2023 WSOP Main Event Sees Record Number of Players

The 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has seen soaring interest in the poker festival held from Monday, July 3 through Monday, July 17, with the Main Event cracking the 10,000-entry list for the very first time.

Registration for the tournament closed during the weekend on Sunday, with 10,043 players set to play in the Main Event alone, which improved the past record set 17 years ago in 2006 when the Main Event saw 8,773 players enter the field.

WSOP Smashes Main Event Attendance Numbers

WSOP has been actively promoting its event over the years and trying to build towards a stronger in-person turn-up, which has finally resulted in a new record for the main table.

Entry into the Main Event is not cheap either, with each one of the entrants having to spend some $10,000 to have a seat and a chance at winning the now-massive $12.1 million guaranteed prize pool for topping the final table’s pecking order. The total prize pool is now much higher owing to the eye-watering interest in the biggest table the poker tournament has to offer.

Presently, the aggregate paid by players to participate has reached $100.4 million. WSOP has generated 4.9% from fees and 2.1% for tournament staff from that amount, bringing the organization’s own tally to $7 million. Commenting on the record-breaking turnup, WSOP SVP and executive director Ty Stewart was excited:

Week after week we saw record fields, so it’s only fitting that we break the biggest record of all. 10,000 players is historic for the industry and this year’s champion will be remembered as the one to conquer the richest event in poker history, well at least until 2024.

WSOP SVP and executive director Ty Stewart

Money to Go to More Than 1,500 Participants in 2023 WSOP

More importantly, this means that the total prize pool has reached $93.4 million for the main event. The first player will win $12.1 million with all nine players guaranteed at least $900,000 for simply placing at the final table. Meanwhile, WSOP expects to see at least 1,507 or 15% of all players who participate to win something back, walking away from the event with at least $15,000.

WSOP has been quickly building up its reputation with the new venue at Las Vegas Strip proving a success. Horseshoe Las Vegas is playing host to the iconic series for the second year in a row and maybe the site of the biggest poker tournament in the world for many years to come.