Overall statistics released Tuesday by the organisers of the World Series of Poker – the 45th edition of poker’s most prestigious annual tournament – indicate that player entries represent a new record.
With the three main event starting day registrations now closed, the organisers have been able to compile totals for the entire tournament, which has been running since June, and the numbers are impressive.
There were 82,360 competition entries in 65 events by players from 107 nations, generating prize pools totalling $225,584,273.
The prize pool for the main event alone is $62,820,200 based on the $10,000 buy-ins from 6,683 entries…and the winner will receive $10 million, with seven figure pay-outs awarded to most of the final nine players.
The number of entries this year topped last year’s 79,471 by just over three-and-a-half percent.
World Series of Poker Executive Director Ty Stewart said in a statement: “With some of the biggest events ever organized it is clear poker remains strong, and its best days are ahead.”
Demographics this year were once again overwhelmingly male at 94.72 percent, with an average age of 38.9.
Excluding the huge main event first prize, which has yet to be won, the average first place prize this year was $792,507, although the $15.3 million awarded to Dan Colman in the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop does have an exaggerating influence..
8,730 players claimed cashes in the 65 events, approximately 10 percent of all those who entered the diverse competitions.
Other interesting factoids include:
* Total prize pool for all WSOPs in history now over $2 billion;
* Over $5.2 million was raised for One Drop clean water charity;
* Youngest player this year, at 21 years and 1 day, was Zachary Zaffos, whilst the oldest was William Wachter (93);
* Players from fifty U.S. states entered in events;
* Largest single day attendance was 7,977 for the $1,500 buy-in Millionaire Maker;
* This year’s senior event was the biggest ever at 4,425 players;
* US players have claimed 52 of the 64 WSOP winner bracelets awarded so far;
* This year’s main event attracted 6,683 players, an increase of 331 on the 2013 main event registrations of 6,352.