2008 World Series of Poker Europe Presented by Betfair.com Announces Tournament Schedule

ESPN to televise ; ESPN360 to provide live coverage. Four Bracelet Events Set for September 19th to October 2nd in London The second annual World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) presented by Betfair.com has confirmed its tournament schedule for 2008. The tournament will feature four bracelet events, and will start with a new £1,500 No-Limit tournament (3days). The event schedule can be seen in full below:- • September 19th , 2008 - Event 1 - £1,500 – No-Limit Hold’em Day 1A (3-day event/2 opening days) • September 22nd , 2008 - Event 2 - £2,500 – H.O.R.S.E. (3-day event) • September 24th , 2008 - Event 3 - £5,000 – Pot Limit Omaha (3-day event) • September 27th , 2008 - Event 4 - £10,000 – World Championship No-Limit Hold’em (5-day Event/2 opening days) All of the above tournaments are sanctioned gold bracelet events, although there will be five more non-bracelet events scheduled during the tournament.
All of the bracelet events will be held in the heart of London whilst satellites and non-stop cash games will be available at all the LCI casinos. "London Clubs offers five unique casino experiences in the heart of London including The Rendezvous, The Casino at the Empire (in world famous Leicester Square), The Sportsman, Fifty and the Golden Nugget, “said Michael Silberling, COO, London Clubs International. ““We look forward to hosting the second annual WSOP Europe.”
For the first time, and subject to the execution of a definitive agreement, ESPN, the exclusive World Series of Poker broadcaster, has committed to airing eight original hours of the World Series of Poker Europe in the United States as well as distribute the tournament globally. ESPN360, ESPN’s signature broadband sports network portal will provide live coverage in the US, Europe, Mexico and Brazil. Harrah’s Entertainment will distribute the programming in non-ESPN markets, which in 2007 totaled over 100 million households including U.K. host broadcaster Sky Sports “We have enhanced the schedule to build on our initial success and provide a richer experience for players,” said World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “If this year’s World Series of Poker event in Las Vegas is any indication, the level of tournament play is increasing worldwide and we expect the second annual WSOPE to be hotly contested.” David Yu, CEO, Betfair.com commented. “We are extremely excited to be working alongside Harrah’s and the World Series of Poker brand for a second year.
Betfair Poker is now the only place players can qualify online for the tournament – this exclusivity shows how confident we are that WSOPE 2008 will be even bigger and better than before.” Satellite tournaments have become increasingly popular in a world where the most prestigious poker tournaments have entry fees out of the reach of the recreational players. Rather than awarding money as prizes, satellites give away entries to more expensive tournaments meaning players with limited bankrolls have the chance to play against their favourite professionals for huge sums of money.
The most famous satellite winner of recent times was Chris Moneymaker, who won a $40 satellite for the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event and went on to outlast 838 other players to win $2,500,000! Betfair recognise that people are eager to emulate Moneymaker's success and have created a number of satellite tournaments for the 2008 WSOPE Main Event. LTDPoker.com rate Betfair as one of their Top online Poker sites, “players consistently feed back great reviews, that why we are delighted to offer players fantastic free bankrolls when opening an account at Betfair Poker. Now is a great time with the buzz of the WSOPE” – Andy Hindmarsh CEO LTDPoker.com.