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The schedule contains eight new tournaments (including the first team tournament) and revised tournament structures for several existing events.
Caesars Entertainment announced the official schedule for the 2016 World Series of Poker on February 23. This year players can participate in 69 bracelet events between May 31 - July 18 in the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.
The 2016 WSOP offers eight new events to players:
June 5: Event #4 $1000 Top Up Turbo No-Limit Hold'em (20 minute blind levels)
June 9: Event #12 $565 Pot Limit Omaha Re-entry (lowest buy-in ever in this format)
June 15: Event #23 $2.000 No Limit Hold'em (new buy-in level for the most popular format)
June 23: Event #40 $2500 Mixed Triple Draw Lowball (Limit A-5, 2-7 and Badugi)
June 26: Event #45 $1500 Mixed No Limit Hold'em / Pot Limit Omaha (the two most popular games in a single event)
June 30: Event #53 $1.500 Mixed Pot Limit Omaha-8/Omaha-8/Big O (three Omaha variations in one event)
July 1: Event #54 A/B/C/D - $888 Crazy Eights Eight-Handed No Limit Hold’em - $888.888 guaranteed for 1st (the first short-handed event with a buy-in less than $1,500)
July 7: Event #61 $1.000 Tag Team No Limit Hold’em (first team event with bracelet awarded, teams of 2-4 can apply)
After community feedback, the WSOP also implemented several important changes. From now on, tournaments will pay out the top 15% of players with the first cash being at least 1,5x of the original buy-in. With the change, several events could reach the paying spots on Day 1.
In the $10,000 buy-in events, starting stacks will increase to 50,000 and there is also a slight change in the blind structure. Sofar, the 100-200 level was followed by the 100-200-25 blind level, now there will only be a 100-200-25 level.
The $1 million buy-in Big One is missing from the schedule. The organizers said that the tournament will still be held, just not as a part of the summer Las Vegas lineup. They will give further details about the event soon.
The most anticipated tournaments of the WSOP are the $10,000 buy-in Championship events. This year there are 13 Championships in the schedule, for example 6-max NLHE, Pot Limit Omaha and Dealer's Choice. The biggest buy-in event of the summer will be the $111,111 One Drop High Roller.
The $10,000 Main Event will kick off on July 9 and the summer phase will finish on July 18. The finalists will continue the tournament on October 30.