2015 WSOP Colossus Event Prepares for Record Number of Entries

If you're heading to the 2015 WSOP in Las Vegas this summer, odds are you have your eye on entering "The Colossus" event that features a buy-in of $565 and a guaranteed prize pool of $5 million.

You are not alone. The WSOP has released details of The Colossus event that kicks off on May 29 and expects to break records for the largest number of entries for a WSOP tournament.

Listed as Event #5, The Colossus will employ four starting flights over two days - May 29 and May 30, beginning at 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. Two late waves are attached to each flight if need be in order to accomodate the anticipated number of registrants.

All seats are first-come, first-served, with WSOP organizers advising strongly that players pre-register for any and all flights to ensure being seated on the flight or flights of their choosing. Re-entries are permitted in subsequent flights, but no player can enter more than once in the same flight.

Should players survive a flight with bagged chips and move on in the tournament still holding registered seats for additional flights, refunds will be given for flights paid for but never entered. The refund process begins May 31 at 1:00 p.m. Seats cannot be transferred (sold) from one player to another.

Players have the option at the conclusion of a flight to forfeit their remaining chip stack and re-enter in a subsequent flight. But no re-entries will be permitted once chips have been bagged.

The four Day 1 flights (two each day on May 29 and May 30) consist of 10 levels that each run 40 minutes without a dinner break. The 10:00 a.m. starting flights that seat up to 4,600 players should be wrapped up by 5:45 p.m., just in time for the 6:00 p.m. flights that seat up to 4,000 to begin and run until 1:45 a.m.

Late wave players (those who missed out on registering for the normal start time due to capacity requirements) during the early flight will be seated at roughly 12:25 p.m. in the first wave and 2:45 p.m. in the second wave. Player capacities are 750 in wave one and 1,000 in wave two. Each day's second flight that kicks off at 6:00 p.m. will seat up to the same number of late wave players as the early flight, with seating at 8:25 p.m. and 10:45 p.m. for the late waves, respectively.

Late wave players begin with the same starting stack of 5,000 chips as all players, but will be entering action at the current escalated blind level at the time of seating. Late wave seats begin filling up once the capacities of starting flights have been reached.

All surviving players from the four Day 1 flights on May 29 and 30 will progress to Day 2 on Sunday, May 31 at a time not yet determined but probably 1:00 p.m. Day 3 gets underway on June 1 and Day 4 on June 2 - both at 1:00 p.m.

Pre-registration online is going on now through May 12. After that date registration must be accomplished at the Rio. A Total Rewards card is is required to play The Colossus and players can sign up in advance and obtain it when grabbing their pre-registration packet.

The WSOP warns players who don't register early to expect long lines and delays on the day of the event. The starting times will go forward as scheduled.

Other information to be aware of is that the Day 1 flights will likely begin as 10-handed tables and be broken down to 9-handed when possible. Players who miss the first two blind levels will lose their seat, while late wave players should be ready at the times listed for their respective waves.

Will you be part of this Colossus record-breaking event at the 2015 WSOP?