THE 2018 WORLD SERIES OF POKER STARTS TODAY!

29 May 2018 (Las Vegas) – It’s been over 10 months of waiting since the last card was dealt at the last year’s World Series of Poker. But the wait is over and doors open for the 2018 WSOP today!

Cash games, satellites, and daily deep stacks start today. The first bracelet events begin tomorrow (Wednesday). The traditional opening event – the $565 Casino Employees tournament – is scheduled to start at noon. And the first open bracelet event starts at 3:00 p.m. Event #2: $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo Bounty is a new event on this year’s schedule. Each player is a $3,000 bounty, and the event is scheduled to end late Wednesday night.

New Events

There are 78 total bracelet events this year on this year's schedule. Nine of them are making their WSOP debut. In addition to the $10,000 Super Turbo Bounty, the new events include:

  • Event #5: $100,000 No-Limit Hold’em High Roller
  • Event #11: PLO GIANT - $365 Pot-Limit Omaha
  • Event #34: $1,000 Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em
  • Event #47: $565 WSOP.com ONLINE Pot-Limit Omaha 6-Handed
  • Event #67: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Bounty
  • Event #73: $1,000 Double Stack No-Limit Hold’em (30-minute Levels)
  • Event #75: The Closer - $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em (30-minute Levels) - $1,000,000 Guaranteed prize pool and three starting flights
  • Event #77: $50,000 No-Limit Hold’em High roller

Main Event

The most prestigious poker tournament of the year – the WSOP Main Event – will be played out over almost two weeks in early July. Defending champion Scott Blumstein (pictured) will attempt to become the first player since Johnny Chan to earn the title of World Champion in back-to-back years, and thousands of hopefuls will stand in his way.

 


The 2018 Main Event will begin a little earlier than in previous years. The three starting days are scheduled for July 2, 3, and 4. Days 2A/B and 2C will be on July 5 and 6. The field will then combine on July 7 for Day 3. The final table will be determined on July 11, and the final nine players will play three more days to determine a winner.

All 13 days of the Main Event will be broadcast on ESPN/ESPN2, with additional coverage on PokerGo or the PokerCentral Twitch channel.

One Drop

This year will see the return of the Big One for One Drop, a $1,000,000 buyin tournament supporting the One Drop charity. One Drop is a foundation dedicated to providing sustainable access to clean water in communities throughout the world.

This is the fourth incarnation of the Big One for One Drop. It was last held in Monaco in 2016, and was last held here in Las Vegas in 2014.

The tournament will take place after the Main Event, running from July 15-17. The final two days will be broadcast on ESPN2 and PokerGo.

There is one additional event supporting One Drop. The Little One for One Drop features a $1,000 buyin, with the option to donate an additional $111 to One Drop for extra starting chips.

The WSOP’s partnership with One Drop started in 2012 with the first Big One for One Drop event, and since then the partnership has produced over $20,000,000 to support One Drop’s efforts.

Other Highlights

The opening weekend will feature the Colossus event, now in its fourth year. There are six starting flights: 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on June 2, 3, and 4. The Millionaire Maker will start the following weekend (June 9 & 10), and the Monster Stack will be two weeks later (June 23 & 24). The $365 Giant will have starting flights every Friday night from June 1 to June 29. And this year is the debut of its sister event, the $365 PLO Giant, held Sunday evenings from June 3 to July 1. And the $50,000 Poker Players Championship will begin Friday, June 15.

Broadcasts and Live Streams

Coverage will again be provided by PokerCentral, with 16 final tables streaming on their PokerGo platform. And another 30 events will be covered on PokerCentral’s Twitch channel. And of course, the Main Event and Big One for One Drop will be broadcast on ESPN/ESPN2, with additional streaming on PokerGo and Twitch.