2009 World Series of Poker Schedule Announced

Harrah's has announced the official schedule for the 2009 World Series of Poker, the 40th annual gathering for the world's largest poker extravaganza. The 2009 WSOP will again be held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, running May 26 – July 15, 2009. Contrary to rumors of a possible trimming of the series, the WSOP will instead offer its largest-ever schedule of events. 57 different bracelet tournaments (two more than in 2008), will make up the bulk of the schedule, to be joined by a handful of special events and a continuous menu of satellite tourneys and cash games.

The complete 2009 schedule as announced will again include the much-discussed delay for the Main Event final table, with 2009's eventual "November Nine" slated to return to the Rio on November 7th for the prestigious title. Denmark's Peter Eastgate survived the 117-day delay in 2008 to win the WSOP's top honor, the first time that such a pause had been introduced. ESPN will return to provide special prime-time coverage of the final table.

This year's WSOP schedule introduces a handful of new ideas, along with the return of many of the most popular events and traditional World Series of Poker offerings. Among the new wrinkles is a $1,000 no-limit hold'em "Stimulus Special" to be held on the WSOP's opening weekend, May 30-31. WSOP officials project this tourney to be the largest-ever event outside the Main Event itself, shattering the mark established in 2008. The event's prize purse is expected to approach $5 million.

The stimulus special will be joined by a second distinctive offering later in the series, a $40,000 buy-in NLHE event designed to commemorate the WSOP's 40th edition. That event begins on May 28th, assuring that the WSOP jumps from the starting blocks in the last days of May.

Several other mainstays return to the 2009 WSOP roster of events. Among them are the following:

• The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship – the third appearance of this high-profile event and its Chip Reese Memorial Trophy;

• Ten different $10,000 "World Championship" events (including the no-limit hold'em Main Event) in different poker variants;

• Seven of the popular $1,500 no-limit hold'em tourneys – these events are sprinkled throughout the series and traditionally draw large fields to the Rio Convention center;

• The third annual "Ante Up for Africa" charity fundraiser, created to benefit the ongoing humanitarian crisis in war-torn Darfur. This $5,000-entry funder traditionally draws dozens of celebrities and top poker pros, and is scheduled for July 2, 2009;

• The Ladies and Seniors Events – two WSOP traditions return to the 2009 roster, both with $1,000 buy-ins. The ladies tourney begins on June 7th and features a tie-in with the Nevada Cancer Institute, the WSOP's official community relations partner. The seniors event – open to poker players aged 50 and over – begins on June 22.

The 2009 Main Event runs July 3-15, 2009 and will again feature four Day 1's, two Day 2's, and an off day in the middle of its two-week run. The complete 2009 WSOP schedule of events:

Date (Day) Time Event # Title Buy-In

5/26 (T) 9 AM Registration Opens, Live Action & Satellites Begin

5/27 (W) 12 PM #1 Casino Employees NLHE (2-day event) $500

5/28 (Th) 12 PM #2 40th Annual NLHE (4-day event) $40,000

5/29 (F) 12 PM #3 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3-day event) $1,500

5/30 (Sa) 12 PM #4A NLHE (4-day event) $1,000

5/31 (Su) 12 PM #4B NLHE (4-day event) $1,000

6/1 (M) 12 PM #5 PLO (3-day event) $1,500

6/1 (M) 5 PM #6 *World Championship Seven Card Stud (3-day event) $10,000

6/2 (T) 12 PM #7 NLHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/2 (T) 5 PM #8 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-Limit) (3-day event) $2,500

6/3 (W) 12 PM #9 NLHE Six-handed (3-day event) $1,500

6/3 (W) 5 PM #10 PLHE/PLO (3-day event) $2,500

6/4 (Th) 12 PM #11 NLHE (3-day event) $2,000

6/4 (Th) 5 PM #12 *World Championship Mixed Event (3-day event) $10,000
LHE, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz , Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, NLHE, PLO, 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball

6/5 (F) 12 PM #13 NLHE (3-day event) $2,500

6/5 (F) 5 PM #14 LHE Six-handed (3-day event) $2,500

6/6 (Sa) #12 PM #15 NLHE (3-day event) $5,000

6/6 (Sa) #5 PM #16 Seven Card Stud (3-day event) $1,500

6/7 (Su) 12 PM #17 *Ladies NLHE World Championship (3-day event) $1,000

6/7 (Su) 5 PM #18 *World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3-day event) $10,000

