Caesars Entertainment has finally released the schedule for the 2014 World Series of Poker. Starting Tuesday, May 27th, the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas will once again host the World Series of Poker this year. It will be the 45th annual edition of the WSOP and the tournament series will feature 65 events, with gold bracelets given to event winners, including the penultimate Main Event, which for the first time features a $10 million guaranteed payout for the winner.
The 2014 World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in Main Event is scheduled to begin on Saturday, July 5th with three starting flights. The tournament entry for this year’s main event will remain the same, but the $10 million guaranteed payday for first place will ensure that it will at least be the second biggest prize money won in the event’s long history.
Jamie Gold’s memorable win at the 2006 WSOP Main Event was the biggest in WSOP history when he took home $12 million dollars. The next biggest main event winner since that win was Peter Eastgate in 2008 when he took home $9.15 million for his efforts.
Like recent years, the November Nine will take place, and the final table will return after a three-month break, which is expected to be broadcast live on ESPN over two nights starting on November 10th. The November Nine is somewhat of a contentious issue for players, but Caesars obviously sees a great deal of benefit in the media hype surrounding the build up to the final table.
With the $10 million guarantee for the winner of the main event it will be interesting to see how it will affect the number of participants. That amount of money is nothing to sneeze at. Although this huge guarantee is not the only thing to get excited about for this year’s WSOP.
After taking a short break, #57 event of the series will feature the return of the biggest buy-in event in tournament poker history. The “Big One for One Drop”, a $1 million buy-in poker tournament will take place before the main event is scheduled. Starting on Sunday, June 29th, it will run over three days, and there will also be a more affordable $1,111 buy-in “Little One for One Drop” event.
The tournament schedule for this year’s WSOP at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino will also feature the Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship, a $10,000 buy-in event where ladies get a 90% discount for participating in it, so get to buy-in for $1,000.
Here is what the WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart had to say in announcing the tournament schedule for this year’s series.
“There is real optimism that 2014 can be our biggest year yet with an anticipated $200 million in prize money to be paid out this summer. With new satellites and daily tournaments exclusively on WSOP.com and a plethora of side events, there is more reason than ever to make the trip to poker mecca.”
Of course, No Limit Hold’em, although featured prominently in the tournament schedule, is not the only poker variant – Omaha Hi, Omaha Hi/Lo, Stud, Stud Hi/Lo, Dealer’s Choice. 2-7 Triple Draw, 8 Game Mix, plus a few other events, are all featured in the schedule.
Satelliting into the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event is a popular way to gain entry and have a shot at the $10 million prize money on offer for first place, and due to the recent regulation in New Jersey and Nevada, these players can now quality through online satellites at the WSOP.com website.
Now with the schedule out, it’s time for players to pencil dates into the 2014 calendar and start predicting potential winners of the main event.