Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown Sets Record For Largest Ever World Poker Tour Main Event Field

The 2021 World Poker Tour Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown $3,500 buy-in no-limit hold’em main event has attracted a massive field of 2,482 total entries. This resulted in a new record for the largest field in WPT main event history.

The previous record was established in the WPT Online Championship, which saw 2,130 entries made in May of 2020. The largest live WPT main event field prior to this event was the 2014 running of the SHR Poker Showdown, which drew 1,795 entries.

The Seminole Hard Rock Hollywood now accounts for four of the five largest fields in WPT main event history, with the 2021 Lucky Hearts Poker Open and the 2015 Seminole Hard Rock Poker Showdown drawing 1,573 and 1,476 entries, respectively.

This latest record-setting turnout has resulted in a prize pool of $7,942,400, or nearly four times the $2 million guarantee that was placed on the event. The top 311 finishers are set to make the money, with a min-cash of $6,195 and a top prize of $1,261,095 for the eventual champion. The top 11 finishers will all earn six-figure paydays in this $3,500 buy-in event.

The tournament featured two starting flights, with day 1A drawing 1,047 entries and day 1B adding another 1,435. At the end of the two flights, just 847 players remained with a chance at the title. Day 2 will play out on Sunday, Apr. 25.

The final table of this event will be set on Tuesday, Apr. 27. This event features a delayed final table format, with the last six players set to resume action at PokerGo Studio in Las Vegas on May 18. The action will be filmed for a later television broadcast.

Photo credit: World Poker Tour / Joe Giron.