By the Numbers
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First and foremost, the 2008 WSOP is now officially the largest and richest series in the history of poker. That record is underscored by a number of individual bests for this year. Firstly, through the 55 events, we have seen a total field of 58,720 entrants, which represents an 8% increase over last year. Included in that is the incredible turnout for Event #2. That $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event drew 3,929 runners -- the largest field ever for a preliminary event.
The growth of the individual events has resulted in a big swell in the money up for grabs as well. This year's events gave away a total prizepool of $180,676,248, an increase of more than $20,000,000 from last year.
Additionally, it is becoming increasingly clear that poker is an international game, as evidenced by the trend in recent years. Players from 118 different countries came to Las Vegas this year to participate, which is up from 87 last year -- a 36% increase. To put that in perspective, 2004's WSOP was represented by just 24 countries. So far, 57 of those 118 countries have had their players tally a cash finish at least once. What's more, players from every U.S. state and Canadian province have been paid out somewhere along the line.
Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack commented on the international progress of our game: "The results this year demonstrate the increasing global appeal of our events and the universal recognition that winning a World Series of Poker gold bracelet is poker's ultimate achievement."
With 54 events in the books already, we still have one more of those coveted gold bracelets to give away. This one will be good enough for the second largest payout in poker history: $9,119,517. Not a record, but an impressive number, nonetheless.