Players waited for months for the announcement of Season 8 of the World Poker Tour. After the Bellagio posted its schedule for the Bellagio Cup in July with the WPT name next to the main event, it was assumed that the 2009-2010 tour would begin there, but no word of the exact schedule came until about three weeks prior to the start of its first event. Nevertheless, it is out and contains some changes that will no doubt interest the poker community.
The slimmest schedule in recent years includes 12 stops on the World Poker Tour, which is confined completely to the United States. All of the tournaments on the list will be filmed for broadcast on Fox Sports Net (FSN) in the United States and will boast of live online tournament coverage from the WPT reporters.
While WPT Enterprises noted that there will be a more complete schedule released in the future that includes international stops like the current WPT Spanish Championship and already-announced upcoming WPT Slovakia event, that list of tournaments seems to be separate from the U.S. tour. In addition, the international tournaments provide no live reporting or promise of television coverage for U.S. residents.
Season 8 of the WPT boasts of one new stop on the tour, which is the Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, an event that begins on March 20, 2010. The rest of the stops boast of familiar locations to WPT fans, like Borgata, Foxwoods, Commerce, and Bellagio.
WPT Founder and CEO Steve Lipscomb commented on the new schedule: “As this great game has evolved over the years, we have seen the tour grow and develop into something truly incredible. Each year seems to top the last, from stops in exciting new venues to historical moments to break-out players to unbelievable action. We’re looking forward to seeing what the eighth season brings - then watching it broadcast in HD!”
The exact schedule with tournament buy-ins listed is as follows:
| Bellagio Cup ($15,400) | Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV | Jul 13-19, 2009 |
| Legends of Poker ($10K) | Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, CA | Aug 22-26, 2009 |
| Borgata Poker Open (unknown) | Borgata in Atlantic City, NJ | Sept 19-24, 2009 |
| Festa al Lago ($15,400) | Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV | Oct 20-26, 2009 |
| Foxwoods World Poker Finals ($10K) | Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT | Nov 5-10, 2009 |
| 5 Diamond World Poker Classic ($15,400) | Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV | Dec 13-19, 2009 |
| Southern Poker Championship ($10K) | Beau Rivage in Biloxi, MS | Jan 24-27, 2010 |
| L.A. Poker Classic ($10K) | Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, CA | Feb 20-25, 2010 |
| WPT Invitational (Invite only) | Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, CA | Feb 27-Mar 1, 2010 |
| Bay 101 Shooting Star ($10K) | Bay 101 in San Jose, CA | Mar 8-12, 2010 |
| Hollywood Poker Open ($10K) | Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, IN | March 20-24, 2010 |
| WPT World Championship ($25,500) | Bellagio in Las Vegas, NV | Apr 17-24, 201 |
All dates are subject to change, and other tour stops can be added or deleted as the season progresses.