The World Poker Tour recently announced its first Italian tournament in partnership with bwin poker. WPT Venice will be held in early May at Casino di Venezia, which sounds strangely familiar… Oh yes, I was there in October! While I was barely able to enter the lobby without a paid casino membership and almost had my camera confiscated by security guards for taking pictures of the entry courtyard, it did look like an amazing European casino tucked away between cobblestone streets and the Grand Canal.
![\"\"](\"http://old.pokerati.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/casino-di-venezia.jpg\")
Shockingly, WPT Venice organizers have yet to extend a personal invitation to me. I\’m predominantly Italian and I do speak about five words of the language, people! C\’mon…
Anyway, here\’s the pertinent info:
World Poker Tour Offers First Italian Event: WPT Venice, Powered by bwin
Vienna, March 9 — Bringing the coveted World Poker Tour® to the beautiful city of Venice, WPT Enterprises and bwin have partnered to create the first ever WPT tournament in Italy: WPT Veniceâ„¢, Powered by bwin. The tournament will combine the legacy and fierce competitiveness of the World Poker Tour and the stunning Casino di Venezia, situated right on the east bank of the Grand Canal. The main event is scheduled to take place May 6 through May 10. The event, final table and crowning of the first WPT Venice Champion will be filmed for broadcast via Web-TV on www.bwin.com.
\”We’re thrilled to launch our first ever brick-and-mortar WPT tournament offering in Italy,†said WPT Founder, President and CEO, Steve Lipscomb. “bwin is a strong partner with the right market position in the region. We look forward to working with them to bring this event and the WPT brand to poker players in Italy and Europe.â€
\”Partnering with the World Poker Tour illustrates our dedication to establishing bwin as the premier gaming destination for poker players eager to live the dream of participating in multi-million brick and mortar poker tournaments. Location was also very important to us, and Casino di Venezia is truly a location worthy of the players, the poker media as well as the bwin and WPT brands.â€
“We are delighted to be working with WPT on this spectacular tournament. This event will bring together the excitement and interactivity that only bwin can offer – people will be able to bet on the players of the final table while watching the action on their screen.†added Manfred Bodner, Co-CEO of bwin.
The main event will feature a buy-in of €4,000+400. In addition to world-class player hospitality, there will be cash games and side events available throughout the tournament. The winner will receive an official WPT Venice™ bracelet as well and a $25,000 seat in the 2010 World Poker Tour Championship.
Jen,
You could always go to Marrakech in October:
http://www.chilipoker.com/wpt-marrakech/
I would love to! You want to pay me to cover the tournament? 😉
As soon as you pay me for adding the embed code to the Shaniac video 🙂
Newell is Italian? I think not, only pure bloods allowed.
But more to the point, no matter what the outside shots of the casino or card room look like on the website, we all know that every casino in the world is the same inside the poker room or poker area or utility closet where they set up the extra tournament tables. Unless you can get your employer to let you book your own flights in and out, who cares about inside a Venice casino or the Rio or one in Rio. Now Caesars Indiana that is another story.
Shrink, my grandmother’s name on my mother’s side is Sciarelli. She was born in Pescara. I think that qualifies.
Every casino is not exactly the same on the inside, but regardless, it’s not the tournament tables I want to see… It’s just being able to go to a casino in Venice and seeing Venice again. Pretty simple.
Hahahaha …. It’s now Horseshit, err, Horseshoe Indiana. Still a dump, but far better since the remodel. The players don’t have to sit on wooden folding chairs, for one thing. (Pretty well outclassed by the new Horseshoe Hammond, six hours to the north.)
Incidentally, new casinos keep popping up near Indy, but since they’re all racetrack casinos, no poker. Yet.