The World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2024 was a historic event, loaded with extraordinary performances and record-breaking moments. The series captivated the attention of poker pros and poker enthusiasts alike from around the globe. Clearly, this year’s WSOP 2024 edition set new standards in the world of professional poker.
Be it the unprecedented prize pools that crushed all guarantees or the historical tournament finishes and sweet victories by both seasoned pros and rising stars, WSOP 2024 proved out to be a showcase of ultimate talent and some nail-biting action.
Let’s look at some of the records and unforgettable moments of WSOP 2024, which made this edition a truly unforgettable chapter in the history of poker.
1. For the first time in history, India won two bracelets at WSOP
The 2024 WSOP was a historic one for the Indian poker fraternity. It was for the first time ever that Indians claimed two WSOP bracelets in the same season.
This year, India got home two bracelets won by two distinct talented Indian players. Triton poker champion Santhosh Suvarna opened the account for India at the WSOP 2024, winning the first bracelet for India this season and his personal second. On Sunday, June 23, Santhosh Suvarna won the ultra high-stakes $250,000 Super High Roller event at the 2024 WSOP for a massive paycheque of $5,415,152. The champion outlasted a field of 75 entries which included some of the biggest names in poker. Finally he beat the powerful Ben Tollerene in the heads-up to claim the title.
The second bracelet was won by Indian poker legend Aditya Agarwal. The conclusion of the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Freezeout witnessed Aditya Agarwal finally claim a WSOP bracelet after being a regular participant for the last 17 years. The two-day event had an impressive total of 1,424 unique entries, who chipped in to a total prize pool of $1,253,120.
Aditya Agarwal successfully managed to surpass this mammoth field and claim the first WSOP gold bracelet, alongside the first-place prize of $189,661.
2. Santhosh Suvarna won the first WSOP Super High Roller title for India
While India did have WSOP bracelets earlier, all of them were in smaller to mid range buy-in tournaments. However, Santhosh Suvarna achieved the unbelievable and unimaginable by taking down the Super High Roller title and inking India’s name next to it.
It was a truly remarkable feat, especially because the Super High Roller is the most expensive event on the WSOP schedule and also the biggest. Prior to this, Indians have not even participated in this event, leave alone winning it. Because of its expensive nature, it has a comparatively smaller yet tight field of some of the most established pros from the global poker circuit.
All eyes are on who can beat this talented and seasoned field and claim the coveted title. This Santhosh Suvarna’s Super High Roller win is not just a great achievement for him personally to prove his strategic prowess, but also a huge deal for Indian poker sending out a strong message that Indians are very much in the game and have embraced poker just like the western countries. Santhosh not only added a second bracelet to his resume but he was also the second highest earner of the series, cashing five events and raking in $6.06 Million in cashes.
3. The main event of WSOP 2024 broke several records in terms of attendance and prize pool
History was at the 2024 World Series of Poker (WSOP) with the main event officially becoming the largest ever in the 55-year history of WSOP. The prestigious tournament has attracted a record 10,112 players, surpassing last year’s record of 10,043 entries and becoming the largest main event. The staggering turnout resulted in a $94,041,600, the largest prize pool in history, which makes it the richest ever tournament in the world of poker.
Talking about the other events, the $300 Gladiators of Poker drew the highest turnout, garnering 20,647 entries.
Here is a look at the other highest field events:
>The $400 Colossus wrapped up with 19,303 entries.
>The $1,000 Mystery Millions drew 18,409 entrants.
>The $1,500 Millionaire Maker garnered 10,939 entries.
The series as a whole was a great success overall as well. The 2024 edition of the series broke all previous records to become an historic one and set the bar higher for the next year’s edition. This year the series collected an astonishing $437.2 million in prize money that was generated across 99 live bracelet events. This clocks in an average prize pool of $4.4 million per event. With close to $450 million in prize money, the 2024 WSOP makes its way among the top five richest sporting events globally.
When looked at last year, WSOP 2023 had recorded a total prize pool of $403 million spread across the 95 events, which was an all-time high last year. The numbers indicate that this year the total rose by 8%.
Similarly, the number of entries this year also witnessed a huge spike. Last year, the WSOP welcomed 215,655 total entrants across 95 events. This year, the number shot up to a total of 229,559 participants, thanks to four additional live events this year.
