Bellagio Moves 2011 Five-Star World Poker Classic to MayThe 2011 World Poker Tour Championship Will Run From May 21-27 |
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The Bellagio Five-Star World Poker Classic will make a big adjustment next year. The tournament series will take place in May instead of April. The $25,000 no-limit hold’em World Poker Tour Championship event will run from May 21-27, 2011. The 2010 World Series of Poker begins on May 28, so it appears that this annual tournament series is trying to grow the elite field by catching players as they arrive in Las Vegas for the summer for the WSOP.
The 2010 WPT Championship, which concluded last week, attracted a turnout of just 195 players this year — the lowest for the event since it attracted 111 during season I. Bellagio tournament director Jack McClelland knew that he was fighting an uphill battle facing off with the PokerStars European Poker Tour events in San Remo and Monte Carlo that also take place in April and decided it was time for a change.
“We have hosted this tournament in the same time slot for a number of years and they scheduled right on top of us. I couldn’t overcome it,” said McClelland. “Maybe they didn’t put it on top of us on purpose; it could have been the only time they had available, but it has made it tough for us.”
McClelland went on to discuss the multiple logistics and scheduling aspects that have to be considered when scheduling a major poker tournament series.
“Each individual casino has to do what’s best for them. It might be better if the World Poker Tour Championship was held in the middle of January or something, but at that time the consumer electronic show is in Vegas and we can’t get any rooms,” said McClelland.
He is a little apprehensive to schedule so close to the WSOP, but he feels that it will ultimately make the travel demands on players more convenient.
“It was a very difficult decision because I don’t like to go right before the World Series because of tradition. I hope I don’t overlap them at all,”, said McClelland. “What we’re trying to do is make it so you don’t have to come out to the World Poker Tour Championship and then fly back to Europe before the World Series.”
Bellagio has made adjustments to the upcoming Bellagio Cup VI schedule, as well. Most notably, they are changing the buy-in for the WPT championship event from $15,000 down to $10,000. The tournament series runs June 25-July 16, and there are 23 events in all. The WPT championship event will run July 11-16 in order to catch players as they bust out of the WSOP main event. All but three of the events will feature a $1,000 buy-in, and there will be nightly $500 no-limit hold’em tournaments that will run from June 25-July 6. This was another adjustment made in consideration of player demand.
“We’re seeing that players want to play in the big events, and then there are others that want to play in the small $300-$1,000 events. That medium-range player that likes the $1,500-$3,000 events just doesn’t really exist anymore,” said McClelland.
Time will tell if these adjustments can stop the shrinking tournament fields at one of poker’s premiere location, with the first results available this summer. Bellagio already has one major tournament to book-end the conclusion of the WSOP and next year there will be another right at the start.
Here is a look at the adjusted schedule for the 2011 Five-Star World Poker Classic:
Tuesday, May 3: Event No. 1 ($500 no-limit hold’em event)
Wednesday, May 4: Event No. 2 ($1,000 Omaha eight-or-better)
Wednesday, May 4: Event No. 3 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em)
Thursday, May 5: Event No. 4 ($500 no-limit hold’em)
Friday, May 6: Event No. 5 ($1,000 H.O.R.S.E.)
Friday, May 6: Event No. 6 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em w/rebuys)
Saturday, May 7: Event No. 7 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em)
Sunday, May 8: Event No. 8 ($1,000 Seniors no-limit hold’em)
Sunday, May 8: Event No. 9 ($500 no-limit hold’em)
Monday, May 9: Event No. 10 ($1,000 pot-limit Omaha w/rebuys)
Monday, May 9: Event No. 11 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em)
Tuesday, May 10: Event No. 12 ($500 no-limit hold’em)
Wednesday, May 11: Event No. 13 ($1,000 pot-limit Omaha 8OB w/rebuys)
Wednesday, May 11: Event No. 14 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em)
Thursday, May 12: Event No. 15 ($1,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven lowball w/rebuys)
Thursday, May 12: Event No. 16 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em)
Friday, May 13: Event No. 17 ($1,000 Omaha eight-or-better)
Friday, May 13: Event No. 18 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em w/rebuys)
Saturday, May 14: Event No. 19 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em)
Sunday, May 15: Event No. 20 ($3,000 H.O.R.S.E.)
Sunday, May 15: Event No. 21 ($500 no-limit hold’em)
Monday, May 16: Event No. 22 ($1,000 pot-limit Omaha w/rebuys)
Monday, May 16: Event No. 23 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em)
Tuesday, May 17: Event No. 24 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em w/rebuys)
Wednesday, May 18: Event No. 25 ($1,000 pot-limit Omaha w/rebuys)
Wednesday, May 18: Event No. 26 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em)
Thursday, May 19: Event No. 27 ($5,000 no-limit hold’em)
Thursday, May 19: Event No. 28 ($2,500 no-limit hold’em super satellite)
Friday, May 20: Event No. 29 ($2,500 no-limit hold’em super satellite)
Friday, May 20: Event No. 30 ($2,500 no-limit hold’em super satellite)
Saturday, May 21: Event No. 31 ($25,000 WPT no-limit hold’em championship)
Saturday, May 21: Event No. 32 ($2,500 no-limit hold’em super satellite)
Tuesday, May 24: Event No. 33 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em w/rebuys)
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