LAS VEGAS (Jan. 23, 2020) – Keeping things fresh and exciting is important in all areas of life and the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is no exception.  As we prepare to open the doors for the 51^st Annual WSOP from May 26 to July 15, 2020 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, guests can expect 17 new events on the schedule. 

Headlining these additions is the “Freezeout Series,” a half-dozen new No-Limit Hold’em events priced between $500 and $5,000 that will utilize the freezeout format -- allowing only one entry.  Of course, WSOP No-Limit Hold’em staples including Monster Stack, the Main Event and the Mini-Main Event will keep the freezeout format, and in all, more than 40 events on this year’s WSOP official schedule will give players just one shot to turn their buy-in into a bracelet.  The Freezeout Series six-pack are priced at $500, $1,000, $1,500, $2,500, $3,000 and $5,000. 

Another new event (and a freezeout!) sure to attract interest is the $1,500 buy-in Mystery Bounty No-Limit Hold’em tournament scheduled for Sunday, June 28 at 11:00am, with a huge 50,000 starting chip stack where a guaranteed $1,000,000 in “mystery bounties” will be up for grabs, including a maximum mystery bounty prize of $250,000 in the mix.  The event will function as a typical bounty tournament with a portion of the prize pool going towards bounties, with the remainder going to finishing position, but the allure of this iteration is the “mystery” component.  Not all bounties have the same value – each bounty amount will be randomly selected.  At least one of the mystery bounties will be worth $250,000 and a total of 100 mystery bounties will be available ranging from $2,500 to $250,000.  More details here. The remaining “standard bounties” will be worth $100 each.  Every player is a bounty, and any player eliminated must turn over their assigned bounty chip to the player that eliminated them. 

A new price point to the WSOP this year is the $250,000 buy-in level, the first time an event at this price point has been offered in Las Vegas.  On June 27 at 12 noon the $250,000 buy-in Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em 3-day tournament begins, where players battle in the highest buy-in event on offer at the WSOP in 2020. 

A Head’s Up event – a one versus one battle, bracket-style tournament – remains on the WSOP schedule, but this year the buy-in increases to $25,000 (up from $10,000) and will feature a capped field of 64 players.  Players will be encouraged to register for this tournament in advance, as it will be a first-come, first-serve event.  This tournament is early in the 2020 WSOP schedule, set for May 31 at 6pm. 

“New events are always a result of player input and we’re thankful to have received many great suggestions this year,” said WSOP Vice President Jack Effel.  “The 2020 WSOP is chock-full of new events, new price points and a little mystery sure to resonate with poker players everywhere.  We can’t wait to open our doors in four short months to get things started.”

Here is the list of all the new official live gold bracelet events scheduled for the 2020 World Series of Poker: 

The above list of events features a dozen events that had not previously been announced and five that were previously announced as part of other segments of the schedule.  The only other new events not included above will be released as part of the WSOP.com Online Gold Bracelet Schedule next month. All above announced dates, times and events are subject to change.

A record 187,298 entries participated in the 2019 WSOP, creating a 50-year high of $293,183,345 in prize money. The average WSOP gold bracelet event in 2019 had a $3,257,592 prize pool.  

Buy-ins for tournaments at the Rio in 2020 will start as low as $75.  Single table satellites and all your favorite live poker games: low, medium and high limit will begin on May 26 and run 24 hours a day throughout the seven-week series taking place in the spacious Rio Convention Center for the 16^th consecutive year.

Room reservations are being accepted across Caesars’ Las Vegas properties with rates as low as $33 for existing Caesars Rewards members by using the booking code WSOP20.  Visit Las Vegas - WSOP to make your room reservations for the 2020 WSOP.  

Individual event online pre-registration won’t open until April, after all events have been determined and approved by regulators.  More than 500 poker tables will be set up across nearly 200,000 square-feet of ballroom space to accommodate the thousands of players from around the world who attend poker’s annual Woodstock. 

WSOP.com’s real-money online poker offerings in New Jersey and Nevada will be the exclusive online home for players in these states to win seats into WSOP events, including the Main Event, as well as to participate in the exclusive online WSOP official gold bracelet events.  While in New Jersey or Nevada, eligible players can play on WSOP.com, whether a resident or not. Satellites have already begun and run weekly throughout the WSOP.  888Poker remains WSOP.com’s international online poker partner in most jurisdictions, with plenty of satellite qualifications planned to award seats to the WSOP in Las Vegas. 

About the World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker® is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, having awarded more than $3.29 billion in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest-running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970.  In 2019, the event attracted 187,298 entrants from 118 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and awarded more than $293 million in prize money. In addition, the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent of WSOP Europe in 2007 and the WSOP Asia-Pacific in 2013 and the WSOP International Circuit Series in 2015. For more information on the WSOP, please visit www.wsop.com.