The 48th annual World Series of Poker dates have now been announced by WSOP officials including the full schedule of events. The series will take place from May 30th to July 17th 2017 in Las Vegas with the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino hosting yet again. For 2017, the series includes 74 gold bracelet events with players having the option to compete starting at $333 and going as high as $111,111 for buy-ins.
Tournament Director for the WSOP, Jack Effel, stated that the focus of the schedule is based on two core principles; having the biggest prize pools possible as well as diversity in the offerings so that there is something for everyone. With the 48th running of the series, Effel says it promises to deliver on these core principles and will ensure that another action-packed summer takes place at the Rio.
For the most part, most of the events will begin at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m., with big weekend events beginning an hour earlier in the morning and an hour later in the afternoon to accommodate the big fields. For this year, the WSOP has added eight new events to the schedule that are sure to be a big hit. One such event is the $10,000 tag team no limit hold’em tournament. This event will see individuals teaming up in two to four person teams and buying in together. Players can take turns playing for their team and play with the chips of the team as a whole during the three day event. This will add an interesting twist to game play.
An online event has been added to the schedule for the 3rd of June to be played at WSOP.com. The event will have a buy-in of $333 and will feature a prize pool of $333,333 with a no-limit hold’em format.
Players who want to enjoy the long game will want to take part in The Marathon. Scheduled for the 12th of June, this event has a buy-in of $2,620 and is no limit format as well. The tournament will have 100 minute blind levels with 26,200 provided in starting chips. This event will take place over a five day time frame.
Ty Stewart, the Executive Director of the WSOP, commented on the 2017 schedule by stating that it is a reflection of the continued goal of the WSOP to broaden the appeal of poker and encourage first time players as well as recreational players to experience the WSOP for themselves.
In order to better serve players, the WSOP Has decided to accept credit cards as a form of payment at registration windows this year. Players who participate in an event with a buy-in of $10,000 or less will be able to use a credit card to buy-in. This is a major change as last year, players were only able to pay for up to $1,500.
To view the full list of events for the WSOP schedule, visit the World Series of Poker website here.