2008 World Series of Poker Schedule Released

There have been many people anxiously awaiting the release of the 2008 World Series of Poker schedule, and finally we have to wait no longer! The WSOP posted their schedule earlier today and there are a few striking differences right off the bat.

First off, they have decided that since the main event championship event gets so much attention, why not have more? That’s right, they are having a $10,000 Championship event for nearly every form of poker they offer. This includes Pot-Limit Hold’em, Mixed Hold’em, Seven Card Stud, Heads Up No-Limit Hold’em, Limit Hold’em, Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low (8 or Better), HORSE ($50,000 buyin), Pot-Limit Omaha, and No-Limit Hold’em. That is nine in total that have the title “World Championship.” I assume that the other 8 still will not get as much attention as the NLHE World Championship, but I bet the prestige gets heightened for the other events.

There are again 55 events just as there was last year, so some have been cut out with the addition of these championships. There are mixed emotions about this change, but for the most part many of the pro players like the idea. Last year, the only other tournament that had a higher buyin than the main event was the $50k HORSE. Other than that and the main event, the highest buyin tournament was $5,000. Now, with 9 events that are $10,000, it will really change the field. These events will become much tougher, and like said earlier, will gain more prestige making their bracelets wanted by all pros.

But don’t worry if you don’t have the bankroll yet to support the $10,000 buyins. They have compensated with adding several smaller buyins, under $2,000, to the schedule as well. There are 31 in total with an entry under $2k, spread across all events. This mixed approach is a great idea to make both pros and amateurs happy.
The WSOP 2008 is being held at the Rio Hotel and Casino and starts on May 30 and will run until July 16, which will be the day of the Main Event final table. Here is the complete schedule as found on the WorldSeriesOfPoker.com website.