A poker tournament series consisting of 95 live events, not to mention those online in various jurisdictions, is tough to analyze before it is complete. But there is a halfway point at which the early numbers can provide some insight.
The 2023 World Series of Poker just passed that halfway mark. With the first 47 live events completed, bracelets awarded, and money paid, it is a good opportunity to look into the numbers.
Positive Growth in Most Areas
When comparing the first 47 live bracelet events in 2022 and 2023, there are some differences. The total number of entries and total prize money paid is up this year, though the total number of players paid from those prize pools is down.
Total 2023 entries: 103,506 (up 23.2% from 84,013 in 2022)
Total 2023 prize money awarded: $135,258,537 (up 9.8% from $123,196,582 in 2022)
Total 2023 players paid: 10,256 (down 16.2% from 12,237 in 2022)
The number of women at final tables remained the same. There were six women at final tables in the first 47 events this year and last year. The difference is that one of those women won an event in 2022 (Katie Kopp won Event 1).
Final table diversity improved slightly this year. The United States always dominates because of America’s sheer population but also the location of the series in the US.
This year, Americans have won 31 of the 47 bracelets in Las Vegas so far, while that number was at 34 last year. More countries have won bracelets this year so far.
United States = 31 in 2023 (34 in 2022)
China = 4 in 2023 (2 in 2022)
Canada = 2 in 2023 (1 in 2022)
Brazil = 2 in 2023 (1 in 2022)
Bulgaria = 1 in 2023 (1 in 2022)
Germany = 1 in 2023 (2 in 2022)
Japan = 1 in 2023 (0 in 2022)
Netherlands = 1 in 2023 (0 in 2022)
Portugal = 1 in 2023 (0 in 2022)
Switzerland = 1 in 2023 (0 in 2022)
UK = 1 in 2023 (1 in 2022)
Ukraine = 1 in 2023 (0 in 2022)
Austria = 0 in 2023 (1 in 2022)
France = 0 in 2023 (2 in 2022)
Latvia = 0 in 2023 (1 in 2022)
Russia = 0 in 2023 (1 in 2022)
Keep in mind, the numbers from both years represent Events 1 through 47 only.
Individual Event Growth
As mentioned, the first 47 events delivered these totals:
Entries: 103,506
Prize money awarded: $135,258,537
Players paid: 10,256
Winner prize money awarded: $28,793,114
With regard to individual event growth, we analyzed 39 of the first 47 events. This is because six of the events were new this year, one was the invitation-only Tournament of Champions freeroll, and the Heads-Up Championship remained exactly the same (capped at 64 players).
For the 39 events with change from 2022 to 2023:
32 events increased participation an average of 21.5% overall
7 events decreased participation an average of 9.89% overall
First, let’s look at the tournaments with the largest percentage of growth this year so far:
$10K Limit Hold’em Championship (Event 22) up 45.7%
$1,500 Razz (Event 24) up 45.2%
$1,500 Mixed Omaha (Event 45) up 41.5%
$3K NLHE (Event 44) up 40%
$800 NLHE Deepstack 8-Handed (Event 42) up 34.4%
$600 Mixed NLHE/PLO Deepstack (Event 31) up 30.9%
$1K NLHE Mystery Millions (Event 3) up 28.9%
$1,500 NLHE Monster Stack (Event 42) up 34.4%
Next, of the seven tournaments with decreased attendance this year, these are the most notable:
$5K Mixed NLHE/PLO (Event 6) down 28%
$50K Poker Players Championship (Event 43) down 12%
$10K Razz Championship (Event 33) down 11.5%
Other Player Stats
In earnings thus far, the WSOP shows the amount of money earned at this year’s summer series through 47 events. It is not clear if online bracelets are included in the lists or exactly how often the lists are updated, but this is the information as of June 24th.
The amount of earnings through 47 events:
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