2011 WSOP schedule released

Time to start looking down the back of the sofa for a few extra buy-ins as details of poker’s biggest showpiece have just been released, the 2011 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

The Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino will open its doors to the poker masses on May 31 for 50 days of all-out poker action. And the 42nd Annual WSOP will boast one more event than last time round, bringing the total number of big money prizepools up for grabs to an astonishing 58.

Things will kick as they always do with the $500 Casino Employees event, but there’s a new Heads-UP $25,000 to follow, while a Badugi event will take place for the first time in the series’ long history.

There will be 12 ‘Championship’ Events, carrying a minimum $10,000 buy-in, and the popular Chip Reese Memorial event, The Player’s Championship, has been pushed back a few weeks this time round, serving as a juicy prelude to the Main Event on July 7.

Preregistration opens in just a few weeks, February 7, so dust off your passport and get a bag at the ready! And as always, PokerPlayer will be there to bring you all the biggest news and gossip from the 2011 WSOP this summer.