After several days dedicated to the Main Event, the World Series of Poker welcomes back Stud players Wednesday, as Event #69: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better kicks off.
There are a couple of unique aspects to the first day of the event. First, the late 4:00 pm local start time. The afternoon mixed game sessions have typically begun at 2 or 3 pm, but this one begins at 4:00, with players playing 15 40-minute levels, with 15-minute breaks every three levels, leading to an approximate wrap-up of the day at 3:00 am local time.
Also, the location of the event in the WSOP schedule. In previous years, the tournament was run earlier in the schedule, while this year it coincides with days 2cef, 3, and 4 of the Main Event, so it will be interesting to see how the field size is impacted, as in the previous ten years, the tournament has seen between 460 and 644 runners.
The WSOP may be expecting a smaller field, as this year’s event is scheduled for only three days, while in previous years, it has been scheduled for four.
Of note, defending champion Michael Mizrachi was currently playing in Day 1cef of the Main Event as of this writing, but he and anyone else will have the first nine levels (until approximately 10:45 pm) to late register.
Mizrachi defeated a field of 460 players in 2019 to claim his fifth WSOP bracelet and $142,801.
Whether it’s “The Grinder” or someone else claiming the title, that champion will be crowned on Friday, and PokerNews will have complete coverage of all three days right until the bracelet is awarded at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.