The signature event of the 2008 Gulf Coast Poker Championship (GCPC) in Biloxi, Mississippi, USA, has been postponed due to a hurricane.

The event, a $5,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament that is Event #12, the championship event of the 13-event GCPC, was scheduled for Thursday, September 4, 2008, through Saturday, September 6, 2008, at the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi.

But, because of Hurricane Gustav striking the Gulf Coast region of the USA earlier this week, all casinos in Biloxi were shut down and the GCPC’s signature event had to be temporarily shelved.

GCPC officials stressed that the event has not been cancelled, just merely postponed until a later date, which is still undetermined.

The 11-day GCPC began Wednesday, August 27, 2008, and was to have run through Saturday, September 6, 2008.

According to a notice posted on the Beau Rivage website (www.beaurivage.com) by Beau Rivage president and chief executive officer George P. Corchis Jr., the casino suffered little damage from the hurricane and is expected to reopen on Wednesday, September 3, 2008.

The notice reads, in part: “I am pleased to report the Beau has held up extremely well, with only minor damage to the bus lobby, garage elevators and a few escalators. We are currently awaiting our certificate of occupancy from the Mississippi Gaming Commission and are hopeful we will re-open tomorrow early morning.”

Casinos in nearby Gulfort, Mississippi, USA, were also shut down by the hurricane.

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