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WSOP 2017 reaches all-time highs, shatters records17 July 2017(PRESS RELEASE) -- It was another record-breaking year at the World Series of Poker (WSOP) at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, where the 48th annual event continued to shatter records in 2017 during the seven-week, 74-event poker festival that ran from 31 May and concludes on 20 July. A staggering 120,995 entries participated this year (up 12.2%), marking the first time the event has ever attracted over 120,000 entries, keeping the WSOP far and away poker's biggest annual live festival. This WSOP established a host of new records as poker enthusiasts from 111 different nations traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the game's grandest spectacle, and a record 16,814 players received prize money this year. The WSOP remained the industry leader in terms of prize money awarded, with this year's tally amounting to $231,010,874, the most in series history. The average field size in the 74-event bracelet schedule was 1,635 entries, the highest average in the WSOP's 48-year history, surpassing last year's 1,563 average. This means, to win a gold bracelet, on average, a player must beat 1,634 others to claim the crown. So despite the highest number of events offered this year (74), it has never been harder to claim a WSOP gold bracelet than it is today. The Main Event in 2017 had 7,221 entries, a 7.2% increase over last year, creating the largest prize pool of the 2017 WSOP at $67,877,700 and the largest first-place prize, which amounts to $8,150,000. The 2017 Main Event was the third largest in the history of the series, only behind the 2010 and 2006 Main Event, which had 7,319 and 8,773 respectively. "On behalf of the entire WSOP team, our heartfelt thank you to poker players from around the globe who showed up in droves to be part of the biggest World Series of Poker yet," said World Series of Poker Executive Director Ty Stewart. "It was another terrific year of huge prize pools and memorable moments. We will catch our breath and then get to work on 2018 planning and getting that men's main hallway bathroom fixed." For just the fifth time in its history, WSOP generated a total prize pool that topped the $200 million mark. In the 48-year history of the WSOP, the game's most prestigious tournament series has now awarded over $2.5 billion — actually $2,732,754,201 in prize money. This year's total prize pool increased 4.4% from last year's $221,211,336. It was another successful year in terms of raising money for charity, as well. The two featured charity-linked tournaments, the Little One for ONE DROP (Event #74) and the ONE DROP High Roller (Event #6), plus the 1% for One Drop campaign, where players can donate 1% of their winnings to the cause which support the WSOP's official charity partner the ONE DROP organization, raised a combined $992,841. ONE DROP uses donations to directly implement water access projects, where an average of $100 can transform someone's life forever. The poker community via the World Series of Poker has donated more than $19,603,877 since the partnership began in 2012 — enough to directly impact the lives of over 196,000 people. Legions of amateur players competed alongside legendary poker pros, Hollywood A-listers and international sports figures to establish the new milestones. Among the notable non-poker playing names competing during this year's WSOP included: Most decorated Olympian of all-time Michael Phelps, Brazilian soccer star Neymar, actor and comedian Brad Garrett, actor and comedian Ray Romano, NFL defensive star and Super Bowl champion Richard Seymour, actress Jennifer Tilly, Stanley Cup champion Phil Kessel, German soccer player Max Kruse and actor James Woods. Of the players listed above, Kruse was the only player to reach a final table. He finished in 4th place in the $1,500 2-7 Triple Draw event for $28,740. The youngest player in this year's WSOP Main Event was Alex Conklin, from Webster, New York, who played Day 1B on his 21st birthday. He reached the money and finished in 578th place for $22,449. The oldest player to participate in this year's Main Event was 96-year-old William Wachter of Carmel, New York, who played Day 1C and was eliminated late on Day 1. This was the fifth consecutive year that Wachter was the oldest player in the field. Jack Ury, at the young age of 97, still holds the WSOP record as oldest participant. Wachter remains the oldest to cash. He finished in 524th place for $19,500 in 2015 at the age of 94 years old. The $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship — commonly referred to as the WSOP Main Event — paid out a record 1,084 places this year, the most places paid in the event's history. The money was officially reached in Level 16 on Friday, 14 July around 1:30 a.m. To get up to date statistics from the 2017 World Series of Poker, please go to the website. Here is a quick statistical overview of the 2017 WSOP official gold bracelet events:
WSOP 2017 reaches all-time highs, shatters records
is republished from Online.CasinoCity.com.
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