2013 WSOP Statistics

As I write this column, the main event has just ended and the November Nine has been determined. Although there was a small drop in the total number of players in the main event this year as compared to 2012, the 44th World Series of Poker set many records. Seth Palansky, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Caesars Interactive Entertainment, Inc. compiled some interesting statistics that I’ll share here.

The 2013 WSOP featured 62 events and had a total of 79,471 entries in these events. This exceeded the previous record of 75,672 entrants which occurred in 2011 by 5 percent. The total prize pool of $197,041,468 was the second largest in WSOP history. The total prize pool for the main event alone generated $59,708,800. Each of the players who will resume play in the Penn and Teller Theater on November 4 are already guaranteed more than $700,000, and the eventual winner will take home $8,359,531.

The first thing I noticed when I entered the Rio was the large contingent of players from all over the world. I couldn’t walk down the halls without hearing a variety of foreign languages. The 2013 WSOP was truly an international affair. The November Nine includes players from the United States, France, Canada, Israel, and Holland. More than 100 nations were represented including including Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain. The five most well represented countries in order of entrants were the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Russia, and France. Every state in the United States was represented as well as 10 Canadian provinces plus Yukon Territories. The foreign country with the most bracelets won was Canada, with a total of 10. This could rise to 11 based on the main event result.

As usual, a large number of those battling over the green felt at the Rio were in their 20s. The youngest player to enter the main event was 21 years and 8 days old. The oldest was 92. Six of the November Niners are still in their 20s, with Ryan Reiss the youngest at 23. Reiss is playing in his first WSOP.

What would you guess the average age was of all 2013 entrants from all events? If you said 37.6, you would be correct (you would also have read this statistic in another article). Prior to the main event, the average age of the 8,454 cashers was 36.44, but the average age of those who made the final table was 34.07.

How did the women fare at the 2013 WSOP? Women made up a total of 5.1 percent of the 2013 entrants, yet they claimed 9.21 percent of the cashes. Well done ladies! Two women won bracelets in open events at the 2013 WSOP. Dana Castaneda, a 31-year-old waitress from California outlasted 2,882 opponents to take down the gold in a $1,000 no-limit event. Loni Harwood, a 23-year-old professional poker player broke the “most money won by a woman in one WSOP” record by taking home $874,698, cashing six times and making three final tables. She finished sixth in a pot-limit Omaha event, fourth in a $1,500 no-limit event, and then defeated a field of 2,541 players in a $1,500 no-limit event to win the gold bracelet.

There will not be a female world champion this year. Jackie Glazier, the last woman standing in the 2013 main event, was eliminated in 31st place.

 Okay, my head is swimming from too many statistics, so let’s change the subject and have some laughs. I try to jot down funny comments I hear from the spectators so here are some real gems from the rail of the 2013 WSOP:

“Do they get extra starting chips if it is their first time playing?”
“Are they playing for real money?”
“If you knew what he had, why did you pay him off?”
“This isn’t the way they play on the Travel Channel.”
“What is the gold bracelet made of?”
“The flop was a deuce and two low cards.”

A man was explaining how tournaments work to his wife. “They have to be young to win because they play 24 hours without taking a break.”

“I think that’s Johnny Chan over there. He’s got 21 bracelets.”

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little recap from the 2013 WSOP. I’m looking forward to doing it all again next year! ♠

Linda Johnson is a partner in Card Player Cruises and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame and the Women in Poker Hall of Fame. She is available to host poker events, seminars, and charity fundraisers. Please check out her website at www.cardplayercruises.com.