The majority of the World Series may be over, but before the final table of the main event even gets underway, there is the small matter of the WSOP-E to contend with. Last year was the inaugural year for the WSOP in Europe and this year they've added a fourth bracelet event to the schedule, which takes place at the Empire Casino in London's Leicester Square this September.
Just as there was in 2007, there will be a £2,500 HORSE, a £5,000 Omaha and a £10,000 no-limit hold 'em main event, but they have also added a £1,500 no-limit hold 'em tournament to the schedule. This will certainly appeal to many of the local players, who may have found last year's offerings a bit out of their usual price range.
This year at the WSOP in Las Vegas, European players bucked the usual trend and picked up a quarter of the bracelets on offer, so perhaps this year in London it will be North America's turn to take down an overseas victory. Last year all three bracelets in London were won by Europeans, so in baseball terms, North America struck out-a perfect inning for the home team's pitcher. This time the plate is a bit larger, so there is more opportunity for a home run for the visiting side, but will the bases be loaded? I predict a 3-1 victory for Europe. But before the World Series even gets to Europe, there are several other home grown poker events set to take place on this side of the Atlantic. The Grosvenor UK Poker Tour has taken a summer recess for the last two months but play resumes in early August with their sixth leg, which takes place in Luton, just a few miles north of London.
The tour continues in early September, when Bolton, not far from Manchester, plays host to the seventh leg of the £1,000 series. The European Poker Tour also kick starts it's fifth season this September in Barcelona, just a week before the WSOP-E starts. During season four there was a sharp increase in the number of Americans making the journey over to play in the EPT and this looks set to continue in season five. With this first EPT event and the WSOP-E so close together, many are expected to make a road trip of it and take in both events.
For those of us with smaller bankrolls, there are other alternatives to consider as well. APAT-the Amateur Poker Association and Tour enables non-professional players a chance to play deep stacked, well structured, tournaments at a fraction of the cost of most poker competitions. The tour is currently in its second year and will stage the World Championships of Amateur Poker in late August at the Grosvenor Victoria casino in London.
Like the WSOP-E it also features four championship events. However, the buy in for the main event is just £75 ($150) and the three supporting tournaments (Omaha, razz and 7-card stud) cost just £50 ($100) to play. APAT events are highly social affairs and every player in the tournament gets a round of applause when they exit.
When I first witnessed this at one of their events in Luton last year I was unsure of whether I would want a round of applause upon exiting. Usually I just like to skulk off without anyone noticing. This kind of sportsmanship is not always present in the world of poker, but it is a rather refreshing change to the rubdowns and 'how can you call with that?' remarks that seem to be more commonplace these days.
Jonathan Raab is a poker consultant and tournament reporter. He also represents online poker site Blue Square at live poker events in the UK and Europe, and manages the GUKPT. Email Jonathan at jr@bluesq.com