Thus, the total entries rose by 6%. Additionally, despite a 2.7% decrease in average buy-ins, the average prize pool rose by almost 4%. Notably, these numbers are of the live bracelet events alone and do not include the online bracelet events.
4. Scott Seiver became the first player to win three bracelets in a single series
After a long time, the poker pro Scott Seiver managed to win three World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets in the same series in Las Vegas. The last players to achieve the feat wereJeffrey Lisandro (2009), and George Danzer (2014). Scott Seiver became the seventh player to achieve the feat. He even won the WSOP Player of the Year title.
The pro now has seven WSOP bracelets to flaunt. He started by taking down Event #72: $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship for an impressive $411,041 by beating out an 186 entrant field. This was followed by the $1,500 Razz event for $141,374, and finally the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship for a handsome $426,744.
These are the events Scott Seiver won his three bracelets in 2024 WSOP:
- $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship – $426,744
- $1,500 Razz – $141,374
- $10,000 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw Championship – $411,041
5. Featured 99 bracelet events compared to 95 bracelets last year
This year’s WSOP 2024 schedule included the official tournaments for a coveted championship bracelet, running between May 28 and July 21. During the span of a month and a half, the series hosted 99 WSOP bracelet events. This was the largest festival ever, surpassing last year’s schedule of 95 live bracelet events.
6. Jonathan Tamayo was the biggest winner followed by Santhosh Suvarna at the series
WSOP 2024 Main Event winner Jonathan Tamayo walked out of Bally’s casino with the most heavy pockets. He earned a total of $10,018,710 from WSOP 2024, the highest by any player. This included 6 cashes including the coveted Main Event which he took down for a humongous $10,000,000.
The second biggest beneficiary was India’s Santhosh Suvarna, who won the Super High Roller, another coveted event on the schedule. He earned a total of $6,055,453, which came from five cashes in the series. A major portion of his earnings came from his $ 250,000 No Limit Hold’em – Super High Roller (Bracelet Event #55) win, wherein he pocketed a massive $ 5,415,152.
7. Kyle Miholich made the most cashes: 28 cashes from the series
Although Jonathan Tamayo and Santhosh Suvarna took home the heftiest cash bags, it was Kyle Miholich who recorded the most number of cashes from WSOP 2024. He recorded as many as 28 cashes from the 99 events on schedule.
His highest cash of the 28 finishes was at the $ 1,000 No Limit Hold’em – 6-Max (Online Bracelet Event #8), wherein he finished on the final table at eighth place for a sum of $ 19,087.
8- Kristen Foxen – the biggest female earner at WSOP 2024
Kristen Foxen became the highest-earning female poker pro at the WSOP 2024. She took home a total of $735,455 in earnings from 10 cashes. Her best cash at the series was $ 600,000 which she earned for her 13th place finish at $ 10,000 No Limit Hold’em – MAIN EVENT World Championship (Bracelet Event #81). This was the deepest finish by a female at this year’s main event.
9. US Won Main Event for a second consecutive year
After Daniel Weinman won the WSOP 2023, another American took down the title in the form of Jonathan Tamayo. It marks the second consecutive Main Event win from the United States.
Prior to 2023, it was Norway’s Espen Jorstad, who took down the coveted title. The Norwegian pro gloriously took home the WSOP 2022 Main Event for $10,000,000.
10. Two legends of the game — Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey — ended decade-long bracelet droughts.
The 2024 WSOP was indeed a special one for many players and poker circuits including for poker legends Daniel Negreanu and Phil Ivey. The two pros have won WSOP bracelets prior, but they went without a bracelet for over a decade.
The 2024 WSOP broke the jinx on both of these popular players, ending their decade-long droughts at the annual poker fiesta. Daniel Negreanu grabbed his seventh bracelet at the WSOP $50,000 Poker Players Championship. Kidpoker ended his 16-year-long hiatus in Las Vegas and 11-year-long wait for a bracelet after winning his seventh gold bracelet for $1,178,703. The Poker Hall of Famer won his last bracelet in 2013 at WSOP Europe. Similarly, he won his last bracelet at the annual WSOP in Las Vegas in 2008.
On the other hand, Phil Ivey also brought an end to his 10-year-long drought by shipping Event #29: $10,000 Limit 2-7 Triple Draw Championship (6-Handed) event at WSOP 2024. His last bracelet victory was in 2014.
11. The POY System was also tweaked for this year’s wsop
This year, the WSOP officials made a significant change to the 2024 WSOP Player of the Year (PoY). They introduced a new set of rules for the ranking.
