The script for the 2020 World Series of Poker (WSOP) still has an echo, but it’s diminishing in volume. The first announcement came before Christmas with a dozen glitz and glamour events creating a solid foundation, and now it’s time to add something more substantial.
Over the years, the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Championship events have become some of the most decadent desserts in this recipe book, and high Rollers feast on them like insomniac-ridden locusts,
Sixteen $10,000 Championship events spanning 24 variants of poker ensures not a superfluous song exists amongst this scintillating symphony. Daniel Negreanu will be pleased to know that the format of 15 of the 17 events is ‘Freezeout,’ with a single re-entry during the open registration period available for the Short-Deck and No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw events.
Kajagoogoo once sang:
“You’re too shy, shy, hush-hush, eye to eye.”
If that’s you, then you’re in luck.
For the first time in WSOP history, there is a $10,000 WSOP Championship No-Limit Hold ’em event available online at WSOP.com, meaning you don’t have to leave the front door to win a sliver of gold. And don’t think for one minute that you’re looking at the vanishing point. I can see $25,000 High Roller online events filling the pages of this recipe book before too long.
Speaking of $25,000+ events, and so far the WSOP has kept their powder dry except for the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship (PPC). The game most pros believe is the most illustrious outside of the WSOP Main Event begins on Monday, June 22.
The 5-day, 6-handed event, with 100-minute levels undergoes a splash of paintwork with the addition of No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw taking the number of games up to nine.
The History of the PPC
2006: David ‘Chip’ Reese beats 143-entrants ($1,716,000)
2007: Freddy Deeb beats 148-entrants ($2,276,832)
2008: Scotty Nguyen beats 148-entrants ($1,989,120)
2009: David Bach beats 95-entrants (1m276,802)
2010: Michael Mizrachi beats 116-entrants ($1,559,046)
2011: Brian Rast beats 128-entrants ($1,720,328)
2012: Michael Mizrachi beats 108-entrants ($1,451,527)
2013: Matthew Ashton beats 132-entrants ($1,774,089)
2014: John Hennigan beats 102-entrants ($1,517,767)
2015: Mike Gorodinsky beats 84-entrants ($1,270,086)
2016: Brian Rast beats 91-entrants ($1,296,097)
2017: Elior Sion beats 100-entrants ($1,395,767)
2018: Michael Mizrachi beats 87-entrants ($1,239,126)
2019: Phil Hui beats 74-entrants ($1,099,311)
The one omission from the schedule is the $10,000 No-Limit Hold ’em Heads-Up Championship. We reached out to the WSOP for comment, and Seth Palansky, Vice-President, Corporate Communications for Caesars Interactive Entertainment Inc., sais:
“We are still putting the pieces together for rest of schedule. I do anticipate us having a Heads Up event in 2020, it just won’t be at the $10k buy in amount it has been in recent years.”
WSOP Championship Leaderboard
During the debacle of the 2019 WSOP Player of the Year (PoY) award, where Daniel Negreanu won his third title, before seeing it handed to Robert Campbell through a points tally error, someone in the poker Twitter universe suggested a WSOP Championship Leaderboard.
Well, it’s happening.
We don’t have any details yet, but we’ll bring them to you when they arrive on our desk.
In the meantime, here is the full schedule.