The World Series of Poker has long included a bevy of $1,500 buy-in events on its schedule, seeing the price point as the perfect size for players who want a big-time tournament experience, but who can’t afford to buy into marquee events. Now, WSOP organizers are adding a new leaderboard for mid-stakes tournament players during the world’s largest poker festival.
The 2020 WSOP will feature a total of 25, live $1,500 tournaments, many of which will feed into a dedicated leaderboard that will be run separately from the main Player of the Year race.
$1,500 is Poker’s ‘Sweet Spot’
In the press release announcing the expanded $1,500 schedule, the WSOP noted that “several” of the events at $1,500 level will count toward the dedicated leaderboard. There was no indication of how many of these events will be included, or if any particular criteria will be used to decide which events will be chosen.
Players earn points toward the leaderboard by cashing in eligible tournaments. Players will compete for prizes at the top of the leaderboard, though those rewards haven’t yet been revealed. The WSOP plans to reveal more details before the start of the series.
According to WSOP Vice President Jack Effel, the expansion of the $1,500 menu is a response to customer demand.
We have found the $1,500 price point to be the sweet spot in poker, perfectly balancing affordability, field size, and prize pool to offer great value for participating players,” Effel said in the release. “As we continue to cater our offerings to find something for everyone, the $1,500 buy-ins remain a core staple of the WSOP.”
One thing that players won’t find at this buy-in is unlimited reentry tournaments. Both the Millionaire Maker and the Closer events do allow players to buy in once per flight. Beyond that, there are a dozen freezeouts and 11 more events that allow for a single rebuy, a mix that should please those who have rallied against the increasing frequency of unlimited rebuy tournaments.
Mid-Stakes Expansion Not Pushing Out High Rollers, Low Stakes Events
Hold’em remains the bread and butter of the $1,500 level, with 11 of the events exclusively featuring the Cadillac of poker. Mixed-game formats, also including limit or no-limit hold’em, are also included at this price point, along with a variety of non-hold’em events, including Omaha, Stud, Razz, and lowball tournaments.
The 2020 World Series of Poker schedule features a wide range of events, from low-priced “value menu” tournaments to several high rollers for the nosebleed crowd. Most or all of these events will feed into the overall Player of the Year award. In 2019, Robert Campbell won the award, but only after a clerical error was discovered that stripped Daniel Negreanu of the title.
