- The WSOP will host a $250,000 buy-in tournament on Thursday.
- Last year’s tournament was composed of 33 players, and won by Adrian Mateos.
- If this year is similar, the total prize pool will likely exceed $8,000,000
LAS VEGAS – The World Series Of Poker is hosting a Super High Roller Hold ‘Em tournament with a whopping $250,000 buy-in beginning on Thursday.
The event itself will take a full three days, and features one re-entry. Entries will be accepted up until the end of Day 2.
Each level of the tournament will take 60 minutes, and Day 1 is the only one with a truly locked-in schedule, as there are a full 10 levels scheduled for Day 1.
WSOP Super High Roller Event Schedule
- Day 1 – 10 Levels
- Day 2 – Play Down To 5 Players
- Day 3 – Play Down To A Winner
The entry fee of $250,000 will yield $1,500,000 chips, and the blinds will start at $2,000-$4,000, and eventually increase to $15,000-$30,000 by the end of Day 1.
By the final rounds of the tournament, the blinds will be immense, with level 35’s scheduled blinds to be set at $4,000,000-$8,000,000.
However, the rewards are significant for this gambling risk. 2021’s winner was Adrian Mateos, who cashed out a cool $3,265,362 for his trouble. Mateos was one of only 33 players to enter the event – there simply are not that many high-rollers in the world.
This meant that the total prize payout was $8,217,000, and Mateos got the lion’s share with his three million+.
The Challenges Of Super High Roller Poker
After his 2021 victory, Mateos spoke about the challenges of facing such a small, intense field, as opposed to a wider, more open group of competitors.
“It’s the same game, but it’s different because you have to adapt,” Mateos said. “My game is a little bit different in a tournament with a lot of people compared to a small field. For me, it’s more of a mental challenge to win these tournaments.”
In March of 2022, Mateos mused on the difficulties of competing in high-roller tournaments.
“It can be really hard though,” Mateos said of competing in Super High Rollers. “If you want to compete in these Super High Roller tournaments you have to be in the top 20-30 players in the world. It’s a small percentage of people that can win at this level, so it’s normal that faces can change as not everyone can win. For me it’s about the challenge to maintain this status and to be a winning player.”
Last year’s win was Mateos’ fourth gold bracelet. Will the scene remain the same in 2022, or will new blood manage to enter the elite club of Super High Roller action?