For the last week, the World Series of Poker Circuit has been taking place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The 12-event stop kicked off on Thursday, Jan. 19, and will be headlined by the $ 1,600 Main Event beginning on Friday, Jan. 27.

"Caesars Palace has always carried with it a special aura — whether we’re talking about gambling, entertainment, or poker,” said Andy Rich, Director of Poker Operations for Caesars Palace. “We’ve always been the ‘where it’s at’ in Las Vegas. Over the next 12 days, we’re rolling out the red carpet for thousands of poker players who are expected enter our events and play for a gold ring. As the saying goes, ‘you can’t get a hit if you don’t stand up to the plate and take swing.’"

While the stop has played host to the normal variety of tournaments — such as the popular no-limit hold’em re-entry, pot-limit Omaha, and six-handed variants — a new event premiered on the Las Vegas strip this week. Event #5, the $ 350 Ante-Only No-Limit Hold’em tournament, attracted 203 entrants to create a prize pool of nearly $ 60,000.

So, what is an ante-only event? Here’s how the WSOP explains it:

“The game is relatively easy to both understand and play. Instead of two players always posting orbits of forced bets (the small blind and big blind), all players are required to post an ante on every single hand. Then, prior to the flop, the first player to the left of the button is required to bet what usually amounts to the smallest denomination chip in play. Action then flows around the table and players may fold, call, or raise. Thereafter, the game proceeds as usual, with the usual rounds of betting after the flop, turn, and river.”

The winner of the first-ever WSOPC Ante-Only tournament was Jeff “Dobie” Dobrin, who captured a gold ring in addition to the $ 15,357 first-place prize. Dobrin, 40, lives in Portland, Oregon, and plays poker full time. He defeated well-known poker personality Bryan Micon in heads-up play to capture the title.

This week, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team will be providing coverage of the Main Event. Here’s a look at the WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace events completed thus far:

WSOP Circuit Caesar Palace Ring Event #1 No-Limit Hold’em

WSOP Circuit Caesar Palace Ring Event #2 No-Limit Hold’em Re-Entry

WSOP Circuit Caesar Palace Event #3 No-Limit Hold’em

WSOP Circuit Caesar Palace Ring Event #4 Pot Limit Omaha

WSOP Circuit Caesar Palace Event #5 Ante Only No-Limit Hold’em

WSOP Circuit Caesar Palace Ring Event #6 No-Limit Hold’em Six Handed

WSOP Circuit Caesar Palace Ring Event #6 No-Limit Hold’em

With several events yet to be determined, the race for the WSOP Caesars Palace Casino Champion is still up for grabs. Whoever captures that title, along with the eventual winner of the Main Event, will automatically qualify for the Second Annual $ 1 Million National Championship. That event is limited to 100 players, and so far only the following players have qualified:

National Championship Qualifiers

In addition to the qualifiers, players who earn enough points on the National Leaderboard will be able to buy in to the National Championship:

WSOPC National Leaderboard Top Ten*

*Leading up to the WSOP Circuit Caesars Palace stop.

Don’t miss your chance to qualify for the National Championship. There are still plenty of opportunities to play, including any of the remaining stops on the WSOP Circuit schedule.

Remaining 2011-2012 WSOPC Schedule

*Photo courtesy of Eric Harkins and ImageMasters.

Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook today! In the meantime, see who qualifies for the National Championship this week by following our Live Reporting Team’s coverage from Caesars Palace.

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