Caesars Entertainment and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) have announced the overall dates and a handful of key events for the 54th annual edition of poker's largest festival. The 2023 WSOP will run from May 30 through July 18, 2023, at Paris and the soon-to-be-rebranded Horseshoe (currently Bally's) casinos at the heart of the Las Vegas strip.
The complete schedule of events has yet to be released and is likely to be revealed in January. However, Caesars and the WSOP have published the starting dates for a handful of key events, including the $10,000 no-limit hold'em Main Event World Championship, which will begin on July 3, 2023.
The 2023 WSOP's opening includes the $1,000 "Mystery Millions", a relocated edition of the Mystery Bounty event that generated huge buzz while being scheduled opposite the Main Event in 2022, when Matt Glantz pulled the lucky $1 million bounty ticket. This year's Mystery Millions begins on May 31, 2023, and it will also guarantee $1 million to the event's bracelet winner.
Including the Main Event and the Mystery Millions, the starting dates for 12 of the 2023 WSOP's bracelet events have been released, as follows:
- May 31: $1,000 Mystery Millions (bounties range from $10,000 to $1,000,000)
- June 6: $300 Gladiators of Poker ($3M guaranteed prize pool)
- June 16: $1,500 Monster Stack
- June 21: $1,000 Seniors Championship
- June 23: $1,500 Millionaire Maker ($1M guaranteed to winner)
- June 29: $1,000 Ladies Championship
- June 30: $400 Colossus
- July 2: $1,000 Mini Main Event
- July 3: $10,000 Main Event World Championship
- July 7: $777 Lucky Sevens ($777,777 guaranteed to winner)
- July 11: $600 Ultra Stack
- July 14: $1,500 The Closer
All of the listed events are no-limit hold'em tourneys. The Senior and Ladies championships are not "open" events but instead have restricted or deep-discounted entry based on age or gender. The shifted Mystery Millions was described as the "flagship opening event" but with a May 31 starting date, it is likely not the first 2023 WSOP bracelet event, an honor traditional reserved for the as-yet-unannounced Casino Employees tourney. The WSOP also has yet to declare the total number of live bracelet events that will comprise the 2023 series.
"The historic debut of the WSOP on the Las Vegas Strip delivered in a big way, and we’re excited to announce our Summer 2023 dates in time for the holidays," stated the World Series of Poker's Senior Vice President and Executive Director, Ty Stewart. "Poker players and fans can now officially mark their calendars and maybe even book their loved ones or themselves a trip to the WSOP as a holiday gift. We’re glad to be back at Paris Las Vegas and the future Horseshoe Las Vegas for another exciting chapter in the tournament’s history as these two resorts raised the bar in hosting last year’s event."
"With more than six months to go from the start of the next WSOP, you can already feel the anticipation building at our resorts," said Jason Gregorec, SVP and General Manager of Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas. "The tournament delivered unforgettable moments during its debut on The Strip, and we’re excited to welcome back poker’s premier event of the year. We can’t wait to see the first WSOP Main Event champion crowned at the new Horseshoe Las Vegas."
The joint Paris/Horseshoe venue is the third home for the WSOP in its more than a half century of existence. The WSOP was originally held at Binion's Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas, but moved to the roomier off-strip Rio casino after Caesars (then Harrah's) acquired Binion's and the WSOP brand in late 2004. The WSOP stayed at the Rio through 2021, and was then moved over to Paris/Bally's where the 2022 WSOP was held last summer.
Featured image source: World Series of Poker
