PokerWorks

Harrah’s Entertainment has announced the dates and events set to comprise the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe presented by Betfair.com. There are quite a few changes in store for the second annual WSOP Europe, including an extra event and expanded ESPN coverage.

The inaugural Series set the stage for three bracelet events, but the 2008 WSOP Europe will consist of four events, the newest one being a €1,500 NLHE event with two opening days, that will take place from September 19th to October 2nd in London, England. Tournaments are scheduled as follows:

Event 1 9/19/08 €1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Day 1A
(3-day event, 2 opening days)
Event 2 9/22/08 €2,500 H.O.R.S.E.
(3-day event)
Event 3 9/24/08 €5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
(3-day event)
Event 4 9/27/08 €10,000 World Championship No-Limit
Hold’em
(5-day event, 2 opening days)

In addition to the four bracelet tournaments, five additional non-bracelet events will be added to the line-up and announced at a later date.

The 2008 WSOPE will be hosted by London Clubs International, as occurred last year, and the specific clubs to be used again are Fifty, located on St. James Street, and Casino of the Empire, which can be found in Leicester Square. Players can pre-register for the events at any of those venues now or at any Harrah’s location in Las Vegas, Nevada. And as the official sponsor of the 2008 WSOPE, Betfair is offering numerous qualifying opportunities from now until the beginning of December to send numerous winning players to the most prestigious series of tournaments in Europe.

In addition, ESPN has agreed to schedule eight hours of coverage of the 2008 WSOPE in the United States for the first time. While the definitive agreement has not yet been executed, the intent is to include U.S. viewers in the mix and broadcast the WSOPE on a more global basis. And in the non-ESPN markets, Sky Sports will continue to be the place on television with all of the action. Also, live coverage through ESPN360.com will be providing live coverage of the four events throughout Europe, the U.S., Mexico, and Brazil.

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack noted, “We have enhanced the schedule to build on our initial success and provide a richer experience for players. 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.

Betfair.com CEO David Yu added, “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.”