World Series of Poker France

Just as your humble bureau chief was wracking his brain for a suitable editorial subject this month, news conveniently broke that the World Series of Poker Europe 2011 would move from England to France.
On the surface this seems like an explosive news story (and it is) but scratch beneath the surface a little and the move makes perfect sense for Caesars Interactive Entertainment (formerly Harrah’s), owners of the WSOPE.
When the WSOPE was first launched in London, Betfair sponsored it for three years, reputedly for millions of pounds.
Last year that sponsorship deal ran out and the WSOP/Caesars did not strike a deal with another partner to take over lead branding of the event, thus losing out on a very lucrative and important revenue stream.
In the intervening period the French market became regulated and awash with poker cash, much of it from online sites trying to aggressively gain market share.
With legal online poker (like the UK), a growing live poker scene (like the UK), and an accessible destination (like the UK) it makes for a near perfect destination.
BarrierPoker.fr is the new sponsor, Cannes the new location, and the number of bracelets jumps from five to seven.
Overall this looks like a great deal for Caesars and French players but is it good for poker and the WSOPE brand?
Well that depends.
Will players whose primary language is English be as likely to travel to play where French is the first language?
Will player expenses in this affluent and exclusive part of France become an issue now the number of events has increased from five to seven?
Will the extra two events offset the absence of other major poker events (World Poker Tour, English Open, European Poker Tour, Million Dollar Cash Game) traditionally held in London around this time?
Will the expected increase in French online qualifiers prove irresistible to overseas players?
Will rake and government tax issues be a barrier to overseas players?
Poker players will have a lot of questions which need answering over the coming months and it will be a fascinating process for observers and commentators to expound upon but ultimately, as always, bums on seats will speak volumes and this commentator is predicting there will be no shortage of them.
World Series of Poker USA
By the time you read this in mid-March the World Series of Poker will be hoving into view and many European players will be starting to plan their trips to Las Vegas.
Whether you are an annual pilgrim or a first time visitor this year’s Series has a lot to offer.
The number of events rises from 57 to 58, the number of $10,000 championship events increases to 10, the Series kicks off with a $25,000 heads-up event and the $50,000 players event moves from the start to the end of the near-seven week Series, just before the $10,000 main event.
Never mind what the World Series of Poker Europe will bring in 2011. We’ve 58 crucial events to get through in Las Vegas before we need to start worrying about Cannes. ♠