2015 WSOP schedule – exciting new events announced

Looking for a few good excuses to go to Vegas this summer to play for a bracelet? You’ve come to the right place

The WSOP doesn’t like to rest on its laurels. Each and every year the suits behind the bracelets change things up – usually after consulting with the players. But this year they’ve outdone themselves with a raft of sweeping changes that are set to make this year’s WSOP, if not the biggest and best, the most accessible to date.

You’ll already have heard the earlier announcements – the addition of a $565 buy-in event dubbed the Colossus, and the guarantee of paying 1,000 players in the Main Event (if at least 5,000 players turn up).

Overnight the full schedule was dropped and there’s more to celebrate. In addition to the $5m guaranteed Colossus, there are ten brand new events.

The new events

May 31: Event #6 – $1,000 Hyper No-Limit Hold’em with a fast, two-day structure
June 20: Event #42 – $1,500 Extended Play No-Limit Hold’em featuring longer, 90-minute levels
June 21: Event #43 – $1,000 Super Seniors No-Limit Hold’em (65+)
June 26: Event #53 – $5,000 Turbo No-Limit Hold’em, two-day structure with a high buy-in
June 27: Event #55 – $1,500 DraftKings 50/50 No-Limit Hold’em. Half the field to be paid
June 29: Event #60 – $25,000 High Roller 8-handed Pot-Limit Omaha, four-day event.
July 1: Event #62 – $1,500 Bounty No-Limit Hold’em. Every player is a bounty worth $500
July 3: Event #65 – $777 Lucky 7’s No-Limit Hold’em, featuring the first-ever $777 buy-in
July 3: Event #67 – $10,000 Dealers Choice, featuring 19 variants – the most ever played in a single WSOP event

Pretty good, right? And there’s more. Because the tenth new event is the first ever online bracelet, although don’t get too excited. You have to play on WSOP.com July 2 and if you get to the final two you have to be at the Rio the next day to play heads-up. It’s a novel way to get more people playing on their software, but it could also open up the possibility of players grinding at a live table while simultaneously playing down to the bracelet online.

More chips please

Payouts have always been good at the WSOP but chip stacks have generally been a bit weedy. That’s set to change in 2015 for all events with a buy-in under $10,000.

$565 buy-in: 5,000 starting chips – 100 big blinds
$777 buy-in: 5,000 starting chips – 100 big blinds
$1,000 buy-in: 5,000 starting chips (increase of 66% over 2014) – 100 big blinds
$1,500 buy-in: 7,500 starting chips (increase of 66% over 2014) – 150 big blinds
$2,500 buy-in: 12,500 starting chips (increase of 66% over 2014) – 167 big blinds
$3,000 buy-in: 15,000 starting chips (increase of 66% over 2014) – 200 big blinds
$5,000 buy-in: 25,000 starting chips (increase of 66% over 2014) – 250 big blinds

In total there are three more bracelet events compared to last year, making a total of 68. Has one of them got your name on? Download the full schedule here, print it out and stick it on your wall now!

And the action doesn’t just stop at the bracelets. Three daily Deepstacks will play out at the Rio from May 27 – July 14 at 3pm ($235 buy-in), 6pm ($185 buy-in) and 10pm ($135 buy-in). These are all one day events. You can also try your hand at satellites from single tables to mega-satellites. $330 megas start at 5pm, $550 megas start at 8pm and if you’re an early bird you can play the $75 turbo megas at 8am and the $185 megas at 10am.

All that leaves is the official WSOP video. Which is as underwhelming as the WSOP news is exciting. Oh well, you can’t have everything.