WSOP 2025 poker chip and golden light burst with Horseshoe casino and championship bracelet in background

The 56th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) is underway, running from May 27 to July 16, 2025. It is taking place once again at the Horseshoe Las Vegas casino. Certain games will take place at Paris Las Vegas. For this 2025 World Series of Poker preview, there were 100 bracelet-awarding events to review.
 
As always, the main draw (when it comes to global audience attention) will be the $10,000 buy in Main Event. This is where we crown poker’s champion each year. In 2024, Jonathan Tamayo took home the big prize after beating over 10,000 other entrants – the biggest field ever. This year, poker legends like Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu are still favorites to win it all, but it is truly anyone’s tournament to win. As we get into what to expect at the 56th World Series of Poker, let’s start with new games for 2025. 


What’s New for the 2025 World Series of Poker?

 The World Series of Poker 2025 schedule introduces several new events to freshen up the tournament lineup:
 
Event #24: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Double Board Bomb Pot. The concept for this new game is pretty simple. In each round, every player will ante up. This is in place of preflop betting. The idea is that the action will immediately be increased as each player is invested in each hand automatically
 
Event #59: $ 1,000 Battle of the Ages. Players will be separated into two groups: over 50 and under 50. After a day of play, the remaining competitors will be merged to fight for a bracelet.
 
Event #93 $3,000 T.O.R.S.E. This game includes five poker variations, but replaces the “H” with a “T.” This inserts Triple Draw Lowball where Hold’Em normally would be.
 
For this year, there is also a WSOP+ app that provides fans with real-time updates, chip counts, and exclusive content. If you want to follow events closely, check it out. 


2025 World Series of Poker Preview: The Top Events

Close-up of the 2024 World Series of Poker championship bracelet with gold and diamond detailing

Several marquee events are drawing significant attention as the top events WSOP 2025 has to offer.

  • Event #7: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Last year, Artur Martirosian won this challenging battle event, earning him a third WSOP bracelet.
  • Event #46: $250,000 Super High Roller No-Limit Hold’em. This event is sure to have elite players and a massive prize pool. The buy in alone would make a very healthy reward for any normal tournament, but the WSOP is several levels above ordinary.
  • Event #53: $1,500 Millionaire Maker No-Limit Hold’em. The winner is guaranteed to win $1 million. This is a classic game that is far more “affordable” than the Main Event for poker players who want to take a shot at the big time.

Other notable events include the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship, and the $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold’em Championship, and many, many more.

A Quick Overview of the WSOP Schedule 2025 Offers

The WSOP kicked off on May 27th.  The first event that got everything started was the Mystery Millions tournament. It featured a record-breaking field and offered up to $1,000,000 in mystery bounties for knockouts. When a player wins a bounty, they are invited to pull a slip of paper from a treasure chest. Three of the slips contain a $1M win, which makes any trip to the prize chest a heart-pounding thrill.

Other games will run, and generally a couple will kick off each day. Players sent to the rail have many opportunities to reset and join a new game when they are ready. Of course, with the hardcore competition and brutal level of play, it will be hard to find the energy (and money) to participate in many games.

The Main Event begins on July 2nd and will run for about two weeks. There are four starting flights (a necessary feature when the field is big), and the final table will be formed on July 15th. After that, poker will have a new champion.

Familiar Faces at the 2025 WSOP

The 2025 WSOP sees the return of many poker legends, but there will be some differences from the field participating at the 2024 edition.

Daniel Negreanu is in attendance. At the time of this writing, he was possibly closing in on his eighth bracelet thanks to his lead in the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship. No matter what game he’s in, he’s a threat to win the top prize.

Daniel Negreanu focused at the poker table, wearing glasses and grey shirt.

Phil Ivey is one of the best players of all time and is a fixture at WSOP events. Ivey is competing in high-stakes events this year, including the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship.

Phil Hellmuth, the all-time WSOP bracelet leader with 16, is notably absent from the Main Event for the first time since 1988. He has cited the event’s grueling schedule.

Emerging talents like Christopher Nguyen may also make waves. Nguyen’s recent successes in online tournaments definitely have marked him as a newer player to watch.

Christopher Nguyen seated at a poker table with chips, wearing a striped shirt in a busy casino setting

Betting Odds on Who Will Become the 2025 WSOP Champion


Some sites are giving odds on who will win the WSOP. The favorites at the moment are Ivey at 80:1 and Negreanu at 100:1. Further down the list, other strong players like Justin Bonomo and the eternal Erik Seidel are listed at 200:1. With a field as large at the WSOP, it is still possible for anyone to win.
 
There are so many games to follow this year. If you can’t be there in person, check out some WSOP streams or recaps on YouTube. The Main Event will also show up on CBS Sports if you want the traditional sports spectator experience. What’s your own 2025 World Series of Poker prediction?