Just weeks before this year’s World Series of Poker was set to begin, Black Friday went down, as the American Department of Justice shut down three of the world’s biggest online poker rooms. Players and analysts from around the world predicted that this would have a negative impact on attendance at the 2011 World Series of Poker. Some American players lacked the opportunity to earn buy-ins via satellites while others lost the revenue stream that would pay for their entry, but these circumstances did not slow down the action at the WSOP.
The main event for the 2011 WSOP saw nearly 7000, the highest entry rate in the competition’s over 40 year existance. While 2010 drew 7300 entrants, the number is still far above anyone’s expectations for this year’s events. It was believed that less players would come out for the main event, but that was not the case.
The number of total participants at this year’s event was 75 672, the highest turn out for a WSOP ever. These numbers suggest that Black Friday seems to have increased activity at this year’s event, rather than slowing it down.
Thanks to the large player pool in this year’s WSOP tournament, $8.7 million is up for grabs at the main event. Last year’s champion Jonathan Duhamel and Daniel Negreanu are among the biggest names that will be competing for this generous cash prize.
