May 5, 2010 (CAP PR Wire) — How does the thought of turning one dollar into a shot at $1 million in prize money sound?
It’s easier than you think, thanks to this unique promotion being offered exclusively by WSOP.com to United Kingdom residents 21 and over.
Last month the World Series of Poker announced the return of the Tournament of Champions, an All-Star Event for the game of poker. Fans are currently voting for their Top 20 WSOP champions and 25 of the world’s top professionals and two seat winners will make up the entrants of this unique tournament. It promises to be a Who’s Who of the game of poker, and one lucky UK resident can join this exclusive field for their shot at $1 million in prize money.
This will be an internationally televised tournament and the winner of WSOP.com’s daily $1 satellite tournaments will gain automatic entry into a finalist’s poker tournament and if they are able to take down that event, they will be headed to Las Vegas, along with airfare and accommodations to play under the bright lights of the city that never sleeps.
What are you waiting for? Whether you have never played a hand of poker or are a seasoned veteran, fire up your computer and head to www.WSOP.com and look for the $1 WSOP TOC tournaments to be the next poker star.
ABOUT THE WSOP TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS
The 2010 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, takes place during the 41st Annual WSOP at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 27 and the final nine players will compete for $1 million on July 4. A total of 27 players will participate in the freeroll poker invitational, with 20 players selected by voting from the public. The vote began March 15 on www.WSOP.com and remains open until June 15, 2010 at midnight ET. The top 20 vote-getters will be awarded entry. In the event anyone in the public’s Top 20 is unable to participate, the next highest eligible and available vote-getter will be awarded the entry. To qualify as one of the 20 eligible fan-voted participants, players must be a WSOP bracelet-holder. All living WSOP bracelet holders are able to receive votes, and currently there are 521 eligible players.
Five entries into the tournament are automatic. The three previous WSOP TOC winners gain automatic entry, plus the reigning WSOP champion and the reigning WSOP Europe champion get seats at the table. Therefore Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, Mike Sexton, Joe Cada and Barry Shulman will make up 5 of the 27 players for this event. Two sponsor exemptions will be awarded by the WSOP – with this UK-only WSOP.com seat being one of the two sponsor exemptions.
Play will convene at the Rio on Sunday, June 27, 2010 to begin the tournament. Play will halt once the final nine players are reached, and those nine return on Sunday, July 4, 2010 to play for their share of 1,000,000 dollars and the title of 2010 WSOP TOC Champion. The tournament has been scheduled to avoid conflict with other WSOP events, as no new tournaments begin on either June 27 or July 4.
The WSOP Tournament of Champions was started by the WSOP in 2004, after Harrah’s took ownership of the World Series of Poker brand. In the inaugural event, ten top names were invited to participate in the freeroll event structured as a winner-take-all. Duke won the event at the Rio. In 2005, the TOC was won by Matusow at Caesars Palace, with an expanded field of 114 entrants competing in the freeroll, with the top nine places cashing. The TOC event last took place in 2006 at the Rio, when 27 of the games greatest took to the felt in the freeroll, with the final table all walking away with prize money and 2009 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Sexton walking away with the top prize. This year’s TOC will be a No Limit Texas Hold’em tournament with the top nine places being paid. First place will win $500,000, the runner-up gets $250,000, third place earns $100,000 and the fourth through ninth place pockets $25,000 each.
Details on how to cast your vote and rules can all be found at www.WSOP.com. The public will be able to track the voting, with the top 50 vote-getters listed and updated automatically after each ballot is completed. In an effort to avoid ballot-stuffing, the tally of individual votes won’t be divulged during the open voting period, and balloters will be required to complete an authentication process to ensure one vote per email address.
The WSOP, an annual poker games extravaganza, which dates back to 1970, is televised exclusively on ESPN from the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and consists of a comprehensive slate of the game’s most popular variations running from May 27-July 17, 2010. A total of 57 coveted gold bracelets will be up for grabs in 2010 – equal to last year’s total.
Contact:
Seth Palansky
Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment
(702) 407-6344
spalansky@harrahs.com