39th
Annual World Series of Poker® Establish New Milestones for Entrants, Prize Pool
& Global Participation
58,720 Entrants,
$180,676,248 in Prize Money and 118 Different Nationalities
Combine for
Biggest WSOP Ever
LAS VEGAS (July
9, 2008) – It's official –
the 2008 World Series of Poker Presented by Milwaukee's Best Light is the
largest and richest in the event's 39-year history.
Tournament
officials today released final figures for the 55-event, 47-day poker
extravaganza held annually each summer at the Rio® All-Suites Hotel & Casino
in Las Vegas. Both total player entries
and payouts reached all-time highs, as did the number of countries and
territories represented by the participants.
"The results this
year demonstrate the increasing global appeal of our events and the universal
recognition that winning a World Series of Poker gold bracelet is poker's
ultimate achievement," said World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey
Pollack.
The records set
at the 39th Annual World Series of Poker are:
- 58,720 player
entries (an increase of
4,432 or 8% over last year's 54,288).
- $180,676,248
prize pool (an increase of
$20,880,030 over last year).
- 118 different
countries/territories entered into an
event (an increase of 31)
- 3,929 entrants in
a non-Main Event – largest live
tournament field in history
- Event #2 - $1500
buy-in No Limit Texas Hold'em
The total number
of countries and territories represented at this year's WSOP – 118 – constitutes
an amazing rise in global participation. The five-year trend best illustrates the
growth, believed to be the largest global increase in any sport:
YEAR # of COUNTRIES/TERRITORIES
PARTICIPATING IN WSOP
- 2008
118 (36% increase y-o-y)
- 2007
87 (61% increase y-o-y)
- 2006
54 (32% increase y-o-y)
- 2005
41 (32% increase y-o-y)
- 2004
24
Players from
every U.S. state and Canadian province have cashed at the 2008 WSOP, and to date
more than 57 countries have cashed, with the Main Event payouts still to be
determined.
The Main Event,
the $10,000 buy-in World Championship of No Limit Texas Hold'em, the crown jewel
of the annual global poker calendar, is now underway and will continue until
July 14 when the field is whittled down to nine, with a champion then crowned on
November 11. The Main Event opened with
four starting days (July 3-6) to accommodate the second-largest field in history
vying for a $9,119,517 first place prize.
Complete Main
Event details are as follows:
- Net Prize Pool: $64,333,600 (2007: 59,784,954)
- # of Entries: 6,844 (2007: 6,358)
- Players Paid: 666
- 1st Place:
$9,119,517 (2007:
$8,250,000)
- 2nd Place:
$5,790,024
- 3rd Place:
$4,503,352
- 4th Place:
$3,763,515
- 5th Place:
$3,088,012
- 6th Place:
$2,412,510
- 7th Place:
$1,769,174
- 8th Place:
$1,286,672
- 9th Place:
$900,670
- 666th Place:
$21,230
- Defending Champ:
Jerry Yang
- November Nine will be vying for a prize pool of
$32,633,446
The most notable
innovation at the 2008 World Series of Poker will be a groundbreaking format
change for the Main Event. For the first time 39-year WSOP history, the Final
Table of the Main Event will be televised in primetime on ESPN the very same day
that the WSOP World Champion receives his/her bracelet.
Once the final
nine players of the Main Event are set on July 14, action will be suspended for
117 days. The November NineSM players will have an opportunity during
that time to secure sponsors and coaches, study their opponents' play and devise
new playing strategies before reconvening at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino
on Nov. 9 to compete for the most coveted prize in poker.
The Main Event
winner will be determined in the early morning hours of Nov. 11 and, in a
telecast first, ESPN will air its November Nine final table coverage that night
beginning at 9:00 PM ET.
The
39th annual World Series of Poker began May 30 and runs through July
14 at the Rio All-Suite
Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The Main Event, with four start dates to
accommodate the large playing field, began on July 3. The Final Table will be
determined on July 14. The nine players who advance to the Final Table will
return to the Rio on November 9 to play down to just two players. The final two
will then go head-to-head late in the evening of November 10 to
determine the champion and winner of poker's ultimate prize.
ABOUT THE
WSOP
The
World Series of Poker (WSOP) Presented by Milwaukee's Best Light is the largest,
richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world. Featuring a
comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is
poker's longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2008, the event attracted more than 58,000 entrants from 118 different
countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel
and Casino in Las Vegas and awarded over $180 million in prize money as
players competed for game's most
coveted trophy, a WSOP bracelet.
Harrah's License Company, LLC., an affiliate of Harrah's
Entertainment, Inc., has owned and operated the WSOP since 2004 and over the last five years, fostered an
increase in player participation by nearly 300-percent.
In addition, the WSOP has experienced groundbreaking alliances in
broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully
expanding the brand internationally with the advent in 2007 of the World Series
of Poker EuropeSM. For more information on the World Series of Poker,
please visit our website at www.worldseriesofpoker.com.
ABOUT HARRAH'S
ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Harrah's
Entertainment, Inc. is the world's largest provider of branded casino
entertainment. Since its beginning in Reno, Nevada, more than 70 years ago,
Harrah's has grown through development of new properties, expansions and
acquisitions, and now owns or manages casinos on four continents. The Company's
properties operate primarily under the Harrah's®, Caesars® and Horseshoe® brand
names; Harrah's also owns the London Clubs International family of casinos and
the World Series of Poker®. Harrah's Entertainment is focused on building
loyalty and value with its customers through a unique combination of great
service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence
and technology leadership. For more information, please visit www.harrahs.com