The 2024 World Series of Poker gets underway Tuesday with two events. The first event on the schedule is a new one, the Champions Reunion tournament. All former Main Event champions are given a free seat in the $5,000 buy-in tournament. Any player who knocks out a previous Main Event champion will receive an automatic entry into the 2024 WSOP Main Event. There is also a $500 buy-in tournament for casino employees on opening day.
2024 World Series of Poker
Location: Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada
Day/Time:
“Records are made to be broken, so our motto this year is bigger and better,” said SVP and Executive Director of the WSOP Ty Stewart. “With our best schedule ever and more than 100 additional poker tables, we look forward to welcoming legends, first-timers, and everyone in between. If you’re a poker player, there is simply no experience on earth like the World Series of Poker.”
The 2024 World Series of Poker isn’t a single tournament. It’s dozens of tournaments played between May 28 and July 17. This year’s tournament will be played at the Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas. The casinos are next to each other on the Las Vegas Strip.
There are 99 separate poker tournaments, consisting of different buy-ins and different games. The lowest-priced tournament is the Gladiators of Poker event with a $300 buy-in.
The prize fund is guaranteed to be $3 million. The most expensive tournament is the $250,000 Super High Roller. You can be sure the majority of players in the Super High Roller didn’t get so much money from playing poker. It’s a tournament to enter for bragging rights.
WSOP Main Event
The World Series of Poker Main Event is what most people think of when they hear World Series of Poker. It’s the tournament that draws all of the professional players, although plenty of amateurs also play. It’s the big payout event, with last year’s winner, Daniel Weinman, pocketing a record $12.1 million.
The entry fee for the main event is $10,000, but a number of players are there from winning satellite tournaments. A satellite tournament is basically a qualifying tournament with a small buy-in of around $100. Instead of cash, the winner of the tournament gets a seat in the Main Event.
The majority of satellite tournaments are played via online poker sites, but some are in person. Last year’s Main Event tournament had 10,043 players, which smashed the record of 8,773 made in 2006.
Phil Hellmuth is the all-time WSOP bracelet winner with 17. Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan and the late Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson are tied for second with 10 bracelets. Antonio Esfandiari is the all-time money winner with $22.3 million, which places him just in front of Daniel Negreanu with $22.1 million.
You don’t have to win to receive some big payouts, however. Paul Wasicka has yet to win a bracelet but has earned $6.4 million in the World Series of Poker events.
The 2024 World Series of Poker is looking to continue with the success of last year’s tournament. It may be tough to match the increases seen in 2023, but anything is possible. No matter what happens, the WSOP will once again be the biggest poker event of the year.
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