The 2018 WSOP Europe kicks off at King’s Casino in the Czech Republic on Oct. 9 with the €550 Colossus. It’s the first of 10 gold bracelet events that just might impact the World Series of Poker Player of the Year race, currently led by Shaun Deeb.
After the summer series in Las Vegas concluded in July, Deeb held a sizable lead over Ben Yu and Joe Cada. But he hasn’t publicly announced his intentions for the European series.
If Deeb makes the trip to Rozvadov, or if the other top contenders don’t compete, he’ll be tough to beat. At 4,334.06 points, he holds nearly a 600-point lead over Yu. Cada, the 2009 Main Event champion who made this year’s final table, is in third place (3,531.86). John Hennigan, a new member of the Poker Hall of Fame, is also within striking distance (3,499.91).
No one else has more than 3,155 points, making it unlikely for any other player to win. That means Deeb is in the driver’s seat to dethrone Chris Ferguson as WSOP Player of the Year.
But the upcoming WSOP Europe isn’t all about determining a POY winner. The series features 10 gold bracelet events with millions at stake, including a pair of high rollers.
WSOP Europe Main Event
The WSOPE kickoff — €550 Colossus — is a spin off of the massive-field tournament held in Las Vegas each year, but the European version attracts far fewer players. Last year’s WSOPE Colossus had 4,115 entries, less than a third of the summer event in Las Vegas.
That is the cheapest tournament on the European schedule. WSOP Europe runs through the Oct. 27 Main Event (€10,350 buy-in), the top attraction each year. Marti Roca De Torres, an 888poker online qualifier from Spain, won it in 2017 for €1.15 million.
He joins an elite group of past winners since the series began in 2007.
Previous WSOP Europe Main Event Winners
2007 Annette Obrestad (Norway)
2008 John Juanda (USA)
2009 Barry Shulman (USA)
2010 James Bord (England)
2011 Elio Fox (USA)
2012 Phil Hellmuth (USA)
2013 Adrian Mateos (Spain)
2015 Kevin MacPhee (USA)
2017 Marti Roca De Torres (Spain)*Series wasn’t held in 2014 or 2016.
Hellmuth won his 13th career bracelet in the 2012 Europe Main Event, extending his all-time record. He has since won numbers 14 and 15, the last of which he received this summer in a $5,000 no-limit hold’em turbo event.
Rozvadov High Rollers
Many of the top high-stakes pros will head to the Czech Republic to go bracelet hunting. There are two events on the schedule for these wealthy, or well-backed, players.
The first, a €25,500 No-Limit Hold’em Super High Roller, begins Oct. 24. The stakes get even bigger on Oct. 26 with a similar tournament, only this one costs €100,000 to enter.
Cards will be in the air in just one week. We’ll keep you updated on the action here at CardsChat.
