Saturday, July 8, 2017 8:59 AM Local Time
It's Time for the Main Event!
The second Saturday in July brings about the biggest tournament in poker: the World Series of Poker $10,000 Main Event. The first starting flight gets underway at 11 a.m. with players from around the world converging on the Rio for a shot at the most coveted title in poker. Over the next three days, names like Hellmuth, Moneymaker, Chan, Raymer, Brunson, and Nguyen will bring about a bit of nostalgia in rounders from all walks of life.
The Main Event began as an idea hatched in Texas gambler Benny Binion's mind to promote his casino. In 1970, a small group of Texas rounders gathered at Binion's for 10 days playing for high stakes in games like five-card draw, 2-7 lowball, seven-card stud, razz, and no-limit hold'em. Players voted on the winner at the end — Texan and future Poker Hall of Fame member Johnny Moss. By 1972, no-limit hold'em became the premier game and the $10,000 buy-in tournament that players now know as the Main Event was introduced.
In the intervening 47 years, the event has grown to mammoth proportions with numerous preliminary events. The championship bracelet was introduced by Binion in 1976 and has become the ultimate trophy in poker. Owning one has become the litmus test for poker greatness. The series has even expanded beyond Las Vegas with numerous circuit and bracelet events around the country and the world.
Binion surely couldn't have imagined the scope that the game would become since his showcase began in 1970. In 2016, the WSOP drew 107,833 total entrants in 69 total events — the most in its history. The 2016 series awarded $221 million in prize money too, and the events brought in players from 107 countries — a sign of the international growth the game has undergone, fueled by the growth of internet poker and its popularity on television.
The venue has changed and numerous games and tournaments added, but the history remains. In recent years, some of those original games played in 1970 have even been worked back into the WSOP festivities in games like dealer's choice and some of the mixed-games events. And the foundation of that remains the Main Event.
When players take their seats beginning today in those first starting flights, they are not just attempting to win a poker tournament; they are attempting to become part of the game's history — a history that traces its roots from the Revolutionary War to Civil War battlefields to 19th Century steamboats floating on the Mississippi River to scorching Las Vegas summers. Win that bracelet and your name becomes synonymous with some of the best in the game. Thousands will try, but only one will raise that shiny gold bracelet in victory.
Structure
At 11 a.m., players start with 50,000 in chips. Levels are 120 minutes long throughout. After every level, players have a 20-minute break. The dinner break, 90 minutes long, takes place after Level 3, which should be around 5:40 p.m. Late registration for Day 1a of the 2017 WSOP Main Event is open until the end of the dinner break, registration closes around 7:10 p.m. If you're too late, there's always tomorrow (Day 1b) and Monday (Day 1c). Day 1a wraps up around 11:40 p.m.
| Level | Duration | Small Blind | Big Blind | Ante |
|---|
| 1 | 120 minutes | 75 | 150 | - |
| | 20-minute break | | | |
| 2 | 120 minutes | 150 | 300 | - |
| | 20-minute break | | | |
| 3 | 120 minutes | 150 | 300 | 25 |
| | 90-minute break | | | |
| 4 | 120 minutes | 200 | 400 | 50 |
| | 20-minute break | | | |
| 5 | 120 minutes | 250 | 500 | 75 |
Players to survive today return to the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino Tuesday, July 11, 2017, to play another five levels.
Today's action starts at 11 a.m. PokerNews will be there the entire day with live updates from around the convention center of the Rio All Suite Hotel& Casino. Besides live updates, you can follow along via ESPN2 and PokerGo.
