2016 WSOP to Kick Off on 31st May

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Friday, April 1st, 2016 | Written by Stephen Smith

After months of waiting, poker players and fans alike can now look forward to the 2016 World Series of Poker kicking off at the end of next month, with its 69-event schedule running from May 31st until July 18th. That’s when the last nine players left in the $10k Main Event take a more than three month break until picking up the action once more on October 30th.

A press release for the 47th annual WSOP described this year’s series as the “most ambitious and diverse schedule” in the competition’s long and storied history. As WSOP executive director Ty Stewart subsequently commented:

“It’s hard to fathom that this event can continue to grow the way it has. But with the schedule we’ve put together for this year, we are confident 2016 will be another record-breaker at the WSOP.”

Eight Brand New Events

All of the major tournaments from previous years will return, with the exception of one event, the $1 million Big One for One Drop. Not to worry, though, as the event is likely to make an appearance later on in the year, perhaps at the WSOP Asia-Pacific (WSOP-APAC) or WSOP Europe (WSOPE). In the meantime, Las Vegas will still play host to the Little One for One Drop bracelet event.

Furthermore, the 2016 WSOP will feature eight brand new events, including $1,000 Top Up Turbo No-Limit Hold’em, $565 Pot-Limit Omaha, $2,000 NLHE, $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw, $1,500 Mixed NLHE/PLO, $1,500 Mixed PLO, $888 Crazy Eights Eight-Handed NLHE, and $1,000 Tag Team NLHE.

Schedule Highlights

You can see a copy of the schedule and get complete details about the events here, but in the meantime here’s a look at some of the biggest news from the 2016 WSOP in Las Vegas:

– The very first event of the season will be the Casino Employees tournament, a no limit hold ’em tournament. It will be held on Wednesday, June 1st. The tournament will allow one re-entry, a first for the competition.

– The first open event of the season will be the Colossus II, and will take place on Thursday, June 2nd. The prize pool is $7 million with a guaranteed $1 million first place prize. The event will last for three days with six sessions taking place.

– The first new event of the season is the fourth on the calendar and is known as the Top UP Turbo. For this tournament, people who qualify to play either online at WSOP.com or at the Rio casino will receive twice the starting stack.

– The WSOP will now have an Omaha tournament of its own. This event premiered in Europe in 2015 and has a buy-in of $565, the smallest amount that’s ever been featured at a bracelet tournament.

– The popular Millionaire Maker will be held on Friday, June 10th, and Saturday, June 11th. For this tournament, the winner and the runner-up will win a minimum of $1 million each.

– On June 20th, WSOP will hold their Summer Solstice event, which has 90-minute competitions. It will be a $1500 buy-in no limit hold ’em event.

– The events with the highest buy-ins come toward the end of the summer. The first is the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, which will be held on July 3rd. The second is the $25,000 limit Omaha high roller event on July 6th. The final event–the High Roller for One Drop–with a $111,111 buy-in will be held on July 8th.

– The first-ever team bracelet event is included on the schedule this year. Teams of two to four players can register with a total buy-in of $1000. Two players will play at a time with additional players serving as alternates that can be tagged in.

The Main Event

The $10k WSOP Main Event will start on July 9, with three starting flights available for players to chose between. Players will get 50,000 in chips, which is 20,000 more than the previous year. Prizes will be awarded for either the top 1000 players or the top 15 percent of the main field, with the payout structure determined by which number is bigger. Commenting on changes made to the main event, as well as other tournaments at this year’s series, WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel said:

“By paying 50-percent more entrants and reaching the money earlier, we anticipate the 2016 WSOP to be the most rewarding yet. Our schedule this year really runs the gamut for all levels of poker enthusiasts, so we hope you will peruse the events and make your plans to join us this summer at the Rio.”