Ly García
The biggest and most important poker tournament of the year is known as the World Series of Poker (WSOP). For fans of this famous and competitive card game, this event determines who is the world champion and best player.
The idea of hosting a poker tournament among professional players began in the 1970s and grew exponentially to what we know today. Essentially, it’s the World Cup for tabletop games, with a registered trademark and events covered by various television networks.
Before we dive into the current format of the game, it’s worth knowing the origins of this important event. This will increase your interest and undoubtedly give you an edge when discussing the topic with friends. At JefeBet, we’ve summarized the most important points for you.
How Does the World Series of Poker Work in 2023? | World Series of Poker Format
World Series of Poker | How It All Started
As mentioned before, the WSOP began in 1970 and was created by Benny Binion to increase the visibility of his casino, Binion’s Horseshoe.
At that time, the tournament was a cash game series featuring No-Limit Hold’em, Seven-Card Stud, Razz, 2-7 Lowball, and Five-Card Stud. The winner was chosen by vote, not by overall results.
Over time, the tournament grew until everything changed with amateur player Chris Moneymaker. He managed to qualify for the WSOP main event and won $2.5 million dollars, leading to an increase in entries the following year from 839 to 2,576.
It’s worth noting that Chris’s win was thanks to a $39 dollar entry satellite event on PokerStars.
Current WSOP Game Format
The most important thing to understand is that it’s not just a one-day event, but rather a series of tournaments that take place over about 50 days. This series consists of several tournaments played on a circuit, and gold bracelets are awarded to the best players as a direct pass to the WSOP.
Out of all the events, the most important one is the No-Limit Hold’em World Championship Main Event, which some consider the real World Series of Poker. To enter, you must pay a buy-in of $10,000. You can play in practically every existing format of poker.
- No-Limit Hold’em
- Pot-Limit Omaha
- Limit Hold’em
- Seven-Card Stud
- 2-7 Triple Draw
- Omaha Hi-Lo
- Razz
- H.O.R.S.E.
- 8-Game
- Deep Stack Events
Cost of WSOP Tickets
When we talk about the biggest and most historical poker event in the world, you can imagine that getting in is not exactly cheap. The buy-in varies for each of the approximately 88 events, but generally hovers around $1,500.
The minimum cost is $500 for the Casino Employees tournament, but there are also bracelets worth $250,000 like the Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em event.
However, there are lower cost opportunities, and these can be found in satellite tournaments, where the winner takes home an entry to the WSOP instead of cash, which is probably even more attractive.
In Summary
The world’s best poker tournament is held every year in Las Vegas, Nevada. Top players face off for over a month to win incredible prizes and be crowned, unofficially, as the world champion.
Getting a seat in this historic event doesn’t come cheap, but thanks to satellite tournaments provided by apps and websites, it’s possible to win a spot for a much lower cost.
In 2023, the World Series of Poker will take place in different locations, with circuits in other states, and culminating once again in Nevada with the Main Event held at the Horseshoe, Las Vegas.
