The 2023 World Series of Poker Main Event eclipsed a 17-year-old record when it attracted 10,043 entrants to the $10,000 buy-in championship event. The total prize pool is close to $93.4 million and first place pays out a whopping $12.1 million.
2006 Record Toppled
The WSOP Main Event is the most popular and prestigious poker tournament in the world. The format is no-limit Texas Hold’em. The $10,000 buy-in has not changed since its inception at the inaugural WSOP in 1970.
The winner of the marquee affair becomes an overnight celebrity. Chris Moneymaker was a mild-mannered accountant from Tennessee when he won the 2003 Main Event. He instantly became one of the biggest stars in poker.
The 2006 WSOP was a seminal moment in poker history. The series occurred during the height of a global online poker boom that coincided with a poker renaissance in America. The 2003 Main Event attracted 8,773 players, many of whom were online qualifiers. Jamie Gold banked $12 million as the champion. Both numbers – 8,773 and $12 million to first place – set records that would stand for 17 years.
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Entries Trend Downward
The online poker boom began to fizzle out with the inception of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006. The WSOP Main Event took a hit without online poker rooms sending hundreds of players to Las Vegas via Main Event satellites and prize packages. Although a few online rooms thrived in the wake of the UIGEA, online poker officially closed its doors to American pros on Black Friday in April 2011 when the United States government cracked down on online poker sites.
It took 12 years after Black Friday occurred before the WSOP Main Event finally broke the 2006 record. The 2023 WSOP Main Event attracted 10,043 players. The top 15% of the field, or 1,507 players, will get a cut of the prize pool which is nearly $93.4 million.
First place this year pays out $12.1 million, and the runner-up will earn $6.5 million. The top eight places will win at least $1 million. A min-cash in the 2023 Main Event is worth $15,000.
WSOP Main Event History by the Numbers
The first WSOP Main Event occurred in 1970 and attracted nine players. The winner was determined by vote because it was more akin to a cash game than a freezeout tournament.
By the time Doyle Brunson won his second Main Event title in 1977, there were 34 players in the hunt for the bracelet and championship.
When Jack ‘Treetop’ Strauss won the 1982 WSOP Main Event, the field reached 100-plus for the first time with 104 entrants.
Brad Daugherty became the first champion to win $1 million by outlasting 215 players at the 1991 Main Event.
The WSOP saw a big boost in their number of entrants when online poker sites like PokerStars began running Main Event satellites. Moneymaker won his Main Event seat through a $39 satellite and banked $2.5 million for outlasting 839 players at the 2003 Main Event.
In 2004, the Main Event swelled to 2,576 players thanks to the success of Moneymaker and a flurry of online poker satellites. Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer was the last player standing in 2004, and he won $5 million as the champion.
When Australia’s Joe Hachem won the 2005 Main Event, the field more than doubled from the previous year. Hachem outlasted 5,619 players to win $7.5 million.
It took 21 years before the Main Event went from 104 players in 1982 to 839 in 2003. Yet, it took only four years before the Main Event jumped from 839 runners in 2003 to 8,773 players in 2006. Gold became the first champion to win eight figures with a $12 million score in 2006.
In the next ten years, between 2007 and 2016, the Main Event averaged 6,673 players. It passed 7,000 entrants only once in 2010 with 7,319 participants.
Between 2017 and 2022, and not including the pandemic year of 2020, the Main Event averaged 7,835 runners. The field topped 8,500 entrants twice including 2019 and 2022.
Last year’s Main Event attracted the second-most entrants in history and just missed eclipsing the 2006 record with 8,663 players. Norwegian pro Espen Jorstad is the defending champion and he banked $10 million last summer.
The 2023 Main Event easily broke the 2006 record as the field passed 10,000 for the first time in history with 10,043 runners. The 2023 champion will win a record-setting $12.1 million for first place, which will mark the fifth time that the winner will take home at least $10 million.
At WSOP.com new players get $50 Free Play just for signing up. Unlock the first $25 in freeplay, then unlock the next $25 in freeplay by making your first deposit. Start reaping the benefits of joining the No. 1 real money poker site in the world.
