What is the World Series of Poker? The most prestigious and popular poker tournament in the world is fully explained to you. Learn a brief history of the WSOP, its best players, and biggest wins, as well as terms of joining the event.
One can hardly find a gaming event that is more popular than the World Series of Poker. It is not only the longest-running and prestigious tournament for poker players but also the largest events of its kind in the gambling industry. In 2022, the tournament is held for the 52nd time in its history. This is probably the best time to answer the question: what is the World Series of Poker?
What is the World Series of Poker?
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest and most prestigious poker tournament. It consists of a series of events where players compete against other players in most poker variations. The best players proceed to the Main Event to compete for the main prize and the WSOP bracelet.
When was the World Series of Poker launched? In 1970, the first-ever WSOP tournament was held in order to gather together all poker professionals playing at high stakes. Since then, the event has been organized every year. In total, more than $3 billion was paid to the winners of the WSOP. Buy-ins for Main Events cost $10,000.
An idea to organize such a large poker event came to Benny Binion in the 1960s. He was the owner of the tournament until Harrah’s Entertainment and then Caesars Entertainment bought it. The latter still owns the World Series of Poker and hosts it in Paradise, Nevada.
Ways to join the World Series of Poker
As the World Series of Poker is the most popular event of its kind, there are many volunteers to join it. However, signing up for the tournament is not as difficult as you might think. Everyone over 21 years old can register for the tournament and have a chance to win the bracelet and the money. How can it be done?
There are two ways to join the WSOP: register in person or register online.
- To register for the WSOP in person, the player needs to go to the Champagne Ballroom which is the main office. It opens in May and works non-stop until mid-July. To join the tournament, all you need to present is a valid picture identification and Caesars Rewards loyalty card. Also, you have to make a buy-in payment on the spot with cash, credit card, or ask for a bank transfer in advance.
- To register for the WSOP tournament online, you need to visit BravoPokerLive.com on your device. Complete the registration before you visit the Champagne Ballroom to validate your identity. To save time, you can also use online payment methods for buy-ins.
To join other online poker tournaments, follow our page with the best online poker promotions.
Records and interesting facts about WSOP
What is the World Series of Poker in numbers and facts? Throughout its long history, the World Series of Poker collected a lot of records. Take a look at some of them to have a clearer idea about the largest poker tournament in the world.
- American poker player Phil Hellmuth holds several records at the WSOP. He won the most bracelets (16) and reached the most final tables (59) with seven of them in one year. Besides it, he shares a record of winning three bracelets in one year with 5 other players.
- Jack Ury is the oldest poker player to participate in the World Series of Poker. He was 97 years old. On the other hand, the youngest participant and bracelet winner was 18-years-old Annette Obrestad.
- The biggest money prize ever won in the World Series of Poker is $18,346,673. In 2012, Antonio Esfandiari won the prize of his life and secured another record – the highest career winnings in the WSOP (almost $22 million).
- The World Series of Poker has its own Hall of Fame. Since its launch in 1979, 60 poker players have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Getting there is considered the biggest honor in the world of poker.
- Mansour Matloubi was the first non-American citizen to win the WSOP. He was born in Iran. Matloubi managed to win the Main Event in the largest poker tournament in 1990. Interestingly, more than half of the WSOP winners are still Americans.
