WSOP Adds Championship and Lower Buy-in Events; Here’s the Schedule So Far
The World Series of Poker schedule continued to take shape over the last week with the release of several other event dates. Plans call for the 51st event kicking off May 26 and running through July 15 at the Rio in Las Vegas.
The series has released dates in waves with some of the more popular events, like the Colossus, announced in early December. That was followed by more big-field events like the Monster Stack.
The $10,000 championship and lower buy-in events have also now been added to the mix. For online players, that includes a new WSOP.com $10,000 freezeout event. The full schedule isn’t yet complete, but offers a nice glimpse of what to expect this summer.
A look at the WSOP Championship events
In recent years, the WSOP has made use of a two-tiered system of events. The $10,000 (and higher) championship events cater to pros and those with bigger bankrolls.
“The championship events are always among the most special offered at the WSOP each year,” WSOP Vice President Jack Effel said in a news release.
“We are proud to be the only tournament series who spreads such an offering and have worked with some of the game’s most distinguished players this offseason to ensure our schedule and the events themselves align well with where poker is in 2020.”
Lower buy-in events were meant to appeal to a wider audience of players. The WSOP seems to have now added a third “bargain tier” with several events priced $1,000 or less and attracting huge fields.
Those with bigger bankrolls welcomed a plethora of big buy-in championships. This year that includes 16 different tournaments at the $10,000 level with 24 different game variations.
The $50,000 Poker Players Championship begins June 22 and should again attract some of the biggest names in poker. The five-day, six-handed event features an additional game this year, No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw.
Low roller events also announced
Lower buy-in events have continued to fuel growth and record-setting numbers at the WSOP for the last several years. WSOP staff have made efforts to reach players of all level and bring more players into the Rio in Las Vegas.
Those efforts seem to be working and the chance at a bracelet for a lower price have attracted thousands of players.
“Everyone loves good value and the WSOP has continued to enhance its offering to meet the demand at these meaningful price points,” Effel said.
“Delivering large prize pools, new players, and exciting formats are core objectives of the WSOP and these 25 events are key to meeting this mandate.”
With the growing debate on re-entry events, WSOP officials have added emphasis on freezeouts and single re-entries.
One of those falls into the series’ “bargain” event philosophy. The WSOP begins on May 27 with a $1,000 freezeout tournament. Series officials also promise one No Limit Hold’em freezeout event each week throughout the summer.
Another tournament added is the Forty Stack, a $1,000 event with 40,000 starting chips and a single re-entry (June 7). A new $500 freezeout event has also been added and set for June 15. Here’s a look at the complete schedule so far:
| Starting Flight Dates | Event | Buy-in | Re-entries |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 27 | Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em | $1,000 | Freezeout |
| May 27 | Casino Employees Event No-Limit Hold’em | $500 | 1 |
| May 28 | Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| May 28, 29, 30, 31 | Big 50 | $500 | 1 per flight |
| May 29 | High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed | $25,000 | 1 |
| May 30 | Dealers Choice 6-Handed | $1,500 | 1 |
| May 31 | Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em | $25,000 | Freezeout |
| May 31 | WSOP.com ONLINE No-Limit Hold’em | $400 | 1 |
| June 1 | No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack | $600 | 1 |
| June 1 | Mixed Limit Triple Draw Lowball | $2,500 | 1 |
| June 2 | Super Turbo Bounty NLH - $300 bounty/player | $1,000 | Freezeout |
| June 2 | Seven Card Stud | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 3 | 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em | $1,500 | 1 |
| June 3 | Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 4 | Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 4 | H.O.R.S.E. | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 5-6 | Millionaire Maker | $1,500 | 1 per flight |
| June 5 | High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed | $50,000 | 1 |
| June 5 | Mixed: PLO Hi-Lo 8; Omaha Hi-Lo 8; Big 0 | $1,500 | 1 |
| June 6 | Seven Card Stud | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 7 | Forty Stack No-Limit Hold’em (40,000 starting chips) | $1,000 | 1 |
| June 7 | HORSE | $3,000 | Freezeout |
| June 7 | WSOP.com ONLINE PLO 7-Handed | $777 | 3 |
| June 8 | Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack 8-Handed | $600 | 1 |
| June 8 | Short Deck | $10,000 | 1 |
| June 9 | Super Turbo Bounty NLH ($500 bounties) | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 9 | HORSE | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 9 | WSOP.com ONLINE Freezeout Knockout Deepstack NLHE | $800 | Freezeout |
| June 10 | Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed | $1,000 | 1 |
| June 10 | No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw | $1,500 | 1 |
| June 11 | Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em | $2,500 | Freezeout |
| June 11 | Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 12-13 | Monster Stack | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 12 | Super Turbo Bounty NLH | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 12 | Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw | $1,500 | 1 |
