We’re in the month of February, so that means we are no longer allowed to say, “Happy New Year!” to each other right? It’s hard to believe (for me, anyway), that we are already a month into 2015 and though Punxsutawney Phil says we have six more weeks of winter left, we are getting dangerously close to another World Series of Poker. The ultimate sign that the world’s largest annual poker festival is near: the 2015 World Series of Poker schedule has been released. It is a monster, as expected, with 68 events beginning May 27th.
As always, the festivities kick off with the $565 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em Event, the traditional opener for the WSOP. That same day, everyone who does not work for a casino and has a few thousand dollars to spare can test their skill in the four-day, $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Event.
There are eleven new tournaments at this year’s WSOP, none more hyped than “The Colossus.” This $565 event will be the lowest buy-in open event at the WSOP since 1980, but that does not mean that it won’t be lucrative for those who make a deep run, as the WSOP has guaranteed a $5 million prize pool. Expected to also be the most populated event in WSOP history (the current record is held by the 2006 Main Event, which fielded 8,773 players), the Colossus will have two starting days, but four starting flights, which will begin at 10:00am and 6:00pm each day. It will be a gigantic mess, but a fun mess.
Here is the complete list of the eleven new events for 2015:
Event #5 – $565 Colossus No-Limit Hold’em – $5,000,000 guaranteed
Event #6 – $1,000 Hyper No-Limit Hold’em
Event #42 – $1,500 Extended Play No-Limit Hold’em
Event #43 – $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold’em (65-years old and up)
Event #53 – $5,000 Turbo No-Limit Hold’em
Event #55 – $1,500 DraftKings 50/50 No-Limit Hold’em (half the field makes the money)
Event #60 – $25,000 High Roller 8-handed Pot-Limit Omaha
Event #62 – $1,500 Bounty No-Limit Hold’em ($500 bounties on everyone)
Event #64 – $1,000 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold’em
Event #65 – $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em
Event #67 – $10,000 Dealers Choice (19 different game variations)
You may notice Event #64 says WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold’em. That’s right. For the first time, a real World Series of Poker bracelet will be awarded for an online tournament. The event is open to players on WSOP.com in Nevada, not New Jersey. Very few details have been released to this point, but we do know that the final two players will meet at the Rio for a heads-up match to determine the bracelet winner.
As for the $10,000 Main Event, not much has changed. There will be three starting flights, held July 5th through July 7th. The survivors from the first two flights will combine for Day 2A on July 8th, while the survivors from the third starting flight will play in Day 2B on July 9th. All remaining players after those days will come together for Day 3 on July 10th. Tuesday, July 14th will be the last day of the Main Event for the summer, at which point the November Nine will be determined. The exact dates for the November Nine have yet to be announced.
The complete 2015 World Series of Poker schedule can be found at WSOP.com.
