Poker Online

Category: Poker Online

Officials from World Series of Poker have this Monday announced that twenty two avid gamblers have agreed to put up the $1 million stake required to buy into what is being referred to as the most expensive card tournament in history. This is an official bracelet competition and will count towards title records and series earnings.

Seth Palansky, a spokesman for World Series of Poker, told members of the press last Monday that a further seven players are expected to commit their cash, making this the highest WSOP prize ever. The current record is held by Jamie Gold, who won $12 million after beating over 9000 opponents in the 2006 Texas Hold’em “no-limit” event.

Even is the list of players were to stay at 22, the top prize would be a whopping $8.89 million, which is almost $200,000 more than Pius Heinz won at the main event three weeks ago. The German was happy with his winnings, but the various poker sites out there are reporting this is nothing compared to the potential this time around. If all goes to plan and the top prize passes that of the main event in 2006, the winner will certainly be catapulted to the very top of the World Series of Poker all-time biggest winners list.

Looking back to 1976 and we see the now infamous Doyle Brunson picking up a respectable $220,000 after winning the main event. WSOP officials used this field size and adopted it as the minimum for all future events. The latest $1 million buy-in interestingly includes a sizeable chunk going to charity, with the tournament expected to raise over $2 million for One Drop, a Montreal-based organization. Curiously, but perhaps not surprisingly, One Drop is run by Guy Laliberte, who for those who don’t know is organizing the upcoming tournament. Some may also know him from his work with Cirque du Soleil. Not only this, but a further 10% will be taken from the amount goes to World Series of Poker officials as payment for hosting the event.