It feels like it wasn't that long ago since the 46th annual World Series of Poker concluded after Joe McKeehen won the Main Event for $7.68 million! Well, the schedule for the 2016 WSOP is already out: several changes have been made in addition to some new exciting events!
Last year's edition attracted the biggest player field in WSOP history with over 100,000 entrants 21 years of age or older. That record might not last for long though, because this summer's WSOP has the most ambitious tournament schedule to date.
Eight new events have been added to the schedule (all listed below), new prize money distribution format has been put in place which will see up to fifty percent more players cashing in tournaments versus previous years, better blind structures, bigger starting stack in several events including the Main Event, and much more.
NEW EVENTS:
June 5: Event #4 - $1,000 Top Up Turbo No-Limit Hold'em. (2-day event) - 20-minute levels. Starts at 2pm
As a new event to wrap up Colossus weekend, this unique hybrid event will play as a traditional live poker tournament, but customers playing and cashing in $55 single table satellites on WSOP.com (or live at Rio) just prior to the event will be able to boost their stack to double the starting chips. Visit Nevada's leading real-money poker operator on mobile or web platform via www.wsop.com/promotions/ to learn how to get extra chips for this event, or visit the single table satellite podium at the Rio.
June 9: Event #12 - $565 Pot-Limit Omaha with re-entry. (Lowest ever price point for this variant)
June 15: Event #23 - $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em - new price point for poker's most popular game.
June 23: Event #40 - $2,500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball featuring Limit A-5, 2-7 and Badugi.
June 26: Event #45 - $1,500 Mixed No-Limit Hold'em/Pot-Limit Omaha. A mix of today's two most popular games.
June 30: Event #53 - $1,500 Mixed Pot-Limit Omaha-8/Omaha-8/Big O. A trifecta in the Omaha variant.
July 1: Event #54 A/B/C/D - $888 Crazy Eights Eight-Handed No-Limit Hold'em - $888,888 guaranteed for 1st.
First time a sub-$1,500 buy-in event will be run short-handed
July 7: Event #61 - $1,000 Tag Team No-Limit Hold'em. 2-4 person teams. Must register together. $1,000 per team. A
All members of winning team will receive their own WSOP gold bracelet.
KEY CHANGES:
- Places Paid: The majority of bracelet (and Deepstack) events will now payout 15 percent of the field, up 50% from what was WSOP standard. The minimum payout is expected to be one-and-a-half times the buy-in.
- In the Money Earlier: With payouts increasing, many events are expected to reach the money on Day 1.
- Start Times: Moved up one hour: Most (not all) events are on a new time schedule, with the first event of the day scheduled for 11am and the late events now to begin at 3pm. Deepstacks now at 2pm, 5pm, 7pm & 9pm.
- Five Times Starting Chips: All $10,000 buy-in events, including the Main Event, will now feature 50,000 in starting chips, up 66%. This means all WSOP events now start with at least five times buy-in amount.
- Structure Tweaks: With some of the above changes, structures have also been modified slightly in an effort to aid events meeting scheduled duration. Players are encouraged to review structure sheets in advance. (One example: Instead of a 100-200 level followed by 100-200-25, there will now be just a 100-200-25 level).
- Playing into the money on Day 1 of Colossus: Each of the six starting flights of Colossus II will reach the money and begin processing payouts immediately within the flight versus a traditional hard bubble on Day 2 of a consolidated field. This will cut any congestion in payouts process significantly and also allow players who cash in a flight or surrendering their stack at the end of the flight, a chance to re-enter another flight and perhaps cash again within the same event.
- Registering for only one flight at a time: In order to better manage, multi-flight, multi-entry events (Colossus, Millionaire Maker, Crazy Eights & Little One for One Drop), players may only register for one flight at a time in advance. If they are eliminated in that flight, they may go to the cage to register for another flight if they choose.
