Having participated in WSOP for years, Micah Raskin has seen most of the organization’s expansions in recent years.
“Since 2004, before I had my debut at the World Series, the tournament has been hosted by Caesars Entertainment Corporation, known as Harrah’s Entertainment until 2010,” says Micah Raskin. “However, the tournament had its official start in 1970 when Benny Binion invited a handful of poker wizards to play at the Horseshoe Casino.”
Today, Micah Raskin says WSOP is made up of 101 events consisting of major poker variants, though most are variants of Texas hold ’em. It’s proven to be a strong organization with the growing popularity and has made notable expansions since 2005.
WSOP Circuit Expansion in 2005
The World Series of Poker Circuit was rolled out in 2005 as a satellite series taking place at Harrah’s-owned properties in the US. The tournament featured a $10,000 buy-in and allowed qualifying players to enter a revamped Tournament of Champions later.
WSOP Europe Expansion in 2007
The first-ever World Series of Poker Europe tournament took place from September 6–17, 2007 and was made up of three events held in London. The tournament moved its location from London to Cannes, France in 2011, and has held an annual event since 2017.
WSOP Africa Expansion in 2010
Micah Raskin tells us 2010 was the year WSOP expanded their competition overseas to Gauteng, South Africa. The 2010 event was under the WSOP Circuit even though winners didn’t receive gold rings or standings for the Circuit National Championship, but its policy changed in 2012 to include them.
WSOP Asia Pacific Expansion in 2013
Australian casino Crown Melbourne announced a partnership with the WSOP in April 2012 for the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific event. The first tournament of the event, which didn’t take place until April 4–15, 2013, was held at Crown’s Melbourne Casino.
WSOP International Circuit Expansion in 2015
The WSOP International Circuit took place in 2015 in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Africa. Winners from each of the international tournaments join WSOP Circuit winners at the WSOP Global Casino Championship. The International Circuit totaled 13 tournaments in the 2017/18 season.
“WSOP has expanded to become the premier poker tournament in the world,” says Micah Raskin.
