LAS VEGAS (AP) – The best in golf shoot for a green jacket at the Masters. The deftest in tennis try for a title at Wimbledon. And the most skilled in poker attempt to earn a bracelet at the World Series of Poker no-limit Texas Hold ’em Main Event.
The premier poker tournament opens Saturday in Las Vegas with an attendance expected to surpass 6,000 players. The men and women, including pros, amateurs, athletes and celebrities, will risk $10,000 and put themselves through a mentally and physically grueling schedule to try to earn a piece of the more than $60 million prize pool, a gold bracelet and bragging rights.
“It’s very simple. It’s kind of like the Super Bowl of poker. It’s the single most important tournament of the year,” said Jonathan Duhamel, who won the Main Event in 2010. “Your whole life is going to change if you win that tournament.”
The Main Event is the end of this year’s edition of the World Series of Poker, whose dozens of tournaments have once again drawn tens of thousands of poker fans and players from around the world to compete for millions of dollars in prize money at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. Over 10 days, the number of players will shrink down to nine, who will go on to compete for the top prize.
Last year, the Main Event alone saw 6,737 players. Las Vegas resident Qui Nguyen bested the competition to take home more than $8 million and the coveted bracelet made from 427 grams of white and yellow gold and more than 2,000 diamonds and rubies totaling more than 44 carats.