The World Series Of Poker (WSOP) is expected to make a return to Las Vegas this autumn. The poker tournament will be hosted again at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino from September 30 to November 23. This year’s WSOP will feature the live, in-person $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship, also popularly referred to as “The Main Event”.
The tournament is moving a step closer to normalcy, according to WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart.
In 2021, we at WSOP, more than ever, are committed to creating unforgettable experiences and reuniting the community of poker enthusiasts. This year’s theme is simple – get vaccinated and return to Vegas.
The present strategy is provisional due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The WSOP’s plans are also in a pending state, awaiting suitable state and/or regulatory approvals, as government limitations are frequently changing.
It remains uncertain if fans will be able to attend the tournament in person at the Rio.
2021 WSOP scheduled for the fall
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is presently set to kick off on Thursday, Sept. 30. The inaugural weekend is anticipated to include a unique charity event aimed at supporting frontline health workers.
Other notable events include a $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament and a No-Limit Hold’em tournament called “The Reunion” with a guaranteed prize pool of $5 million.
The Main Event will commence on Thursday, Nov. 4, and will continue until Wednesday, Nov. 17. Players can choose from four starting days:
- November 4, Thursday
- November 5, Friday
- November 6, Saturday
- November 7, Sunday
If players participate in the Main Event on Thursday or Friday, and they survive the first day with chips, they will play their Day 2 on Monday, Nov. 8. On the other hand, those starting on Saturday or Sunday will have their Day 2 on Tuesday, Nov. 9. All Main Event fields will merge on Wednesday, Nov. 10.
WSOP online 2021 runs this summer
WSOP has arranged summer plans for poker players as the tournament won’t occur on its usual schedule. This comes after the successful online WSOP events in 2020.
In 2020, the online domestic series of WSOP distributed almost $27 million in prizes through 31 events. This marked the largest online tournament series in the history of regulated poker in the U.S.
Starting Thursday, July 1, WSOP.com will kick off domestic tournaments on its All-American Poker Network. The online segment will culminate in a $1,000 championship. This year, online event buy-ins will start at a minimal cost of $1.
The full schedule for the WSOP Online tournament will be made public on April 15, 2021. Information about the international online tournaments will be disclosed soon after.
WSOP Europe back for 2021 too
The 2021 WSOP Europe is currently planned to be held at King’s Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic from Friday, Nov. 19 to Tuesday, Dec. 8. Similar to events in the US, this live event’s execution is dependent on regulatory approval.
Currently, the European tournament has 15 gold bracelet events scheduled. The WSOP Europe Main Event, with a buy-in of 10,000 Euros, and a High Roller event worth 50,000 Euros, are two of the tournament’s main attractions.
2020 WSOP did not look like past series
The current plans for the WSOP this year should bring us a step closer to a normal version of the event.
The WSOP had to devise a new format for the poker tournament in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The previous year saw the WSOP conducting the first-ever hybrid tournament.
The tournament experienced a delay and was largely conducted online via WSOP.com, although a handful of events occurred in-person in December. The event was divided into a domestic component, which was won by Justin Herbert. However, he was defeated by Damian Salas in January, who secured the Main Event World Championship.
WSOP beyond 2021
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) may not continue to take place at the Rio for much longer. In late 2019, Caesars Entertainment, the owner of WSOP, sold the Rio. The sale was finalized last year, and the new owners are currently making plans which may not involve the existing casino operator.
Dreamscape, the new owners of the Rio, intend to refurbish the property. The Rio will be transformed into a number of full-service Hyatt brands. The property is currently being leased by Caesars from the new owners. Plans for the future of the casino operations at the Rio have yet to be disclosed by either Dreamscape or Caesars.
Caesars continues to be the owner of the WSOP, and speculation about upcoming events has been rampant since the completion of the sale. Potential future locations for the WSOP include Caesars Forum (the new conference center behind The Linq), Planet Hollywood, Bally’s, and Caesars Palace.
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