The WPT Prime Championship at the Wynn in Las Vegas has gotten off to a strong start once again, looking to topple the last year’s record-breaking field of over 10,000 entries.
After the dust had settled for Day 1A, the tournament clock was showing 1,264 entries, a very respectable number for the first of four starting flights on the 2024 event schedule.
Compared to the 2023 tournament, the World Poker Tour Prime Championship is behind the pace as the last year’s Day 1A saw a baffling 1,636 entries. That said, there is plenty of time left of the coming three flights for things to catch up.
The Guarantee Will Be Broken
With well over a thousand entries to start the proceedings, it’s already safe to say that the 2024 WPT Prime Championship will easily break its $5,000,000 guarantee.
The only real question is by how much and if it will be able to topple the last year’s record. In 2023, Calvin Anderson triumphed in the field of 10,512 players, banking just shy of $1.4 million for his efforts.
For a $1k tournament, this was truly a remarkable result.
This turnout helped the WPT Prime Championship establish itself as the go-to event for mid-stakes grinder, promising great returns for those who manage a deep run.
The $5,000,000 guarantee is also one of the biggest on offer for a buy-in of this size, so it is no surprise that players from all over the US and the world flock to Las Vegas in December to take their shot.
The only slightly negative thing for the turnout is a very dense tournament schedule this month, with the WSOP Paradise and the EPT Prague playing out at the same time, forcing some players to pick their end-of-year battleground.
158 in the Money Already
Out of the 1,200-odd players that started yesterday, 158 of them managed to find the bag for Day 2. All of them are now guaranteed at least a min-cash, the size of which will be determined once the registration is over and the final prize pool is announced.
Leading the way thus far is Shiina Okamoto of Japan with 1.7 million in chips, which will equate to 170 big blinds once the action resumes for Day 2. Okamoto is an experienced player with close to $700,000 in live earning and the winner of this year’s WSOP Ladies Championship.
This is to say that Okamoto knows her way around tournament chips and having a big stack once all players merge for Day 2 will be a big advantage.
The action will continue today with Day 1B. Just like yesterday, players are allowed one re-entry per flight, and this is a commendable decision by the WPT, showing that they care not only about the numbers but also providing a fairly level playing field where pros with big bankrolls can’t simply fire a bullet after bullet until they build a big stack.
It will take some doing for the field to reach the 10,000 mark this year, but the possibility is certainly still in the cards, and we’ll have a better idea once today’s registration is over.
