The WSOP Europe has always been held at the Empire Casino in London, but now they’re shifting location to Cannes, France, with the Casino Barriere de Cannes Croisette and the Hotel Majestic Barriere as the host venues. The WSOPE will be held from October 7 to October 21, 2011.

A Change for the Better

The regulation of Online Poker in France was a complicated and drawn out process, but in the end it really paid off. The industry’s getting bigger and bigger and France is rapidly becoming a new hotspot for the game. The recent announcement really rocked everyone’s boats, especially since it’s almost tradition for the WSOPE to be held at the Empire in London. It was a rather huge shock that the venue would be changed so suddenly after five years. Still, a lot of people are rather pleased with this change, especially since the new venues are far larger and more comfortable than the Empire. Also, a change in scenery is always nice, so a lot of players are already looking forward to this year’s WSOPE. Furthermore, Betfair would no longer be the sponsor for the event but BarierePoker.fr.

The reason for all these major changes is simple: Caesars Interactive would like to enter the French Market, and an alliance with Bariere seems like the best way to do it. The alliance, which covers both online and offline aspects, is an excellent strategy for expansion into France and BarierePoker.fr is also benefiting from the prestige brought about by such a huge brand.

Seven Qualifying Stops

Of course, what this development means is that French players can now join several qualifiers in the BarrierePoker.fr site in order to win seats at the WSOPE. Also, there are going to be seven qualifying stops that will be held, all leading to Cannes. The seven locations include Toulouse, Nice, Lille, Dinard, Enghien, Trouville, then Bordeaux. The whole tour will be very scenic, and a great way for players to see France and enjoy playing poker at the same time. It’s certainly going to be interesting to see the French poker players come out and make their own statement. This new development will offer lots of opportunities for people to get rich and get famous so if you have the time and the money, don’t miss out on this year’s WSOPE. It’s going to be huge and it’s going to be groundbreaking.

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