Records abounded throughout the 2023 World Series of Poker, and the Main Event followed that theme with gusto. Official numbers released Saturday night by WSOP brass, shortly after registration closed on Day 2D, are out, and two more key records have been set.
The field of 10,043 players shattered the previous record, set in 2006, of 8,773. The first-place prize of $12.1 million is also a record, though only fractionally larger than the $12 million won by Jamie Gold in 2006.
“This is an all-time summer for the WSOP,” said WSOP Senior Vice President and Executive Director Ty Stewart. “Week after week we saw record fields, so it’s only fitting that we break the biggest record of all. 10,000 players is historic for the industry and this year’s champion will be remembered as the one to conquer the richest event in poker history, well at least until 2024.”
The 2023 winner will be the fifth WSOP Main Event winner to receive an eight-figure payout, joining Gold (2006), Martin Jacobson ($10 million, 2014), Hossein Ensan ($10 million, 2019) and Espen Jorstad ($10 million, 2022).
With a total prize pool of $93,399,900, 1,507 players will reach the money, with a min-cash worth $15,000 stretching all the way to 1,005th place. The top 80 finishers will break six figures, for a minimum of $109,400, and the top eight players will each earn over $1.1 million. In 2006, the top 12 players each received at least $1 million, with the difference largely attributable to paying out only 10 percent of the field that year.