2012 WSOP Schedule features 61 events

New events include $1 million buy-in, re-entry, mix-max and four-handed formats

Updated: July 24, 2012, 2:30 PM ET
By Andrew Feldman | ESPN.com

It's said every year with the release of the World Series of Poker schedule: there's something for everyone. The 2012 WSOP schedule features 61 WSOP bracelet events and from May 27 through July 16, players from around the world will return to Las Vegas and the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino with hopes of capturing one of the elusive bracelets that can define a poker player's career.

The one bracelet that trumps them all is the one reserved for the WSOP main event champion and this year, the winner will have his or her hands on it a few weeks earlier. The main event begins on Saturday, July 7 and will offer three starting days. Survivors from Day 1A and 1B will return for their Day 2 on July 10. Those who made it through Day 1C will return to action on Wednesday, July 11, and the field will combine for the first time on Day 3, July 12. Each day will feature five full levels each day (10 hours of play) and only nine players will earn their seats at the final table on July 16.

While the delayed format remains, gone is the "November Nine." The lucky nine that advance to the final table will leave Las Vegas for nearly 15 weeks and return on Oct. 28 to play until only two remain. The champion will be crowned on Oct. 30 in the Penn & Teller Theater.

The WSOP is able to reduce the number of starting days and total playing time for the main event as a result of an expansion in its footprint at the Rio Convention center. Instead of 378 tables available for use each day in 2011, the 2012 WSOP will have a total of 470 tables available each day.

"This year's WSOP schedule is very exciting," WSOP tournament director Jack Effel said. "We're introducing some fantastic new events, while bringing back many successful stalwarts that our players love. We will expand our footprint this year to include extra tables dedicated to cash games, as well as plenty of satellite and single-day tournament space, so players will have an easy time finding a desirable game without ever having to leave the Rio Convention Center."

The 43rd annual WSOP will begin in typical fashion and the $500 Casino Employees event, but from that point on, a multitude of changes highlight what will definitely be an incredible few months. One of the biggest adjustments to this year's schedule is the $1 million buy-in tournament, "The Big One For One Drop." The buy-in for the event includes an 11 percent donation to charity and the champion will most likely earn the largest first-place prize in poker history.

Other new items on the schedule include the first WSOP re-entry event ($1,500 no-limit hold 'em Event 9, June 2) where players who are eliminated on the first day of play can re-enter the following day. The 2011 WSOP Europe debuted the WSOP's first Mix-Max event and as expected, it's also found on the 2012 WSOP schedule. The $5,000 buy-in Event 6 will play nine-handed on Day 1, six-handed on Day 2 and heads-up from that point on. Continuing with the short-handed theme, the WSOP also announced a four-handed no-limit hold 'em event (Event 28) and a $3,000 heads-up event (Event 3) that will feature a split format of no-limit hold 'em and pot-limit Omaha. The players in that event will change games every 20-minute level.

The last new event is the $1,500 ante-only Event 49. There will be no small and big blinds in this event, but the table will ante at the beginning of every hand.

Removed from the 2012 schedule is the $25,000 heads-up no-limit hold 'em event, but the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship remains on the schedule and will once again crown the best all-around player at the Series. The eight-game mixed event will begin on June 24. The biggest buy in for a heads-up event this year will be $10,000 (Event 12).

Keeping its participants in mind, the WSOP will continue to begin events at either noon or 5 p.m. PT and set strict time limits for the amount of play possible each day. The 10-level rule implemented in 2011 remains (no more than 10 one-hour levels to be played each day), but if a starting day achieves more than 1,500 players, an 11th level will be added with the goal of having the field in the money by the end of the first day. Play will conclude by approximately 2 a.m. every night where an 11th level is required and 12:40 when only 10 levels are completed. Players who make Day 2 in the noon events will return at 1 p.m. PT and 2 p.m. for the events starting at 5 p.m.

Two exhibition events will also draw some intrigue in 2012. On June 30, the WSOP's Doubles event will begin. The one-day event will feature a format where teammates alternate levels hoping to take their single stack to victory. A $560 Bounty event will begin on Friday, July 6 and a bounty will be placed on all former WSOP bracelet winners. Both exhibition events and the three "Daily Deepstack" events will not award a bracelet to the winner.

Pre-registration will open for all events on Feb. 8 at WSOP.com and live satellites will begin on site on May 27.

Below is the complete schedule for the 2012 WSOP. ESPN's broadcast schedule will be announced in the coming months.