6/8 (M) 12 PM #19 NLHE Six Handed (3-day event) $2,500

6/9 (T) 12 PM #20 PLHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/9 (T) 5 PM #21 H.O.R.S.E. (3-day event) $3,000

6/10 (W) 12 PM #22 NLHE Shootout (1,000 player max) (3-day event) $1,500

6/10 (W) 5 PM #23 *World Championship 2-7 Draw Lowball (No-limit) (3-day event) $10,000

6/11 (Th) 12 PM #24 NLHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/11 (Th) 5 PM #25 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better (3-day event) $2,500

6/12 (F) 12 PM #26 LHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/12 (F) 5 PM #27 PLO Hi-low Split-8 or Better (3-day event) $5,000

6/13 (Sa) 12 PM #28 NLHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/13 (Sa) 5 PM #29 *World Championship Heads-Up NLHE (256-player max) (3-day event) $10,000

6/14 (Su) 12 PM #30 PLO (3-day event) $2,500

6/14 (Su) 5 PM #31 H.O.R.S.E. (3-day event) $1,500

6/15 (M) 12 PM #32 NLHE (3-day event) $2,000

6/15 (M) 5 PM #33 *World Championship LHE (3-day event) $10,000

6/16 (T) 12 PM #34 NLHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/17 (W) 12 PM #35 PLO (3-day event) $5,000

6/18 (Th) 12 PM #36 NLHE (3-day event) $2,000

6/18 (Th) 5 PM #37 *World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3-day event) $10,000

6/19 (F) 12 PM #38 LHE (3-day event) $2,000

6/20 (Sa) 12 PM #39 NLHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/20 (Sa) 5 PM #40 *World Championship PLO (3-day event) $10,000

6/21 (Su) 12 PM #41 NLHE Shootout (1,000 player max) (3-day event) $5,000

6/21 (Su) 5 PM #42 Mixed Event (3-day event) $2,500
LHE, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz , Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, NLHE, PLO, 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball

6/22 (M) 12 PM #43 *Seniors NLHE World Championship (3-day event) $1,000

6/22 (M) 5 PM #44 Seven Card Razz (3-day event) $2,500

6/23 (T) 12 PM #45 *World Championship PLHE (3-day event) $10,000

6/23 (T) 5 PM #46 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3-day event) $2,500

6/24 (W) 12 PM #47 Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit) (3-day event) $2,500

6/25 (Th) 12 PM #48 PLO Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (3-day event) $1,500

6/26 (F) 12 PM #49 *World Championship H.O.R.S.E. (5-day event) $50,000
LHE, Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

6/26 (F) 5 PM #50 LHE Shootout (1,000 player max) (3-day event) $1,500

6/27 (Sa) 12 PM #51 NLHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/28 (Su) 12 PM #52 Triple Chance NLHE (3-day event) $3,000

6/28 (Su) 5 PM #53 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low 8-or-Better (3-day event) $1,500

6/29 (M) 12 PM #54 NLHE (3-day event) $1,500

6/29 (M) 5 PM #55 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit) (3-day event) $2,500

6/30 (Tu) 12 PM #56 NLHE / Six-handed (3-day event) $5,000

7/1 (W) Satellite Day
7/2 (Th) Satellite Day

7/2 (Th) 2 PM Ante Up For Africa Charity Event (NLHE) (1-day event) $5,000

Main Event begins:
7/3 (Fr) 12 PM #57A *World Championship NLHE Day 1A $10,000
7/4 (Sa) 12 PM #57B Day 1B
7/5 (Su) 12 PM #57C Day 1C
7/6 (M) 12 PM #57D Day 1D
7/7 (T) 12 PM Day 2A (1A + 1B)
7/8 (W) 12 PM Day 2B (1C + 1D)

7/9 (Th) Off day
7/9 (Th) 1 PM Media Event

7/10 (F) 12 PM Day 3
7/11 (Sa) 12 PM Day 4
7/12 (Su) 12 PM Day 5
7/13 (M) 12 PM Day 6
7/14 (T) 12 PM Day 7 (Play down to 27 players)
7/15 (W) 12 PM Day 8 (Play down to 9 players)

11/7-10 TBD Final Table

* -- denotes World Championship event
NLHE – No-Limit Hold'em
LHE – Limit Hold'em
PLHE – Pot-Limit Hold'em
PLO – Pot-Limit Omaha