The $10,000 buy-in 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event, poker's most prestigious annual tournament, kicks off Wednesday, July 3 with the first of four Day 1 starting flights.
Last year's world championship event attracted a 55-year record 10,043 entrants, with Daniel Weinman, a member of Team Lucky, taking it down for $12.1 million.
Another Record-Breaking Year?
Jamie Gold, the 2006 champion, held onto the record for winning the largest Main Event ever for 17 years — 8,773 players. Then last year's tournament cruised right on by that mark.
The question the poker world is asking heading into Wednesday is, will the 2024 WSOP Main Event set another record? World Series of Poker turnout, nearly across the board this summer, has been up, which is certainly a good sign. There's no way to know the answer until registration closes on Day 2d (July 8).
One thing is certain, it's going to be a massive field. Chances are strong attendance will be significantly higher than the 2006 Main Event, and potentially even bigger than one year ago.
2024 WSOP Main Event Schedule
The 2024 WSOP Main Event features four Day 1 flights, with the starting stack being 60,000.
Day 1a-1d all begin at noon local time and will play out five 120-minute levels, where a 20-minute break takes place after the completion of every level. A 75-minute dinner
break is scheduled after Level 3 (≈ 6:40 p.m.).
Players can bypass the first day and take advantage of the Day 2abc or Day 2d late registration. Late registration is open for seven levels and closes at the start of Level 8 on July 7 and July 8.
Day 2abc features all the players who bagged and tagged stacks from Day 1a-1c, while Day 2d will host the Day 1d survivors. The field then merges for the first time on Day 3.
How to Follow the Action
Each day, until the last card of the tournament is dealt and a world champion is crowned on July 17, you will find live reporting coverage right here at PokerNews, and livestreaming coverage daily on PokerGO. Following the conclusion of the tournament, CBS Sports Network will produce a condensed, broadcast version of the Main Event with longtime commentators Norman Chad and Lon McEachern in the booth.
There will be more coverage for this year's Main Event than ever before. From start to finish, poker fans can catch the action of the most important and exciting event of the year.
PokerGO's WSOP Streaming Schedule
World Series of Poker Main Event History
In 1970, at Binion's Horseshoe on Fremont Street, future Poker Hall of Famer Johnny Moss won the first ever WSOP Main Event via a vote. Moss also won the tournament in 1971 and 1974, and is one of two players to have won poker's world championship event three times (Stu Ungar won it in 1980, 1981, and 1997).
The Main Event is where legends are made. Take Phil Hellmuth, for example. The "Poker Brat" ended Johnny Chan's bid for a three-peat in 1989 when he defeated Chan heads-up for the title, beating out 178 players to win $755,000.
Hellmuth pulled the upset and won his first bracelet, and now easily holds the record with 17 bracelets to his name. The Main Event went from having fewer than 10 players in 1970 to fields of nearly 200 each year in the late 1980s. There was some growth again in the 1990s with 350 entrants when Scotty Nguyen won it in 1998. From 1992-2006, the field increased annually.
When Chris Moneymaker won it in 2003 for $2.5 million, 839 people participated. Moneymaker, an amateur who swooped in and conquered an event that pros had long dominated, helped create a "poker boom," leading to exponential growth in poker's popularity.
The next year — 2004 — Greg Raymer beat a field of 2,576 entrants for $5 million, a 300% spike compared to 2003, the largest year-over-year percentage increase in Main Event history. It would again double in 2005, the year Joe Hachem took it down, and has remained above 6,300 players per year ever since, excluding the 2020 COVID year.
WSOP Main Event Champions
Greg Raymer Reflects on Historic WSOP Main Event Win 20 Years Later
2024 WSOP Main Event FAQs
When does the 2024 WSOP Main Event begin?
The Main Event kicks off July 3.
How much does it cost to enter the WSOP Main Event?
Each year, the buy-in for the WSOP Main Event is $10,000.
Who can enter the WSOP Main Event?
Anyone who can come up with $10,000 is eligible to compete.
How can I follow the Main Event?
You can watch the 2024 WSOP Main Event on PokerGO daily and through PokerNews live reporting.
Who won the WSOP Main Event in 2023?
Daniel Weinman is the defending world champion.
Where does the WSOP Main Event take place?
The Main Event is hosted at Horseshoe and Paris Las Vegas.
How much money does the Main Event winner receive?
Last year's champion, Daniel Weinman, was paid $12,100,000. The 2024 winner will likely take home an amount within that ballpark.
Who won the first World Series of Poker Main Event?
Johnny Moss was the first ever world champion in 1970.
