Top 10 predictions for the 2024 World Series of Poker

Cards go in the air for the 2024 World Series of Poker on Tuesday and it is clear that this year’s tournament will once again be the most comprehensive poker festival in the world.

There has been plenty of speculation are circling from all directions regarding this year’s edition of poker’s biggest show, which shattered a number of records last year, including attracting a new all-time high of 10,043 entrants to the $10,00) Mainer Event, cementing it as the richest live poker event in history.

These are the top 10 WSOP predictions for 2024 from mypokercoaching.com that we strongly believe will turn into reality before the summer is over.

10. Payout structure revisions
There has been a lot of talk about tournament payout structures online in recent months, and WSOP is definitely listening.

The opinions on the perfect payout structure differ, with recreational players looking for more opportunities to cash and many pros looking for top-heavy payout tables. Where WSOP tournament staff will land in this regard remains to be seen, but we are likely to see quite a few tournament payout structures for WSOP 2024 revised before the Series begins.

While this may not have too much of an impact on most of us, those who actually make money in WSOP events this year might end up feeling the difference quite a bit, for better or worse.

9. Amazing vlogs
One thing that’s definitely changed poker for the better is the emergence of poker vloggers like Rampage, Andrew Neeme, and Brad Owen, along with many others.

The content these guys produce is pure, original, and untainted by any sort of production agenda we see in the official poker shows.

When WSOP rolls around, expect your favorite poker vloggers to hit Las Vegas and join some of the most exciting tournaments, as well as all the cash games surrounding the WSOP.

We will also definitely get another chance to follow Daniel Negreanu’s life in his Vlog, which usually only comes out during the WSOP, along with the lives and careers of many other notable poker players who will put themselves out there for scrutiny all summer long.

8. Twitter feuds
It used to be that poker players would use poker forums to air out their dirty laundry, but these days, they use the social media platform known as Twitter, or officially X.

We have already seen quite a bit of Twitter drama since the start of 2024 in the poker space, and once the WSOP starts, it could all escalate even further.

WSOP is the time of year when all the big players are in Las Vegas, and it is this time that often brings up a lot of drama surrounding debts, feuds of all sorts, debates of what hands to shove or fold, and everything else they can think of.

This summer, we can expect the poker Twitter to be super-active and some of the biggest names out there to get into feuds with their nemesis, which should create tons of great content throughout the summer.

7. More ladies in the mix
If there is one thing poker lacks, it is the presence of more women in the big tournaments out there. While this has been gradually changing, it is still an uphill battle. In recent years, we have seen the numbers of ladies in WSOP events fluctuate, but overall, no more than 5% of the playing field belonged to the ladies.

This year, there is some hope that more women will decide to join a WSOP event compared to the previous year, including both satellite winners and those encouraged by the success of players like Kristen Foxen in the big PokerGO events.

Last year was a bit of an anomaly when it comes to the number of women in the Main Event, as the number took a sharp downturn, and 2024 should be the year to get back on track and keep the number going in the right direction.

6. Lots of prop betting
The WSOP is always a good time for some of the big names in the industry to place some bets on their performances, as well as the performances of their preferred horses. Negreanu and Matt Berkey have already started this off by backing Jeremy Becker and Landon Tice for this summer, and that action is going to be quite epic.

For the poker fans, it’s all going to be upside down as any battle of the giants we can get is definitely going to produce some great content.

Guys like Becker and Tice may not be the only ones looking to battle it out on the felt, as other pros will be looking to take action, cross-book their results, and gamble it up.

With some luck, we could even see the return of the likes of Phil Ivey or Tom Dwan to the WSOP bracelet hunt, potentially with millions of dollars of side action on the line.

5. WSOP POY formula will change
Last year’s WSOP Player of the Year race started quite a debate between players who play exclusively live and those who enter both live and online events during the WSOP.

