2024 WSOP Attendance Up Overall in First Third of Series
Every tournament at the World Series of Poker is a snapshot, a glimpse into a much bigger picture that is an entire series of events. There are 99 tournaments on the 2024 schedule – live events in Las Vegas only – and the final tally for Event 33 brings it to the one-third mark. And in total, the first third of the WSOP shows a positive attendance trend.
Looking Up
For the first 33 events of the 2024 WSOP live tournament schedule, there were five events without change. One tournament – $25K buy-in Heads-Up NLHE Championship (Event 6) – is capped at 64 players each year. Four events are new this year in this initial third of the series – $5K Champions Reunion (Event 1), $500 Kickoff Freezeout (Event 3), $5K PLO 8-Handed (Event 8), and $5K NLHE 8-Handed (Event 16) – and all were well-attended.
Of the other 28 tournaments, it was a mixed bag but with more positive than negative results.
- Increased participation in 17 events averaging 9.1%
- Decreased participation in 11 events averaging 14.5%
The overall average attendance in the first third of the series is up 5.24% in repeat tournaments.
Notable Changes
The most substantial increase in a single event was in the NLHE Shootout (Event 23). The $1,500 buy-in is a good price point, and the action opened this year with more space and time for players to enter. The second flight gave it the room it needed to grow, and attendance more than doubled (55.4%) as a result.
After that, the highest growth spurt came in the $25K buy-in NLHE 6-Handed High Roller (Event 21). More players have been getting into the high-stakes scene, and the satellites offer cheaper entries for many more players. That 31.4% growth was notable.
The only other event that increased participation by more than 20% was the $600 buy-in Mixed NLHE/PLO Deepstack (Event 30). More chips, a lower buy-in, and the ever-growing love for mixed games pushed this number of entries up 21.5% year over year.
The most significant decrease in a tournament was a 25% drop in the PLO 8-Handed Deepstack (Event 33). This was a bit odd, considering the aforementioned growing interest in non-Hold’em games.
Hurdles for WSOP Growth
That 5.24% overall growth is not the most impressive number, to be frank, but there are issues that continue to prevent players from traveling to Vegas for poker.
Most significantly, players from many countries will not make the trip because of the high taxes withheld from gambling winnings. Caesars – and most other casinos – will withhold 30% of gambling winnings from any significant payouts. While some players can later apply for the recoupment of some of those funds per tax treaties between their home countries and the United States, this is a process, and it can take some time to see those funds.
There is also the expense of traveling to Las Vegas at any point during the summer months. Hotels are expensive, especially with resort fees added on to daily rates and taxes. If choosing to stay off the Las Vegas Strip, there are transportation expenses, such as ride-shares or parking in the Horseshoe/Paris garage. Players making the trip must also consider food and drink and other expenses.
Bringing one’s entire family to Vegas can be prohibitively expensive for many players, especially if coming from outside of North America. Flights and accommodations alone can be too much for a couple or, especially, a family with children. And some of Vegas is not exactly child-friendly, anyway.
Positive Growth Factors
The WSOP continues to be a dream for many poker players around the world. It is often a bucket-list item, something to which they aspire, a poker destination experience for every player. This does and will continue to bring new people to the World Series each year.
The entire poker summer experience has also grown due to series offered by other poker rooms around Las Vegas. The Wynn, Venetian, Orleans, Aria, MGM Grand, Golden Nugget, and now Resorts World all offer poker tournaments throughout June and most of July for players who want lower buy-in and mixed game alternatives to the WSOP. With more options, players can put together the poker package that they truly want and can afford. They may be competing series, but they all help each other bring the poker masses into Vegas for the summer.
Finally, the new property at which the WSOP takes place is an overall positive change. For the 17 years it was at the Rio, which was off-Strip, the food options and accommodations with easy transportation were limited. When it moved to the Horseshoe (then Bally’s) Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas casinos, which are connected and directly on the Strip at a main intersection, a new world opened up for players. Parking may be more inconvenient, but there is much more access to public transportation and easier for those walking from other Strip properties. There are many, many more food options within a short distance, and the convention space is much larger than at the Rio.
All in all, there are enough factors that contribute to the growth of live poker and the World Series of Poker that it should continue on this positive path.
