2008 World Series of Poker Schedule Released

Harrah's Entertainment just announced the full schedule of the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), and for the first time ever, the WSOP will begin and end with $10,000 buy-in World Championship events, as well as feature a total of eight $10,000 championships.

The 39th annual WSOP will be staged inside the Rio Convention Center from May 30 through July 16.

"The poker tent is gone," noted Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the WSOP. "We heard folks loud and clear last year, and there will be no tents used for tournament play at the 2008 WSOP."

WSOP officials plan a "soft opening" of the tournament room on May 28 and 29 for players to register early and play in satellite tournaments and cash games (see how to pre-register below).

"We're holding steady at 55 events this year," said Pollack. "But, we've mixed it up a bit to keep it interesting for our players and fans."

Pollack added, "Both amateur and professional poker players will have new opportunities to compete for a WSOP bracelet and can choose from the widest variety of games and buy-ins ever offered in one poker tournament and certainly at the WSOP."

THE EVENTS

For a full schedule of the 2008 World Series of Poker, click here.

The WSOP, presented by Milwaukee's Best Light and televised exclusively on ESPN, starts May 30 with the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Pot-Limit Hold'em and ends July 16 with the Final Table of the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of No Limit Texas Hold'em, best known as the WSOP Main Event.

The six other $10,000 buy-in events (all World Championship competitions) include: Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em; Seven-Card Stud; Limit Hold'em; Omaha Hi-Low Split Eight or Better; Pot-Limit Omaha; and a new Mixed Event. The Mixed Event will feature eight variations of poker: Limit and No-Limit Hold'em; Omaha Hi-Low and Pot-Limit Omaha; Seven Card Stud; Razz; Seven Card Hi-Low Split; and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

The second event of the 2008 WSOP is a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament with two starting days: May 31 and June 1.

The 55-event schedule for 2008 includes a total of eight $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournaments, which traditionally draw the largest fields except for the Main Event.

MAIN EVENT STARTS JULY 3

July 3 is the first of four start days for the 2008 Main Event. Last year, a total of 6,358 entrants competed for a Main Event prize pool of USD $59.8 million. Players may choose their Main Event start dates as long as seats are available on the selected dates.

HOW TO PRE-REGISTER

Pre-registration for the 2008 WSOP can be made beginning in February on-site at the Main Cage of the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas or online at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.

In addition to the largest cash prizes in poker, winners of each of the 55 events will receive an exclusive World Series of Poker gold bracelet crafted by the luxury Swiss watchmaker CORUM. Last year, 54,288 entrants who ranged in age from 21 (bracelet winner Steve Billirakis) to 94 (Main Event contestant Jack Ury) competed for the poker world's largest total prize pool of nearly $160 million.

ANTE UP FOR AFRICA JULY 2

On July 2, and in conjunction with the WSOP, Oscar nominee Don Cheadle and poker professional Annie Duke will host the second annual Ante Up For Africa charity tournament at the Rio.

Last year's AUFA event featured dozens of Hollywood celebrities and poker professionals and raised more than $700,000 for charity. Ante Up For Africa is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 by Cheadle, Duke and Norman Epstein and is dedicated to raising money and awareness for Africans in need.

WSOP LINKS

Click here for more information about the World Series of Poker on their Web site.

For a full schedule of the 2008 World Series of Poker, click here.