World Series of Poker Africa

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The World Series of Poker Africa (WSOPA) is the second expansion effort of World Series of Poker-branded poker tournaments 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 started holding circuit events in 2005 in other states, the main tournaments, which awarded bracelets to the winners, were exclusively held in Las Vegas. In 2007, the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe marked the first time that a WSOP bracelet was awarded outside Las Vegas. [1] In 2010, the WSOP expanded overseas once again, only this time to Gauteng, South Africa. While the WSOPE awarded bracelets, the WSOPA was considered a circuit event with the winners receiving Championship Rings instead of bracelets. The WSOPA did not occur in 2011, but the series of tournaments resumed in 2012.

World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Caesars Entertainment Corporation. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion invited seven of the best-known poker players to the Horseshoe Casino for a single tournament, with a set start and stop time, and a winner determined by a secret ballot of the seven players.

Poker family of card games

Poker is a family of card games that combines gambling, strategy, and skill. All poker variants involve betting as an intrinsic part of play, and determine the winner of each hand according to the combinations of players' cards, at least some of which remain hidden until the end of the hand. Poker games vary in the number of cards dealt, the number of shared or "community" cards, the number of cards that remain hidden, and the betting procedures.

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. The winner of the tournament is usually the person who wins every poker chip in the game and the others are awarded places based on the time of their elimination. To facilitate this, in most tournaments, blinds rise over the duration of the tournament. Unlike in a ring game, a player's chips in a tournament cannot be cashed out for money and serve only to determine the player's placing.

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2010 WSOPA

The first WSOPA was held in October 2010 at the Emerald Resort & Casino in Vanderbijlpark near Johannesburg, South Africa. Emerald Resort and Casino CEO Martin Rice said "Poker has, over the past half-decade, accelerated in popularity. Our Emerald Poker Series, and its growing fields, is testament to the unlimited success of the sport. It was only natural to follow-on its popularity with the greatest tournament on the planet." [2] The tournament consisted of two events, which were a $1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha event with $300 rebuys and the $5,000 No Limit "Main Event."

Emerald Resort & Casino is a hotel and casino located at a private estate on the banks of the Vaal River in Vanderbijlpark, South Africa. The casino opened in 1997 and is owned by Caesars Entertainment Corporation. The casino was previously owned by London Clubs International.

Vanderbijlpark Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Vanderbijlpark is an industrial city with 95 000 inhabitants on the Vaal River in the south of the Gauteng province of South Africa.

Johannesburg Place in Gauteng, South Africa

Johannesburg is the largest city in South Africa and one of the 50 largest urban areas in the world. It is the provincial capital and largest city of Gauteng, which is the wealthiest province in South Africa. While Johannesburg is not one of South Africa's three capital cities, it is the seat of the Constitutional Court. The city is located in the mineral-rich Witwatersrand range of hills and is the centre of large-scale gold and diamond trade.

Although the 2010 event was part of the WSOP Circuit, winners did not earn a gold ring or standing for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, both of which were common for other circuit events. [3] This policy changed in 2012. [4]

Event First Prize Winner [4]
$1,100 Pot-Limit Omaha (Rebuy) $36,786 Filipe Ramos
$5,000 No Limit Hold'em $231,956 Warren Zackey

2012 WSOPA

The 2012 WSOPA was moved to 21–26 February and expanded to six circuit events, each of which counted towards Circuit National Championship standing and awarded a gold ring. [4] In addition to the six ring events, the week included a Ladies No-Limit Tournament and a Celebrity Tournament. All events at the 2012 tournament were no-limit. [5]

Five-time bracelet winner and former world champion Scotty Nguyen was the Master of Ceremonies. [5]

Scotty Nguyen American poker player

Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five-time World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 World Series of Poker $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship. He is the first and currently only player to win both the WSOP Main Event and $50,000 Players' Championship.

Event First Prize Winner [6]
$350 No-Limit Hold’em $22,842 Gregory Ronaldson
$3,300 Main Event $158,595 Joe-Boy Rahme
$10,400 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em $97,000 Rob Fenner
$560 Six Handed No-Limit Hold'em $25,979 Jason Strauss
$350 No-Limit Hold'em $17,610 Armand Saayman
$350 Turbo No-Limit Hold'em $7,784 Heau Pienaar

2013 World Series of Poker Africa

The 2013 WSOPA was moved to 5–10 February and expanded to seven circuit events, each of which counted towards Circuit National Championship standing and awarded a gold ring.

Event First Prize Winner [7]
$365 No-Limit Hold’em $20,018 Jarrod Solomon
$580 6-Handed No-Limit Hold'em $12,920 Greg Tucker
$3,300 Main Event $101,267 Michael Mizrachi
$580 No-Limit Hold'em $19,741 Todd Neville
$10,400 High Roller No-Limit Hold'em $38,400 Roman Szymonowicz
$365 Turbo No-Limit Hold'em $7,753 Ahmed Karrim

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Phil Ivey American poker player

Phillip Dennis Ivey Jr., is an American professional poker player who has won ten World Series of Poker bracelets, one World Poker Tour title, and appeared at nine World Poker Tour final tables. Ivey was at one time regarded by numerous poker observers and contemporaries as the best all-around player in the world. In 2017 he was elected to the Poker Hall of Fame.

