The WSOP 2025 Main Event is well underway, with two of the four starting flights in the books. The $10,000 buy-in tournament, considered a dream tournament for many poker players, kicked off on Wednesday, July 2.
Day 1A drew 923 players, a slight uptick from the 915 entries recorded in the same flight last year. The bigger jump came on Day 1B, which attracted 1,096 runners, marking a 32% increase over the 831 players in 2024’s equivalent flight.
It is a promising start, and if the upward trajectory continues, we could see another record field. Last year, the WSOP 2024 Main Event drew a record 10,112 players. With the first two flights having attracted 2,019 players, the tournament needs 8,094 players for an all-time high again.
With Day 1C and 1D still to come today and tomorrow, both of which historically bring in the biggest crowds and late registration is still open through the early levels of Day 2 running during the weekend, there is plenty of time for this year’s edition to eclipse last year’s all-time high. Whether or not it happens will come down to how big those final two flights get.
We are only halfway through the Day 1 flights, and it is still not too late to jump in. But before you do, here are some interesting statistics and handy tips about the Main Event that every potential entrant should know.
What’s the Best Day to Register?
Technically, it does not matter which Day 1 flight you choose. The structure remains the same across all four, and players begin with the same stacks and blind levels. But historically, most winners tend to emerge from the more popular starting days, Day 1C and Day 1D.
Of the last six live editions (excluding the pandemic-affected 2020), five champions started on Day 1C or 1D. John Cynn (2018), Hossein Ensan (2019), and Koray Aldemir (2021) all entered on Day 1C, while Daniel Weinman (2023) and Jonathan Tamayo (2024) began their run on Day 1D.
Espen Jorstad, who won in 2022, is an exception; he entered early on Day 1A.
- John Cynn (2018): Day 1C
- Hossein Ensan (2019): Day 1C
- Daniel Weinman (2023): Day 1D
- Koray Aldemir (2021): Day 1C
- Espen Jorstad (2022): Day 1A
- Jonathan Tamayo (2024): Day 1D
If you’re on the fence about when to register, Day 1C and 1D offer the benefit of larger fields and slightly more familiar table dynamics, but it’s not a requirement. Players have won from all kinds of starting days.
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If you’re in Ontario, this is the place to get in on WSOP 2025 action from the comfort of your own home.
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If you’re in Pennsylvania, Michigan, New Jersey or Nevada, this is the place to get in on 2025 WSOP action from the comfort of your own home.
- Online satellites to the Main Event and other bracelet events readily available.
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Age Is More Than Just a Number — Or Is It?
There is no age requirement to win the Main Event, but the data does hint at a bit of a sweet spot. Since 2008, the average age of the champion has been around 30. However, if we zoom in on the last seven editions, that average climbs to 38.
Players like Koray Aldemir (31), Espen Jorstad (34), Daniel Weinman (35), and Jonathan Tamayo (38) all won within that 30-to-38 range. Even the 2020 hybrid winner, Damian Salas, clocked in at 38.
But again, outliers exist. Hossein Ensan, the 2019 champion, was 55 at the time of his victory, the oldest winner in modern Main Event history. At the other end of the spectrum, Joe Cada famously won in 2009 at just 21.
- Average winner age since 2008: 30
- Average age in the last 7 editions: 38
You Don’t Need to Crush Day 1 to Win It All
One of the biggest misconceptions among first-timers is that you need to build a towering stack on Day 1 to have a real shot at winning. The data tells a different story. Several champions in recent years bagged relatively modest stacks after their opening flight and still went on to win it all.
Espen Jorstad, for instance, ended Day 1A in 2022 with just 17,600 chips, a mere 29 big blinds. Koray Aldemir, the 2021 champion, finished Day 1C with 34,700 chips (58 big blinds). These are not dominant stacks by any measure, yet both players managed to navigate the long road to victory.
That said, having chips never hurts. John Cynn (2018) bagged 133,000 (266 bbs) on Day 1C. Hossein Ensan (2019) ended Day 1C with 180,000 (300 bbs), Daniel Weinman (2023) with 80,000 (133 bbs) and Jonathan Tamayo (2024) with 105,000. So while chip accumulation helps, it is by no means essential early on. Patience, good decision-making, and timely aggression can take you just as far.
