54th Annual WSOP
Here’s an early Christmas present for poker players who are jonesing for the next World Series of Poker: Caesars Entertainment has released the 2023 WSOP dates, so break out your calendars and start planning. For the second year in a row (and likely way into the future), the WSOP will be held jointly by Paris Las Vegas and Bally’s Las Vegas (which will be rebranded to Horseshoe soon) on the Strip. The entire poker festival will run May 30 to July 18, 2023.
“The historic debut of the WSOP on the Las Vegas Strip delivered in a big way, and we’re excited to announce our Summer 2023 dates in time for the holidays,” said World Series of Poker Senior Vice President and Executive Director Ty Stewart in Monday’s press release. “Poker players and fans can now officially mark their calendars and maybe even book their loved ones or themselves a trip to the WSOP as a holiday gift. We’re glad to be back at Paris Las Vegas and the future Horseshoe Las Vegas for another exciting chapter in the tournament’s history as these two resorts raised the bar in hosting last year’s event.”
The exact, detailed schedule is still to come, but Caesars has confirmed start dates for some of the key tournaments and events of interest. The $10,000 Main Event takes its usual spot around the Independence Day holiday in the United States, starting July 3. This year’s Main Event, won by Espen Jørstad, was the second-largest in history, fielding 8,663 entrants and generating a prize pool of nearly $81 million.
Fan favorites returning
The first open event of the 2023 WSOP will be the $1,000 buy-in Mystery Millions event, which was a fantastic success in its debut this summer, when it was called the Million Dollar Bounty tournament. $300 from each buy-in goes toward a bounty pool. Starting on Day 2, everyone who notches an elimination gets to draw a random bounty prize. The minimum is $10,000, so it’s already a nice payday, but there is one prize guaranteed to be $1 million. Poker pro Matt Glantz won the million this year. In addition to bounties, the tournament also has a regular payout structure.
As we expected, the ever-popular $400 buy-in Colossus is back, slated to begin June 30, as is the $1,500 Millionaire Maker a week prior, guaranteeing at least $1 million to the winner.
“With more than six months to go from the start of the next WSOP, you can already feel the anticipation building at our resorts,” said Jason Gregorec, SVP and General Manager of Paris and Horseshoe Las Vegas in Monday’s announcement. “The tournament delivered unforgettable moments during its debut on The Strip, and we’re excited to welcome back poker’s premier event of the year. We can’t wait to see the first WSOP Main Event champion crowned at the new Horseshoe Las Vegas.”
Image credit: PokerGO.com
