Weekend events solidified for 2017 World Series of Poker

(PRESS RELEASE) -- As the details of the day-by-day schedule for the 48th running of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) are being finalized, we're proud to announce a confirmed schedule for the flagship weekend anchor events that are planned.

With just six weekends available to start new events this year, the WSOP has strategically built the 2017 schedule to place signature events on the weekend, with juicy prize pools and popular tournaments planned to ensure poker enthusiasts with a great time and an opportunity to win big.

The 2017 WSOP weekend event schedule sets up as follows:
2-4 June – $565 Colossus III – two starting flights a day (10 a.m. & 4 p.m.) for three consecutive days
10-11 June – $1,500 Millionaire Maker – one starting flight each day at 10 a.m. on both the Saturday and Sunday
16, 18 June – $1,000 Seniors & Super Seniors – 10 a.m. start time. Friday for Seniors; Sunday for Super Seniors
24-25 June – $1,500 Monster Stack – 10 a.m. starting flights on Saturday & Sunday.
1-2 July -- $888 Crazy Eights – two starting flights a day (10 a.m. & 4 p.m.) for two consecutive days
8-10 July -- $10,000 Main Event – one starting flight a day (11 a.m.) for three consecutive days

In addition, we can confirm the Little One for One Drop charity poker tournament will return again in 2017 as a post-Main Event special, with three starting flights on consecutive days at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, 11 July Wednesday, 12 July and Thursday, 13 July. The Little One for One Drop will once again be the final official WSOP gold bracelet event of the series and feature a $1,000 buy in No-Limit Hold'em structure with unlimited re-entry during the open registration period, with a $111 add on for charity to double your starting chip stack.

The 48th World Series of Poker (WSOP) -- the longest-running, richest and most prestigious tournament series -- opens its doors officially on Tuesday, 30 May 2017 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The something-for-everyone schedule includes gold bracelet events, satellites, cash games and a quartet of daily deep stack tournaments running for 49 consecutive days, with the WSOP Main Event reaching its final nine players on Monday, 17 July 2017.

The opening weekend event of the 2017 schedule features the return of the world's largest live poker event. Colossus III will be a $565 buy-in re-entry No-Limit Hold'em tournament featuring a guaranteed $1 million first place prize. Colossus III includes two starting flights a day over three consecutive days -- Friday, 2 June, Saturday, 3 June and Sunday, 4 June at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The format will include one re-entry per flight, allowing players to enter again if they fail to advance initially. This event has drawn 43,987 entries during its first two years, and a move to a Friday-Saturday-Sunday starting flight format this year, is expected to increase the field size from last year's Thursday-through-Sunday schedule. More than $10.8 million was up for grabs in this prize pool last year.

Millionaire Maker is slotted the weekend after Colossus, on 10 and 11 June, where again the winner will walk away with a guaranteed $1 million first place prize. The $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event has a 10 a.m. starting flight on Saturday and another one on Sunday at 10 a.m. This event attracted 7,190 entries in 2016, creating a whopping $9.7 million prize pool and creating two new millionaires. The event does allow a single re-entry per flight.

In mid-June, the third weekend of the WSOP, the focus shifts to the Seniors. Festivities begin on the Friday (16 June) with the running of the annual Seniors Championship, with one flight only, beginning at 10 a.m. Participants in this $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em tournament will be afforded a single re-entry option for the first time during the open registration period. This event is open to anyone age 50+.

With the popular EDC Music Festival in full-swing this weekend in Las Vegas, the WSOP has scheduled a standard $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em tournament on Saturday, 17 June at 11 a.m. for those that are looking to mix a little poker and music, or who are trying to avoid the music altogether. On Sunday, 18 June at 10 a.m., the WSOP runs the Super Seniors No-Limit Hold'em Championship for those aged 65+. Again it comes with a $1,000 buy-in, and includes the single re-entry format during the open registration period.

On 24 and 25 June, the popular Monster Stack tournament returns, bringing with it the ten times starting stack, with 15,000 in tournament chips for the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event. Last year this event had 6,927 unique entrants, with a huge $9.35 million prize pool. This event remains a single-entry freeze out format, meaning participants must choose which starting flight to play, and if they are eliminated, they are unable to re-enter. The Monster Stack starts on the Saturday and Sunday with new flights at 10 a.m. both days.

Once the calendar hits July, it's time for some Crazy Eights. With a modest $888 buy-in, this No-Limit Hold'em tournament made its debut in 2016 and had 6,761 entrants, the fourth-most of the summer. On 1 and 2 July, the last weekend of the summer, Crazy Eights delivers two starting flights a day at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on that Saturday and Sunday and promises the winner a cool $888,888. The event is run 8-handed at each table, and features unlimited re-entry during the open registration period.

The summer poker festival reaches its pinnacle with the globe's longest-running poker tournament -- the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em WSOP Main Event championship -- which is slated to run from 8-17 July 2017 and will feature three starting flights -- Saturday, 8 July; Sunday, 9 July; and Monday, 10 July.

Once again this year, players will be able to enter WSOP tournaments using a credit card as a payment option. New for 2017, regulatory approval has been granted for credit card transactions up to $10,000, meaning players may now buy into the Main Event and most other WSOP events with an approved credit card.

Other events with confirmed dates and times are:
Wednesday, 31 May: $565 Casino Employees -- No-Limit Hold'em with single re-entry format for casino staff.
Friday, 7 July: $10,000/$1,000 Ladies Championship -- No-Limit Hold'em. 90% discount for ladies. 11 a.m.

Room reservations are being accepted across Caesars' Las Vegas properties. Visit Las Vegas -- WSOP to make your room reservations for the 2017 WSOP. Online registration will return in 2017, using the Bravo application that debuted in 2016.

The full event-by-event schedule is expected to be released sometime in February. All above announced dates, times and events are subject to change.