World Series of Poker Guide

The World Series of Poker is a collection of the most prestigious poker tournaments found anywhere. The WSOP first appeared in 1970 however it was actually 20 years earlier that the idea was born. The World Series of Poker annual event is unparalleled by any other poker event and a World Series of Poker champion is seen to be one of the elite.

In 1949, gambling icon Benny Binion hosted a high-stakes poker marathon between famed gamblers Nicholas 'Nick the Greek' Dandolos, and Johnny Moss. Moss won "the biggest game in town" and an estimated $2 million pay packet. 21 years later Binion revived the event and dubbed it the "World Series of Poker". Again, Johnny Moss won. In 2004, a field of 2,576 entered the 35th Championship event, playing for a total prize pool of more than $49 million across 45 events. Every since, year on year the prize pools have grown and the popularity has exceeded most early expectations.

One of the big draws of such a series of events is the appeal that an ordinary player can before a World Champion. This happened in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker won the 2003 WSOP Championship having won his way to the main event through a $40 online satellite.

All the top poker rooms feature online qualifiers each year, usually starting in February / March preceding the June start date.

The set up of the tournament series is such that there are many different games played in the build up to the No-limit holdem main event. There are Omaha, 5 Card Stud, 7 Card Stud, 2-7 Lowball, even games such as 10-Game and H.O.R.S.E are featured. The winner of each event wins a WSOP Bracelet. 2015 saw the introduction of the first online WSOP bracelet. event.

Top 10 WSOP Earners

There have been a great many bracelets given out over the years. Ever wondered who is at the top of the earners lists? Here are the most successful WSOP winners to date:

As you can see, many of the top earners only have one bracelet. to their names. Many of these players have a main even bracelet. to their names. Antonio Esfandiari tops the list due to his massive take down of the One Drop in 2012 in which he won first place and the $18.3M which accompanied.

Whilst Phil Hellmuth has the most bracelet. wins by a margin, Annette Obrestad holds the record as the youngest ever bracelet. winner at 18 years and 364 days old. Paul McKinney holds the record as the oldest bracelet. winner at 80 years of age.