The rest of the world is blissfully unaware that a group of people travel around the globe playing a game of cards for a living, but there it is, roaming around this big planet of ours.
The companies that make the magic huddle together in herds, knitting a seamless roster of events so the best in the business never have time to kick off those shoes and make a bowl of chicken soup. However, there is one company that doesn’t need to gel with anyone because they are to poker players what Christmas morning is for the kids.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) has been the king of poker since 1970. Incredibly, each year they grow more teeth. They don’t need to huddle with anyone. They are the biggest, the brightest, and in 2020 they become one of the ballsiest.
In 2019, the WSOP continued to set records with 187,298 entrants receiving $293,183,345 in prize money. It’s something that the WSOP has been doing for years, but not this year.
WSOP officials have taken the bold step of incorporating more freezeouts events into their vast schedule, therefore reducing the likelihood that they will top that entrant record.
It’s far from a slippery slope, as the WSOP wouldn’t be making this move if they didn’t feel it offered their players more value, but it does go against the soul of the rest of the industry who still believes that the players want re-entry tournaments.
The 51st annual WSOP runs between May 26 to July 15, and the organisers have been releasing pieces of the jigsaw since before Christmas. The latest segment to fall into the laps of the poker press is a significant one with 25 gold bracelet events pitched at the $1,500 price point.
These events rest across 18 different game types and will start with a minimum 25k starting stack.
“We have found the $1,500 price point to be the sweet spot in poker, perfectly balancing affordability, field size and prize pool to offer great value for participating players,” said W.S.O.P. Vice President Jack Effel. “As we continue to cater our offerings to find something for everyone, the $1,500 buy-ins remain a core staple of the WSOP.”
The WSOP is revealing 19 of those 25 events for the first time, and nine of them utilise the freezeout format, with the other ten offering a single re-entry format up until the end of the registration period.
Leaderboard
The WSOP also announced plans to launch a dedicated leaderboard for a portion of these $1,500 events. Details are as sparse as pieces of meat in Daniel Negreanu’s homemade stew, but we will bring you further information as we receive it.
The introduction of a dedicated $1,500 leaderboard means the 51st annual WSOP will have an unprecedented three opportunities to be a king. Alongside the $1,500 leaderboard is a high roller leaderboard, and the WSOP Player of the Year (PoY).
With the WSOP promising additional prizes for both the $1,500 and high roller leaderboards, one assumes there will also be prizes for the winner of the WSOP PoY, and that falls in line with criticism from the poker community after Robert Campbell received the insides of a balloon for winning the 2019 award.
Here are those $1,500 buy-in events.
The $1,500 buy-in Events
May 28 – Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better*
May 30 – Dealers Choice 6-Handed
Jun 2 – Seven Card Stud*
Jun 3 – N.L.H.E. 6-Handed
Jun 4 – N.L.H.E.*
Jun 4 – H.O.R.S.E.*
Jun 5/6 – N.L.H.E. Millionaire Maker
Jun 5 – Mixed P.L.O. Hi-Lo 8; Omaha Hi-Lo 8; Big O
Jun 9 – N.L.H.E. Super-Turbo Bounties*
Jun 10 – No-LImit 2-7 Lowball Draw
Jun 11 – Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better*
Jun 12/13 – NLHE MONSTER STACK*
Jun 12 – Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw
Jun 14 – Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed
Jun 16 – Razz*
Jun 17 – N.L.H.E. Shootout*
Jun 23 – Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better
Jun 27 – Limit Hold’em*
Jun 28 – N.L.H.E. Mystery Bounty*
Jul 7 – N.L.H.E. Bounty*
Jul 8 – Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty
Jul 9 – N.L.H.E. Fifty-Stack
Jul 9 – Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha
Jul 10/11 – NLHE CLOSER
Jul 12 – Eight-Game Mix 6-Handed
*Indicates Freezeout