Officials have confirmed new payouts for the WSOP 2024 live series, which kicks off exactly one week from today.
According to the new payout structure, most bracelet events will now offer a minimum cash prize of double the buy-in. This means that for a bracelet event with a $1,000 buy-in, the minimum cash prize will be approximately $2,000.
A new Payout Calculator page has been added to the WSOP website, allowing players to explore the payouts for all bracelet events, as well as daily and weekly deepstack events.
However, there is a notable exception to the 2x minimum payout rule: the Main Event. The $10,000 buy-in Main Event will continue to offer a minimum cash prize of 1.5x the buy-in and maintain a payout structure for 15% of the field.
The changes to the Main Event payouts were one of our five predictions for this year’s series, which we made back in February.
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This year, officials have responded to player feedback by adjusting the final table prizes. The first-place prize for the Main Event has been reduced from $12 million to between $10 million and $11 million, depending on the number of entrants. And every player who reaches the final table is guaranteed to walk away as a millionaire.
Last year, despite a record-breaking attendance in the Main Event, the final table payout structure sparked controversy. Criticism included the low prize allocations for the runner-up and ninth-place finishers, the significant disparity between the first and second place prizes, and the decision to add an extra $100,000 to the winner’s prize. Despite a record prize pool of $93.3 million, the ninth-place finisher received only $900,000, sparking discontent among players, including 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker.
In response to these concerns, WSOP has made adjustments.
If the Main Event attracts between 9,000 and 9,999 players, the first-place prize will be $10 million. If it attracts over 10,000 players, the first-place prize will be $11 million. Last year, with a record turnout of 10,043, the first-place prize swelled to a historic high of $12.1 million. This year, officials have decided to cap the first-place prize at $11 million.
Assuming a similar turnout to last year, the final table payout structure has been revised, except for the runner-up prize, as shown in the table below.
WSOP Main Event Payout Changes: 2023 vs 2024
| 2023 | 2024 | Difference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $12,100,000 | $11,000,000 | -$1,100,000 |
| 2nd | $6,500,000 | $6,500,000 | $0 |
| 3rd | $4,000,000 | $4,500,000 | $500,000 |
| 4th | $3,000,000 | $3,500,000 | $500,000 |
| 5th | $2,400,000 | $2,500,000 | $100,000 |
| 6th | $1,850,000 | $2,000,000 | $150,000 |
| 7th | $1,425,000 | $1,500,000 | $75,000 |
| 8th | $1,125,000 | $1,250,000 | $125,000 |
| 9th | $900,000 | $1,000,000 | $100,000 |
| Total | $33,300,000 | $33,750,000 | $450,000 |
In conclusion, more players will receive larger prizes (3rd to 9th to be precise) and nearly half a million dollars will be added to the final table payouts. Only the winner’s prize is negatively affected while the runner-up’s payout remains unchanged.
Online Bracelet Events to Pay Out 15% Field
On the WSOP 2024 payout calculator page, the operator confirms that online events will pay out approximately 15% of the field size, indicating that the online bracelet series will indeed return.
With only a week remaining until WSOP 2024 begins, officials have yet to announce the online bracelet schedule. The lack of any updates has led to speculations about whether online bracelets will run this year.
The delay in announcing the online schedule is related to the impending merger of the WSOP Michigan player pool with those of WSOP New Jersey and WSOP Nevada. WSOP is likely waiting for approval from the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) before announcing the tri-state shared liquidity network.
Progress is being made, with WSOP conducting private tests of its new network on updated software, as we reported with screenshots last week. While the exact cause of the delay is unknown, we expect the software upgrade in New Jersey and Nevada and the subsequent merger to occur by the end of this month.
Expect WSOP officials to announce these developments any day now.