54th WSOP gets underway in Sin City on 30 May

In just a few short weeks, the biggest gaming event of the year gets underway in the gaming capital of the US. But this has nothing to do with CS:GO or League of Legends or even FIFA. The World series of Poker predates the internet by about 25 years. In fact, it has been going almost as long as the Super Bowl and for poker fans, it is every bit as big.

Humble beginnings – by Las Vegas standards

The words “humble” and “Las Vegas” are seldom uttered in the same sentence. But with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, the first WSOP in 1970 was a relatively low key event. A rag tag selection of poker players pitched up at Binion’s Horseshoe on Fremont Street for a series of cash games that covered five different poker variations.

There was no Main Event as such that year, the idea to bring events to a crescendo with a freeze out Texas Holdem game was one of the enhancements that the organizers came up with when they decided to repeat the event the following year. But in 1970, the winner, Johnny Moss, was crowned World Champion of Poker on the basis of a player vote. It’s a great idea, what a shame it only lasted one year!

Moss proved that the players got it right by winning the Main Event by more conventional means the following year, and again in 1974.

Steady growth into a global poker phenomenon

Over the 1970s, the WSOP grew steadily, and in 1982 the number of participants grew to 52. That was when networks like ESPN started to take notice and the WSOP grew into a global phenomenon.

This year, the action is once again taking place at the Horseshoe and also Paris Casino on The Strip. There will be 95 events over seven weeks and approximately 200,000 participants. These will cover a range of games including Texas Holdem, five card draw, Omaha and more. If you’re not clear on the differences, this US poker guide gives a useful summary of the poker rules for different formats of the game.

Every one of the events is certain to be well attended, but there is one that dwarfs all the rest, a little like the headline horse race at a week-long meeting. The Main Event is a two-day spectacular, a winner-takes-all game that will see one player crowned World Poker Champion with his or her face added to the Gallery of Champions at the Horseshoe Casino.

The Main Event, creator of champions

Despite the exponential growth of the WSOP, the Main Event has changed little in the past 50 years. The buy in is $10,000, and has been since 1972, and entry is open to all. When Johnny Moss won in 1971, he fought off six other entrants to pocket the $30,000 prize. Fast forward to 2022 and the number of entrants had gone up to 8,663. London-based Norwegian pro Espen Jørstad scooped the $10 million prize in what was only his second ever money finish.

Not everyone agrees that the Main Event is the ideal arbiter of poker talent. Without taking anything away from his achievement, is Espen Jørstad truly the best poker player in the world right now? If we were working on the 1970 system of player votes, it is more likely that this honor would go to someone like Justin Bonomo.

Daniel Negreanu raised the point as long ago as 2002 that with thousands of participants, the Main Event has become more like a lottery. It is worth noting that since the number of participants reached 350 or more in 1998, there has never been a multiple winner, which tends to support his contention.

The Poker Players Championship – the true indicator?

Negreanu argues that the $50,000 Poker Players Championship provides a better indicator of the best poker talent. The higher buy in deters amateurs and by covering different games, the event demands superior all-round poker knowledge and skill.

Since 2006, the Poker Players Championship has evolved from a 5-game to a 9-game event, but it has retained its sense of exclusivity, with typically around 100 entrants and a prize of about $1 million. Daniel Cates is the reigning champion here. He has won the event in 2021 and 2022, making him the Johnny Moss of the current era. All eyes will be on him this year to see if he can extend the winning run further, and match Michael Mizrachi’s three titles – although Mizrachi did not win his in consecutive years.

New events for 2023

The Main Event and the Players Championship are two events that will attract plenty of coverage this year. But there are 93 others, too. Some will inevitably fly under the radar, but it is worth paying attention to two new events for 2023:

• Gladiators has a buy in of just $300 and a guaranteed prize pool of $3 million, so is clearly expected to attract well over 10,000 players.
• Ultra Stack is a $600 buy in tournament. The format is still to be confirmed, but the name suggests a deep stacked event.