The WSOP season is almost ready to wrap up. The final games of the year are currently underway at Harrah’s New Orleans, and only a few opportunities remain for players to pick up spots at the Global Casino Championship (GCC). The season wraps up this month and the GCC is scheduled for August 7-9 at Harrah’s Cherokee in North Carolina.
The GCC is an exclusive event, open only to those WSOP players who have won seats during the regular tournament season or who meet certain other criteria. Players automatically earn a spot by winning a domestic main event or an international event. A seat is also awarded to players who pick up enough Casino Champion points at a given stop. The top 50 winners across the entire domestic circuit who don’t win a place at the GCC tables are awarded a seat, which has a value of about $8,000.
There are around 128 automatic qualifiers who will join other players who pony up the $10,000 rake-free buy-in. Those players that have won a qualifying ring event or who stand in the top 100 of the WSOP Player of the Year race are also eligible for the buy-in. This year, the GCC will offer a guaranteed prize pool of $1 million.
The competition is bound to be tough in August. Last year’s GCC winner, Sean Yu, has performed well enough to make a return trip this year and will probably be joined by several of this year’s top players. Robert Hankins, Kevin Eyster, Josh Reichard and Val Vornicu have all performed exceptionally well and will more than likely be at the event. Vornicu is coming off an exceptional performance, setting the record for the most WSOP circuit rings at 12 after winning back-to-back events at WSOP Harrah’s events.
Last year, the lowest point accumulation for entry into the GCC was at 147.5. Already this year, the top 50 players are looking at a cut line of 165, currently held by Charlie Dawson. Since there are still a few tournaments to be played in New Orleans, the cut line will undoubtedly move up even higher. Players like Allen Kessler, Marshall White and Alex Rocha are in the running, but they need at least one solid performance in the remaining events if they’re going to make it.
