It is that time of the year again. The World Series of Poker main event is underway and bigger than ever. It marks the second consecutive year this event has broken its all-time highest number of entries. With a staggering 10,112 entries and a prize pool of over $94 million, it is a true behemoth of a poker tournament. Let’s look at how this event looked in the past and how this year compares.

WSOP 2024 main event Bracelet – Symbol of Poker Excellence and Achievement

The History

The first WSOP Main Event took place in 1970. Initially, there was just a handful of players. The prize pool was also very modest. It grew slowly until 1982 when it first reached 100 players and a first-place prize of $500k. It took another nine years for the top payout to reach $1 million. The number of entries was in the hundreds and growing steadily every year. By 1997, four people have already won it multiple times. Legendary Stu Ungar has just won his third title and tied Johnny Moss’ record. Right behind them were Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, with two apiece. As it turned out, even to this day, no one else has managed to do the repeat.

Then came 2003. A young man named Chris Moneymaker managed to top a then-record-breaking field of 839 players and scoop the $2.5 million first prize. A legend was born, and the poker boom kicked off. Only three years later, the number of entrants reached almost nine thousand. Another man with a catchy name, Jamie Gold, took down a mouthwatering $12 million payout. From that point onward, the number of entries varied in the six to nine thousand range. The only exception was 2020 due to strict COVID-19 restrictions. In 2023, the field broke the ten thousand mark for the first time. Long-time poker professional Daniel Weinman managed to take it down for a record $12.1 million payout.

Colorful caricatures of legendary poker players Stu Ungar, Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Chris Moneymaker, Jamie Gold, and Daniel Weinman, gathered around a poker table filled with chips and cards, showcasing their unique features in a fun, cartoony style.

WSOP 2024 Main Event Numbers

 

    • Buy-In: $10,000

    • Number of entries: 10,112

    • Prize pool: $94,041,600

    • Players paid: 1,517

    • Min cash: $15,000

    • Final table payouts:

       

    1. $10,000,000

    2. $6,000,000

    3. $4,000,000

    4. $3,000,000

    5. $2,500,000

    6. $2,000,000

    7. $1,500,000

    8. $1,250,000

    9. $1,000,000

Luxurious poker room with the WSOP Main Event final table at the center. Nine players are intensely focused on their cards, surrounded by large stacks of cash and colorful poker chips. The background includes an eager crowd of spectators, capturing the excitement and prestige of the WSOP Main Event final table.

 

You can immediately see that even though this year’s tournament broke last year’s record for the number of entries, the first-place prize is smaller. WSOP was under serious heat for its 2023 main event payout structure. They tried to capture the opportunity to advertise the biggest main event first-place prize in history. However, that strategy backfired on them, as the players were upset when the payouts were made public. The top payout stood at $12.1 million, with second place being ‘just’ $6.5 million. The 9th place finisher didn’t even get a seven-figure payout. The players pointed out that everyone who reached the final table should get at least $1 million, as they managed to outlast over ten thousand people. It seems that WSOP acknowledged this year that the players were correct in their assessment and that their publicity stunt was not worth the backlash they received.

The Conclusion

While we might have to wait another couple of years to break another record for the WSOP 2024 main event first-place prize, we can expect the field to keep growing. Despite what some might say, poker is not a dying game. On the contrary, with prize pools constantly getting bigger both live and online, we can safely say that poker has some exciting times ahead.