Bobby Baldwin American poker player

Bobby Baldwin is a professional poker player, and casino executive. As a poker player, Baldwin is best known as the winner of the 1978 World Series of Poker Main Event, becoming the youngest Main Event champion at that time.

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Allen Cunningham is an American professional poker player who has won five World Series of Poker bracelets.

Steve Zolotow American poker player

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The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions is an invitational freeroll poker event. Wins in this event do not count as official WSOP bracelets, but the winner receives a large trophy in the shape of the official World Series of Poker logo. In 2010, the WSOP Tournament of Champions returned with a new format more akin to a typical sports league All-Star Event format. 27 players vied for $1 million, with 20 of those players selected by the fans via online vote at the WSOP's website.

The World Series of Poker Circuit is a series of poker tournaments held annually at a variety of casinos since 2005 as a build-up to the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

World Series of Poker bracelet award

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) 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". During the first years of the WSOP only a handful of bracelets were awarded each year. In 1990, there were only 14 bracelet events. By 2000, that number increased to 24. As the popularity of poker has increased during the 2000s, the number of events has likewise increased. In 2011, 58 bracelets were awarded at the WSOP, seven at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), and one to the WSOP National Circuit Champion. This brought the total number of bracelets awarded up to 959. Five additional bracelets were awarded for the first time in April 2013 at the inaugural World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific in Melbourne, Australia.. In 2017, 74 for bracelets were awarded at the WSOP and an additional 11 will be awarded at the WSOPE in Czech Republic.

World Series of Poker Europe

The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is the first expansion effort of World Series of Poker-branded poker tournaments 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 was awarded outside Las Vegas. From its inception to the 2013 tournament, players from 19 countries — USA (10), France (4), UK (3), Denmark (3), Canada (2), Norway (2), Portugal (2), Italy (2), Afghanistan, Germany, Indonesia, Spain, New Zealand, Sweden, Tunisia, Switzerland, Australia, Italy and Finland — have won bracelets.

2007 World Series of Poker Europe

The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) 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 (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 was awarded outside Las Vegas.

The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold 'em Main Event, the most prestigious of the WSOP events, ended by July 15. As has been the WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners received a championship bracelet in addition to that event's prize money, which ranged from $87,929 to $9,119,517.

2008 World Series of Poker Europe

The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) 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 (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 was awarded outside Las Vegas.

London Clubs International (LCI) 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. It also had licences to build five additional casinos.

World Series of Poker Casino Employee Championship

The Casino Employees Championship is one of only three closed tournaments awarding WSOP bracelets at the World Series of Poker gathering. While most of the events are open to the general public, participants in the Ladies Championship, Seniors Championship, and the Casino Employees Championship must meet certain eligibility requirements. While these events are closed, the winner of these events is "afforded the same distinction as all gold bracelet tournaments." The WSOP bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win.

2009 World Series of Poker Europe

The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) 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 (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 was awarded outside Las Vegas.

Viacheslav Zhukov is a Russian professional poker player who has won two World Series of Poker bracelets. Prior to becoming a professional poker player, Zhukov was a geologist in Russia. As of 9 July 2012 he has career earnings of $940,000, $838,000 of which was earned at the World Series of Poker.

The World Series of Poker Asia Pacific is the third expansion of the World Series of Poker-branded poker tournaments outside the United States. Since 1970 participants have had to travel to Las Vegas, Nevada to compete in the World Series of Poker (WSOP). Although the WSOP started holding circuit events in 2005 in other states, the main tournaments, which awarded bracelets to the winners, were exclusively held in Las Vegas. In 2007 the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe marked the first time that a WSOP bracelet was awarded outside Las Vegas. The WSOP further expanded to Africa in 2010 and 2012 however these events did not award any bracelets.

Ian Johns is an American professional poker player born in Seattle, Washington and now living in Newcastle, Washington. He has won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker. He won his first bracelet in 2006 and won two bracelets in 2016.

References

  1. "Harrah's Set to Launch World Series of Poker Europe". Gaming Business. 27 February 2007. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
  2. Parvis, Matthew (3 May 2010). "Poker World Series of Poker Heads to South Africa?". PokerNews. Retrieved 22 Feb 2012.
  3. Katz, Dan (27 Oct 2010). "Historic WSOP Africa Kicks Off". Poker News Daily. Retrieved 22 Feb 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "EMERALD CASINO AND RESORT TO HOST 2ND ANNUAL WSOP AFRICA FEBRUARY 21–26". WSOP. 19 Feb 2012. Retrieved 22 Feb 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Scotty Nguyen to Host 2012 WSOP Africa". Poker Listings. 16 Feb 2012. Retrieved 22 Feb 2012.
  6. Holloway, Chad (1 March 2012). "Recapping the 2012 World Series of Poker Circuit Africa". Poker News. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  7. "2013 World Series of Poker Circuit Africa". Cardplayer. Retrieved 9 April 2013.