Caesars Entertainment had teased a lot of new changes for 2016, but now we have solid information on exactly what we can expect from the 47th annual World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, Nevada. Players have responded to the changes in a number of ways, but we will cover them and allow you to make up your own mind. For players who are not professionals, especially, this could just be your best WSOP yet.
The Changes
Players In The Money: For 2016, the WSOP is going to be awarding prizes 50% more players in almost every tournament. Starting this year, 15% of players will be in the money, compared to 10% in previous years.
Start Times: Events are being moved up one hour, so that they begin at 11am and 3pm. This caused quite a stir on Twitter from last year’s Main event Champion, Joe McKeehen, but Tournament Director Jack Effel says it is a move to help recreational players make the most of their time at the series.
Chips: Many events will now feature more starting chips, such as the Main Event which will now have 50,000 at the start. This is 66% more than last year.
Guarantees: WSOP is going to increase the guarantees for many events this year. The Colossus, an event that drew a lot of hype in 2015, will now have a higher guarantee of $7million. $1million will go to the winner.
New Events: This year there will be a total of 69 bracelet events, in addition to other small and daily events. Eight of these are new, including a $1,000 Tag Team style event and a $565 Pot Limit Omaha tournament. The Tag Team tournament allows players of up to four people to enter, with each player receiving their own bracelet if they win.
The Schedule
Here are some important dates for the 2016 WSOP:
-May 31: The 47th annual World Series of Poker kicks off and cash games begin running at the Rio 24 hours a day.
-Colossus II stars on June 2, with two more flights beginning on June 3 & 4.
-On July 2nd the $50,000 Poker Players Championship begins. This is where the best overall player is decided.
-The Lady’s No Limit Hold’em Championship stars on July 8 with a $10,000 buy in.
-The Little One for One Drop features three flights on July 12, 13, and 14, running for five days until the largest event of the series reaches a conclusion.
-The Main Event will begin on July 9 at 11am and conclude on the 18th when the November Nine are decided.
The Petition
In other WSOP news, there is a petition on Change.org to change the way that the WSOP operates in terms of revenue. The petition calls for the elimination of rake in the $10,000 Main Event, but it also calls on Caesars to share the wealth. Caesars earns revenue from the rake as well as the TV rights and sponsorships. The petition states that they should be sharing that money with the players, by funneling a portion of it in to the prize pools. According to the creator of the petition, poker is the only game in which players pay for the entire prize pool. ESports have begun implementing a similar model, although it remains to be seen how open Caesars is to the idea.
The 2016 World Series of Poker is only three months away and this year is set to be the largest yet. With many new events, a better schedule for recreational players, and a larger prize pool, more players than ever are going to have their chance to win life-changing money playing a game they love.
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