Name: The World Series of Poker, the WSOP, poker’s ‘summer camp’
Age: 55
Appearance: Big fields, big cash prizes, big gold bracelets, big fun.
Is this one of those ‘World Series’ that is only available to Americans? No, unlike events such as the MLB World Series, the annual World Series of Poker is open to people all over the world.
That’s pretty cool. As long as they’re in Las Vegas, USA.
Oh. It’s a live poker tournament series, so all players being physically present together is kind of essential. There’s an online version, a European version, and last winter there was an edition that ran in The Bahamas, but the summer series in Las Vegas is the big one.
How big? Huge. We’re talking tournaments with over 10,000 players, taking place over multiple days, in both the Horseshoe and Paris casinos.
The Horseshoe? That place downtown where Chris Moneymaker won in 2003? No, it’s not at Binion’s Horseshoe anymore, it’s a whole different Horseshoe, located on the Strip. The WSOP moved from its original home at Binion’s in 2005 and relocated to the larger Rio Hotel & Casino. Then in 2022 it moved to the Horseshoe and Paris, where this year’s series kicks off next week.
Next week? Dang it, I’ve got a trip to Vegas coming up, but not ‘til July. Oh, don’t worry, it’ll still be going strong. There are 100 events taking place from May 27 to July 16, each awarding a WSOP gold bracelet and a healthy cash prize.
Doesn’t that all get a little ‘samey’? Not at all! There are all kinds of different poker variants to play, from hold’em to Omaha, razz, stud, 2-7 lowball and mixed games where the game keeps changing. Then there are different formats, like shootouts, double-board bomb pots, tag teams, seniors, super seniors, mystery bounties, turbos, freezeouts…
Okay, I get it, there are a lot of different poker games out there. So there will be 100 different world champions by the time this thing is done? In a sense. Each event will have a champion, but the true World Champion will be the person who wins the $10K Main Event.
Like who? Legends like Chris Moneymaker, Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar, Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth, that’s who. To win the WSOP Main Event is to write your name in poker’s history books.
So I guess only legends like them have a chance to win it? Not exactly. The Main Event has so many players, and runs for so long, that the odds of an already-famous player going all the way are pretty long. Plus, Phil Hellmuth has already said it’s too much of an endurance test and he’s not going to play it this year.
I’m sure he’s a man of his word, but I’m not sure I believe him on that one. Don’t worry, no one does.
So how many enter the Main Event? Last year it was 10,112 — the biggest turnout ever.
That’s a lot of people. How do they all fit in the same room? They physically can’t. There are a number of different Day 1s, and multiple Day 2s, before the field combines for Day 3. It’s the only way to accommodate all those players. Then they play all the way down to a single winner over nine more days.
Sounds hectic, but if that’s the way they’ve always done it… It’s definitely not. From 2008 to 2016, there would be a pause once the final table was set.
I guess everyone needs a day off by then. They’d pause for four months. The final nine players would return to complete the tournament the following November.
That’s a little weird. Is that what they intended when the first WSOP took place? Who knows? Back then people just voted for who they thought should win.
So the WSOP is steeped in tradition and history, but also changing all the time? Now you’re getting it. And that’s what makes it a perfect reflection — and celebration — of poker itself.
Do say: “Shuffle up and deal!”
Don’t say: “Bracelets are so last season, but maybe I'll take a necklace… Do you have anything in silver?”
