On Thursday, April 28, 2011, the World Series of Poker Circuit kicked off its latest $1,600 Main Event, this time right in poker’s backyard at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The winner of that event, along with the overall “Casino Champion,” will qualify for the upcoming $1 Million Freeroll National Championship. What’s the best way to capture the latter title? Play the preliminary ring events.

Each WSOP-Circuit stop hosts ten gold-ring events. Players can earn National Leaderboard points, based upon their performance in those events, and hopefully accumulate enough to qualify for the National Championship in May (coincidentally, that event will also be held at Caesars Palace). The player who earns the most points at each stop (AKA the "Casino Champion") automatically qualifies for that event. You can find a summary of the ring events (shown below) leading up to the Main Event, along with the current standings on the Event Leaderboard.

As always, the PokerNews Live Reporting Team is providing coverage of the Main Event, but here's a look at some of the ring events leading up to the Main Event.

Ring Opener has 16-Percent Increase

Last year, the first ring event at the WSOP-Circuit Caesars Palace drew 384 players. This year, 448 players forked over the $350 buy-in for a 16 percent increase in attendance. After two days of play, two Europeans outlasted a field, comprised mainly of Americans, to square off in heads-up action. In the end, Italian Giuseppe Biancoviso claimed victory and the $28,398 first-place prize.