The World Series of Poker Circuit Kicks off 2018 in Morocco on Jan. 19
For the fourth straight year, the Casino de Marrakech, located in the heart of the luxurious Morracan complex Es Saadi Marrakech Resort Hôtel, will be hosting the WSOP International Circuit poker festival from Jan. 19-28.
The festival features 10 gold-ring events highlighted by the WSOP International Circuit Main Event where a championship ring will be awarded.
The 15,000 MAD (€1,350) buy-in Main Event kicks off with two opening flights on Jan. 25-26. The tournament is a deep-stacked affair with players starting off with 30,000 in chips and blinds increasing every 45 minutes. Both flights allow for unlimited reentries.
Players bagging chips will enjoy a deeper structure on Day 2 on Jan. 27 with 75-minute blind levels before increasing to 90-minute blind levels on the final day on Jan. 28.
In 2015, France's Ricardo Manquant outlasted a field of 484 entrants to win the top prize of 1,300,000 MAD (€122,330). The following year in 2016 the title remained on French soil when Mathieu Selides finished on top of a 446-entrant field to win 975,000 MAD (€95,479).
The 2017 Main Event was the biggest of them all with 511 entrants battling it out. Manquant made a run at becoming the first repeat champion, finishing in ninth place for 153,000 MAD (€14,290). However, United Kingdom's Arron Fletcher was the last man standing to claim the gold-ring and the 1,400,000 MAD (€130,755) top prize.
In addition to the Main Event, the series will feature many other gold-ring and side events. Additionally, the schedule offers many satellites starting at €45.
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing updates throughout the entire WSOP Circuit Marrakech Main Event. Here is a look at the schedule for the ring-events.
| Date | Event # | Event | Buy-in | # of Days | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 20 | 6:00 p.m. | 1 | WSOP Circuit Opener | 4,000 MAD (€365) | 2 |
| Jan. 22 | 6:00 p.m. | 3 | WSOP Circuit Turbo | 3,000 MAD (€275) | 1 |
| Jan. 23 | 4:00 p.m. | 5 | WSOP Circuit Deepstack | 6,000 MAD (€550) | 2 |
| Jan. 24 | 4:00 p.m. | 8 | WSOP Circuit High Roller | 20,000 MAD (€1,800) | 2 |
| Jan. 25 | 1:00 p.m | 11A | WSOP Circuit Main Event | 15,000 MAD (€1,350) | 4 |
| Jan. 25 | 1:00 p.m | 11B | WSOP Circuit Main Event | 15,000 MAD (€1,350) | 3 |
| Jan. 26 | 7:00 p.m. | 15 | WSOP Circuit No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout | 4,000 MAD (€365) | 1 |
| Jan. 27 | 2:00 p.m. | 16 | WSOP Circuit Monster Stack | 6,000 MAD (€550) | 2 |
| Jan. 27 | 4:00 p.m. | 17 | WSOP Circuit Big O | 4,000 MAD (€365) | 1 |
| Jan. 28 | 1:00 p.m. | 20 | WSOP Circuit Short-Handed | 6,000 MAD (€550) | 1 |
| Jan. 28 | 1:30 p.m. | 21 | WSOP Circuit Super High Roller | 30,000 MAD (€2,700) | 1 |
