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Kickoff to 2023 WSOP Honors Brunson and Welcomes Players

Written by Jennifer Newell
Last updated on
Jennifer Newell

The 2023 World Series of Poker is officially underway.

Poker players and fans have waited for this moment since the end of the 2022 WSOP. Whether they were in Las Vegas and in the Paris ballroom for the official start of the games on Tuesday, May 30, or they followed updates from around Las Vegas or the world via social media and live reporting, they felt the excitement.

The 2023 WSOP is on. And the next seven weeks will be poker action and resulting news like at no other time of the year.

Addressing a Missing Legend

There isn’t much that could put a damper on the beginning of the World Series of Poker…except losing the Godfather just two weeks before the WSOP begins.

Doyle Brunson died on May 14, 2023. Daniel Negreanu informed the poker community that Brunson died on Sunday, May 14. It was sudden. Social media lit up with grief and remembrances, shared memories and stories of inspiration.

While Brunson was not normally at the WSOP when it kicked off in years past, nor did he play many tournaments in recent years, his presence was a part of the World Series. Banners honoring the legendary player always hung in the poker arena/ballroom, and many of the players who walked into the tournament area did so with some form of inspiration from Brunson.

This year, his absence from the world was notable. The WSOP set up a special banner honoring Brunson near the entrance to the Paris ballroom area. Brunson would never physically grace the tables again.

That prompted the WSOP to start Day 1 of the 2023 games with a video remembrance of the Godfather of Poker.

Welcoming Celebrities

Every year, there are surprise faces at the World Series. Celebrities and sports figures often get just as excited about the WSOP as every other player.

This year, there were some unique faces.

Comedian Jim Jefferies was in Las Vegas for his June 2-3 shows at the Mirage, so he popped over to play Day 1 of the Million Dollar Bounty. He didn’t make it far, however, as he admittedly knew little about poker.

Last year’s celebrity who welcomed everyone to the WSOP, Lisa Vanderpump, showed up again this year but only to play in the Mystery Bounty tournament. Professional bowler Anthony Simonsen got into the action as well.

Actress Beth Hall, who has been playing more poker and recently won her first WSOP Circuit ring in Los Angeles and a side event at the California State Poker Championship, turned out to play the Tournament of Champions. She earned that seat into the $1M freeroll TOC with her WSOPC ring win.

Finally, the sports star that was teased to be appearing to kick off Day 2 of the 2023 WSOP, revealed herself as Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces.

Improvements from 2022

Last year was the first time that the World Series of Poker moved from the Rio in nearly two decades. The move to two casinos on the Las Vegas Strip – Bally’s and Paris – presented some unique challenges. While the two Caesars properties are connected, the use of two separate casino ballroom areas required the separation of activities. There were issues, such as the Horseshoe ballroom air conditioning breaking, but the major aspects of the 2022 WSOP went over well.

This year, there were some built-in improvements. Bally’s was rebranded as Horseshoe, harkening back to the beginning years of the World Series. Jack Binion’s Steakhouse was open from the beginning of the WSOP this year, and MY Asia opened right next to it. There is a new poker room at Horseshoe as well, one that will offer a physical location for the Poker Hall of Fame.

There are also maps directing players to the proper ballrooms.

At the same time, there are unfortunate circumstances beyond the control of the WSOP. The Burger Brasserie of 2022 closed and will reopen as a Guy Fieri restaurant, but it had not opened by the start of the 2023 WSOP. And Las Vegas as a whole is preparing for the F1 race to grace the streets of Vegas later this year, so there is a crazy amount of construction activity on the Strip and on streets around the WSOP-designated casinos. This is making travel to and from the casinos immensely difficult and time-consuming.

For the most part, however, the 2023 WSOP kicked off without a hitch. The action is underway, chips are being shuffled, cards are being dealt, and players are already winning bracelets.

It is going to be a wild summer.

 

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