2012 WSOP Gets Underway Today

The 43rd annual World Series of Poker is all set to kick off in Las Vegas starting Sunday, May 27th, eventually building up to its climatic finale on July 7th when the $10k Main Event gets underway.
Taking place at the Rio All- Suite Hotel and Casino, this year’s series boasts 61 events over seven weeks and attendance signs are already looking promising with hotel bookings and advance tournament registrations currently at record levels. However, it still remains to be seen whether this year’s WSOP manages to exceed the record-breaking 2011 WSOP, which saw 78,298 players attend and $205,550,791 paid out in prize money.
As usual, the WSOP will start with the non-bracelet $500 Casino Employees World Championship, before being opened to the public on Monday with Event #2: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em tournament. There are also three more braceleted tournaments added to this year’s schedule, the most spectacular of which is the $1 Million Big One.
The Guy Laliberte inspired $1 million dollar buy-in tournament has been billed as the richest poker event in history, and will be capped at 48 players, with 40 participants having already confirmed their places. The eventual winner can then expect to receive a $15 million first place prize.
Nevertheless, it is always the Main Event which draws the most attention with this year’s schedule slightly different from previous years. This time around there will be 3 starting days instead of four, but with a third day added to the Day 2 flights. Furthermore, the delayed November Main Event Final Table has been changed to take place between October 28th to 30th, with the finalist effectively then becoming the October Nine.
And lastly, the 2012 WSOP boasts a stunning new bracelet designed by Jason Arasheben of ‘Jason of Beverly Hills’ fame. Commenting on the new look bracelet, WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart said:
“Blinger is Better. Jason grasped the heritage of WSOP bracelets, but was only interested if he could take it up several notches. This is a trophy that truly embodies the promise of today’s WSOP—seemingly unthinkable dreams are dealt each year. I challenge anyone to keep a poker face when they see this bracelet in person.”
So all told, the time is already upon us and all that’s left now is to let the games commence.