WSOP Changes Rio Footprint and Player of the Year Format

Following Monday’s blockbuster announcement with Poker Central acquisition of global television and digital media rights to the World Series of Poker and a partnership with ESPN to bring same day coverage of the Main Event, the WSOP announced a couple of more changes for the 2017 Series.

The “Mothership” or “Thunderdome” or the ESPN Main Stage Set – whichever you call it – moves to the Brasilia Room. The three-table setup is moving with it, along with enough to tables to handle Day 3 restarts.

In turn, the Amazon Room has room for dozens of new tables and will be the new Day 1 starting point for almost every bracelet event. The room holds 180 tables and organizers expect to field the 11 am bracelet events and the 3 pm bracelet events in the Amazon room on most days. Overflow tables would land in the Pavilion Room.

Cash game action will still be in the Pavilion Room with 91 tables scheduled for action. King’s Casino, host of WSOP Europe, has 15 high stakes tables set aside for the Kings Cash Game Lounge. The room within a room feel for high rollers will be upscale and cater to the largest cash games.

The Player of the Race no longer ends in July, as King’s Casino is the new sponsor for the award. The GPI formula was dropped for a proprietary formula and will include the WSOPE events as part of the award. 

The player that has the most POY points after the 71 events at the Rio wins a seat to the WSOPE Main Event later this year. Then after the 11 bracelet events wrap up in Europe the overall winner earns a seat to the 2018 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas.

The Miranda Room – a.k.a. the Poker Kitchen – is expanded to 45 tables to handle more action than it’s seen in past years. The food area will be trimmed in size with hot food still available but no space for seating. More food stations featuring “Grab ‘n’ Go” options will spread through the hallways, there will be hot dog carts throughout the rooms and the stage in the Pavilion room serves as the main dining/seating area.