The WSOPC Returns to Marrakech for the Fifth Straight Year Jan 12-20
As has become tradition to start the year, the Casino de Marrakech, located in the heart of the luxurious Morracan complex Es Saadi Marrakech Resort Hôtel, will once again host the WSOP International Circuit poker festival on Jan. 12-20 for the fifth straight year.
The 21-event schedule features 10 WSOP gold-ring events highlighted by the 15,000 MAD (€1,350) buy-in WSOP International Circuit Main Event.
The Main Event provides plenty of action with players kicking off the two opening flights on Jan. 17-18 with 30,000 in chips and blinds increasing every 45 minutes. Players have plenty of opportunities to build a monster stack with both flights permitting unlimited reentries.
Surviving players will compete in a deeper structure on Day 2 on Jan. 19 with 75-minute blind levels before increasing to 90-minute blind levels on the final day on Jan. 20. The winner will walk away not only with a WSOP championship ring and a huge prize, but also a free entry to the 2019 Global Casino Championship.
Last year, Russia's Vladimir Shabalin outlasted a field of 486 entrants to ship Main Event for a huge top prize of 1,300,000 MAD (€114,367/$142,033).
In addition to the Main Event, the series will feature many other gold-ring and side events. Players can also qualify into events at a fraction of the cost with the casino hosting many satellites starting at 500 MAD (€45).
The PokerNews Live Reporting Team will once again be on the floor to provide updates throughout the entire WSOP Circuit Marrakech Main Event. Here is a look at the schedule for all of the ring-events.
| Date | Event # | Event | Buy-in | # of Days | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan. 12 | 6:00 p.m. | 1 | WSOP Circuit Opener | 4,500 MAD (€410) | 2 |
| Jan. 14 | 6:00 p.m. | 3 | WSOP Circuit Turbo | 3,000 MAD (€275) | 1 |
| Jan. 15 | 4:00 p.m. | 5 | WSOP Circuit Deepstack | 6,000 MAD (€550) | 2 |
| Jan. 16 | 4:00 p.m. | 8 | WSOP Circuit High Roller | 20,000 MAD (€1,800) | 2 |
| Jan. 17 | 1:00 p.m | 11A | WSOP Circuit Main Event | 15,000 MAD (€1,350) | 4 |
| Jan. 18 | 1:00 p.m | 11B | WSOP Circuit Main Event | 15,000 MAD (€1,350) | 3 |
| Jan. 18 | 7:00 p.m. | 15 | WSOP Circuit No-Limit Hold'em Freezeout | 4,500 MAD (€410) | 1 |
| Jan. 19 | 2:00 p.m. | 16 | WSOP Circuit Monster Stack | 6,000 MAD (€550) | 2 |
| Jan. 19 | 4:00 p.m. | 17 | WSOP Circuit Big O | 4,000 MAD (€360) | 1 |
| Jan. 20 | 1:00 p.m. | 20 | WSOP Circuit Short-Handed | 6,000 MAD (€550) | 1 |
| Jan. 20 | 1:30 p.m. | 21 | WSOP Circuit Super High Roller | 30,000 MAD (€2,700) | 1 |
Photos courtesy of Tomas Stacha
