WSOP 2025 Edges Out 2024 in Attendance Through Three Weeks, But Super High Roller Declined

Key Takeaways

Attendance is up 1.41% year-over-year, regardless of early issues about political tensions.

The $250K Tremendous Excessive Curler was down 16%.

Mid-stakes occasions just like the Monster Stack and Senior’s Excessive Curler posted double-digit progress.

New re-entry guidelines and extra multi-flight occasions are inflating discipline sizes in comparison with 2024.

Format and scheduling adjustments complicate direct year-over-year comparisons, however developments stay largely constructive.

Correction: An earlier model of this text said that the $250,000 Tremendous Excessive Curler drew 46 entries. That determine mirrored Day 1 turnout solely, as displayed on WSOP+. The ultimate attendance, together with late registrations on Day 2, was 63. The article has been up to date to replicate the right quantity.

Three weeks into the 2025 World Collection of Poker (WSOP), the story stays unchanged; this yr’s turnout remains to be edging forward of final yr’s. After reporting a powerful begin in Week 1, the numbers for the final two weeks proceed to show that fears of a dip in participation had been unfounded.

The truth is, as soon as key elements are accounted for, WSOP 2025 is holding regular and in some areas, even outperforming 2024.

week-to-week developments, as we beforehand reported, WSOP 2025 began robust. Week 1 simply outpaced 2024 in each attendance and prize swimming pools. Week 2 noticed a minor dip in turnout, however general prize cash climbed because of robust participation in multi-flight occasions.

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Now, the most recent week as soon as once more introduced a slight uptick in attendance, however the general prize pool dropped, largely as a result of underperformance of 1 excessive curler occasion.

For example, within the final week, the $1,500 NLH Tremendous Turbo Bounty attracted 2,217 entries, up 5% from 2,110 in 2024. Alternatively, the $3,000 NLH Freezeout noticed participation fall 18%, dropping from 1,252 to 1,027 entries. The $10,000 Pot-Restrict Omaha Hello-Lo 8 or Higher Championship posted one of many greatest beneficial properties thus far, rising practically 50% year-over-year with 386 entries, in comparison with simply 259 final summer season.

Among the many marquee occasions, the $1,500 Monster Stack was a transparent spotlight, drawing a large 9,920 entries, a 14% bounce from final yr’s 8,703. The $100,000 Excessive Curler, nonetheless, slipped 8% in attendance. The $5,000 Seniors Excessive Curler noticed robust progress, with 801 entries this yr, up from 679, an 18% enhance.

In distinction, the decrease buy-in $1,000 Seniors Championship declined barely, from 7,954 entries in 2024 to 7,575 this yr. The $250,000 Tremendous Excessive Curler noticed its discipline shrink from 75 to 63 entries, a 16% lower.

Attendance is Up, Regardless of Issues

When it comes to attendance, evaluating the identical set of occasions year-over-year, WSOP 2025 has drawn 86,893 complete entries thus far, up from 85,687 final yr. That marks a modest however significant enhance of roughly 1.41%.

Via the primary three weeks of the collection:

2024 Attendance: 85,687
2025 Attendance: 86,893
Change: +1.41%

It’s a modest acquire, however a acquire nonetheless, contemplating the prevailing narrative that WSOP 2025 might endure a dip in attendance, notably within the wake of President Trump’s aggressive tariffs and pointed remarks towards Canada

Nevertheless, prize pool totals inform a barely totally different story at first look. The identical comparable occasions this yr generated $174.67 million, and in 2024, these exact same occasions produced $175.55 million, a 0.50% lower.

2024 Prize Swimming pools: $175.55M
2025 Prize Swimming pools: $174.67M
Change: -0.50%

However this dip is nearly completely as a result of a drop in turnout for the $250,000 Excessive Curler occasion, which noticed participation fall by 16% year-over-year. That one occasion alone had an outsized influence on the general prize pool determine.

When the $250K occasion is faraway from each years for a cleaner comparability, a distinct image emerges. In 2024, prize swimming pools, excluding that high-stakes event, totaled $156.88 million. This yr, the comparable determine is $159.15 million, a 1.45% enhance. Entries additionally observe the same development. With out the $250K occasion, the entry rely rises from 85,612 final yr to 86,830 this yr, a 1.42% enhance.

2024 Prize Swimming pools (excluding $250K): $156.88 million
2025 Prize Swimming pools (excluding $250K): $159.15 million
Change: +1.45%
2024 Entries (excluding $250K): 85,612
2025 Entries (excluding $250K): 86,830
Change: +1.42%

What’s Completely different This Yr

After all, the year-over-year comparisons usually are not completely apples to apples. There are a number of structural adjustments on this yr’s WSOP schedule that could be influencing the numbers. This yr’s schedule options fewer freezeouts and extra multi-flight tournaments, permitting gamers extra possibilities to register and re-enter. For example, $1.5K NLH Tremendous Turbo Bounty was freezeout final yr, however this yr, it allowed one re-entry.

Re-entry guidelines have additionally modified: occasions that beforehand allowed one or two re-entries now allow as much as three, additional inflating discipline sizes in some instances.

The schedule lineup has not remained an identical; some tournaments held within the first week final yr are scheduled later this time round, and vice versa. The occasion lineup has not remained static both. Some tournaments that occurred within the opening weeks final yr have been scheduled later this time round, and vice versa, making direct comparisons extra complicated.

On the flip facet, the rise in event charges seems to have had a chilling impact on excessive curler participation. Whereas mid-stakes occasions are thriving beneath the brand new construction, costly buy-ins just like the $50K and above are struggling to match earlier yr numbers.

Even with these format adjustments, the turnout thus far offers a dependable benchmark and the image is basically constructive. Regardless of ongoing hypothesis that political tensions or uncertainty may suppress turnout, the numbers recommend in any other case. Gamers have proven up in related numbers to final yr, and as soon as structural adjustments are accounted for, the collection is monitoring virtually identically to 2024, if not barely higher.

With three weeks within the books, the massive query now could be: Can the momentum maintain via the Fundamental Occasion and past? If the Fundamental Occasion performs effectively or brings the same attendance in comparison with final yr, 2025 WSOP might as soon as once more find yourself turning into a document collection. We’ll discover out quickly.