| Start time | End time | Where to watch |
|---|
| 11 a.m. | 1 p.m. | PokerGo |
| 1 p.m. | 5 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| 5 p.m. | 6:15 p.m. | PokerGo |
A Long Summer
While the Main Event is just about to get underway, a plethora of events are already in the books. The 2017 WSOP kicked off May 31st with the $565 Employees Event and $10,000 Tag Team Event. Bryan Hollis took down the first event, and popular poker duo Igor Kurganov and Liv Boeree received the second bracelet of the summer. Since then, dozens of events have been played, and PokerNews.com was there for each and every one of them. Millions in prize money has been rewarded, hundreds of thousands of hands have been dealt. Take a look at all the results up until now:
| # | Event | Entries | Winner | Prize |
|---|
| 1 | $565 Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em | 651 | Bryan Hollis | $68,817 |
| 2 | $10,000 Tag Team No Limit Hold'em Championship | 102 | Liv Boeree & Igor Kurganov | $273,964 |
| 3 | $3,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout | 369 | Upeshka De Silva | $229,923 |
| 4 | $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | 905 | Benjamin Zamani | $238,620 |
| 5 | $565 The Colossus III No Limit Hold'em | 18,054 | Thomas Pomponio | $1,000,000 |
| 6 | $111,111 High Roller for One Drop No Limit Hold'em | 130 | Doug Polk | $3,686,865 |
| 7 | $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball | 225 | Jesse Martin | $130,948 |
| 8 | $333 WSOP.com Online No Limit Hold'em | 2,509 | Joseph Mitchell | $122,314 |
| 9 | $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | 154 | Abe Mosseri | $388,795 |
| 10 | $1,000 Tag Team No Limit Hold'em | 843 | Nipun Java & Aditya Sushant | $150,637 |
| 11 | $1,500 Dealers Choice Six-Handed | 364 | David Bach | $119,399 |
| 12 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 1,739 | David Pham | $391,960 |
| 13 | $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw | 266 | Frank Kassela | $89,151 |
| 14 | $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. | 736 | David Singer | $203,709 |
| 15 | $10,000 Heads Up No Limit Hold'em Championship | 129 | Adrián Mateos | $336,656 |
| 16 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed | 1,748 | Anthony Marquez | $393,273 |
| 17 | $10,000 Dealers Choice Six-Handed Championship | 102 | John Racener | $273,962 |
| 18 | $565 Pot Limit Omaha | 3,186 | Tyler Smith | $224,344 |
| 19 | $365 The Giant No Limit Hold'em | | | |
| 20 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Millionaire Maker | 7,761 | Pablo Mariz | $1,221,407 |
| 21 | $1,500 Eight-Game Mix Six-Handed | 472 | Ron Ware | $145,577 |
| 22 | $10,000 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship | 92 | John Monnette | $256,610 |
| 23 | $2,620 The Marathon No Limit Hold'em | 1,759 | Joseph Di Rosa Rojas | $690,469 |
| 24 | $1,500 Limit Hold'em | 616 | Shane Buchwald | $177,985 |
| 25 | $1,000 Pot Limit Omaha | 1,058 | Tyler Groth | $179,126 |
| 26 | $10,000 Razz Championship | 97 | James Obst | $265,138 |
| 27 | $3,000 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed | 959 | Chris Moorman | $498,682 |
| 28 | $1,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw | 326 | Brian Brubaker | $109,967 |
| 29 | $2,500 No Limit Hold'em | 1,086 | Gaurav Raina | $456,822 |
| 30 | $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship | 150 | David Bach | $383,208 |
| 31 | $1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em Championship | 5,389 | Frank Maggio | $617,303 |
| 32 | $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Mix | 688 | Vladimir Shchemelev | $194,323 |
| 33 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 1,698 | Christopher Frank | $384,833 |
| 34 | $10,000 Limit 2-7 Lowball Triple Draw Championship | 80 | Ben Yu | $232,738 |
| 35 | $1,000 Super Seniors No Limit Hold'em | 1,720 | James Moore | $259,230 |
| 36 | $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed | 574 | Nadar Kakhmazov | $580,338 |
| 37 | $1,000 No Limit Hold'em | 2,020 | Thomas Reynolds | $292,880 |
| 38 | $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship | 120 | Joe McKeehen | $311,817 |
| 39 | $1,000 No Limit Hold'em Super Turbo Bounty | 1,868 | Rifat Palevic | $183,903 |
