There have been a lot of big shows held at The Venue at Horseshoe Casino Hammond but arguably none a grander spectacle than this week's World Series of Poker Circuit Event.
It began Oct. 16 and will continue through Sunday, with the Main Event, the three-day No Limit Hold'em Championship, set to begin at noon Oct. 23.
The buy-in for the Main Event is a hefty $5,200, but the stakes are significant: In addition to the first place cash prize, the winner will receive a World Series of Poker Circuit championship ring plus a seat in the Main Event at the 2010 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, valued at $10,000.
Last year's inaugural circuit stop at the Horseshoe, a first for the greater Chicago area, was the most successful on the national tour. The 1,187 players who registered the first day was the largest field throughout the entire 2008 season.
The Venue is transformed into one of the largest poker rooms in the world to accommodate the competition. A total of 13 tournament events were scheduled to take place at the 78 tables which were set up.
In addition to the showcase Main Event, there will be two other No Limit Hold'em tournaments this weekend, including one for a $555 buy-in Oct. 24 and another for a $345 buy-in Oct. 25. The starting time for each tournament is noon.
There will also be "second chance" tournaments at 7 p.m. Oct. 23 and 24. The buy-in for these events is $235 which gets you $5,000 in starting chips. Single table satellites will also be held every day through Oct. 25.
The World Series of Poker is one of the most celebrated and distinguished gaming events in the world," said Dan Nita, general manager of Horseshoe Casino. "We are pleased to bring all the excitement of the tournament to our Chicagoland area customers and beyond."
World-ranked professional poker player Steve Billirakis, a gold bracelet winner at the 2007 World Series of Poker, was the winner of last year's Main Event at Horseshoe, His cash prize was $208,885.
Visit www.chicagohorseshoe.com for a complete tournament schedule and information about this year's competition.
Having a poker event of this caliber in our own backyard also serves as a reminder that the so-called "November Nine," the finalists for the $10,000 Main Event of the 2009 World Series of Poker, will meet for the championship Nov. 7 in Las Vegas.
There'll be $27 million on table, with the winner taking home $8.5 million. The final two players will face off in heads-up competition Nov. 9, the highlights of which will be broadcast Nov. 10 on ESPN.
Given the popularity of WSOP Circuit competition and the legion of poker enthusiasts in the Chicago area, perhaps one day Horseshoe will host the November Nine in The Venue should the event ever be taken out of Las Vegas for a "road show."