Monster Stack Event Breaks the WSOP Records

Another one of the special WSOP events that started earlier today is the Monster Stack tournament. It was designed in a way that offers the maximum amount of play for the small buyin, as $1,500 grants you a seat and 15,000 chips starting stack to work with. With blinds starting at 25/25, this means that players will start 600 big blinds deep – not something you see every day at poker tournaments.

Even couple days before the start, rumors started spreading that seats were filling up quickly and that everyone wanting to get in should do it soon, or they might miss out. But it wasn’t official until WSOP powers in charge decided to add a whole another flight for this tournament, one starting at 12 PM and another at 5 PM during the same day.

Apparently, people really appreciate the structure which guarantees them longer time at the tables. And while it was expected the number of participants would be big, it was a surprise to see this tournament become the third largest live event ever held – at the moment of writing this. Speaking about the records, it is also already the biggest non reentry tournament with just one starting day ever.

With 7,600+ runners, it is threatening to eclipse even this year’s Millionaire Maker event, which attracted just shy of 8,000 runners, but with reentries. Winner of the Monster Stack will get to take home at least $1.2 million, but this number will go up as well.

Big field, huge payday for the winner and a tournament offering a lot of play even for those with shallower pockets is great for poker in general, as this gives even the amateurs the feeling they are appreciated and taken care of. Some pros were not that happy, especially about the long lines for the registration and what they perceived as too deep stacks for the event of this type, but the general consensus is that these types of events could really go a long way in helping poker grow and bloom.

The first flight has been sold out, but the second flight also has a late registration for the standard first six levels of play, but players will be allowed to register in “waves”, as the seats become available, so we should see the number of participants grow even bigger. Could they top the record field of the 2006 Main Event of nearly 8,800 runners before the registration closes?

As this article is being published, players are still registering, so it is not completely impossible. Jack Effel and the rest of WSOP crowd are ready and doing their best to accommodate everyone wanting to get in. This event is another novelty of this year’s Series, and it seems that the WSOP staff once again struck gold! And really, if there are turbo events for those who like shallower stacks and fast paced play, it is only fair to have at least one cheaper event for those who actually enjoy staying in a tournament for a bit longer.

We will be back with exact numbers for participants and payouts when registration closes, but even at this moment, this event is clearly the biggest discovery of the Series!