
The full schedule for the 2017 World Series of Poker (WSOP), the most prestigious poker event of the year, has been released. It will feature 74 bracelet events, running from May 30 to July 17.
The schedule features a host of returning popular events along with several fresh additions. The WSOP disclosed the weekend dates for the marquee events such as the Main Event, Millionaire Maker, and Colossus earlier this month. Now, with the complete schedule available, players can start planning for the summer.
What is one important consideration when planning for the WSOP?
This year, the Rio will allow tournament entries to be paid via credit card for up to $10,000, a first for the series. This adds to the existing payment options of casino chips, money wire, and cash.
The full event schedule is available on the official WSOP website.
2017 WSOP to feature three online bracelets
In 2015, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) launched its inaugural online poker bracelet event. The tournament consisted of a No Limit Hold’em event with a $1,000 buy-in. The game continued on WSOP.com until the final six were left. Play was then paused and resumed live at the Rio, where it continued until a winner emerged.
The format of the series was also duplicated last year. The initial event attracted 905 participants. However, the number dramatically increased to 1,247 last year.
This year, the $1,000 event returns and is accompanied by a $3,333 High Roller tournament and the cheapest buy-in of the post-Moneymaker WSOP era, which is a $333 buy-in event.
The tournament with a smaller buy-in, featuring unlimited re-entries, will take place on June 3 with a guarantee of $333,333. The High Roller tournament, which will allow unlimited rebuys, is set to happen on July 1.
The event with a $1,000 entry fee, which is the last one on the schedule, will take place on July 7 and offer unlimited re-entries.
In contrast to prior years, all events are presently planned to take place within a single day and will be exclusively conducted on WSOP.com.
$365 “The Giant” tournament will run all summer
The online tournament isn’t the only event with a historically low price point for the WSOP. The new tournament called “The Giant” surpasses Colossus as the least expensive live event to participate in, with a buy-in cost of just $365.
A new flight in the tournament will take place every Friday at 7 p.m. PT, from June 9 to July 7. During each flight, players will be allowed to re-enter an unlimited number of times.
On July 8, survivors from the five flights will unite to compete as one field for the bracelet winner.
Other new tournaments include $10K Tag Team and a “Marathon” event
Several other new events have been added to the schedule. The most notable among them include:
$10,000 Tag Team Hold’em
Following last year’s low buy-in Tag Team event won by Doug Polk and Ryan Fee, the WSOP is broadening the format to include a high buy-in tournament.
If you’re not familiar with Tag Team Hold’em, the WSOP rules state that teams of 2-4 people can interchangeably participate in the game. The rules also require every team member to play at least one full round of action.
The summer action will commence on May 31 with the $10,000 Tag Team event (excluding the Employees Event).
$2,620 Marathon event
In non-Main Event WSOP tournaments, standard levels last for an hour, but The Marathon differs by offering 100-minute levels. Moreover, The Marathon also provides ten times the starting stack, unlike the standard tournaments that only offer a 5x stack multiplier.
Consider this event to be a more expensive “Monster Stack” event. The tournament is scheduled for June 12.
$1,000 super turbo event
The impact of online poker isn’t limited to online bracelet events. The Super Turbo format, featuring 20-minute levels, has become a bracelet event scheduled for June 20.
$2,500 mixed big bet event
Over the years, it has been proven that there is a market for low buy-in mixed games like the smaller buy-in 10-game, 8-game, Dealer’s Choice, and H.O.R.S.E. events.
The WSOP acknowledged the growing popularity of draw games. As a result, they will now provide a variety of games including no limit hold’em, PLO, no limit 2-7, no limit 5 Card Draw, Big O, PLO Hi-Lo, and 2-7 pot-limit triple draw.
The 2017 WSOP will commence in just over four months, however, players can begin their preparations already. WSOP.com will start online qualifiers for events from next month.