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The WSOP Main Event is a tournament like no other in the poker world, and it showcases just how much of a spectacle it is every single year. In 2023, the WSOP Main Event shattered its attendance record and drew a field of more than 10,000 runners for the first time ever. The official field size for the 2023 WSOP Main Event was tallied at 10,043 entries, becoming by far the largest WSOP Main Event ever.
Prior to the record-setting turnout for the 2023 WSOP Main Event, the previous attendance record for this tournament belonged to the 2006 WSOP Main Event, which held the record for 17 years.
In this article, we’ll look at the numbers of all WSOP Main Events in history, going all the way back to the very first one in 1970. The growth over the years is incredible, and you can see how each year's field size translates to an enormous prize pool and absolutely life-changing first-place paydays.
Every WSOP Main Event By the Numbers
| YEAR | ENTRIES | PRIZE POOL | WINNER | FIRST-PLACE PRIZE |
| 2023 | 10,043 | $93,399,900 | Daniel Weinman | $12,100,000 |
| 2022 | 8,663 | $80,782,475 | Espen Jorstad | $10,000,000 |
| 2021 | 6,650 | $62,011,250 | Koray Aldemir | $8,000,000 |
| 2020 | 1,379 | $14,238,400 | Damian Salas | $1,550,969 |
| 2019 | 8,569 | $80,548,600 | Hossein Ensan | $10,000,000 |
| 2018 | 7,874 | $74,015,600 | John Cynn | $8,800,000 |
| 2017 | 7,221 | $67,877,400 | Scott Blumstein | $8,150,000 |
| 2016 | 6,737 | $63,327,800 | Qui Nguyen | $8,005,310 |
| 2015 | 6,420 | $60,348,000 | Joe McKeehen | $7,683,346 |
| 2014 | 6,683 | $62,820,200 | Martin Jacobson | $10,000,000 |
| 2013 | 6,352 | $59,708,800 | Ryan Riess | $8,359,531 |
| 2012 | 6,598 | $62,021,200 | Greg Merson | $8,531,853 |
| 2011 | 6,865 | $64,531,000 | Pius Heinz | $8,715,638 |
| 2010 | 7,319 | $68,798,600 | Jonathan Duhamel | $8,944,138 |
| 2009 | 6,494 | $61,043,600 | Joe Cada | $8,574,649 |
| 2008 | 6,844 | $64,333,600 | Peter Eastgate | $9,152,416 |
| 2007 | 6,358 | $59,784,954 | Jerry Yang | $8,250,000 |
| 2006 | 8,773 | $82,512,162 | Jamie Gold | $12,000,000 |
| 2005 | 5,619 | $52,818,610 | Joe Hachem | $7,500,000 |
| 2004 | 2,576 | $24,224,400 | Greg Raymer | $5,000,000 |
| 2003 | 839 | $7,802,700 | Chris Moneymaker | $2,500,000 |
| 2002 | 631 | $5,931,000 | Robert Varkonyi | $2,000,000 |
| 2001 | 613 | $5,946,220 | Carlos Mortensen | $1,500,000 |
| 2000 | 512 | $5,120,000 | Chris Ferguson | $1,500,000 |
| 1999 | 393 | $3,930,000 | Noel Furlong | $1,000,000 |
| 1998 | 350 | $3,500,000 | Scotty Nguyen | $1,000,000 |
| 1997 | 312 | $3,120,000 | Stu Ungar | $1,000,000 |
| 1996 | 295 | $2,950,000 | Huck Seed | $1,000,000 |
| 1995 | 273 | $2,730,000 | Dan Harrington | $1,000,000 |
| 1994 | 268 | $2,680,000 | Russ Hamilton | $1,000,000 |
| 1993 | 220 | $2,308,000 | Jim Bechtel | $1,000,000 |
| 1992 | 201 | $2,010,000 | Hamid Dastmalchi | $1,000,000 |
| 1991 | 215 | $2,150,000 | Brad Daugherty | $1,000,000 |
| 1990 | 194 | $1,940,000 | Mansour Matloubi | $895,000 |
| 1989 | 178 | $1,780,000 | Phil Hellmuth | $755,000 |
| 1988 | 167 | $1,670,000 | Johnny Chan | $700,000 |
| 1987 | 152 | $1,520,000 | Johnny Chan | $625,000 |
| 1986 | 141 | $1,410,000 | Berry Johnston | $570,000 |
| 1985 | 140 | $1,400,000 | Bill Smith | $700,000 |
| 1984 | 132 | $1,320,000 | Jack Keller | $660,000 |
| 1983 | 108 | $1,080,000 | Tom McEvoy | $540,000 |
| 1982 | 104 | $1,040,000 | Jack Straus | $520,000 |
| 1981 | 75 | $750,000 | Stu Ungar | $375,000 |
| 1980 | 73 | $730,000 | Stu Ungar | $385,000 |
| 1979 | 54 | $540,000 | Hal Fowler | $270,000 |
| 1978 | 42 | $420,000 | Bobby Baldwin | $210,000 |
| 1977 | 34 | $340,000 | Doyle Brunson | $340,000 |
| 1976 | 22 | $220,000 | Doyle Brunson | $220,000 |
| 1975 | 21 | $210,000 | Brian Roberts | $210,000 |
| 1974 | 16 | $160,000 | Johnny Moss | $160,000 |
| 1973 | 13 | $130,000 | Puggy Pearson | $130,000 |
| 1972 | 8 | $80,000 | "Amarillo Slim" Preston | $15,000 |
| 1971 | 6 | $30,000 | Johnny Moss | $30,000 |
| 1970 | 7 | n/a | Johnny Moss | n/a |
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