| June 13 | Dealers Choice 6-Handed | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 14 | No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack | $800 | 1 |
| June 14 | Pot-Limit Omaha (8-Handed) | $1,500 | 1 |
| June 14 | WSOP.com ONLINE 8-Handed NLH Turbo Deepstack | $500 | 1 |
| June 15 | Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em | $500 | Freezeout |
| June 15 | No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw | $10,000 | 1 |
| June 16 | 8-Handed Mixed NLH/PLO Deepstack | $600 | 1 |
| June 16 | Razz | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 17 | Ladies Championship | $1,000 (ladies) $10,000 (men) | 1 |
| June 17 | Shootout No-Limit Hold’em | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 17 | High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha 8-Handed | $25,000 | 1 |
| June 18 | Seniors Championship (age 50 and up) | $1,000 | 1 |
| June 18 | No-Limit Hold'em | $3,000 | Freezeout |
| June 18 | Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 19-20 | Double Stack | $1,000 | 1 per flight |
| June 19 | Nine-Game Mix (6-Handed) | $2,500 | 1 |
| June 20 | Pot-Limit Omaha | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 21 | 8-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack | $800 | 1 |
| June 21 | Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em | $5,000 | Freezeout |
| June 21 | WSOP.com ONLINE Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em | $500 | Freezeout |
| June 22 | Super Seniors (age 60 and over) | $1,000 | 1 per flight |
| June 22 | Tag Team (two-person teams) | $1,000 per team | Freezeout |
| June 22 | Poker Players Championship | $50,000 | Freezeout |
| June 23 | Deepstack Championship No-Limit Hold’em | $600 | 1 |
| June 23 | Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better (8-Handed) | $1,500 | 1 |
| June 24-25 | Colossus | $400 | 1 per flight |
| June 24 | Razz | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 25 | No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | $5,000 | 1 |
| June 26-27 | Crazy Eights | $888 | 1 per flight |
| June 26 | Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 27 | Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em | $250,000 | 1 |
| June 27 | Limit Hold’em | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 28 | Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold’em ($1 million in bounty guarantees; $250,000 max bounty) | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| June 28 | Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 28 | WSOP.com ONLINE No-Limit Hold’em Championship | $1,000 | 1 |
| June 29 | Mini Main Event | $1,000 | Freezeout |
| June 29 | 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 29 | WSOP.com ONLINE No-Limit Hold’em | $500 | 1 |
| June 30 | FINAL 500 Salute to Warriors No-Limit Hold’em | $500 | 1 |
| June 30 | Limit Hold’em | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| June 30 | WSOP.com ONLINE No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed | $1,500 | 1 |
| July 1, 2, 3 | Main Event | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| July 1 | WSOP.com ONLINE High Roller NLH 8-Handed | $3,200 | 1 |
| July 2 | WSOP.com Online NLHE Super High Roller | $10,000 | Freezeout |
| July 3 | WSOP.com ONLINE No-Limit Hold’em | $400 | 1 |
| July 4-6 | Little One for ONE DROP No-Limit Hold’em | $1,000 + $111 | Unlimited |
| July 4 | WSOP.com ONLINE No-Limit Hold’em Turbo Deepstack | $500 | 1 |
| July 5 | Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | $3,000 | Freezeout |
| July 5 | WSOP.com ONLINE 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em | $600 | 1 |
| July 6 | Mixed No-Limit Hold’em; Pot-Limit Omaha (8-hand) | $5,000 | 1 |
| July 7 | Bounty No-Limit Hold’em ($500 bounties) | $1,500 | Freezeout |
| July 7 | High Roller Pot-Limit Omaha | $50,000 | 1 |
| July 8 | Bounty Pot-Limit Omaha ($500 bounties) | $1,500 | 1 |
| July 8 | No-Limit Hold'em 6-Handed | $3,000 | 1 |
| July 9 | Fifty Stack No-Limit Hold’em | $1,500 | 1 |
| July 9 | Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/PLO (8-Handed) | $1,500 | 1 |
| July 9 | High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed | $50,000 | 1 |
| July 10-11 | The Closer | $1,500 | 1 per flight |
| July 10 | Pot Limit Omaha 6-Handed | $3,000 | 1 |
| July 11 | High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed | $100,000 | 1 |
| July 12 | No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack | $800 | 1 |
| July 12 | Eight Game Mix (6-Handed) | $1,500 | 1 |
| July 12 | WSOP.com ONLINE Summer Saver No-Limit Hold’em | $500 | 1 |
| July 13 | Super Turbo No-Limit Hold’em | $1,000 | 1 |
| July 13 | Mixed Big Bet | $2,500 | 1 |
| July 14 | No-Limit Hold’em 8-Handed | $5,000 | 1 |
Only one WSOP online option released so far
While much of the WSOP schedule is out, New Jersey and Nevada online poker players will have to wait a bit longer. However, the WSOP has teased players with some details on one new event.
A new $10,000 online bracelet event has been scheduled for July 2. The No Limit Hold’em event features 30,000 starting chips and 20-minute levels.
Like several other events announced, the event will also be in freezeout format.
This becomes the largest buy-in event in the history of the WSOP. In 2019, the highest online event was a $3,200 high roller with 593 entries for a $1.8 million prize pool.
Florida’s Brandon Adams came out on top and took home $411,501.The event allowed for three re-entries.
The new event now triples that buy-in and it will be interesting to see the turnout for this event. A similar number of players could make for a massive first-place payout. USPoker will bring you the full WSOP.com online schedule when it’s announced.