The series includes 78 tournaments and will also introduce a new big blind ante format for some events. Buy-ins for the 50-day tournament according to the Las Vegas Sun.
WSOP officials expect the WSOP will surpass last year’s record 120,995 entrants, especially due to the online tournaments.
“It is certainly possible. We are set up to do so,” Seth Palansky, WSOP spokesman told the newspaper. “We have a lot of big events on the calendar, a lot of juicy prize pools.”
For the first time, players in New Jersey will be able to compete under a player sharing agreement between New Jersey and Nevada. Delaware is also part of the agreement, but no WSOP branded site operates in that state.
The series will run through July 17 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. ESPN and PokerGO will provide live coverage of the tournament’s no-limit Texas Hold ‘em main event
The WSOP is also using a big blind ante format in some tournaments designed to help speed up the game. During these games, instead of each player anteing before the hand, only the player in the big blind position will ante, the Sun reported.
“In regular poker, to force betting, each person puts in an ante,” Palansky said. “We’ve changed some tournaments where one person essentially pays everyone’s ante at once. So, when you are in a particular spot at the table, you pay everyone’s ante and the rest of the time you don’t pay any ante at all. If the ante is a chip value of 100, that person may put in 900 for all nine players. “
