The World Series of Poker is underway with players pouring in from around the world to play. Fans can check out the action via PokerGO live streaming, online reports, and social media. But what’s an average day like? Those who haven’t attended will find a hustle and bustle unlike any other poker festival.
From bracelet events to cash games to daily non-bracelet tournaments, there’s a real energy each day as players flood Bally’s and Paris on the Las Vegas Strip. Here’s a look at an average day at the series on Saturday, June 25, with some insight into what goes on each summer in Las Vegas.
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The Day Begins
9:17 a.m. – Weekend action usually includes lower buy-in events for weekend warriors. The second starting flight of the $400 COLOSSUS begins at 10 a.m. and plenty of players are already lining the halls waiting for the doors to open. Grabbing coffees, discussing strategies, chit-chatting with friends, and of course telling bad beat stories from earlier events are all part of the morning’s events.
9:45 a.m. – The hall is full of players ready for the COLOSSUS, a final table and six-figure prize on the minds of many.
10 a.m. – The doors finally open and a swell of COLOSSUS players take their seats in Bally’s and Paris with nearly every table in use. This is the second and final starting flight, with the first flight drawing 5,869 entries. Organizers are expecting an even bigger field today.
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11:41 a.m. – Lines spill into the halls as registered COLOSSUS players wait to be seated. The huge-field events can be difficult at times to manage, but players continue coming back for more.
12:03 p.m. It’s the first break of the day in the COLOSSUS and thousands of players flood the halls looking for the nearest bathroom. Players speaking Spanish, French, Italian, and more can be heard strolling through the halls, befitting the European vibe given off by the Paris decor.
This is the first year for the series on the Las Vegas Strip, at Bally’s and Paris. The cavernous Paris convention space features poker tables as far as the eye can see. The venue not only hosts WSOP bracelet events but also satellites, daily non-bracelet events with smaller buy-ins, and single-table tournaments. The area also hosts cash games including high stakes in the VIP Kings Lounge venue. Stakes on this day run up to $50/$100, but go as high as $100/$200. Thousands of dollars can change hands on a single turn of the cards.
1:20 p.m. – Players are still coming into the tournament venue for the COLOSSUS. Mike Wesolek made it through the first starting flight on Friday and returns for Day 2 on Sunday, although he’s nursing a short stack. Managing an event with so many players takes some finagling, as Wesolek witnessed on Day 1A.
“It was a grind yesterday,” he says. “We played for 16 hours because we had a 45-minute delay to start the day and they extended the breaks.”
Another WSOP Tournament Underway
2:40 p.m. – Day 2 of the $2,500 Nine-Game Mix Six-Handed is underway in Bally’s with poker heavyweights Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu in the field. Both enter with decent chip stacks with Hellmuth hoping for his 17th bracelet and Negreanu looking for No. 7.
Also among the returning players are 2004 Main Event runner-up David Williams, 2021 WSOP Player of the Year Josh Arieh, and actor and poker player James Woods.
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3 p.m. – Dropping a quarter-million bucks on a poker tournament would be out of the question for the vast majority of Americans, but that’s exactly the buy-in for the $250,000 Super High Roller. The event brought in 56 entries for a $13.9 million prize pool with the winner cashing in for $4.6 million.
The tournament has reached the final table with big names still in the mix. That includes chip leader Alex Foxen, Phil Ivey, and Spanish superstar Adrian Mateos who is also the defending champion. Most players at this level have backers or sell “pieces” of their action. This cuts down on risk at such nosebleed stakes, with some having as little as 30% of their own action.
A nice smattering of fans crowd around the rail and in the seating area at the WSOP Main Stage, the set used for televised and streaming coverage via PokerGO and CBS Sports.
4:14 p.m. – A thunderous cheer erupts from the WSOP Main Stage set as fans celebrate a big hand.
4:43 p.m. – Negreanu wins some big hands to take the chip lead in the $2,500 Nine-Game Mix. Onlookers crowd around the ropes in front of his playing area to check in on his play.
6:30 p.m. – The final two tables from a $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em event are also now playing out out on the secondary tables of the WSOP Main Stage. The WSOP has added a larger viewing area and television stage for fans, with several feature tables for those running deep in a tournament.
The winner walks away with $527,944. The final 16 players offer a great example of just what an international event the festival has become with players from Brazil, Germany, Greece, South Korea, Bulgaria, Australia, Canada, Portugal, France, Belgium, and the U.S.
Alex Foxen Wins $250k Super High Roller for $4.56 Million
6:58 p.m. – The $250,000 Super High Roller comes to a close with Foxen coming out on top. His rail erupts and he raises his shiny new gold bracelet for all to see after taking down the biggest buy-in event of the series.
Despite a huge career with wins on the game’s biggest stages, this is his first WSOP bracelet. The victory moves his live tournament winnings to $26.5 million.
“It definitely means a lot to me,” Foxen said. “It's kind of been a bit of a monkey on the back. I’ve always wanted a bracelet and had some close spots. I was always disappointed to not get one and this feels like a really special one to get my first in.”
The heads-up battle showed a dichotomy often seen in high rollers, with well-heeled businessmen battling against some of the world’s best players. Brandon Steven hails from Wichita, Kansas, and owns auto dealerships and health clubs. He’s a high-stakes regular with $3.2 million in winnings coming into the event. He finished runner-up and added another $2.8 million to that total.
Another Day at the WSOP Comes to an End
7:41 p.m. – The COLOSSUS reaches a truly colossal 7,601 entries with registration still open. Another event is also underway in Paris with the $5,000 Mixed No-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha event at 635 entries.
In the Kings Lounge, 14 cash tables are also raging with more players signing up and looking to take a seat. The poker never seems to stop at the WSOP.
10:38 p.m. – The third day of action wraps up in the $1,000 Seniors Championship with Kathy Liebert leading the returning 18 players. It’s been a nice week for Liebert, who was announced as one of the Poker Hall of Fame’s 10 nominees earlier in the week. She returns Sunday to battle for her second bracelet and top prize of $694,909.
1:12 a.m. – Day 1B of the $400 COLOSSUS comes to a close after 7,704 entries for this starting flight and only around 1,000 advancing to Day 2. In total, the tournament produced a massive 13,573 entries - the sixth-largest WSOP field ever.
2:52 a.m. – Action in the $2,500 Nine-Game Mix tournament comes to a close with only 25 players remaining. Some big names will be back in the field on Sunday including Daniel Negreanu and Phil Helmuth.
Plenty of eyes will be on the feature tables in the WSOP Main Stage as the action plays out, all battling for the coveted gold bracelet and $219,799. Play has concluded for the day, but thousands of players will be back in Bally’s / Paris again when the sun comes up to do it all over again.
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