World Series of Poker® World Championship Set to Begin Thursday at the Rio Las Vegas
$10,000 buy-in Main Event Runs July 7-19, 2011 at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. ESPN to Provide Live Coverage; Winner to Become Instant Multi-Millionaire
The 42nd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas has been an unqualified success already.
A total of 65,066 entrants have participated in the first 55 WSOP gold bracelet events and been awarded a total of $121,238,460 in prize money. 94 different countries have been represented.
Participation is up 7.4% year-over-year, and on pace to become the largest and richest poker series in its 42-year history.
The 2011 WSOP has already broken 16 world poker records – an all-time high.
“It has been a truly memorable 2011 World Series of Poker,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “When all is said and done we will have awarded nearly $200 million in prize money, crowned 58 new champions and provided a tremendous boost to the local economy. That said, there is nothing like the WSOP Main Event and we hope players and spectators alike will come down to the Rio this week and experience this worldwide global phenomenon in person.”
Only three events remain, two which begin today, and of course the World Championship of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, commonly referred to as the WSOP Main Event, which starts officially on Thursday, with the first of four starting flights.
Thousands are expected to pay the $10,000 entry fee or qualify via a more affordable satellite entry with the hopes of becoming the next Jonathan Duhamel. Duhamel is the reigning World Champion who bested a field of 7,319 players in 2010 en route to his first WSOP gold bracelet victory and the $8,944,310 first place prize. The young Canadian poker ambassador has spent the last year traveling the poker tournament circuit worldwide.
Players will play five two-hour levels on both Day One and Two, and then the format switches and players will play four two-hour levels from Days three on. The final scheduled day, July 19, will continue until just nine players remain – known as the Final Table of the WSOP Main Event – or the “November Nine.”
The November Nine will see the action paused until November 5, 2011, when they will return to Las Vegas to contest the remainder of the tournament in front of a live audience.
ESPN television plans comprehensive coverage of the 2011 WSOP Main Event, including telecasts on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com.
The 2011 WSOP will be remembered as the most-participated poker festival ever, as live action, daily deepstack tournaments and satellite offerings have all seen record-setting attendance as well.
To follow the tournament live, please visit WSOP.com
