With the 2022 World Series of Poker less than two weeks away from kicking off, the WSOP has released an updated FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) covering many of the topics most on players' minds. The updated FAQ takes on increased importance as it offers some specifics, including playing locations, at the WSOP's new on-Strip location at the Bally and Paris casinos.
According to the WSOP FAQ, WSOP action will be separated into three primary locations: the Paris Ballroom, the Bally's Grand Ballroom, and the Bally's Event Center. All Day 1 action -- with the exception of overflow tables in the very largest events and starting days on the WSOP slate, will take place in the Paris Ballroom, a huge hall more than twice the size of the Amazon Room at the Rio.
At 85,204 square feet (358' x 238'), the Paris Ballroom is roughly 1.5 times the size of an American football field (360' x 160'), and it's also roughly 60% larger than the Rio's Pavilion Room, the largest WSOP hall at its former home. Besides hosting most Day 1 action, the Paris Ballroom will host additional days' action in $10,000-and-up bracelet events, until those events reach a final table, and the room will also host all the other activity formerly found in the Pavilion Room. That includes the King's Lounge high-limit cash area, the WSOP's regular cash-game tables, and all Deepstacks, Mega Satellites, and Single-Table Satellites, such as the GGPoker flipaments that debuted at the WSOP last fall.
Over at the Bally's Grand Ballroom, which is reached via the connecting hallways between the two casinos, all Day 2 restarts, and almost all final tables will run. The Bally's Grand Ballroom will also host the Day 1 overflow tables for those few events and starting days where the Paris Ballroom reaches full capacity.
Then there's the Bally's Event Center, another large hall farther to the east of the Bally's Grand Ballroom. That room will house the CBS feature television tables, and at this time, nothing else is scheduled to run there.
All of the action takes place on Level 2 of the sprawling Paris/Bally's casino complex.
Main registration cage, player services in Paris casino
Given that the vast majority of Day 1 action will take place in Paris, rather than Bally's, it makes sense that the main registration cage and the player-services office will also be located inside Paris. Those and other WSOP business services will be located within the partitionable Champagne Ballroom inside Paris. That ballroom sits just north of the Paris Ballroom where much of the WSOP action takes place, and it's also very close to the main hallway that leads to Bally's.
Where secondary cage areas will be placed -- if any are -- is not detailed in the WSOP's updated FAQ at the present time. One possibility is that one or more secondary cages may be placed directly in the Paris Ballroom, to ease registration backups for cash games and specialty events.
Live and online event entries already open
While much of the FAQ details eligibility requirements, the 2022 series dates, and the like, other timely information listed in the updated FAQ involves event registration. Online registration has been open for some time already for all bracelet events, via the WSOP's registration portal at https://www.bravopokerlive.com/venues/wsop/.
In-person registration has opened as well. Until the WSOP begins on May 31, players may sign up for events at the main Paris Casino cashier's cage. On 9:00 a.m. on May 31, the WSOP-specific registration cage in Paris's Champagne Ballroom opens for business. That special WSOP cage will remain open 24/7 throughout the course of the series.
Given the new location, all players are advised to leave some extra time as they learn to navigate the new facilities. Paris and Bally's will offer much roomier digs overall, and the Paris and Bally's portions of the 2022 WSOP are separated by at least a couple of hundred yards' walk.
Featured image source: Caesars.com
