Was the World Series of Poker 2024 as Big as Before?
The 2024 WSOP started on May 30th and ended on July 18th. The 54th WSOP was bigger and better than before. Several things contributed to it being record-breaking. Let’s see some of those highlights.
What Made the 2024 WSOP to Be a Big Event
The 2024 World Series of Poker followed on the heels of the record-breaking 2022 tournament, which attracted 197,626 players from over one hundred nations and featured a total prize fund of $347.9 million.
The highlights of this summer’s event, which had the highest capacity in the series’ history, included:
- Completely new Hall of Fame poker room at Horseshoe,
- Six hundred eight tables were distributed across over 200,000 square feet of convention area.
- The first $300 price point tournament in World Series of Poker history.
Additionally, live cash game action was available around the clock.
The ten thousand dollars No-Limit Hold’em World Championship, also referred to as “The Main Event,” which attracted 8,663 players in 2022—the second-largest crowd in live poker history—was the highlight of the summer. It was played from July 3rd to July 17th and was the summer’s world series of Poker main event.
To top the record-breaking roster from 2006, organizers created an array of new promotions centered on the slogan “Main Event Mania,” some of which are as follows:
GGpoker Provided 600 Seats in the Main Event
GGPoker, the largest online poker room and official satellite partner of the World Series of Poker, generously offered 500 assured Main Event sets on GGPoker.com via international qualifiers, with an additional 100 available to ClubGG.net subscribers.
With 600 open seats and a guaranteed prize pool of $6,000,000, GGPoker’s official qualifiers have doubled since the 2022 series. Online satellites kicked off in March.
Main Event Frenzy at Casinos Around the World
On May 20 and 21, 2024, the World Series of Poker held its first-ever Global Qualification Weekend in actual poker casinos across four continents. Before the commencement of the 2024 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, poker venues worldwide collaborated to host Guaranteed Seat satellite tournaments.
There was a $140 “step” tournament at each poker casino, with a $1,175 “mega” tournament as the grand finale, and the winner received a paid trip and a place in the WSOP Main Event.
The 112 Seat Sprint on WSOP.COM
With the poker world converging in Las Vegas, WSOP.COM emerged as the premier online destination for 2024 Main Event qualifiers. On WSOP Online, there were a remarkable 112 guaranteed spots in the Main Event between June 25th and July 8th. On June 25th, ten seats were secured daily in a race to break the record.
The 25 Seat Scramble, with a $250,000 guarantee, was the highlight of the celebrations on July 2nd. On July 8th, the participants drew for the last available spot in the Main Event. From June 25th through July 8th, daily, fee-free “All-In” satellites were held with buy-ins ranging from $80 to $126.
Online Bracelet Competitions at wsop.com
The three “Double Up Bracelet Days” were held on June 4th, June 25th, and July 9th, while the weekly WSOP Online Bracelet tournaments were held every Sunday this summer. There were many intriguing tournaments to choose from, but the highlights included:
- The $1,000 NLHE Online Championship
- The $3,200 High Roller
- The $500 Summer Saver
WSOP Online’s Championship Week featured a $5,300 High Roller Championship Event with a live final table in Las Vegas and a $300 Summer Kick-Off, all brand-new competitions.
Main Event for Life
The plan was to include everyone who entered the Main Event into a drawing for a free, nontransferable buy-in to the Main Event for the following 30 years if the record was broken. On July 8th, names were chosen from eligible participants using their Caesars Rewards numbers.
The Event Being Held at Horseshoe in Las Vegas
The first World Series of Poker event was held at the original Horseshoe in Las Vegas in 1970. Therefore, the series’ return to its roots by moving to Horseshoe Las Vegas after rebranding from Bally’s Las Vegas felt fitting.
The resort has created an exclusive World Series Of Poker Hall of Fame Poker room to honor this history, and it will soon contain a WSOP Hall of Fame display paying tribute to the sport’s most illustrious champions and the most prestigious tournament prizes.
Deep Stack Tournaments
From June 1st through July 17th, daily $200-$400 buy-in Deep Stack tournaments took place. From May 31st through July 14th, $25,000 was the highest buy-in for the daily Mega Satellites. Despite sharing a parking lot, the Paris and Horseshoe hotels in Las Vegas were separated enough for the World Series of Poker to set up its main cage at the former.
Return of CBC
The World Series of Poker continued to have CBS Sports as a broadcast sponsor for a third year, with daily coverage also being made accessible via PokerGo. An average of 15 hours of broadcasting was given to the 2024 Main Event, which featured 18 separate bracelet tournaments created and broadcast by Poker Central.
Crowning of the WSOP 2024 Main Event Winner
The 35-year-old Daniel Weinman of Georgia created poker history on Monday, July 17th, 2024, at the 54th annual World Series of Poker at the Horseshoe Las Vegas. Daniel won $12.1 million after ten days of heated competition in which he outlasted a record 10,043 opponents globally. $93,399,900 was up for grabs, making this the most fabulous prize pool in the long tradition of live poker.
Jamie Gold, the 2006 Global Winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, which featured a then-record 8,773 participants, awarded Daniel with the prestigious WSOP Main Event bracelet to celebrate the historic win.
On the last day of the tournament, Steven Jones was ahead of the pack with 238,000,000 in chips. Adam Walton was the first player to leave the last table of three, defeated by Daniel’s pocket aces.
Daniel and Steven each folded a pair of jacks following 23 hands of heads-up playtime, raising the stakes, but Weinman eventually prevailed when he out-kicked Steven with a king.
What Else Should We Expect?
The World Series of Poker announced during the Main Event celebrations about its upcoming winter series, WSOP Paradise, which will be held at Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas, and produced in conjunction with GGPoker.
The newly announced series will run from December 3rd to 14th, 2024, with fifteen bracelet events and fifty million dollars in assured prize pools. The main event will have a five thousand dollar buy-in and a fifteen million dollar guarantee, and the mystery bounty will have a five million dollar prize pool guarantee.
Conclusion
The 2024 World Series of Poker was undoubtedly more extensive than ever. From the prize pool to the number of people who participated, we can see that record has been broken and history made.
The event returning to the Hall of Fame poker room at Horseshoe Las Vegas, one of the most well-known and most profitable casino hotspots also contributed to the event being bigger.