| 40 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better | 595 | Ernest Bohn | $173,228 |
| 41 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha | 870 | Loren Klein | $231,483 |
| 42 | $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed Championship | 332 | Dmitry Yurasov | $775,923 |
| 43 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout | 1,025 | Ben Maya | $257,764 |
| 44 | $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. | 399 | Matthew Schreiber | $256,226 |
| 45 | $5,000 No Limit Hold'em | 505 | Christopher Brammer | $527,555 |
| 46 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better | 830 | Nathan Gamble | $223,339 |
| 47 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Monster Stack | 6,716 | Brian Yoon | $1,094,349 |
| 48 | $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | 125 | Christopher Vitch | $320,103 |
| 49 | $3,000 Pot Limit Omaha Six-Handed | 630 | Luis Calvo | $362,185 |
| 50 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Bounty | 1,927 | Chris Bolek | $266,646 |
| 51 | $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship | 207 | Bryce Yockey | $511,147 |
| 52 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 1,580 | Mohsin Charania | $364,438 |
| 53 | $3,000 Limit Hold'em Six-Handed | 256 | Max Silver | $172,645 |
| 54 | $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha Eight-Handed Championship | 428 | Tommy Le | $938,732 |
| 55 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud | 298 | Tom Koral | $96,907 |
| 56 | $5,000 No Limit Hold'em | 623 | Norberto Korn | $618,285 |
| 57 | $2,500 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better/Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better Mix | 405 | Smith Sirisakorn | $215,902 |
| 58 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 1,763 | Artur Rudziankov | $395,918 |
| 59 | $2,500 Big Bet Mix | 197 | Jens Lakemeier | $112,232 |
| 60 | $888 Crazy Eights No Limit Hold'em Eight-Handed | 8,120 | Alexandru Papazian | $888,888 |
| 61 | $3,333 WSOP.com Online No Limit Hold'em High Roller | 424 | Thomas Cannuli | $322,815 |
| 62 | $50,000 Poker Players Championship | 100 | Elior Sion | $1,395,767 |
| 63 | $1,000 No Limit Hold'em | 1,750 | Rulah Divine | $262,501 |
| 64 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha Eight-Handed Mix | 1,058 | Sebastian Langrock | $268,555 |
| 65 | $1,000 No Limit Hold'em | 1,413 | Shai Zurr | $223,241 |
| 66 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 1,956 | | $428,423 |
| 67 | $25,000 Pot Limit Omaha Eight-Handed High Roller | 205 | James Calderaro | $1,289,074 |
| 68 | $3,000 No Limit Hold'em | 1,349 | | $645,922 |
| 69 | $1,500 Razz | 419 | | $132,957 |
| 70 | $10,000/$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em Championship | 718 | | $135,098 |
| 71 | $1,000 WSOP.com Online No Limit Hold'em Championship | 1,312 | "Javatinii" | $237,688 |
| 72 | $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship | 88 | | $245,451 |
| 73 | $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Main Event | | | |
| 74 | $1,000 The Little One for One Drop No Limit Hold'em | | | |
Action Today
As the Main Event gets the cards in the air on today, a few events will still be wrapping up and continuing into the weekend with several big names still looking to bag a bracelet. In Event #69: $1,500 Razz, 14-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth returns for Day 3 on a short stack, and Daniel Negreanu returns with a healthy chip stack in Event #68: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em. An extra 4th day was needed for Event #66: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em with Emile Schiff and Chris Klodnicki returning to battle for the bracelet. 85 ladies remain in the Event #70: $10,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em Championship, 29 players return for Day 2 of Event #72: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship. Last, but certainly not least, Event #19: THE GIANT - $365 No-Limit Hold'em Day 2 gets underway today after 5 starting flights scattered through out the Fridays this summer. PokerNews will be following every tournament to its conclusion this weekend.
