The topsoil is still moist over the graves of WSOP Champion Greg Merson’s victims after the Maryland native buried his final table competitors to become the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event winner just two short weeks ago on Wednesday, October 31st. One bracelet heavier and $8.53 million richer, Merson may not yet have concern for the dates of next year’s WSOP events—too busy spending all that well-deserved money—but I would bet a stiff stack of chips that many of the players he survived would be interested in knowing that the schedule for the 2013 World Series of Poker is already being inked.
The WSOP pit crew didn’t appear to have put too much effort into building fresh new time slots with innovative tables or more sophisticated tournament regimes; not like last year when the crowd ooo’d and ahhh’d over the phantasmagoric addition of The Big One for One Drop. The 2013 WSOP looks an awful lot like it did in 2012, in fact, with a notable lack of The Big One, a $1 million dollar buy-in charity event where 1/9th of all the cash went to the One Drop foundation. The 2013 WSOP will not see another Big One among the tournament roster this year, but talk around the World Series of Poker Main Event table two weeks ago alluded to the massive event’s impending return in 2014.
The head honchos at the World Series of Poker haven’t released a full day by day, hour by hour schedule just yet, but we do have some exclusive details to satiate the masses. What we know we will be looking forward to in the coming year is 49 uninterrupted days of non-stop, full-throttle, poker grinding action in the heart of Las Vegas, where an estimated 60 events will be unleashed upon the felted tables of the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.
The WSOP website is guaranteeing a throng of proceedings during the massive 49-day poker holiday that will range from cash games and satellites to daily deep stacks and the awarding of coveted gold bracelets.
It will all begin on May 29, 2013 at the Rio Las Vegas and will continue with perpetual action all the way up until the final nine of the World Series of Poker Main Event are realized on July 16th. The 10-day $10k buy-in 2013 WSOP No Limit Hold’em Main Event Championship – the world’s largest and longest running poker tournament – will run July 7th to the 16th.
The Rio Convention Center floors will be teaming with 500 glorious poker tables to accommodate the multitude of events and side games that will be going on, including 7 weeks of unceasing cash games throughout.
The 2012 WSOP saw the largest crowd ever participating in the renowned summer festival. A total of 74,766 players from 101 countries registered across 61 events, drawing more than $222 million in prize pools. With final preparations and complete day-to-day scheduling currently underway, the 2013 WSOP is sure to be another one for the record books.
