The wait is over, the 2021 WSOP schedule is in the public domain, and it looks incredible. The 2020 WSOP took place almost entirely online due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the whole 2021 WSOP schedule takes place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in fabulous Las Vegas.
Dates of September 30 through November 23 were previously confirmed, but players can now make plans for the events they want to play. There are 88 gold bracelet awarding events on the 2021 WSOP schedule, with buy-ins ranging from $400 to $250,000.
Breaking Down the 2021 WSOP Schedule
No-Limit Hold’em events dominate the 2021 WSOP schedule with 55 of the 88 tournaments. Omaha and Mixed Games have 13 events each, and there are six stud bracelets up for grabs. Five draw poker events complete the bustling schedule.
The $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em event kicks off proceedings on September 30. This is not an open event because only players employed by casino companies are eligible to enter.
A $25,000 H.O.R.S.E event shuffled up and deals at 15:00 on September 30, the first open event of the series. Expect some of the biggest names in poker to battle it out for mixed-game supremacy.
“The Reunion” is a brand-new event on the 2021 WSOP schedule. It only costs $500 to enter but features a massive $5 million guaranteed prize pool. The event needs 10,000 entrants to hit the guarantee, so there are three starting flights, and players can enter all three.
Keep November 18 free if you love nothing more than watching the game’s elite lock horns. This is the date of the $250,000 Super High Roller. It is a new event on the 2021 WSOP schedule, and it will be interesting to see how many players enter. Ninety-nine stars bought into the $100,000 equivalent in 2019, creating a $9,603,000 prize pool in the process.
Events Returning to the 2021 WSOP
The WSOP would not be the WSOP without some of its tried and tested events on the schedule.
Women of the poker world are delighted to learn the Ladies’ event returns in 2021. Female players pay $1,000 to enter the event, but any men wanting to spoil the party must pay $10,000. South Korea’s Jiyoung Kim outlasted 967 opponents in last year’s tournament and won $167,308.
The Crazy Eights is another returning no-limit Hold’em tournament. Some 10,185 players exchanged $888 for the chance to win this event in 2019. Ricardo Alvardo came out on top, including defeating Mark Radoja heads-up and scooped $888,888.
Other returning events include the $1,500 Fifty Stack, the $1,111 Little One for One Drop, and the $1,000 Tag Team event.
The 2021 WSOP Main Event Could Hit 10,000 Runners
It is the WSOP Main Event, of course, that everyone is super excited about. The WSOP Main Event is the tournament every poker player worth their salt wants to win. Becoming this tournament’s champion comes with a life-changing prize in addition to a place in poker’s history books.
The WSOP organizers must believe this year’s Main Event will be the biggest on record because there are four starting flights instead of the traditional three.
Day 1A shuffles up and deals on November 4, with Days 1B-D running on subsequent days. Everyone’s goal is to reach the final table on November 16 and 17.
Hossein Ensan won the 2019 WSOP Main Event and its whopping $10 million top prize. Damian Salas is the reigning champion, having won the hybrid Main Event in 2020, a mixture of online and live poker.
Ensan’s victory came in the second-largest WSOP Main Event ever. A vast field of 8,569 players bought in for $10,000 in 2019. The 2006 WSOP Main Event is still the biggest in the series’ five-decade history. Jamie Gold outlasted 8,772 opponents on his way to collecting $12 million!
This year’s Main Event could break through the 10,000 entrants barrier. Poker players are itching to get back into the live arena, many have made a lot of money through cryptocurrency, while others have had a couple of years to save up for their shot at glory. We cannot wait.