LAS VEGAS (May 16,
2019) – This year marks the 50th running of the World Series of
Poker (WSOP) and to help celebrate its milestone, the WSOP will host a special night,
dubbed “First Fifty Honors” with a
dinner, Honors and a VIP poker event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in
Las Vegas during the 50th World Series of Poker.
While several special poker tournaments have been added to this year’s WSOP, including the Big 50 opening weekend (May 30-June 2) rake-free event, there will be a brief pause
in the poker playing during the evening of Saturday,
June 29 in the Brasilia Ballroom at the Rio to pay homage to those who
have left an indelible mark on the WSOP since 1970. Doors open at 8pm.
The Saturday night special evening will begin with
a dinner open to WSOP gold bracelet winners and other VIP’s, followed by the First Fifty Honors, hosted by legendary
WSOP broadcasters Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.
“From its founding by the Binion family in 1970, no
one could have foreseen what the modern-day World Series of Poker has become,”
said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart.
“It’s only fitting we take an evening out from poker playing to
celebrate the great game of poker and all the characters who have made a mark
on the WSOP over the past five decades.”
First Fifty
Honors will include an awards
presentation, where individuals across seven categories will be recognized,
voted on by the public and players themselves.
WSOP gold bracelet winners can pick up their event tickets from 2-6pm on
Thursday, June 27 or Friday, June 28 at the VIP desk at the Rio
across from the take-out window of El Burro Borracho restaurant.
An online vote commences today, where fans around the globe can select who is
most deserving in seven different categories. In addition, players who participated in the
2018 WSOP will receive an email with the categories, with an opportunity to cast
a vote as well. To cast a vote, visit: http://www.lnmandiya.com/promotions/fifty-first-honors/nv/ (U.S./Canadian residents). For international consumers, please visit http://www.lnmandiya.com/promotions/fifty-first-honors-int/ to vote.
In addition to the dinner and Honors program, a
special exclusive VIP poker event will be held afterwards capping off an
evening of celebrations for the WSOP’s fiftieth.
Anyone in U.S./Canada who casts a vote for the First Fifty Honors gets entered into a
random drawing to win a prize, including seats to WSOP gold bracelet events. Seats
for Event #69, the $1,000 Mini Main Event, along with Event #88, the $500
WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold’em Summer Saver will be among the prizes. Additional prizes include invites to the First Fifty gala and WSOP merchandise.
The categories for the First Fifty Honors are as follows:
1. Most Memorable WSOP TV Hand
2. Best Overall WSOP Performance (Single Year)
3. Most Likely to Succeed (Player currently 35 or
Under to Win the Most Gold Bracelets between 2020-2070)
4. Fan Favorite Player
5. WSOP’s Favorite Bad Boy
6. Most Impressive Main Event Win
7. Four Most Important Players in WSOP History
Voting will remain open through June 15, 2019.
Additionally, a special panel made up of poker
industry stalwarts and media members has been selected to determine an eighth
category – the 50 Greatest Poker Players. The panelists will consider all players from
the past 50 years and vote on who makes the final 50. The WSOP will publish this list following the
conclusion of the voting and tabulation.
The only criteria to determine the 50 Greatest Poker Players is they
must have played at least once at the WSOP.
This list can be made up of primarily cash game players, mixed games
players, online players or tournament players.
The WSOP – the longest-running, richest and most
prestigious tournament series – opens its doors on Tuesday, May 28, 2019 at the Rio in Las Vegas. This marks
the 50th running of the famed poker festival.
A record 123,865
entries participated in the 2018 WSOP, creating a
49-year high of $266,889,193
in prize money. The average WSOP gold bracelet event in 2018 had a $3,421,656
prize pool with $655,337 going to the winner.
Buy-ins for tournaments at the Rio start as low as
$70. Single table satellites and all
your favorite live poker games: low, medium
and high limit will begin on May 28
and run 24 hours a day throughout the seven-week series taking place in the spacious
Rio Convention Center for the 15th consecutive year. More than 500
poker tables will be set up across more than 100,000 square-feet of ballroom
space to accommodate the thousands of players from around the world who attend
poker’s annual Woodstock.
Room reservations are being accepted across
Caesars’ Las Vegas properties with special rates for existing Caesars Rewards
members. Visit Las Vegas
- WSOP to make your room reservations for the 2019
WSOP. Individual event online
pre-registration is also open. Visit www.WSOP.com/registration
to learn more and get registered.
About the World Series
of Poker
The World Series of
Poker® is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world,
having awarded more than $2.99 billion in prize money and the prestigious gold
bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a
comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is
poker’s longest-running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2018, the event attracted 123,865 entrants
from 104 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las
Vegas, and awarded more than $266 million in prize money. In addition, the WSOP
has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and
corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally
with the advent of the World Series of Poker Europe in 2007 and the World
Series of Poker Asia-Pacific in 2013 and the WSOP International Circuit Series
in 2015. For more information on the World Series of Poker, please visit www.lnmandiya.com.