PokerWorks

As the 2009 World Series of Poker carries on in Las Vegas, organizers in London are busy gearing up for the upcoming World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), which is scheduled to begin on September 17, 2009 and run through October 1. The third annual series of events will feature several side events, one of which will be the Caesars Cup.

Patterned after the Ryder Cup, the Caesars Cup will put together teams from Europe and America, with eight players on each of the two teams, and pit them against each other for a series of heads-up matches and team no-limit hold’em action. Points will be awarded for each game, and the winner will play for the first-ever Caesars Cup. ESPN will also be filming the event for a special television broadcast to be shown in coordination with the airing of the 2009 WSOPE coverage.

Set to take place on September 25, the two team captains have yet to select the members of their teams. Daniel Negreanu has been chosen to head up the American team, which includes North, South, and Central America, and Annette Obrestad will lead the European team. While there is one seat on Obrestad’s team reserved for the winner of the Betfair leaderboard competition, as Betfair is the official sponsor of the WSOPE, but no specific players have been announced yet for either team.

The public has the opportunity to participate in the selection process. By visiting the WSOPE.Betfair.com website, anyone can vote for the player(s) they feel can best represent either team and win the 2009 Caesars Cup.

Bruce Stubbs, director at Betfair, said, “What better way to showcase poker at the WSOPE than to pitch the elite poker players from both Europe and the Americas against each other. We all know that poker is a highly competitive gave but with pride, bragging rights, and the cup at stake, this promises to be one of the highlights of this year’s poker calendar.”

WSOP Vice President Ty Steward added, “Nothing brings out competition like representing your country. This continent versus continent format will draw the biggest names in poker to see who will lay claim to the inaugural Caesars Cup.”