Many old-school poker players believe that online events should not count at all, while others believe poker is poker and there should not be any discrimination. However, given the number of online events is constantly growing, we may end up seeing WSOP finally make a pivot and change the POY formula to only include live events or to count online events differently.

While there has not been any official announcement of this from the WSOP just yet, some changes to the existing POY title race will likely come into place before the summer.

4. Negreanu back in the winner’s circle
Negreanu is easily one of the best tournament poker players who have ever played the game, and he has had plenty of success over the past decade. His results last year were not all that terrific, but in years before that, he’s won tournaments left and right and accumulated millions of dollars in winnings.

However, despite playing a packed schedule every year, Daniel has not been able to win a WSOP bracelet since 2013, when he captured his sixth at a WSOPE High Roller event.

Now, over a decade later, it may be time for Daniel to shine on the big stage again and take one more step towards poker immortality.

Daniel’s year started very well in terms of tournaments, and his new strategy of playing fewer events but approaching them with more mental focus seems to be paying dividends.

This summer, we will see a new Negreanu who won’t be chasing after the POY award, but will instead be heavily focused on winning every tournament he enters, and he may just be able to pick up a W or two along the way.

How to READ souls like a pro with @RealKidPoker & @alexandrabotez ?? pic.twitter.com/YhoWUivzUM
— GGPoker (@GGPoker) May 18, 2024

3. New events will gain lots of attention
The WSOP has revamped its schedule quite a bit this year and several interesting new events have been added to the schedule.

The $10,000 Big O Championship, $10,000 Eight Game Mixed Championship 6-Max, and $3,000 Mid-Stakes Championship, in particular, will be fun events that will attract some of the best players in the world.

A number of smaller-stakes events across different games are also making their inaugural appearances, including the Double Board Bomb Pot event on 15 June.

All of these tournaments are guaranteed to gain lots of media attention, and most of the world’s top players should be looking to play in them, which could lead to some very interesting final table matchups.

Watching the final tables of the Big O Championship or the Double Board Bomb Pot event on PokerGO will certainly be super fun, and these might just be among the highlights of the entire summer.

2. Mystery bounty events will be a hit
The relatively new mystery bounty tournament format has been all the rage over the last couple of years, with players at live poker stops around the world going crazy about it.

This year, WSOP has scheduled three mystery bounty events, with two of them coming with a $1,000 buy in and multiple day 1 flights, and one $10k mystery bounty high roller on the calendar. All of these events are guaranteed to attract bigger numbers than their regular tournament counterparts, as there is just something about mystery bounty that makes players want to jump in there and fight for the big bucks.

While the mystery bounty format may not be the best for variance control, if you find yourself in Las Vegas this summer, I highly recommend jumping into at least one of these exciting events for your chance to win a quick million bucks in a single elimination.

1. Another massive Main Event
Last year’s WSOP Main Event finally gave us a new attendance record, as 10,043 unique players showed up to play the world’s biggest freezeout tournament. This created the biggest prize pool for a Main Event ever and gave champion Daniel Weinman a special place in poker history.

Whether WSOP goes ahead and breaks that record in 2024 remains to be seen, but we can be sure that the numbers will once again come close to 10,000 as poker players flock to Las Vegas following last year’s success.

Probably, GGPoker will once again send plenty of qualifiers to the Horseshoe and Paris this summer, and plenty of returning WOSP regulars and newcomers will take a shot at the biggest tournament in the world.

However, it is likely that WSOP will not force the issue of breaking the record once again and might reduce the number of satellite winners sent to the Main Event this year on purpose to keep the attendance record for at least a few years.

The 17-year wait is over - we have a new World Series of Poker Main Event entry record!

With 8,830 entries and counting, and registration open until 4:40 p.m. on Saturday, the previous Main Event record of 8,773 will be shattered.

Thanks to all players, dealers, staff, and… pic.twitter.com/ruLAoqqmgv
— WSOP - World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 6, 2023