World Championship of Poker begins Saturday at the Rio

(PRESS RELEASE) -- The 47th edition of poker's ultimate championship will return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Saturday, July 9. Officially known as Event #68, the second-to-last event has three starting flights on July 9, July 10 and July 11, beginning at 11 a.m.

Amateurs, poker pros, celebrities and poker enthusiasts from more than 85 different countries are expected to make an appearance. Thousands of players will enter the $10,000 buy-in event in the hope of claiming poker's ultimate prize. The prize pool is expected to be more than $60 million, with the winner's prize exceeding $7 million.

The World Series of Poker is one of the gaming industry's premier events, drawing tens of thousands of poker enthusiasts from around the world to Las Vegas to compete for prize money and the coveted World Series of Poker gold bracelet.

Last year a total of 6,420 players entered, and the winner, Joe McKeehen, walked away with $7.6 million.

For more information on this event, please visit the World Series of Poker website.