WSOP 2013 To Kick Off On May 29th
May 17, 2013 1:28 pmThe 2013 World Series of Poker is less than two weeks away and already amateur and poker pros from around the world are gearing up for the roughly 50 day tournament poker spectacle which gets underway on May 29th.
This year the World Series of Poker enters its 44th year and once again will be open to anyone over the age of 21 willing to put their dollars on the line for a chance of winning big bucks, as well as a prestigious gold WSOP bracelet. There will also be plenty of opportunities for players to pick up a bracelet or two, especially with 62 events organised at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
In 2011, the tournament series attracted 75,672 players and 2012 was only slightly down on that number at 74,766. Needless to say, despite all the nay sayers folowing the Black Friday online poker closures in the US, the competition remains as iconic and popular as ever. Adding an extra layer of expectation to this year WSOP 2013 is that the series is offering more lower buy-in events than ever before with numerous tournaments offering enteries in the $150-$500 price range.
When the competition gets underway at the end of this month, WSOP organizers are determined to get the 2013 WSOP off with a bang and have arranaged for a number of highly anticipated events to take place in the first five days, including the $5k eight-handed NLHE tournament and the $1,500 NLHE event that guarantees the winner a minimum of $1 million prize. As tournament director Jack Effel explains: “We have the first week for the no-limit warriors, for the specialty guys, for the high buy-in guys. There’s something for everybody.”
Finally, poker enthusiasts can expect to see all the big names show up at the Rio, as they attempt to capture a much sought after gold bracelet. So far, Phil Hellmuth holds the record with an incredible 13 bracelets, although Johnny Chan isn’t far behind on 10, and Phil Ivey has taken a step closer on 9, after his victory at the 2013 WSOP APAC. One contender who will not be attending, however, is 10-times WSOP winner Doyle Brunson, 79, who recently announced via twitter:
“Afraid I am finally gonna give in to Father Time and pass on tournament play at WSOP. #toomanyhours.”