Caesar Cup Returns to WSOP-E, WSOP POY Debated, and Officials Got Ladies Event Right
Various news and tidbits regarding the upcoming WSOP Europe came out this week. The first was the renewal of the Caesars Cup event during the WSOP-E. This event was last held in 2009 where Team Europe “upset” Team America and captain Daniel Negreanu.
The WSOP Europe is less than a month away.
This is clearly a “made-for-TV” event and the press release even stated so. Phil Hellmuth will captain the American team and Bertrand Grospellier will captain Team Europe. This event should prove to be somewhat exciting for casual poker fans, but for those of us that follow poker regularly or play, there probably won’t be much interest unless both captains fool us and choose players that even die hard fans will want to see.
Next, there was an article on ESPN where Andrew Feldman and Gary Wise argued whether that events at the WSOP Europe should count towards the player of the year race. To make a long article short, Feldman said they should and Wise said they shouldn’t. Personally, I have no problem having the POY extend into the WSOP-E. In fact, it may give Phil Hellmuth a chance to get back into it now that Ben Lamb has made the final table of the event. If Hellmuth plays well at the WSOP-E and somehow takes the lead, it will make the November Nine final table all the more interesting.
Finally, I want to address something that I noticed a while back but never took the time to talk about. At the end of the WSOP-E schedule, there is a Ladies Event. However, unlike the Ladies Event in Vegas, this one is a non-bracelet event. I personally think that WSOP-E officials got this one correct.
As many of you that follow my writing know, I am not a proponent of any non-open field events at the WSOP awarding bracelets. The Seniors Event, the Employee’s Event, and the Ladies Event should all be non-bracelet events. While I realize that the reason this event is non-bracelet may be due to there being a bracelet event in Vegas, I still like the precedent.
The WSOP Europe kicks off on October 7th and lasts through October 20th. It will be held at the Barrière de Cannes Croisette and the Hôtel Majestic Barrière in Canne, France.
