The BetRivers Casino ambassador said that he could not handle the 12-hour days over 7 days in a row. He even termed the structure brutal for older players. His tweet sparked an intense debate within the poker community.

Although Scot Seiver, who won an impressive three bracelets last summer, and GGPoker Ambassador Daniel Negreanu, who ended his long wait for seventh bracelet with a win in the WSOP 2024 Poker Players Championship, had a contrasting opinions, Hellmuth received an overwhelming support with many in the community coming forward to support him, including Nadya Magnus and PokerStars Team Pro Jennifer Shahade.

Supporting Hellmuth’s point, Nadya Magnus pointed out that longer tournament days not only affect older players but also players with medical conditions. Shahade called it a great point from Hellmuth, saying that it also becomes tough for pregnant women and people with disabilities. 

Poker legend Erik Seidel also agreed with Helmuth and said that this should not be an endurance contest and supported the idea of shortening breaks and offering break days to accommodate older players.  

Some players in the community said that Hellmuth is absolutely spot on as no one can stay 100% mentally sharp with those 12 hour long grinds over 7 days without a full day off. The matter was heavily debated in the poker community and many players wanted changes in the WSOP Main Event structure, including several poker legends and operators.

WSOP Listens to the Community – Announces Changes in The Structure

Following pressure from older players and an overwhelming support for Helmuth’s opinion in the poker community, WSOP has finally announced changes in the Main Event structure – a huge win for the community. It provides a major relief, especially for older players and those with disability.

Key Changes In The WSOP Main Event 2025 Structure

Extended Schedule: The Main Event was originally set to take place between July 2-16. It has been extended and will finish on July 24, 2025.

Two Hour Breaks Per Day: There will be two hour long breaks per day, which will give players enough time to rest and recover.

Two Full Off-Days: Notably, there will be two full days off on July 18-19, thus breaking the seven-day restless and consecutive seven-day grind.

Besides, a special Flip & Go bracelet event exclusively for players under 50 will be held during break days. This is a win-win move for any younger players still in the Main with time on their hands and urge for glory.

Phil Hellmuth & Daniel Negreanu Respond to the Changes in Main Event

Speaking of the changes in the Main Event, Phil Hellmuth and Daniel Negreanu issued a joint statement, “Unfortunately, guys like us don’t get much in the way of preferential treatment at the World Series of Poker but this is certainly a step in the right direction.”

Perks for Seniors: Adding to the delight, the WSOP has also announced senior citizen discounts in all Caesars restaurants, making the WSOP experience more memorable and affordable for the older players.

With these favorable changes, WSOP is kind of balancing endurance with inclusivity, ensuring that all players of all ages and those with disability can compete for the main event glory this year.

Keep following PokerProNews for more such exciting updates from the poker industry.

Source: PokerStrategy.com & Phil Hellmuth Twitter Handle

The post Community Voices Heard: WSOP Changes Main Event Structure first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.

The 2025 WSOP begins on May 27 and will conclude on July 16, offering 100 exciting events with varied buy-ins to cater to all types of players. Ty Stewart, Chief Executive Officer of WSOP, emphasized to continue breaking last year’s records. “In 2025, the WSOP schedule is better again, with something for everyone who loves the game,” Stewart said. 

This will be the first series of WSOP under the new ownership of GGPoker’s parent company–NSUS Group Inc. In mid-2024, NSUS Group paid a massive $500 million to Caesars Entertainment to acquire the prestigious series. Although ownership changed, the main staff remained the same as the prestigious Horseshoe Las Vegas venue. 

The 56th Annual WSOP begins on May 27 with Event #1: $1,000 buy-in Mystery Millions, which guarantees a $1,000,000 top Bounty, and a $1 Million  for the eventual winner. The event boasts five starting flights, with late registration open until Level 12. Eventually, the festival concludes with a $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Super Turbo on July16, 2025.

WSOP 2025 Main Event (July 2–July 16,2025)

As always, the series will be highlighted by the Main Event. The $10,000 buy-in event runs from July 2 to July 16, 2025. There will be four Day 1 flights (July 2–5), which will be followed by multiple Day 2s leading to the final table and the eventual crowning of the champion.

The 2024 WSOP main event was the largest one in the history with a record turnout of 10,112 entries resulting in $94,041,600 prize pool. The largest share of the prize pool went to the 38-year-old Jonathan Tamayo claiming a staggering $10 million and his first bracelet as the champion.

New, Better, and Exciting 2025 WSOP

Just like in 2024, this year the series is adding new formats and events to its list as Stewart said: “The WSOP schedule is better again, with something for everyone who loves the game.” The 2025 WSOP introduces new events and exciting formats, including the “Battle of the Ages” ($1,000 buy-in, June 22). This specific event split players into 50+ on Day 1A and 21-49 on Day 1B age groups. Players withstanding both starting flights will battle against each other on Day 2. 

WSOP raised its stakes during the 2024 WSOP Paradise, introducing a $25k Super Main Event with a $50 million GTD. This time, they are doing the same thing, but for Mixed-game enthusiasts, the series is introducing a new $25k PLO/NLH mixed high rollers, adding to the excitement of poker enthusiasts. 

Additionally, the T.O.R.S.E. format makes its debut, replacing limit hold’em with triple draw deuce-to-seven lowball in the mixed-game rotation with a $3,000 buy-in. Traditional H.O.R.S.E. events remain on the schedule with buy-ins of $1.5k, $10k, and $25k. 

In 2024, WSOP added NLH/PLO Double Bomb Pot to its events list and it was very successful, this time the Double Bomb Pot makes its return with a $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha Double Board Bomb Pot Eight Max.  Here is a list of several exciting new events players can look forward to at the upcoming World Series of Poker 2025:

Tournaments for Every Bankroll

The 2024 WSOP Paradise faced criticism for its high buy-in-only tournaments, thus excluding ordinary players from dreaming of participation in the series. While WSOP always features low buy-in events, of the 100 events this time, 49 have buy-ins of $1,500 or less, while 30 tournaments cost more than $10k. 

There are 13 high rollers with buy-ins of $25,000 or more, including three six-figure buy-in events: the $250,000 no-limit hold’em on June 15, the $100,000 pot-limit Omaha on June 11, and the $100,000 no-limit hold’em on July 1. The crown jewel of all this high-roller action is the $250k High Roller. 

PokerGO will once again be the exclusive live broadcast provider for the 2025 WSOP, with a complete streaming schedule to be released soon.

A Large Indian Contingent Expected

Last year, we saw a large number of Indian players competing for WSOP glory. For the first-time in history, India racked up a record 219 cashes, which included two victories. Team India’s performance was highlighted by the super high roller victory achieved by Snathosh Suvarnna, who created history by becoming the first Indian to win a $250k High Roller for a career-best $5.4 million and his career-second gold bracelet. Poker veteran Aditya Agarwal won Event #82: $1,000 No Limit Hold’em for a sum of $189,661 and his maiden bracelet. This year, we expect a bigger Indian contingent continuing their record-breaking run from from 2024 into WSOP 2025.

Here is the Full Schedule for WSOP 2025. 

Source – WSOP

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The post 100 Events, New Twists: WSOP Unveils The Much-Awaited Schedule For 2025 first appeared on Global Poker News Daily: PokerProNews.com.