The international leg of the 2020 $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event on GGPoker has run through all of its three Day 1 flights, with the final flight on Sunday pulling in another 257 players to bring the total number of runners from all all Day 1s to 674.
A field of 674 players means that the prize pool has swelled to $6,470,000 for the Main Event of the 51st Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP), though the US leg on WSOP.com for New Jersey and Nevada players is still scheduled to be played out this Sunday.
179 players remain at the start of Day 2 vying to make it into the money that pays 80 places. Day 2 takes place later today at 6 PM GMT, and players will battle it out for a minimum cash that is worth just over $15k. The nine finalists at the final table are assured $75k with the top two places paying out at least $1 million.
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Thanks to GGPoker’s new in-client Final Table Betting feature, players will be able to place bets on the nine finalists whom they think will win the event. Final Table betting on the 2020 WSOP Main Event will become available once the tournament is down to the final nine players.
As it is a hybrid online-live event, the Final Table will be played out at Kings Casino, Czech Republic on December 15. The winner will then play heads-up against the winner of the US counterpart at the Rio, Las Vegas at the end of month for an additional $1 million in prize money and the official WSOP Main Event bracelet.
WSOP 2020 Main Event: Schedule and Turnout
| Day | Date | Site | Host | Turnout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1A | Sunday, Nov 29 | GGPoker | Online | 246 |
| Day 1B | Saturday, Dec 5 | GGPoker | Online | 171 |
| Day 1C | Sunday, Dec 6 | GGPoker | Online | 257 |
| Day 1 Total | GGPoker | Online | 674 | |
| Day 2 | Monday, Dec 7 | GGPoker | Online | 179 |
| Day 1 | Sunday, Dec 13 | WSOP | Online | |
| Day 2 | Monday, Dec 14 | WSOP | Online | |
| Final Table | Tuesday, Dec 15 | GGPoker | Live, Kings Casino, Czechia | |
| Final Table | Monday, Dec 28 | WSOP | Live, Rio | |
| HU Championship | Wednesday, Dec 30 | WSOP | Live, Rio |
WSOP Main Event Turnout a Disappointing Result for GGPoker?
Given the success GGPoker had with the $5K buy-in WSOP Online Main Event held over the summer that created a Guinness World Record for a prize pool of $27.5 million and attracted over 5000 runners, a turnout of 674 players across three Day 1s at the $10K Main is quite modest.
Many experts had predicted well over 1000 players for the event including World Series of Poker guru Kevin Mathers . But, things got off to a slow start with Day 1A attracting just 246 players. The second flight on Saturday did not do any better, pulling in just 171 players.
WSOP 2020 Main Event Turnout GGPoker
| Day | Turnout | Survivors | Prize Pool |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1A | 246 | 62 | $2,361,600 |
| 1B | 171 | 42 | $1,641,600 |
| 1C | 257 | 75 | $2,467,200 |
| total | 674 | 179 | $6,470,400 |
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However, the tournament is uniquely structured making predictions and speculations difficult.
Firstly, the tournament was announced just a few weeks back, giving little time for players to prepare for such a high-prestige event.
Secondly, there was no guarantee attached to the tournament unlike the $5k WSOP Online Main Event that had a staggering $25 million guarantee. Thirdly, the tournament is structured as a hybrid event with the final table to be played live, which may have turned off some players.
And lastly, the tournament was played as a freezeout, allowing only one entry per player across the three flights – something that is a tradition for the $10k WSOP Main Event.
Still, the low turnout is quite surprising given that the operator had guaranteed at least 500 seats to the Main Event through its wide satellite system. However, it is believed that many high stakes players won multiple seats (with excess seats awarding tournament $) which may have lowered the final number of runners.
WSOP Winter Online Circuit Series
Not all WSOP related events on GGPoker are over for 2020, as the operator will now look forward to hosting the $100 million guaranteed WSOP Winter Online Circuit Series. The series officially kicks off this Sunday, December 13 though Day 1s for the Big 50 event are already underway.
18 Gold Ring events are part of the schedule boasting over $30 million in guarantees alone. Standout events include the $170 buy-in Mini Main Event promising $2 million in guaranteed prize money, a $1.225 million guaranteed Christmas PLOSSUS event for Omaha players, and a $2.021 million guaranteed New Year COLOSSUS to celebrate the New Year.
The series culminates in a $10 million guaranteed WSOPC Main Event featuring a buy-in of $1700.
