Best 2011 WSOPE Qualifier Poker Sites

The WSOPE (World Series of Poker Europe) is a series of events held in Europe. The series consists of five tournaments, starting at £1000 and capping at £10,000 for the Main Event. Although the WSOPE is nowhere near as large as the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, it is one of Europe's biggest and most prestigious events.

Not every player can afford to buy into the WSOPE, especially since the buy-in is near double that of the American tournament. For this reason, the best WSOPE poker sites provide players with the option of qualifying online. When you qualify online via a WSOPE qualifier, you can win your WSOPE entry fee for a mere fraction of the cost along with accommodations and airfare.

Not all poker sites offer WSOPE qualifiers and for that reason we have listed and ranked the best WSOPE poker sites above. Each site offers excellent promotions for the World Series of Poker Europe, in addition to other land-based tournaments such as the Irish Open, and WSOP Las Vegas. The sites are primarily European based, which means you can play poker in Euros and pounds.

How to Qualify for the 2011 WSOPE - Which Poker Sites Offer WSOPE Qualifiers
The 2011 WSOPE qualifiers will be available at a number of online poker sites, however we always recommend Betfair first before any other. Simply put, Betfair the official sponsor for the World Series of Poker, and has been since the inception of the series in 2007. As a WSOPE sponsor, you can be certain that the promotions for the 2011 WSOPE satellites and qualifiers will be huge and very lucrative.

When looking for a WSOPE poker site, players should pay attention to the number of players registering for qualifiers and satellites. The larger the field, the more difficult it will be for you to qualify for the main event. It is easier to beat 200 players than it is a field of 2000. The best WSOPE qualifier poker sites generally have a smaller field than that of their competitors for these types of tournaments. Likewise, the list of WSOPE poker sites above caters to the European market via currency, software and customer support.

Satellites are available in a variety of buy-ins. Players can qualify for the 2011 WSOPE for as little as $0.50, however you will compete in multiple MTT's in order to win your seat. Other ways of qualifying include buying in directly to the main satellite or if your bankroll supports it, paying out the £10,000 for a direct buyin. Players that win their seat to the WSOPE Main Event, will receive an all expense paid package, which includes the £10,000 buy-in, hotel accommodations, flight and usually some spending cash. Each WSOPE poker site offers a different package, which is why it's always best to find the poker room with the best deal. If you'd like to qualify for the World Series of Poker, Vegas, please check our page for a complete listing of the best WSOP poker sites.

History of the WSOPE - World Series of Poker Europe
The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) was held in 2007 and is an extension to the World Series of Poker. Obviously, the difference between the two series of events is location, and the WSOPE was the first time a WSOP bracelet was awarded outside of the United States. Harrah's Entertainment owns the rights to the WSOP label, and expanded into the European market in the 2004 year. Harrah's bought London Clubs International, which consisted of three casinos (Fifty, The Sportsman and Leicester Square) which would later play host to the World Series of Poke Europe.

The announcement of the inaugural 2007 WSOPE created a media buzz, not only because it would be first time a WSOP bracelet was won outside of the United States, but  because Betfair was announced as the official sponsor of the WSOPE. On top of becoming the official sponsor, Betfair came through with their own announcement, adding $1 million dollars to the prize pool. The events included in the 2007 WSOPE included;

• £2,500 H.O.R.S.E.
• £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha
• £10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event

2007 was definitely a year of firsts for Harrah's. The final event, which attracted a field of 362 players, saw Annette Obrestad finish in first place and take home a £1,000,000 prize pool, which at the time was the equivalent to $2.01 million USD. This was the first time a female player had finished first in a WSOP main event and the youngest as she was just 18 years old at the time.

The 2008 series was just as successful as the previous events, with 362 players that participated in the main event. The 2008 WSOPE was held at the Leicester Square in London and was won by John Juanda with a K♠ 6♣ against Stanislav Alekhin's A♣ 9♠. Juanda's prize was £131,200 short of Annette's £1,000,000 but still an excellent payday. The 2008 series attracted a media frenzy when Jesper Hougaard made the final table for both the 2008 WSOP series and the 2008 WSOPE. He would later go on to win a bracelet in both events. Another double tournament player was Ivan Demidov, who was a finalist in the November Nine as well as the 2008 WSOPE Main Event final table player.

2008 WSOPE Events

• £1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
• £2,500 H.O.R.S.E.
• £5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
• £10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event

The 2009 WSOPE took place on September 17 through to October 1, 2009 and was held at the Casino at the Empire in Leicester Square, London. The event consisted of four tournaments, with most notable change being the removal of the HORSE event in lieu of the £2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha tournament. The main event attracted 334 players with a total prize pool of £3,340,000. The final table consisted of Barry Shulman, Daniel Negreanu, Praz Bansi, Jason Mercier, Markus Ristola, Chris Björin,  Antoine Saout, Matt Hawrilenko, and James Akenhead. Barry Shulman placed first and took home £801,603.

2009 WSOPE Events

• £1,000 No Limit Hold'em
• £2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha
• £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha
• £10,000 No Limit Hold'em

The 2010 series, held at the Empire Casino in Leicester Square commenced September 14, 2010 to September 28, 2010. Again, like the previous year, a change was made to the schedule of events. Instead of four tournaments throughout the course of the series, the 2010 WSOPE would have five tournaments including the first ever 6-max event and a high rollers heads-up tournament. The winners in all events include;

2010 WSOP Events & Winners

• £2,650 Six Handed No Limit Hold'em (Phil Laak - £170,802)
• £5,250 Pot Limit Omaha (Jeff Lisandro - £159,514)
• £1,075 No Limit Hold'em (Scott Shelley - £133,857)
• £10,350 No Limit Hold'em High Roller Heads-Up (Gus Hansen - £288,409)
• £10,350 WSOPE Championship No Limit Hold'em (James Bord - £830,401)