This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2016 issue of WGM.
The 2016 World Series of Poker is just around the corner as players from across the globe converge with dreams of poker glory. WGM takes a look at what to expect from the tournament series that keeps getting bigger.
It’s that time again! Fresh from a record breaking 2015 which saw total entries surge over 100,000 for the very first time, the 2016 World Series of Poker (WSOP) returns to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas from 31 May with 69 bracelet events to be held over six weeks – one event more than last year.
The 2016 schedule includes a number of changes, the most significant being a new prize money distribution format that will see up to 15 percent of players cashing in WSOP events rather than the standard 10 percent used previously. This follows positive feedback from last year’s WSOP Main Event in which 1,000 players were guaranteed a cash instead of the top 10 percent – usually around 650 players.
“By paying 50 percent more entrants and reaching the money earlier, we anticipate the 2016 WSOP to be the most rewarding yet,” WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel explained.
“Our schedule this year really runs the gamut for all levels of poker enthusiasts.”
There are eight brand new events appearing on the revamped 2016 schedule. They include the WSOP’s first ever US$2,000 No Limit Hold’em event, a US$1,000 Tag Team event comprising teams of two to four players each and an intriguing US$1,000 Top Up Turbo event. This unique hybrid will allow players that have previously played and cashed in one of the tournament’s US$55 single table satellites on WSOP.com, or live at the Rio, to boost their stack to double the original starting chips just prior to kick-off.
The WSOP Main Event and all other US$10,000 buy-in events will feature a 50,000 starting stack in 2016 – up from 30,000 previously – with structures slightly adjusted to compensate.
Aside from No Limit Hold’em, another 10 poker variants will see US$10,000 Championship events contested this year.
And for those who have noticed the absence of the WSOP’s US$1 million buy-in charity event the Big One for ONE DROP – which was due to return this year – don’t stress! We’ve been assured that it will indeed take place in 2016 … but not in Las Vegas and not as part of the summer schedule. Keep an eye on wgm8.com in the coming weeks for more news in that regard.
In the meantime, we’ll be keen to see whether the 2016 WSOP can beat last year’s record numbers which saw 103,512 entries, with each of the 68 bracelet events averaging a prize pool of US$3,093,813 and a first prize of US$558,571.
