Copag has been the official playing card of the World Series of Poker for years, and players will again have a chance to chase some bracelets this week with the WSOP Europe running Sept. 18 to Oct. 9 at King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic.
Players will find 15 bracelet events with buy-ins ranging from €350 to €50,000. While the European version may not have the deep history of the series each summer in Las Vegas, this year marks the WSOPE’s 15th year. Here’s a quick look at the history of this series.
2007
The series began at the height of the poker boom at the Casino at the Empire in London with three tournaments culminating in a championship. The £10,000 Main Event made plenty of news when 18-year-old Annette Obrestad came out on top for $1 million.
“Being the youngest and a female – it’s pretty sick,” she said.
2008
This series continued to grow and the £10,000 Main Event attracted 362 players. After an epic 22-hour final table, American John Juanda scored the win for £868,800.
“It couldn’t have been any better,” Juanda said. “This is one of my poker dreams come true. The World Series of Poker Europe I would say was one of the tournaments that I really wanted to win. It’s a really, really great feeling.”
2009
The ‘09 Main Event brought in 346 players and featured quite a final table that included Daniel Negreanu, Card Player magazine CEO Barry Shulman, and well-regarded pros Jason Mercier and Chris Björin. After six days of play, Shulman topped Negreanu for his second bracelet and £801,603. His son Jeff also finished fifth that summer at the Main Event in Las Vegas for almost $2 million.
2010
This was the series’ last year at the Empire and England’s James Bord went home with the Main Event bracelet and £830,401.
2011
The action shifted to France to the Majestic Barrière and Le Croisette Casino Barrière casinos in Cannes, home to the famous film festival. The Main Event saw the largest turnout yet and New York’s Elio Fox was the winner for €1.4 million.
2012
This Main Event produced some poker history when one of the biggest names in poker found the winner’s circle. Fresh off winning a bracelet that summer in Las Vegas, Phil Hellmuth topped 420 players to earn €1 million and the 13th bracelet of his career total of 17.
“It was a huge win for my career!” Hellmuth said. “First, to win my first non-Hold'em bracelet earlier in the year was huge, then to back it up with one of the most prestigious bracelets was amazing.”
2013
Spain’s 19-year-old Adrián Mateos topped a field of 375 players to win the Main Event and his first bracelet for €1 million. Since then, Mateos has become one of the best players in poker and has $49.8 million in live tournament winnings. This marked the final year the series would be held in France.
2015
The WSOPE moved to Spielbank Casino in Berlin, Germany, and the schedule was altered to rotate years with the WSOP Asia-Pacific. American Kevin MacPhee took down the Main Event for €883,000.
2017
The series once again shifted locations, now at King’s Casino in the Czech Republic and saw a major pop in numbers. The Main Event brought in 529 entries and Spain’s Marti Roca de Torres took the title for €1.1 million.
2018
The championship event moved back to running every year and saw another bump in entries, reaching 534 with Jack Sinclair winning for €1.1 million. The English pro has gone on to quite a career with $5.6 million in live tournament winnings.
2019
The series increased from 10 events in 2018 to 15 this year, showing the WSOPE’s continued popularity. The series also began streaming live online. The Main Event grew to 541 entries and Greece’s Alexandros Kolonias scored €1,1 million for his victory.
2021
After the series was canceled in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic, the action returned in 2021 and set attendance records. The Main Event attracted a record 688 entries with the Czech Republic’s Josef Gulas taking the championship for €1.3 million.
2022
The Main Event set another record with 763 entries with Sweden’s Omar Eljach claiming the title for €1.3 million. Other event winners included poker pro Paul Phua and professional soccer player Max Kruse.
2023
Another year, another record. The Main Event saw 817 entries and Max Neugebauer of Austria was the latest winner, collecting €1.5 million. Other series winners included well-regarded pros Michael Rocco, Tobias Peters, and Ren Lin. Many will be looking to see if this year’s series continues the upward momentum seen in recent years.
By Sean Chaffin