BY TOM SOMACH

There’s no down time in the high-pressure world of high-stakes poker.

No sooner did the World Series of Poker (WSOP) conclude in Las Vegas, after a six-week marathon of 55 poker tournaments, than the WSOP’s new baby sister–World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE)–began gearing up for its inaugural event.

Never one to be content to just make a buck when two can be made, the WSOP earlier this year cloned itself a smaller European version–complete with championship gold bracelets–that will run Sept. 6-16, 2007, in London, U.K.

Registration is underway for the first WSOPE, and already more than 60 WSOP bracelet-winners have signed up to participate in the WSOPE main event, according to WSOP flacks.

The main event has a buy-in of 10,000 pounds, which is almost $20,000.

Among those signed up for the inaugural WSOPE main event are: Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth, Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson, Phil “Poison” Ivey, Erik Seidel, Roland DeWolfe, John Juanda, Allen Cunningham, Todd “Son of Doyle” Brunson, Eli Elezra, Howard “The Professor” Lederer, Humberto “El Wacko” Brenes, Jamie “Good As” Gold and Jennifer Harman.

Hellmuth, Gold and the elder Brunson are former winners of the WSOP main event, with Brunson winning it twice.

In addition, Hellmuth won his 11th WSOP championship gold bracelet at this year’s WSOP, making him the career leader.

“I’m going to London to make history again by winning the first WSOP bracelet ever awarded outside of Las Vegas,” said Hellmuth.

“The inaugural World Series Europe will have a world-class field,” said WSOP commissioner Jeffrey Pollack.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)