New European WPT Events Introduced

World Poker Tour announced the dates of two new, televised events for WPT Season IX. PartyPoker presents the stops in Venice and Vienna, taking place 3rd through 8th February and 25th through 29th March 2011, respectively. Also, the first WPT National Series event is confirmed to take place in Paris.

The PartyPoker WPT Venice Main Event (buy-in: €3,000+€300) starts on 3rd February 2011 at the Casino de Venezia and lasts until 8th February. Globally broadcast, a €10,000 High Rollers event is added, played from 7th to 9th February at the same venue.

The Montesino in Vienna hosts the other PartyPoker WPT stop. The €3,200+€300 Main Event takes place 25th – 29th March 2011. Also televised, a €15,000 High Rollers event follows here, too, between 28th and 30th March.

Last but not least, the WPT National Series also kicks off in 2011 in Paris. The EFOP Diamond Championship is held 9th – 15th February at Aviation Club de France, consisting of a €5,000 Main Event (9th – 15th February) and a €10,000 High Rollers (14th – 16th February). The National Series is different form usual WPT events in terms of the distribution of Player of the Year Points and the WPT World Championship buy-in as neither is offered to participants.

“The World Poker Tour is excited to announce these new dates in Europe. We are looking forward to returning to Venice, debuting our WPT National Series and High Rollers event in Paris and taking the Tour to Vienna for the very first time. The future is exciting and these international events give players even more chances to compete on poker’s premiere stage,” WPT head Adam Pliska commented.

Well, given the WPT brand’s recent acquisition by Party, it is little wonder that European stops are increasing in numbers throughout the tour. Not that legal play, organised by PartyPoker, could be held in the US, anyway.