The WSOPC’s 17th season will kick off on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 25) at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in North Carolina. This will be just a few days removed from the final events of the 2021 WSOP festival in Las Vegas, and will overlap with the WSOP Europe festival running at King’s Casino Rozvadov from Nov. 19 – Dec. 8.

“It’s been too long, so it’s great to see the Circuit hitting the road once again,” said WSOP Senior Vice President and Executive Director Ty Stewart. “The WSOPC is one of our most important initiatives, allowing regional players to experience big-time poker and providing grinders a platform to earn a living."

The announcement also included information about the return of the $1 million freeroll Tournament of Champions event, which is now set to take place as part of the WSOP in Las Vegas the following year and will feature requirements for qualification. From the start of the new season on, all gold ring winners in official circuit events through July of 2022, whether live or online, will qualify for the invitation-only event. Live and online bracelet winners from 2022 will also be eligible to compete.

A total of thirteen WSOPC stops have been scheduled so far, with additional festivals expected to be announced soon. Many of the stops that have been revealed will take place at venues that have previously hosted WSOPC events, but there are three new stops as well. The new venues are the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park in Pompano Beach, Florida, the Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, New York, and the Deerfoot Inn and Casino in Calgary, Canada.

The second stop on the schedule will take place at the Bicycle Hotel & Casino in Los Angeles, starting on Thursday, Dec. 9 with the tour continuing virtually non-stop until the season-culminating stop at Harrah’s New Orleans on Thursday, May 5, 2022.