2016 WSOP Gets Even Better; Colossus To Be Biggest Tournament Ever

Once again, instead of resting on its laurels, the World Series of Poker has shown its stuff by making several tweaks that guarantee a huge jump in attendance and overall satisfaction.

Besides adding eight new events, major overall changes such as increasing payouts to 15% of the field (from 10%), earlier starting times, and more starting chips on many events means more people will play more events. Card Player goes into more depth here

Some naysayers will squawk at the increasing the payout percentage to 15%. I assure you that it will have the very positive effect of spreading out the money better to the poker community. That’s always a good thing for poker. Besides, no matter what, the big money is always at the final table.

One great example of an extremely well thought out change is the Colossus. This new event last year was so successful that over 22,000 players participated. At $565 it allowed many to play for a bracelet who previously never could afford it.

As expected, a new event with a record breaking 22,000 players had some rough spots last year. The WSOP has addressed them well this year and, in so doing, made it even better.

Colossus starting days are June 2–4 with both 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. starting flights each day. Players who bust can play any or all six if they choose. You will start with 5,000 in chips. Day 1 has 30-minute levels and, starting Day 2, it jumps to 60 minutes.

WSOP is guaranteeing a whopping $7 million (easy) with at least $1 million to the winner. That’s amazing for a $565 tournament. To put that in perspective that is proportionate to a $10,000 event paying almost $18 million to the winner.

Each starting flight will play to the money. You could cash six times in this event! Each person who busts Day 1 but is in the money will be paid based on the normal payout for a tournament of that flight’s exact size. All the remaining players and prize pool move forward to a combined Day 2 and a guarantee of higher win, of course.

No tournament this size would even be possible without the experience of the huge team headed by WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart and WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel.

I, for one, can’t wait.