World Series of Poker History
| Year | Entries | Champion | Country | | Winning Hand | Prize |
|---|
| 1970 | 7 | Johnny Moss | United States | | - | - |
| 1971 | 6 | Johnny Moss | United States | | - | $30,000 |
| 1972 | 8 | Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston | United States | | | $80,000 |
| 1973 | 13 | Walter "Puggy" Pearson | United States | | | $130,000 |
| 1974 | 16 | Johnny Moss | United States | | | $160,000 |
| 1975 | 21 | Brian "Sailor" Roberts | United States | | | $210,000 |
| 1976 | 22 | Doyle Brunson | United States | | | $220,000 |
| 1977 | 34 | Doyle Brunson | United States | | | $340,000 |
| 1978 | 42 | Bobby Baldwin | United States | | | $210,000 |
| 1979 | 54 | Hal Fowler | United States | | | $270,000 |
| 1980 | 73 | Stu Ungar | United States | | | $385,000 |
| 1981 | 75 | Stu Ungar | United States | | | $375,000 |
| 1982 | 104 | Jack Straus | United States | | | $520,000 |
| 1983 | 108 | Tom McEvoy | United States | | | $540,000 |
| 1984 | 132 | Jack Keller | United States | | | $660,000 |
| 1985 | 140 | Bill Smith | United States | | | $700,000 |
| 1986 | 141 | Berry Johnston | United States | | | $570,000 |
| 1987 | 152 | Johnny Chan | United States | (born in China) | | $625,000 |
| 1988 | 167 | Johnny Chan | United States | (born in China) | | $700,000 |
| 1989 | 178 | Phil Hellmuth | United States | | | $755,000 |
| 1990 | 194 | Mansour Matloubi | Iran | | | $895,000 |
| 1991 | 215 | Brad Daugherty | United States | | | $1,000,000 |
| 1992 | 201 | Hamid Dastmalchi | Iran | | | $1,000,000 |
| 1993 | 220 | Jim Bechtel | United States | | | $1,000,000 |
| 1994 | 268 | Russ Hamilton | United States | | | $1,000,000 |
| 1995 | 273 | Dan Harrington | United States | | | $1,000,000 |
| 1996 | 295 | Huck Seed | United States | | | $1,000,000 |
| 1997 | 312 | Stu Ungar | United States | | | $1,000,000 |
| 1998 | 350 | Scotty Nguyen | United States | (born in Vietnam) | | $1,000,000 |
| 1999 | 393 | Noel Furlong | Ireland | | | $1,000,000 |
| 2000 | 512 | Chris Ferguson | United States | | | $1,500,000 |
| 2001 | 613 | Carlos Mortensen | Spain | (born in Ecuador) | | $1,500,000 |
| 2002 | 631 | Robert Varkonyi | United States | | | $2,000,000 |
| 2003 | 839 | Chris Moneymaker | United States | | | $2,500,000 |
| 2004 | 2,576 | Greg Raymer | United States | | | $5,000,000 |
| 2005 | 5,619 | Joe Hachem | Australia | | | $7,500,000 |
| 2006 | 8,773 | Jamie Gold | United States | | | $12,000,000 |
| 2007 | 6,358 | Jerry Yang | United States | (born in Laos) | | $8,250,000 |
| 2008 | 6,844 | Peter Eastgate | Denmark | | | $9,152,416 |
| 2009 | 6,494 | Joe Cada | United States | | | $8,547,042 |
| 2010 | 7,319 | Jonathan Duhamel | Canada | | | $8,944,310 |
| 2011 | 6,865 | Pius Heinz | Germany | | | $8,715,638 |
| 2012 | 6,598 | Greg Merson | United States | | | $8,531,853 |
| 2013 | 6,352 | Ryan Riess | United States | | | $8,361,570 |
| 2014 | 6,683 | Martin Jacobson | Sweden | | | $10,000,000 |
| 2015 | 6,420 | Joe McKeehen | United States | | | $7,683,346 |
| 2016 | 6,737 | Qui Nguyen | United States | (born in Vietnam) | | $8,005,310 |
Qui Nguyen beat a field of 6,737 to take home the top-prize of $8,005,310 in 2016