The World Series of Poker made its debut in 1970, although the main event didn’t begin until 1971. There were just six entrants that year, but it only took a few summers before tournament organizer and casino owner Benny Binion began to see its potential.
“This poker game here gets us a lot of attention,” Binion said in 1973. “We had seven players last year, and this year we had 13. I look to have better than 20 next year. It’s even liable to get up to be 50… might get up to be more than that. It will eventually.”
Despite his optimism, not even Binion could foresee what the series would grow into in the last 47 years. The main event crossed the 50-player mark in 1979, and with the invention of satellite tournaments, and eventually hole card cameras, online poker and the Moneymaker boom, poker exploded in popularity.
In 2015, 6,420 players from 80 different nations each put up the $10,000 buy-in to create a prize pool of more than $60 million. Men and women as young as 21 and as old as 94 participated, hoping to make a deep run and get a real shot at a life-changing score. The eventual winner was Pennsylvania native Joe McKeehen, who took home $7,683,346.
This year’s tournament kicks off with the first of three starting days on Saturday, July 9, but the final table of nine won’t be determined until late Monday, July 18. Those players will return to the Rio in Las Vegas on Oct. 30 to battle down to a champion who is expected to walk away with a prize close to $8 million.
The final 15 percent, or 1,000 players, will make a minimum of $15,000 for finishing in the money. Players will start with 50,000 in starting chips, up from 30,000, and levels will be two hours long.
Highlights from the tournament will be broadcast on ESPN each Sunday night leading up to the November Nine, and the final table will be featured in a three-night live finale.
Be sure to check back each night on Card Player for a recap of all the action, as well as overnight chip counts from the field.
Here is a look back at the summer leading into the main event from Card Player TV:
For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2016 WSOP landing page complete with a full schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.
