Earlier this year the World Series of Poker (WSOP) made a major change in its format and now the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is following suit, so to speak.

The WSOPE announced this week that contrary to what it had earlier announced, the 2008 WSOPE will now be held in one location in London, England next month.

Last year, the initial WSOPE simultaneously began in three separate casinos across London–the Empire Casino, the Fifty Casino and the Sportsman Casino.

When the playing fields were whittled down, the action was then reconstituted and continued at the Empire Casino.

Earlier this year, the WSOPE announced that the 2008 WSOPE would utilize the same multi-casino format.

But now, in a surprise announcement, the WSOPE has announced that it has dropped the clumsy multi-casino format for the second annual rendition of its event, and will hold all WSOPE action at a single casino, the Empire Casino, in London’s Leicester Square.

As was previously announced, the 2008 WSOPE will consist of four separate tournaments, culminating in a Main Event consisting of a no-limit, Texas hold ‘em tourney. =A0 “We are eagerly anticipating the World Series of Poker Europe this year,” said Ty Stewart, the director of marketing for the affair. “We have enhanced the schedule to provide more variety and game play, greatly broadened the worldwide television exposure and have brought the event under one roof to better the player experience for this prestigious and premiere event.”

The second annual WSOPE gets underway on September, 19, 2008, with a three-day, no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament with a buy-in of 1,500 British pounds, or about 3,000 U.S. dollars.

The second of the four WSOPE tourneys commences on September 22, 2008 and is a three-day, H.O.R.S.E. tournament with a buy-in of 2,500 British pounds, or about 5,000 U.S. dollars.

The third WSOPE tournament starts on September 24, 2008, and is a two-day, pot-limit Omaha tourney with a buy-in of 5,000 British pounds, or about 10,000 U.S. dollars.

The fourth and final WSOPE tourney is the so-called WSOPE Main Event, which begins on September 27, 2008, and is a six-day, no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament with a buy-in of 10,000 British pounds, or about 20,000 U.S. dollars.

The WSOP, which was held in Las Vegas earlier this year, also had a format change in 2008–play was suspended in the WSOP Main Event after the field was whittled down to nine and will resume in four months.

(E-mail Tom Somach at [email protected])