WSOP Week 6 Wrap-up: 2022 Main Event the Second Biggest in History

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Last week was the biggest and most important one of the World Series of Poker thus far. It was the week that saw the start of the Main Event, one tournament that everyone was looking forward to.

There is always a lot of buzz leading up to the Main, and it was no different this time around. Whether you’re a player yourself or just a fan, it’s hard not to be excited for the biggest tournament of the year.

With the WSOP moving to the new venue and tens of thousands of players descending upon Vegas for the Series, it looked like we could have the largest-ever Main Event on our hands.

But, when it was all said and done, and when all numbers were in the books, the tournament fell just short of breaking the 2006 record.

The final tally came to 8,663 players, enough to take over the second spot from the 2019 Main Event (8,569) but about a hundred players behind the 2006 tournament (8,773).

$10,000,000 for the Winner

The total prize pool for the 2022 Main Event stands at $80,782,475. The eventual winner will get to claim the lion’s share of it as they’ll walk away with $10,000,000 in prize money and the most coveted bracelet in all of poker.

Eight of the nine players making the final table will receive seven figures, while the first to go will have to be content with “just” $850,000.

This year, the total number of players paid in the Main Event is 1,300, and the bubble burst on Saturday. All 1,299 players remaining in the tournament will get at least $15,000 for their efforts.

The Main Event is now playing the first hand of Hand for Hand with 1,304 players remaining, 4 from the $

— WSOP – World Series of Poker (@WSOP) July 10, 2022

That number will be cut significantly tonight (Sunday), as players will reconvene for Day 4 to continue their journey towards the final table.

The nine-handed final table is scheduled for Friday, July 15, and Saturday, July 16. So, it will take another week before we have the name of the latest (un)official poker world champion.

The tournament saw many big names fall along the way, including Daniel Negreanu and Phil Hellmuth, whose grandiose entrance was overshadowed by his quick exit.

There are still several former WSOP champs in contention, though, including Ryan Riess, Greg Merson, Koray Aldemir, John Cynn, and Damian Salas.

Getting past the bubble is just the first important step on the way to winning the Main Event title. The remaining players all still have a long road ahead of them, and it will be exciting to see who is still standing when the action winds down to the last few tables.

The World Series Entering the Final Stretch

The exciting poker summer will be reaching its zenith this upcoming week. There are about a dozen more tournaments on the schedule, including a couple of championship events (Razz and 6-max Hold’em) and a $50,000 High Roller.

For those chasing the Player of the Year title, these events represent the final opportunity to get some extra points and improve their position on the leaderboard.

For many others, they are a chance to perhaps turn things around at the last moment and make the 2022 World Series at least somewhat successful.

One player that comes to mind in this context is certainly Daniel Negreanu.

The Canadian has been on a real grind since the start of the Series, playing every single day and trying to make something happen. However, cards refused to cooperate, and so far, he failed to reach any final tables.

Phil Ivey, whose presence at this year’s WSOP was a pleasant surprise for the fans, put on the grind as well, and he had a few decent scores along the way. He even came inches away from winning another bracelet, only to be denied at the last moment.

But this could change during the final stretch, and Ivey could break away from the pack with bracelet number 11.

Player of the Year Update

While it is still too early to announce the 2022 Player of the Year winner, things are looking very good for Daniel Zack.

Zack has 4,032 points, almost 1,000 more than his namesake Weinman. While this isn’t an insurmountable advantage, there aren’t that many tournaments left to catch up.

Shaun Deeb is in the third spot with 2,488 points, and he’d have to go on quite a bit heater to catch up.

Of course, stranger things have happened in poker, so we won’t rush to pronounce any winners just yet.

For example, Koray Aldemir currently has 2,296 points, and he is still in the Main Event. If he were to win, he’d get 1,731 points, bringing him neck-to-neck with Zack.

Either way, we’ll know soon enough as the World Series of Poker enters its final week, which is always filled with excitement!