World Series of Poker announces plans for 2021

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) today announced much-anticipated plans for 2021, including the return of the live, in-person World Series of Poker event and $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em World Championship, best known as "The Main Event®".

The world-famous tournament series, which experienced record-smashing participation in 2019 and adjusted to a hybrid format to accommodate 2020, will be back in-person at Rio All-Suite Hotel &  Casino this fall pending applicable state and/or regulatory approvals.  Cards will be in the air for a diverse calendar of events beginning Thursday, Sept. 30 with all play concluding on Tuesday, Nov. 23. 

The 2021 opening weekend is expected to feature a special charity event to benefit frontline health workers, a $25,000 H.O.R.S.E. and a $5 million GTD No-Limit Hold'em event billed as "The Reunion."

Further details and specifics on the complete schedule will be released this summer.

"The Main Event" is expected to begin Thursday, Nov. 4 and run through Wednesday, Nov. 17.  Players will have their choice of four starting days on Thursday, Nov. 4, Friday, Nov. 5, Saturday, Nov. 6, or Sunday Nov. 7.  Players participating on Thursday or Friday will have their Day 2 on Monday, Nov. 8 if they survive the first day with chips.  Those selecting Saturday or Sunday for an opening flight will play their Day 2 on Tuesday, Nov. 9, with the fields combining on Wednesday, Nov. 10.

Hotel room reservations are now being accepted across Caesars Entertainment's Las Vegas resorts, including the headquarters at Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, with rates as low as $60 for existing Caesars Rewards members. 

Specific COVID-19 safety protocols and other related 2021 tournament policies will be reviewed with gaming regulators in the lead-up to the event.  The World Series of Poker will be compliant with all directives from the state of Nevada regarding social distancing and capacity limits on the tournament dates. 

"This year, more than ever, we embrace our role at the WSOP to deliver memorable experiences and bring this community of poker lovers back together.  In 2021, the theme is, get vaccinated and get back to Vegas," said Ty Stewart, WSOP Executive Director.

WSOP Online 2021

Building off last summer's record-setting success for both domestic and international online poker tournaments, WSOP plans to fill the summer void with an exciting slate of WSOP Gold Bracelet online events.

In 2020, WSOP.com's domestic series awarded nearly $27 million in prize money across its 31 events, making it far and away the biggest online tournament series in the history of U.S. regulated poker.

Similarly, WSOP Online 2020 was a massive draw for international players in partnership with GGPoker, with the WSOP Online Main Event smashing the Guinness Book World Record for largest online poker tournament with a $27.5 million prize pool for a single event.  In total, nearly $150 million in prize money was awarded across the festival, including seven-figure prize pools in 45 events, making it amongst the biggest tournament series in history.

WSOP.com will hold the domestic tournaments on its All-American Poker Network beginning Thursday, July 1, closing with a $1,000 championship. Qualification will be available for as little as $1. 

Complete information about the WSOP Online tournament schedule will be released and published on www.wsop.com on April 15, 2021. Additional information on the international component of WSOP Online 2021 will be published shortly thereafter. 

WSOP Europe 2021

WSOP Europe is expected to round out the year of poker action with its return to King's Casino in Rozvadov, Czech Republic running from Friday, Nov. 19 through Tuesday, Dec. 8, subject to regulatory approval. 

"We hope and anticipate travel restrictions will ease by the fall," said Stewart. "It's important to us that we have an excellent tournament schedule available to our European players."

The tournament is expected to include 15 gold bracelet events, including a 10,000 euro buy-in WSOP Europe Main Event and a 50,000 euro High Roller event.  For more information on King's Casino and to book hotel rooms, visit https://kings-resort.com/.

Please note: The ability to hold a live, in-person event will be subject to the state of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 and all applicable health, safety, and regulatory approvals, guidelines, and restrictions. WSOP reserves the right to make appropriate modifications to this plan and to the policies and procedures under which the tournament series may be held.