by Mario Alfonsi | Published on May 2, 2012 | Updated on May 2, 2012When the World Series of Poker first expanded to Europe in 2007, many players thought it would be a relative failure that would never be accepted as a serious part of the WSOP. However, the WSOP proved them wrong, making their European expansion a success. Now, they’ll be trying to accomplish the same feat a second time, as the WSOP has announced the launch of the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific.Every WSOP needs a great venue, and the Asia-Pacific version of the series will be taking place at one of the premier poker rooms in the world. Players who want to participate will travel to the Crown Melbourne Casino in Melbourne, Australia – home to the largest poker room in the world outside of North America.If that venue sounds familiar, that’s because the Crown Melbourne is already the host to one of the world’s most famous poker tournaments. The Aussie Millions annually draws some of the world’s best players, and remains one of the most prestigious poker events in the world.If the idea of travelling to Australia and taking part in the first ever WSOP Asia-Pacific sounds appealing to you, then you’ll probably be glad to know that the first rendition of this new series won’t be taking place until 2013. The series will begin on April 4, and will feature five events in total. These events – like those in WSOP Europe – will award gold bracelets to the winners, essentially putting them on the same level as the original WSOP events in Las Vegas.WSOP officials were excited about the prospect of expanding their operations into the Pacific Rim.“Our goal is to establish the worldwide grand slam of poker,” said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of the WSOP. “With WSOP Las Vegas Growing annually and WSOP Europe poised for long-term success after five years, the time is right to turn our attention to the dynamic poker scene in Asia and Australia.”
