The World Series of Poker has announced the return of the WSOP Circuit (WSOP-C) after an 18-month break. The regional poker tour is scheduled to return for its 17th season on Thanksgiving Day at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

So far, there have been 13 stops scheduled and additional dates are to be announced in the coming weeks. Many venues are already familiar (such as the Bicycle Casino in Los Angeles, which will be WSOP-C’s second stop), but new stops have already been added, including Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park (Pompano Beach, Florida), Turning Stone Resort and Casino (Verona, New York) and Deerfoot Inn and Casino (Calgary, Alberta Canada).

SVP and Executive Director of the World Series of Poker, Ty Stewart, commented: “It’s been too long, so it’s great to see the Circuit hitting the road once again. The WSOP-C is one of our most important initiatives, allowing regional players to experience big-time poker and providing grinders with a platform to earn a living.

"We’re pumped up about the new ‘Tournament of Champions’ format where all our winders will come together for one event. Just win and you’re in.”

The event shall return featuring a new qualification format this season that will see every event become a pathway to winning a coveted WSOP gold bracelet.

Starting with the Cherokee Circuit Event, each official gold ring winner (from either the live or online circuit events) will qualify for the invitation-only Tournament of Champions event during the 2022 World Series of Poker tournament in Las Vegas. The winners of 2022 only or live bracelets will also qualify to compete in the new signature event.