- Espen Jorstad (2022): 17,600 chips (just 29 big blinds)
- Koray Aldemir (2021): 34,700 chips (58 big blinds)
- Daniel Weinman (2023): 80,000 chips (133 big blinds)
Let’s look at how recent winners fared on their first day, which flight they joined, how many new entries there were that day, and how many chips they bagged.
Entry Flights of Recent WSOP Main Event Winners
| Year | Winner | Entry Flight | New Entries that Flight | First Day Surviving Stack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | John Cynn | 1C | 4,571 (58.1%) | 133,00 (266 bbs) |
| 2019 | Hossein Ensan | 1C | 4,879 (56.9%) | 180,000 (300 bbs) |
| 2021 | Koray Aldemir | 1C | 600 (9%) | 34,700 (58 bbs) |
| 2022 | Espen Jorstad | 1A | 900 (10.4%) | 17,600 (29 bbs) |
| 2023 | Daniel Weinman | 1D | 4,100 (40.8%) | 80,000 (133 bbs) |
| 2024 | Jonathan Tamayo | 1D | 5,014 (49.6%) | 105,000 |
International Players Have Done Well in Recent Years
Although Americans still comprise the majority of the Main Event field, recent history shows that international players have more than held their own. The last two champions may both be American, but four of the six prior winners hailed from outside the United States, including two from Germany (Hossein Ensan and Koray Aldemir), one from Norway (Espen Jorstad), and one from Argentina (Damian Salas).
Since 2008, there have been 17 Main Event champions, nine from the USA and eight from other countries. That is a remarkably even split considering the overwhelming majority of entrants are from the USA. Notable international winners include Peter Eastgate from Denmark (2008), Jonathan Duhamel from Canada (2010), Pius Heinz from Germany (2011), and Martin Jacobson from Sweden (2014).
If there is one standout country besides the US, it is Germany. German players have won the Main Event three times since 2011, more than any other nation outside the US.
WSOP Main Event Winners Age
| Year | Winner | Age | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Peter Eastgate | 22 | Denmark |
| 2009 | Joe Cada | 21 | USA |
| 2010 | Jonathan Duhamel | 23 | Canada |
| 2011 | Pius Heinz | 22 | Germany |
| 2012 | Greg Merson | 25 | USA |
| 2013 | Ryan Riess | 23 | USA |
| 2014 | Martin Jacobson | 27 | Sweden |
| 2015 | Joe McKeehen | 24 | USA |
| 2016 | Qui Nguyen | 39 | USA |
| 2017 | Scott Blumstein | 25 | USA |
| 2018 | John Cynn | 33 | USA |
| 2019 | Hossein Ensan | 55 | Germany |
| 2020 | Damian Salas | 38 | Argentina |
| 2021 | Koray Aldemir | 31 | Germany |
| 2022 | Espen Jorstad | 34 | Norway |
| 2023 | Daniel Weinman | 35 | USA |
| 2024 | Jonathan Tamayo | 38 | USA |
Satellite Winners Can and Do Win
A big chunk of the Main Event field, typically between 12% and 17%, qualifies through satellites, both online and live. And every now and then, one of them goes all the way.
The most legendary example is, of course, Chris Moneymaker in 2003, whose satellite win helped spark the poker boom. More recently, Espen Jorstad followed a similar path. The 2022 champion won his seat through a $1050 satellite on GGPoker, turning it into a nearly 10,000x return when he outlasted 8,663 players to claim the $10 million top prize.
Had Jorstad won a year later, he would have earned an additional $1 million bonus from GGPoker, a promotion that rewards players who qualify on the site and wear the GG patch throughout the tournament.
This year, GGPoker is sending over 1,100 players to the Main Event, with around 1,000 of them having won their packages through online satellites. WSOP Online has also awarded more than 200 to 300 seats, and when factoring in other sites and live organizers, satellite qualifiers could make up close to 20% of the total field. That is roughly one in every five or six players — and, as Jorstad proved in 2022, any one of them could walk away with the bracelet.