According to the new 2024 rules, players would need a minimum of five results to qualify for the title. Additionally, only their top ten points results would be considered towards their final score. Of these ten, a maximum of one online bracelet result is allowed.
The organisers announced these changes at the very last moment just before the start of the 2024 World Series of Poker, causing a lot of confusion and doubts among the players. Prior to this, the system allowed for a volume system rather than just the top 10.
Nonetheless, the new system opened it up to more players, particularly non-American players. A player travelling to Las Vegas from outside the US mid-series could also feasibly stand a chance to win now if they went on a sun-run.
12. Kavin Shah Finished Deepest Among Indians In The WSOP 2024 Main Event
This year for India, Kavin Shah made the deepest run in the Main Event, finishing 191st in Event #81: $10,000 for $60,000. He also made waves in Event #44: $2K NLHE at the 2024 WSOP where he finished 6th for $60,317. The high-stakes cash game crusher, cashed three events, earning a total of $134,403.
However, the biggest highlight was when he won the 2024 ARIA High Roller Series Event #3: $10,100 Pot-Limit Omaha in June, securing his biggest career cash of $168,300. This impressive win boosted his earnings to a whopping $479,987 and solidified his position at #22 on India’s all-time money list.
13. Three-Time Bracelet Winner Nipun Java Scored Highest Number of Cashes for India
Nipun Java did not win anything big this time but left an indelible mark. The Indian pro made the highest number of cash finishes at WSOP 2024, cashing a total of 19 events and collecting $33,148. The three-time WSOP bracelet winner cashed an incredible 15 online events, winning $23,297 in total.
His biggest score of the series came in The Closer (Bracelet Event #98) where finished 224th for $ 3,520. The second best score came in WSOP Online Event #16: $777 NL Hold’em Lucky 7’s where he finished 71st for $2,846. Although he did win a title this year, he made it to the final table in two events outside of the WSOP: seventh in The Wynn Signature Series $600 NLHE Mystery Bounty for $9,860 and sixth in the Wynn Summer Classic $1,100 NLHE Turbo for $13,516.
14. Kartik Ved Achieved Deepest Finish in Online Event at WSOP 2024 for India
The WSOP bracelet winner Kartik Ved made waves for finishing deepest in an Online Bracelet Event this year. He finished 7th in Online Event #4: NL Hold’em Deepstack for $19,184. He and Suvarna were the only two Indians to reach the final table twice in the series. Ved’s first notable achievement came in Event #16: $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em (8-Handed), where he finished fourth for massive $220,373. He followed that up with a seventh-place finish for $19,184 in WSOP Online Event #4: $600 NL Hold’em Deepstack.
This impressive online performance marked the deepest run by any Indian player in an online bracelet event this year. Throughout the series, Ved scored an impressive 11 cashes, totaling $275,094, ending his campaign as one of India’s most successful players at the WSOP.
15 – A Total of 24 Countries Won Bracelets
A total of 24 countries won bracelets at the recently-concluded series, with the United States topping the charts with 59 tournament victories. England, France, and Germany each secured three titles, while Australia won three bracelets. Bulgaria, China, Spain and India secured two wins each.
WSOP 2024 Overall Stats
WSOP 2024 in every way surpassed WSOP 2023 stats becoming a bigger event than the last. When compared to WSOP 2023. the number of bracelets increased by 4% in 2024, similarly, the total prize pool rose by 8%, while the average prize pool grew by almost 4%. Talking of entries, the total entries in 2024 increased by 6% as compared to 2023, while the average entries rose by 1.8% this year. Interestingly, the Main Event alone saw a 0.7% increase in entries.
Notably, while the average buy-in decreased by 2.7%, the fees collected by WSOP jumped by 10% in 2024 as compared to 2023. Thus in many ways, this WSOP 2024 season proved to be a ground-breaking one compared to the past editions over the years.
No doubt the recently concluded edition of WSOP 2024, was in many ways a historic and record-breaking one. It was also a great success for the organisers both in terms of player turnover as well as profits. The season was also an iconic one for many individual players and countries as well.
The 2024 WSOP has now set the bar really high for the upcoming seasons, which will undoubtedly crush these records, considering the growing popularity and recognition of the sport on a global stage. With memories and excellent results, the 2024 WSOP will continue to be spoken about for years to come, until another WSOP season proves to be as iconic as this one.
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