After months of speculation, it’s finally been confirmed that the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event is the largest Main Event in the World Series history. Tournament organisers confirmed part-way through Day 1d that the total number of entrants has exceeded the 8,773 that took part in the 2006 Main Event, meaning that everyone who took part in this year’s tournament is officially part of poker history!
We’re Not Done Yet…
What’s more, is that we’re by no means done! We’ve yet to hear the total number of entrants across Day 1d, and we still have late registration open for Day 2a,2b,2c, and 2d! Many players are speculating that we could hit five figures by the time all the entrants are totted up, creating the largest-ever Main Event by far.
A player pool of 10,000 players or more will create a prize pool of over $93 million, far exceeding the $80.5 million we saw last year. With such a large prize pool available, there’s a chance we could see the largest-ever first-place prize at the Main Event.
That record was also set at the 2006 Main Event, where Jamie Gold won $12 million for his efforts. The payout structure was a lot more top-heavy during that era, but with potentially so much money available, there’s a good chance we can see another record broken.
When asked about what the feat meant to the organisers of the WSOP, the WSOP Senior Vice President and Executive Director Ty Stewart said, “This is a colossal day not only in the history of the WSOP but for poker itself…
“It’s particularly special to make history in our first year at the new Horseshoe Las Vegas. I think today is a huge testament to the passion of the entire poker community who rallies around this event every year. We’re hoping this record is short-lived and we’ll be ready for another monster turnout next summer.”
More Records Broken
It seems like the 2023 WSOP Main Event will go down as a record-breaking year in more ways than one. Not only have we seen the most number of entries, but we’ve also seen the record for the oldest Main Event player being broken by World War II veteran Gene Calden.
Gene took his seat at the WSOP Main Event at 100 years old making him the oldest ever Main Event entrant. His entry was made possible thanks to the help given by the Moneymaker Tour; a poker tour set up by the man who started the original poker boom - Chris Moneymaker.
Gene knocked Chris out of one of his own events on the tour, going viral as a result of his terrific play against the Main Event champ. As a result of his endeavours, Gene was awarded a $10,000 Main Event seat by the Moneymaker Tour and made the journey to Vegas to play.
While his time in the Main Event was short-lived, Gene had a blast - and we’re all hoping to see him back again next year!
What do you think the final number of entrants will be in this year’s Main Event? Will we see another increase in Main Event entrants in 2024? Stay tuned for all the latest WSOP news and events.
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