2015 WSOP Europe To Run From October 8th to 24th In Berlin

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Monday, May 25th, 2015 | Written by Stephen Smith

The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) was held in England from 2007-2010, and France between 2010-2013, while 2015 will see Germany play host to the iconic tournament poker festival. The location for the WSOPE will be the country’s capital city, Berlin, and more specifically its most famous casino the Spielbank Berlin on the Potsdamer Platz public square, where a total of 10 gold bracelets will be up for grabs between October 8th and 24th. Commenting on the honor of hosting the 2015 Series, Marcel Langner, Casino Director of Operations, said:

“It`s a great honor to host this event. We are sure all visitors will have a great time in Berlin. We will offer cash game and tournament play, as well as the Oktoberfest special to welcome our guests from all over the world. Welcome to Spielbank Berlin.”

Struggling Numbers To Date

Since its inception, the WSOP Europe has struggled to attract the sorts of numbers fielded by its American counterpart, and in 2013 the WSOPE Main Event attracted just 375 players with a top prize of €1,000,000 ($1,351,661), compared to the WSOP Main Event which last year boasted 6,683 players and a first place prize worth $10 million. Consequently, in 2014 the WSOPE started alternating with the WSOP Asia Pacific (WSOP APAC), which similarly could only attract 329 players to its Main Event for a $850,136 top prize.

Potentially Most Exciting WSOPE Ever

However, there is now optimism Europe’s most populous country of 80.62 million may help give those rather meager numbers a boost, and spark a renewed interest in the 13 year old tournament series. Furthermore, Germany not only has a reputation as the most affluent and well-organized nation on the continent, but, as WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart points out, it is also “a hotbed for poker talent,” whose players include the 2014 Player of the Year George Danzer, as well as the 2011 WSOP Main Event champion Pius Heinz. Expressing his belief Berlin will prove the most exciting and popular WSOPE tour to date, Ty Stewart said:

“Berlin became a logical choice city for WSOP Europe given its proximity to all of Europe, the experienced management team at Spielbank, and the gap of time since a major poker tournament has come to the city. We believe this truly will be the best organized and contested WSOP Europe ever.”

Significant Changes

The WSOPE in England featured 5 bracelet events by the time it departed for France in 2011, which had risen to 8 bracelets at the time of its final tenure in France in 2013. In Germany, however, a total of 10 WSOP bracelets will be on offer, as well as a multitude of other daily side tournaments and cash games.

Mirroring efforts by the WSOP USA to once again attract more recreational players, whose numbers have dwindled since the ‘Poker Boom‘ came to an end in 2006, the WSOPE has also announced a new low budget approach, including a €550 Pot Limit Omaha event, and a €550 The Oktoberfest No Limit event. However, at the other end of the scale will be the marquee €10,450 WSOPE Main Event, in addition to the €25,600 High Roller No Limit Hold’em event.

Full 2015 WSOP Europe Schedule

Oct 8th (3-days): €2,200 Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em
Oct 9th (5-days): €550 The Oktoberfest No-Limit Hold’em
Oct 11th (3-days): €3,250 Eight-Handed Pot-Limit Omaha
Oct 12th (3-days): €1,650 Monster Stack No-Limit Hold’em
Oct 13th (3-days): €2,200 Mixed Event
Oct 14th (3-days): €3,250 No-Limit Hold’em
Oct 15th (3-days): €550 Pot Limit Omaha
Oct 16th (3-days): €1,100 Turbo No-Limit Hold’em w/Re-Entry
Oct 18th (7-days): €10,450 WSOP Europe Main Event
Oct 21st (3-days): €25,600 High Roller No-Limit Hold’em

The Spielbank Berlin Casino

The Spielbank Berlin Casino is situated in the popular Potsdamer Platz area of Berlin, and is one of the country’s biggest casinos with twenty table games and 350 slots spread out across three floors. For the WSOPE, however, an additional 90 poker tables will set up, but the casino has hosted many large poker events in the past, meaning its staff will be more than prepared for any challenges which may occur during the series. Finally, the WSOP Europe will be televised, with ESPN expected to cover the US market and Sport1 in Germany, while the Main Event will be live-streamed online.