayer Magazine.-Life and career:... |
£801,603 | 334 | Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big... |
||
| 2010 2010 World Series of Poker Europe The fourth World Series of Poker Europe took place from September 14, 2010 to September 28, 2010. There were five bracelet events, culminating in the £10,350 WSOPE Championship No-Limit Hold'em event... |
James Bord James Bord James Bord, born 1981, is a professional poker player. Originally from Stanmore, U.K., he now divides his time between London and Las Vegas. His biggest victory was the 2010 World Series of Poker Europe main event, where he won $1,313,611. and became the first British champion of that event... |
£830,401 | 346 | Fabrizio Baldassari | ||
| 2011 2011 World Series of Poker Europe The fifth World Series of Poker Europe takes place from October 7, 2011 to October 20, 2011. There are seven bracelet events, culminating in the €10,400 WSOPE Championship No-Limit Hold'em event. Events will be held at the Majestic Barrière Cannes and the Le Croisette Casino Barrière in Cannes,... |
Elio Fox Elio Fox Elio Fox is an American professional poker player whose first World Series of Poker in the money finish was the 2011 World Series of Poker Europe main event that he won. He has played online, where he is a high stakes No limit Texas hold'em rebuy specialist, since 2009 but had his first notable... |
€1,400,000 | 593 | Chris Moorman Chris Moorman Chris Moorman. is a British professional poker player. He is the all-time leader in career online poker earnings.He is among the leaders in the 2011 World Series of Poker Player of the Year point standings... |