10,043 players in the WSOP Main Event
The previous record has been truly smashed, but the new payout structure has caused some controversy.
We already knew the WSOP Main Event was a record-breaker, but we had to wait until the early hours of this morning to find out by how much.
An extra 693 players late registered on the combined Day 2s to take the official total up to 10,043 players. This has crushed the long-standing 2006 record of 8,772, to make for the biggest Main Event in history.
1,507 players will make the money with at least a $15,000 mincash. It is everything after that which has proved controversial. The payout structure has come under heavy fire this year for being way too top-heavy.
The first prize is $12,100,000, which is $100k more than the 2006 payout when Jamie Gold won it. 2nd place pays $6,500,000, meaning there is a massive pay jump heads-up.
What has really frustrated poker players is 9th place pays $900,000, meaning not every finalist in the biggest Main Event in history will be a millionaire.
| Place | Earnings | POY Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | $12,100,000 | 1,763.17 |
| 2nd | $6,500,000 | 881.58 |
| 3rd | $4,000,000 | 793.42 |
| 4th | $3,000,000 | 705.27 |
| 5th | $2,400,000 | 661.19 |
| 6th | $1,850,000 | 617.11 |
| 7th | $1,425,000 | 528.95 |
| 8th | $1,125,000 | 484.87 |
| 9th | $900,000 | 440.79 |
| 10th-11th | $700,000 | 352.63 |
| 12th-13th | $535,000 | 352.63 |
| 14th-17th | $430,200 | 352.63 |
| 18th-26th | $345,000 | 352.63 |
| 27th-35th | $280,100 | 352.63 |
| 36th-44th | $229,000 | 352.63 |
| 45th-53rd | $188,400 | 352.63 |
| 54th-62nd | $156,100 | 352.63 |
| 63rd-71st | $130,300 | 352.63 |
| 72nd-80th | $109,400 | 352.63 |
| 81st-89th | $92,600 | 352.63 |
| 90th-98th | $78,900 | 352.63 |
| 99th-161st | $67,700 | 352.63 |
| 162nd-224th | $58,500 | 352.63 |
| 225th-287th | $50,900 | 352.63 |
| 288th-309th | $44,700 | 352.63 |
| 310th-350th | $44,700 | 176.32 |
| 351st-413th | $40,000 | 176.32 |
| 414th-476th | $37,500 | 176.32 |
| 477th-539th | $35,000 | 176.32 |
| 540th-602nd | $32,500 | 176.32 |
| 603rd-665th | $30,000 | 176.32 |
| 666th-758th | $27,500 | 176.32 |
| 759th-764th | $27,500 | 88.16 |
| 765th-863rd | $25,000 | 88.16 |
| 864th-962nd | $22,500 | 88.16 |
| 963rd-1004th | $20,000 | 88.16 |
| 1005th-1249th | $17,500 | 88.16 |
| 1250th-1507th | $15,000 | 88.16 |
The big difference between 2006 and today is that only 10% of the field got paid in 2006, compared to 15% today. The payout structure is, clearly, an attempt by the WSOP to create the biggest first prize in Main Event history, at the expense of almost every finishing position in the field.
If you head over to social media then nobody is happy about this. The anger is so clear this could be the first time the WSOP change the payout structure mid tournament due to public demand.
However, right now is a moment to celebrate. Everyone knew the field record would be broken this year but few predicted we would get over 10,000 runners. Poker truly is booming right now.
Thoughts on the payout structure? Let us know in the comments:
