
The last week at the 2024 World Series of Poker was all about the Main Event. The action in the biggest yearly poker tournament in the world got underway on Wednesday with Day 1A, the first of the fours scheduled Day 1 flights.
There was no lack of excitement for the tournament, as seasoned pros and eager amateurs alike gathered to take their shot at becoming the poker champion of the world.
One big question on everyone’s minds, however, was if the 2024 WSOP Main Event would break the attendance record set last year. By the way things are looking after all four Day 1 flights have been completed, it seems that this won’t be the case, although we’ll only have the final numbers once the late registration ends on the upcoming two Day 2 flights.
Over 9,000 Players Showing Up
Players showed up in force for this year’s Main Event, and by the time Day 1D concluded, the tournament clock was showing 9,353 entries.
This was an impressive number, big enough to make this the second-biggest Main Event in history already.
The tournament didn’t quite manage to break last year’s record of 10,043 players, but the late registration remains open for Day 2ABC and Day 2D, so if some 700 players decide to join the action at the last minute, we could get there.
Whether this happens or not is anyone’s guess. It would be nice for the Main Event record to be broken twice in as many years after it had stayed unchallenged for so long. But either way, the massive turnout, and the second-largest field ever are a big positive signal for all fans of live poker action.
Many Big Names Survive Day 1 Carnage
Like every year, many of poker’s biggest names joined the Main Event action, and, as is usual, many of them managed to navigate the massive field, some with more success than others.
Daniel Negreanu is one of those who survived but have not actually thrived. Kid Poker ended up bagging 37,000 out of the starting stack of 60,000 after having a rough day in the trenches. Still, he has more than enough ammo to keep the fight going when the action resumes.
Phil Ivey is among the survivors as well, but he did a bit better for himself, as he’ll be coming back to a stack of over 160,000.
Phil Hellmuth has become notorious for his grandiose Main Event entrances, and he did not disappoint this year, either. He turned up wearing a black karate gi and surrounded by the likes of Dan ‘Jungelman’ Cates, Joe Stapleton, Shannon Elizabeth, and a few others.
Phil’s entrance was more impressive than his performance at the tables, but he still managed to bag just over the starting stack for Day 2.
Among others who found a bag after the full day of play in the Main Event are many accomplished players like Brian Rast, Chance Kornuth who ended with over 500,000 in chips, the chess player and influencer turned poker pro Alexandra Botez, to just mention a few.
Long Road Ahead
The Main Event continues with Day 2 action on July 7 and 8. July 7 will see survivors from Day 1 A, B, and C, while July 8 will gather all players who made it through Day 1 D, which was (as is always the case) by far the biggest starting flight.
This is only the beginning of the grueling journey to the final table, though. Those who make it to the end will have to play a full ten days of poker.
The 2024 WSOP Main Event final table will start on July 16, and it will play down to four players. The action will then pause, and the remaining four will come back to play down to the champion on July 17.
WSOP officials have predicted that the money bubble will burst on Day 4, probably during early levels of play. So, just to make the money and have something to show for their efforts, players will need to last for at least another couple of days, which is no easy task.
As the action continues, we’ll be keeping a close eye on the happenings in the Main Event, and it will be particularly interesting to see if late-registering players can make up the difference and push the 2024 Main Event over the line to make it the biggest one in poker history!