Through 30 events, total WSOP participation is up 11.7 percent, with 33,173 entrants lifting the prize pool 8.6 percent over 2010 levels and establishing a new midway milestone of $55,883,060.
Individual WSOP tournament records broken include:
- Biggest Heads-Up tournament prize pool in history ($3,040,000) – Event #2
- Largest live Omaha High-Low Split Tournament in history (925 entries) – Event #3
- Largest live Six-Handed tournament in poker history (1,920 entries) – Event #10
- Biggest Deuce-to-Seven tournament prize pool in history ($1,184,400) – Event #16
- Largest live $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start (3,157 entries) – Event #18
- Largest live $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start (3,175 entries) – Event #20
- Largest consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,332 entries) – Event #18 and Event #20
- Largest live Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in poker history (1,071 entries) – Event #22
- Largest Mixed-Game (Eight-Game Mix) in poker history (489 entries) – Event #23
- Largest Seniors poker tournament in history (3,752 entries) – Event #30
- Largest live $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start – Event #30 (breaks record established in Event #20)
“We are humbled once again by the incredible turnout from players all over the world,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “It has been a record-setting summer thus far in 2011 and we are confident it will continue through the duration of the tournament.”
In addition to the official WSOP gold bracelet events, all other poker-related business is experiencing tremendous double-digit growth as well. Year-to-date, 79,166 entries have been recorded.WSOP side action, which refers to all non-bracelet events -- including cash games, single-table-satellites, mega-satellites and daily deepstack tournaments -- are up 45 percent year-over-year.
Cash games have attracted non-stop action featuring 96 live poker tables filled to capacity. The cash games offered range from $1-$2 blinds all the way up to high-stakes competition, including No-Limit with blinds at $1,000/$2,000. Pot-Limit Omaha, a game of growing popularity is generating more than 20 tables spread at a time. This makes for arguably the greatest concentration of Pot-Limit Omaha action anywhere in history.
Tournament Director Jack Effel explained, “It is one thing to plan and prepare to accommodate such a large number of people on a daily basis, but it is truly an amazing feeling to see it all unfold in front of your eyes like we have witnessed at the WSOP in 2011. We are grateful for everyone’s patience throughout and want to thank the players who have showed up thus far. We look forward to welcoming still more players who are still yet to make their 2011 WSOP debut.”
On Friday, June 18, the WSOP sat 5,946 players for the various poker tournaments scheduled that day – the largest number of players ever entered on a single day in live poker history.A total of 408 poker tables are in use at the Rio this summer during the WSOP. Despite the largest concentration of poker tables at one time anywhere in history, on several days demand has outstripped supply due to the unprecedented number of players descending upon the Rio.
