Plenty to see at WSOP

This article first appeared in the May/Jun 2014 issue of World Gaming magazine.

For tournament poker players the world over, the annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) shimmers on the horizon like a desert oasis. While the birth of WSOP Europe in 2007 and WSOP Asia Pacific last year have made this famous series more accessible to the world, there is still nothing quite like the original and whether they be seasoned pros or aspiring amateurs, all players dream of winning a gold bracelet in the famous surrounds of Las Vegas’ Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino.

Now in its 45th year, the 2014 WSOP sees a number of notable changes to a schedule boasting 65 individual events – up from 62 in 2013.

Most important is the Main Event itself, which celebrates the 10th anniversary of the WSOP moving from Binion’s to the Rio by offering a US$10 million guarantee to the winner. To put that into perspective, only once before has the Main Event offered an eight-figure first prize with Jamie Gold taking home US$12 million in 2006 after 8,773 players sat down at the height of the global poker boom.

The biggest first prize since then was the US$9,152,416 Peter Eastgate won in 2008 but the US$10 million on offer this year is certain to add an extra element of anticipation to poker’s most coveted prize. It’s important to note that not everyone is pleased by the US$10 million guarantee. Many have pointed out that increasing the first place prize money in this way means the rest of the field – those who make the money at least – will have to take a financial hit in order to accommodate it. While this is true, the fact of the matter is that poker is waging an ongoing war against opponents of gambling and those who wish to demonize the game so any measures that encourage people to take a shot should be encouraged – even if it’s not completely palatable to the purists.

2014 also sees the return of US$10,000 Championship events. The WSOP has historically offered a US$10,000 buy-in “Championship” for all of the major poker variants but last year they dropped the entry for many of these to US$5,000, leaving just four US$10,000 events including the Main Event. This year common sense has prevailed and there will be 12 US$10,000 events covering everything from Hold’em and Omaha to Seven Card Stud, Razz, HORSE and Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

The 2013 final table. Eventual winner Ryan Reiss is fourth from the left.

There is something special about a US$10,000 buy-in event and inevitably the fields are full of the very best exponents each discipline has to offer.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this year’s WSOP is the return of the world’s biggest buy-in tournament – the Big One for One Drop. With an entry fee of US$1 million, this charity event was last run in 2012 with Antonio Esfandiari topping a field of 48 players to take home the record US$18.3 million first prize. With the maximum field increased to 56 players this time around, the lucky winner can look forward to a prize of more than US$20 million in 2014!

Other events to keep an eye on include the US$1,500 buy-in “Millionaire Maker” – which attracted a staggering 6,343 players last year – and of course the US$50,000 Players’ Championship which is widely considered to be the truest test of a player’s all-round ability. Boasting a field of the highest quality, previous winners of this 8-game mixed event include Scotty Nguyen, Michael Mizrachi, Freddy Deeb and the man after whom the trophy is named, Chip Reese.

As always, WGM will bring you all the important results and information from the 2014 WSOP in upcoming issues as well as on our website at wgm8.com.