By Kevin Felix | December 23, 2009

PartyGaming has only been in control of the World Poker Tour (WPT) for less than two months, but the popular series of tournaments is already changing things up for 2010. However, rather than institute something new to the eight-year old tour, they are bringing back an old favorite, the Grand Prix de Paris.

The Paris stop first joined the tour in Season Two, but disappeared off the schedule in Season Six. Past Grand Prix de Paris winners include David Benyamine and Surinder Sunar. The French tournament will once again be hosted by the Aviation Club, a high class gambling parlor that features Backgammon, Baccarat, Blackjack, Tarot and Rami in addition to poker. The event is scheduled to take place from May 8th-13th of 2010. The tournament’s final table will be taped and broadcast internationally. It will cost players €10,000 to take part.

Longtime poker player and poker consultant for the Aviation Club Bruno Fitoussi commented on the return of the prestigious tournament to the WPT lineup in the official press release announcing the event. “The Aviation Club de France is delighted to welcome back a WPT event in Paris”, he extolled. “The WPT Grand Prix de Paris is guaranteed to be a high-class tournament in the highlights of the international poker scene and will, for sure, attract players from all around the world.”

Though the Grand Prix will take place after the Season VIII Championship event, which is going to be held at the Bellagio from April 17th-24th, the WPT’s official website lists the tournament as part of the Season VIII schedule. It also marks the sixth stop on this season’s tour that took place outside US soil. Other tournaments were held in Barcelona, Venice, Slovakia, Marrakesh and Cyprus, but will not air as part of the Season VIII television season on Fox Sports Net. While the statement from WPT confirmed the Grand Prix would be televised, it did not specify whether or not it would broadcast in the States.

The announcement of the return of the Grand Prix de Paris also indicated that the Aviation Club will play host to a non-televised WPT event in early 2011. Rumors are swirling that the WPT will be launching a European tour in the coming future and the announcement of an additional Paris-based event only does more to confirm those suspicions. Typically the WPT releases its upcoming schedule during the summer months, so it will still be a while before we learn what stops are in store for the WPT come Season IX.

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