The 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is right around the corner, with the first of 88 events scheduled to shuffle up and deal on September 30. Many of you reading these pages wish you could travel to Las Vegas and seek WSOP glory. However, your budget may not allow it.
You do not have to spend thousands of dollars on becoming a WSOP champion. Those of you on a budget could do much worse than buy into the following five events.
Event #4: The Reunion No-Limit Hold’em – The Ultimate Budget Tournament
Anyone who heads to the 2021 WSOP on a tight budget cannot afford not to play Event #4. What is Event #4, we hear you ask? It is the eagerly anticipated The Reunion tournament.
The Reunion comes with a $500 buy-in, making it one of the cheapest tournaments on the 88-event schedule. However, despite its low buy-in, the WSOP has slapped a $5 million guarantee on The Reunion’s prize pool.
Day 1A shuffles up and deals at 10:00 on October 1. The early start time is so the WSOP can fit as many players as possible into the Rio. Everyone sits down with a generous helping of 50,000 chips and plays to a 30-minute clock where blinds start at 100/200; there is a 200 big blind ante in play, too.
Late registration remains open for ten levels, and the plan is to play 22 levels or until 15% of the field remains. The exact format applies to Day 1B (October 2) and Day 1C (October 3).
Day 2 also starts at 10:00 but on October 4. The clock increases to 40-minutes, and 17 levels are planned. However, the tournament pauses for a final time if only five players remain.
The final day kicks off on October 5, and see the tournament play down to a winner. That winner will walk away with a massive score and a gold WSOP bracelet. Indeed, it could be one of the biggest top prizes of the series. Not bad for a budget event.
Event #8: No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack – A Great Structure if You Are On a Budget
Event #8 is another budget event you should have on your radar. The No-Limit Hold’em Deepstack comes with a $600 buy-in. A starting stack of 30,000, a 30-minute clock, and blinds starting at 100-100-100a give you plenty of room to maneuver. Cards are in the air from 11:00 on October 4.
Jeremy Pekarek won this tournament last year, outlasting 6,150 opponents and banking $398,281.
Event #24: Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack (8-Handed)
Do not worry if you are a PLO grinder on a budget because Event #24 has your name written all over it. Event #24 is the $600 Pot-Limit Omaha Deepstack event. Head to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino from 11:00 on October 13 to participate in this value-packed budget event.
You sit down with 30,000 chips and play to a 30-minute structure. Twenty-two levels play out on Day 1, with Day 2 commencing at noon on October 13.
Andrew Donbedian is this tournament’s reigning champion. The man from California topped a 2,577-strong field and collected $205,605.
Event #35: Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em
Freezeout tournaments are something of a rarity, and budget freezeouts are even rarer. Those facts make Event #35: Freezeout No-Limit Hold’em a must-play tournament. Your $500 buy-in buys you 25,000 chips, and cards are in the air from 11:00 on October 18.
Make sure your only bullet counts because you cannot rebuy or re-enter! Freezeouts are the purest form of tournament poker, and this is a welcome addition to the schedule.
Event 55: COLOSSUS No-Limit Hold’em
The $400 buy-in COLOSSUS is another budget event returning to the WSOP this year. Two flights are available, with Day 1A starting at 10:00 on October 29 and Day 1B on October 30. Some 40,000 chips are yours, and blinds increase every 40-minutes. They start at 100/200/200a.
South Korea’s Sejin Park was triumphant in the 2020 COLOSSUS event. Park’s victory was South Korea’s first in an open bracelet event. Park fought through 13,108 opponents and was rewarded with a cool $451,272.
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Brad Johnson
You name the game, and you can bet your bottom dollar that Brad has either played it or placed a wager on it! Brad calls himself a natural gambler, and someone who gains as much enjoyment from writing about the crazy game of poker as he does playing it.