Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Learn More About the World Series of Poker Payout Structure

By Brian Garvin

Poker payouts can be very confusing whether its the amount of spots paid, or the percent paid to the players. Learning how poker payouts came about, you have to know where it all started. If you go to Las Vegas you certainly will come across a casino called Binions Horseshoe. Binions is the venue at which the World Series of Poker or simply "WSOP" is held. The owner of the casino Benny Binion was a marketing genius, coming up with an idea to have a winner-take-all poker tournament.

Those type of deals mentioned above, didn't always end up at the final table like it does today. Before the tournament started, the players voted on how the prize pool should be distributed and separated. Players resumed playing using 25% of their previous chips. 75% of the other chips were exchanged for cash at the cage.

A legal investigation ensued, because the winner-take-all tournament idea raised red flags. It raised the flags cause of the fabrication of prize money, and operating procedures were somewhat suspicious. If you have ever heard of the old quiz show, where the game was rigged called "twenty one", the federal broadcasting law wasn't enforced in this case, like it was there.

With the legalities of it all, sporting events were being shunned. In the mid 1970's, CBS began to broadcast tennis tournaments as winner-take-all at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. However, tennis stars Jimmy Conners and Rod Laver both confessed that they were splitting the prize money. This left CBS in a rather precarious position as they were fined by the FCC and had to issue a public apology.

With federal investigations being conducted, Mr. Binion realized that he had better act quickly and make some changes. Binion quickly disposed of the idea of winner-take-all, and learned that he would have a better following by paying more spots instead of less. So Binion came up with another marketing success, telling the players in his tournament that he was paying the top 5 spots that year.

In the 1978 WSOP Binion kept his word and paid out the top 5 spots. Binion soon realized that with an overwhelming growth in entrants that he was going to have to pay out more spots to keep new players coming in. The then current payout of the top 5 slots would last until 1981, when Binion then told players it would be paid the top 9 spots.

Players started pouring in from all over the world, and in the upcoming years would set attendance and payout records. This started with the Chris Moneymaker shocker in 2003, setting a new record for winnings in the WSOP. In 04' Binion paid out 225 spots. He was at it again in 2005 paying out 560 slots, and 873 in 06'.

Pretty hard to imagine 873 players back in the 1970's when the World Series of Poker was "winner-take-all". The World Series of Poker payout structure has grown over the years, just like the game's popularity. The World Series of Poker is broadcasted on ESPN and has garnered a huge fan base. Learn More About the World Series of Poker Payout Structure Celebrity tournaments are also played throughout the year. The World Series of Poker is a phenomenon.

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