The World Series of Poker will award its Main Event champion .6 million, the lowest first prize since 2005.
But that’s because a record 1,000 players will share in the $60,348,000 prize pool. Finishers ranging from 649th to 1,000th will earn $15,000. The change means 15.5 percent of players will be paid, up from the usual about 10 percent.
The change also means that all nine of the event’s final table players—who will play for the title in November—will win better than $1 million.
A total of 6,420 players entered the Main Event. Overall registration was down, but only by 263 players compared to last year.
Extreme rain also caused some delays in early play—and even some leaks in the Rio Las Vegas Poker room—an unusual event for Nevada.
