World Series of Poker Kicks Off in Las Vegas with 100 Events

The 56th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) officially began on May 27 in Las Vegas, and organizers are hoping for another record year for the sport. This year's tournament takes place at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas, and there are a total of 100 gold bracelet events this year, which continues to demonstrate poker's highest honors.

Opening ceremonies began at 3 p.m. ET with the iconic “shuffle up and deal” moment, followed by the debut of the Mystery Millions no-limit hold 'em tournament. This fan-favorite event features multiple mystery bounty prizes, including two bounties worth $1 million each, raising the stakes for early contenders.

Throughout the last two years, the WSOP has received a great deal of interest from players to set records in both 2023 and 2024. The 2023 main event had the most incredible field of 10,112, just surpassing 10,043 in 2023 for the all-time record. The prize pool exceeded an unbelievable $94,041,600, with the top prize of $10 million going to Jonathan Tamayo from Texas, who will be eternally remembered in WSOP history.

With that momentum in mind, officials remain optimistic that 2025 could be another banner year. The marquee $10,000 buy-in main event is scheduled to begin July 2 and will run through July 16, with four starting flights. As the centerpiece of the series, the main event consistently draws thousands of players and a global audience eager to see who will emerge victorious.

Poker great Phil Hellmuth, who holds a record 17 WSOP bracelets, had previously shown reluctance to play at this year's main event because of the brutal pace, and his entry is still up in the air and a significant narrative as we move forward.

In addition to the main event and Mystery Millions, the WSOP will host a variety of tournaments at the Horseshoe Casino throughout the series, continuing its legacy as the world's premier poker event.