WSOP Circuit Schedule Released for 2016-17 with Two Brand New U.S. Stops

July 06, 2016

While the World Series of Poker dominates headlines in the poker world in June and July, it's the WSOP Circuit that carries the brand name throughout the rest of the year. The schedule for the 2016-17 schedule has been released by WSOP officials, and it includes two brand new stops on the domestic circuit.

Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee, Wisc., will play host to a stop in early February, the first time the circuit has traveled to the Badger State. The other big addition is a stop at Hard Rock Tulsa starting in mid-March.

In addition, a stop at IP Biloxi in Mississippi, which previously has hosted circuit stops, is back on the schedule after being absent in 2015-16. That one gets underway in early September.

That's welcome news to one of the most successful players in circuit history, Doug "Rico" Carli. The two-time ring winner holds the all-time record for circuit cashes with 107, which he has turned into more than $600,000 in prize money.

"I'm happy to see it back, I like Biloxi," he said. "And I'm happy to see some new stops on there, too."

Once again, there will be plenty of action abroad under the WSOP Circuit banner, with a number of international stops. Only five have been released at this time, but a WSOP press release notes "up to 14 international events on tap."

“We are excited to be adding a couple new stops to the domestic tour this year, expanding the international tour and continuing to refine each stop to make them bigger and better,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart in the press release. “We want to continue to provide the opportunity for everyone to take a shot at becoming a World Series of Poker champion.”

Everyone has that opportunity because once again, the WSOP Global Casino Championship will crown a WSOP bracelet winner at the end of the circuit season. As in years past, Main Event champions and Casino Champions — players who accumulate the most points in a given stop — will automatically qualify for the WSOP Global Casino Championship. The top 50 points earners overall for the season who don't otherwise qualify will also receive "at-large" qualification for the $1 million prize pool event.

The possibility of additional prize money in the pool exists as anyone who won a ring during the season or placed in the top 100 of the 2016 WSOP Player of the Year standings can buy in rake-free for $10,000.

"It looks like it's going to be pretty exciting," said Rex Clinkscales, another well-known circuit grinder who has one ring and ranks fifth all-time with 53 cashes for north of $300,000. "It offers a lot of value to recreational players and is great for amateurs. I'm looking forward to playing a couple of the international ones with my girlfriend."

Here's a look at the full schedule of events as of this writing:

WSOPC Domestic Stops

WSOPC International Stops

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