2021 WSOP Schedule: Tournament Guide and Overview
The complete 2021 World Series of Poker (WSOP) scheduled for this fall has been unveiled, two-and-a-half months after April’s initial announcement that the festival would run from September 30 to November 23, 2021.
“Poker’s Flagship Event” will return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino after one year off due to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in the summerlong series held online.
As a result of the online success in 2020, this summer will once again play host to a pair of WSOP Online Bracelet Series. There will be a domestic version on WSOP.com and an international version on GGPoker. However, they will play second fiddle to the live version, which will feature a record-setting 88 Gold Bracelet Events.
Highlights of the WSOP 2021 Schedule
The 2021 WSOP schedule is broken down into numerous sets of highlighted tournaments. Most of these events are already familiar in some fashion, though several have seen slight alterations to their name, form, or buy-in amount. Here’s a look at some tourneys of note.
- An Opening Weekend $500 Event: Such an occurrence has been the norm since the introduction of the Colossus in 2015. However, the Colossus was moved to the middle of the summer in 2019 in favor of a new $500 Event, The Big 50, which commemorated the WSOP’s 50th anniversary.
This year’s version will begin on Friday, October 1, and will be titled “The Reunion.” It features a $5 million guaranteed prize pool and will offer three starting flights across Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to try and surpass the 10,000 entrants it will need to meet the initial guarantee of the series. - “Return of the Record Breakers”: Each weekend throughout the seven-week-long series features what has become some of the largest No-Limit Hold’em tournaments each summer. Such events include The Millionaire Maker, Monster Stack, Double Stack, Colossus, and The Closer.
- “Flip and Go” Tournaments: The popular GGPoker “Flip and Go” tournaments will make their debut at the 2021 WSOP, giving every player three cards in an all-in preflop situation on the very first hand of the tournament. Players will discard one card before the runout. The hand’s winner automatically makes the money before the remaining players resume a standard tournament structure and play down to a winner.
- Increased Buy-Ins: The annual $10,000 Heads-Up NLH bracelet event will see its buy-in bumped up to $25,000 this year, with the field capped at 64. Additionally, the $25K Pot-Limit Omaha event will see its buy-in doubled to $50,000, the largest PLO tournament in WSOP history. It will be a part of a High Roller week that closes out the series and features No-Limit Hold’em events with buy-ins of $50K, $100K, and $250K.
Paying Attention To The Details
In addition to the above highlights, the 2021 WSOP caters to seniors by expanding the $1,000 Seniors Event to two starting flights on October 27-28. Players are allotted one re-entry per flight, meaning they can fire up to four bullets for the event.
Another increasingly popular game among poker enthusiasts is NL 2-7 Single Draw. This format is also getting an expanded presence this year as it will be added to the rotation of games in Event #54: $2,500 Nine Game Mix (6-Handed), which begins on Thursday, October 28. Formerly an Eight-Game Event, mixed game specialists will now need to add NL 2-7 to their list of proficient games.
A Poker Hall of Fame (PHOF) Bounty event will also run this year, featuring a $1,979 buy-in to commemorate the PHOF’s birth in 1979. In addition, all living HOF members will receive free entry into the event, with the lone 2021 PHOF induction set to be announced at this event as well.
Lastly, Daily Deepstack tournaments will be back once more this year, running per usual at 1 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m., and 10 p.m., provided there is space to run them.
How Big Will The 2021 World Series Of Poker Main Event Be?
What would a WSOP announcement be without mention of the $10,000 Main Event? This year’s version will see four starting flights for the first time in 10 years. From 2012-2019 WSOP Main Events only had three starting flights, meaning players now have even more choices when registering for the Main Event. It also means more potential entries and a better opportunity to distance if COVID restrictions are still in place.
The late registration period has also been extended for 2021. After 2019 became the first year in which players could register until the start of Day 2, that period has once again been expanded through Level 7. This year, players may sit out all of Day 1 and the first two levels of Day 2 before registering if they so choose. However, the tournament has retained its freezeout format, meaning players only have one shot at the tournament regardless of when they fire.
In 2019, the WSOP Main Event drew 8,569 entries, the second-largest field ever behind 2006’s field of 8,773. In 2006, Jamie Gold earned the top prize of $12 million, whereas Hossein Ensan won the 2019 Main Event for $10 million.
Increased Registration and Payout Options Coming In 2021
Perhaps the most significant developments to the 2021 WSOP are on the logistics side, especially regarding mitigating tournament registration and payout lines. To facilitate a smooth and safe experience for all, WSOP is allowing (and encouraging) players to register for tournaments via the online/mobile process through the BravoPokerLive website/app. To do this, they need to have their account verified in person before funding said account to register just the same as in person.
Also new for 2021 on the payment and financial transaction side are ACH and tournament buy-in credit via players’ online WSOP Tournament accounts (via BravoPokerLive). Additionally, extra payout assistance will be provided in the Palma Ballroom for players to initiate their payout method of choice to reduce further the need for lines at the main cage, which will remain in the Tropical Ballroom. Finally, in-person registration will also be in the Tropical Ballroom for those who wish to enter tournaments via traditional methods.
“We could not be more excited to welcome everyone back to Las Vegas and the Rio,” said Jack Effel, WSOP Vice President and Tournament Director. “The entire WSOP team is hard at work to ensure players have the absolute best experience possible.”
Hill Kerby comes from a background of poker, sports, and psychology, bringing all of them to the table with his writing. An overall fan and proponent of competition, Hill looks forward to the continued growth of all forms of betting as more markets open across the country.
