2011 WSOP Largest Ever in the Tournament’s 42-Year History

It’s official.  The 2011 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest ever in the tournament’s 42-year rich history.  Tournament officials made the declaration at around 5 pm EDT Saturday evening. 

While the main event appeared to be lagging over last year’s numbers, a large number of WSOP events leading up to this week broke attendance records. 

More than $121 million has been handed out in the first 55 events, with a total of 65,000 players from 94 countries.

WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart commented: “It has been a truly memorable 2011 World Series of Poker. When all is said and done, we will have awarded nearly $200 million in prize money, crowned 58 new champions and provided a tremendous boost to the Vegas economy. There is nothing like The Main Event, and we hope players and spectators alike will come to experience this worldwide global phenomenon in person.”

These numbers defied the prediction of naysayers who claimed the indictments of April 15 handed down against online poker behemoths PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker would result in a dramatic decrease in attendance, citing the reduced opportunity for online satellites and players funds being held up in two of those rooms.

- Ace King, Gambling911.com

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