2012 World Series of Poker Schedule

Event Date, Time Tournament Buy-in Winner
1 May 27, noon Casino Employees Event no-limit hold 'em (two-day event) $500 Chiab Saechao
2 May 28, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Brent Hanks
3 May 29, noon Heads-up no-limit hold 'em/pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $3,000 Leif Force
4 May 29, 5 p.m. Seven-card stud high-low eight-or-better (three-day event) $1,500 Cory Zeidman
5 May 30, noon Pot-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Nick Jivkov
6 May 31, noon Mixed Max (Day 1 nine-handed, Day 2 six-handed, Day 3 and 4 heads-up) $5,000 Aubin Cazals
7 May 31, 5 p.m. Seven-card stud (three-day event) $1,500 Andy Bloch
8 June 1, noon Omaha high-low split eight-or-better (three-day event) $1,500 Herbert Tapscott
9 June 2, noon No-limit hold 'em Re-Entry (two starting days, five-day event) $1,500 Ashkan Razavi
10 June 3, 5 p.m. Seven-card stud (three-day event) $5,000 John Monnette
11 June 4, noon Pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $1,500 Vincent Van Der Fluit
12 June 5, noon Heads-up no-limit hold 'em world championship (four-day event) $10,000 Brian Hastings
13 June 5, 5 p.m. Limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 David Arsht
14 June 6, noon. No-limit hold 'em shootout (three-day event) $1,500 Brandon Schafer
15 June 6, 5 p.m. Seven-card stud high-low split eight-or-better (three-day event) $5,000 Adam Friedman
16 June 7, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Matt Matros
17 June 8, noon Pot-limit hold 'em world championship (three-day event) $10,000 Andy Frankenberger
18 June 8, 5 p.m. Razz (three-day event) $2,500 Phil Hellmuth
19 June 9, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Clifford Goldkind
20 June 9, 5 p.m. Limit hold 'em (three-day event) $5,000 Benjamin Scholl
21 June 10, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,000 Michael Gathy
22 June 10, 5 p.m. 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (limit, three-day event) $2,500 Randy Ohel
23 June 11, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $3,000 Simon Charette
24 June 11, 5 p.m. Omaha high-low split eight-or-better (three-day event) $5,000 Joe Cassidy
25 June 12, noon Limit hold 'em shootout (three-day event) $1,500 Brian Meinders
26 June 12, 5 p.m. Pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $3,000 Austin (Gabe) Scott
27 June 13, noon HORSE (three-day event) $1,500 Ylon Schwartz
28 June 14, noon Four-handed no-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500 Timothy Adams
29 June 15, 10 a.m. Seniors World Championship (three-day event) $1,000 Allyn Jaffrey Shulman
30 June 15, 5 p.m. No-limit 2-7 Draw Lowball (three-day event) $1,500 Larry Wright
31 June 16, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Carter Phillips
32 June 16, 5 p.m. HORSE world Championship (three-day event) $10,000 David Baker
33 June 17, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,000 Max Steinberg
34 June 18, noon Six-handed pot-limit Omaha (three-day event) $5,000 Naoya Kihara
35 June 18, 5 p.m. Mixed hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500 Chris Tryba
36 June 19, noon No-limit hold 'em shootout(three-day event) $3,000 Craig McCorkell
37 June 19, 5 p.m. Eight-game mix (limit hold 'em, Omaha high-low split, razz, seven card stud, seven card stud high-low, no-limit hold 'em, pot-limit Omaha, 2-7 triple draw; three-day event) $2,500 David Baker
38 June 20, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Dung Nguyen
39 June 21, noon Pot-limit Omaha world championship (three-day event) $10,000 Jan-Peter Jachtmann
40 June 21, 5 p.m. Six-handed limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500 Ronnie Bardah
41 June 22, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $3,000 Greg Ostrander
42 June 22, 5 p.m. Omaha/Seven-card stud split (three-day event) $2,500 Oleksii Kovalchuk
43 June 23, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Henry Lu
44 June 24, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,000 Rocco Palumbo
45 June 24, 5 p.m. Poker Players Championship (five-day event) $50,000 Michael Mizrachi
46 June 25, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $2,500 Joey Weissman
47 June 27, noon Pot-limit Omaha high-low split eight-or-better (three-day event) $1,500 Steven Loube
48 June 26, 5 p.m. Limit hold 'em (three-day event) $3,000 Kenny Hsiung
49 June 27, noon Ante only, no-limit hold 'em(three-day event) $1,500 Greg Hobson
50 June 28, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $5,000 Pete Vilandos
51 June 29, noon Ladies no-limit hold 'em championship (three-day event) $1,000 Yen Dang
52 June 29, 5 p.m. 10-game mixed event (no-limit hold 'em, razz, limit hold 'em, Badugi, seven card stud, 2-7 draw lowball, Omaha high-low split, pot-limit Omaha, 2-7 triple draw lowball and seven card stud high-low split eight-or-better; three-day event) $2,500 Vanessa Selbst
53 June 30, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Jim Willerson
54 July 1, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,000 Will Jaffe
55 July 1, 1:11 p.m. The Big One for One Drop (three-day event) $1,000,000 Antonio Esfandiari
56 July 2, noon No-limit hold 'em (three-day event) $1,500 Tomas Junek
57 July 3, noon Six-handed no-limit hold 'em world championship (three-day event) $10,000 Greg Merson
58 July 3, 5 p.m. (three-day event) Pot-limit Omaha high-low split eight-or-better $3,000 Vyacheslav Zhukov
59 July 4, 12 p.m. (two starting days, four-day event) No-limit hold 'em $1,000 Dominik Nitsche
60 July 5, 5 p.m. (three-day event) 2-7 Draw Lowball world championship $10,000 Nick Schulman
61 July 7 - July 16 No-limit hold 'em main event $10,000 October Nine

Andrew Feldman

ESPN.com
Andrew Feldman is ESPN.com's Poker Editor. He is the host of the Poker Edge Podcast and co-host of ESPN Inside Deal. Andrew has covered the poker industry for ESPN since 2004.

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