The World Series of Poker Main Event sets another record with 10,112 participants – IAG

The 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has set another all-time record: The field of the last Main Event consisted of 10,112 participants, surpassing the previous record of 10,043 participants from last year. The previous high of 8,773 players was reached in 2006.

While pre-event attendance was largely expected to be slightly down as the 2023 event had been heavily promoted for the WSOP’s 50th anniversary, such concerns were quickly put to rest when the four flights starting on Day 1 recorded a single-day record for entry on Saturday, July 6, when 5,014 entrants joined the field as part of Flight 1D to generate the largest prize pool in live tournament poker history.

“10,000 entrants is the new magic number for the WSOP Main Event,” said Ty Stewart, Executive Director of the World Series of Poker. “The response since our move to the Las Vegas Strip has been overwhelming. Thank you to our partners, team members and most of all, the players for another unforgettable summer.”

In another all-time high, it was also confirmed that the winner of this year’s Main Event will take home $10 million, while the final nine are each guaranteed at least $1 million.

The top 80 players will receive at least $120,000 each, while the money bubble is at number 1,517 and those who make it this far will receive a minimum win of $15,000.

The total prize pool for this year’s Main Event is $94,041,600.

First held in 1970 when Benny Binion invited seven of the world’s best poker players to compete in a winner-takes-all competition at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, the 2024 WSOP features a massive 99 individual events running from May 28 to July 21.

The $10,000 buy-in Main Event began last Wednesday, July 3, and the winner will be crowned on Tuesday, July 16.