WSOP First Fifty Honors and Dinner date set

(PRESS RELEASE) -- This year marks the 50th running of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and to help celebrate its milestone, the WSOP will host a special night, dubbed “First Fifty Honors” with a dinner, Honors and a VIP poker event at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas during the 50th World Series of Poker.

While several special poker tournaments have been added to this year’s WSOP, including the Big 50 opening weekend (30 May - 2 June) rake-free event, there will be a brief pause in the poker playing during the evening of Saturday, 29 June in the Brasilia Ballroom at the Rio to pay homage to those who have left an indelible mark on the WSOP since 1970. Doors open at 8 p.m.

The Saturday night special evening will begin with a dinner open to WSOP gold bracelet winners and other VIP’s, followed by the First Fifty Honors, hosted by legendary WSOP broadcasters Lon McEachern and Norman Chad.

“From its founding by the Binion family in 1970, no one could have foreseen what the modern-day World Series of Poker has become,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “It’s only fitting we take an evening out from poker playing to celebrate the great game of poker and all the characters who have made a mark on the WSOP over the past five decades.”

First Fifty Honors will include an awards presentation, where individuals across seven categories will be recognized, voted on by the public and players themselves. WSOP gold bracelet winners can pick up their event tickets from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, 27 June or Friday, 28 June at the VIP desk at the Rio across from the take-out window of El Burro Borracho restaurant.

An online vote commences today, where fans around the globe can select who is most deserving in seven different categories. In addition, players who participated in the 2018 WSOP will receive an email with the categories, with an opportunity to cast a vote as well.

In addition to the dinner and Honors program, a special exclusive VIP poker event will be held afterwards capping off an evening of celebrations for the WSOP’s 50th.

Anyone in U.S. or Canada who casts a vote for the First Fifty Honors gets entered into a random drawing to win a prize, including seats to WSOP gold bracelet events. Seats for Event No. 69, the $1,000 Mini Main Event, along with Event No. 88, the $500 WSOP.com Online No-Limit Hold’em Summer Saver will be among the prizes. Additional prizes include invites to the First Fifty gala and WSOP merchandise.

The categories for the First Fifty Honors are as follows:
1. Most Memorable WSOP TV Hand
2. Best Overall WSOP Performance (Single Year)
3. Most Likely to Succeed (Player currently 35 or Under to Win the Most Gold Bracelets between 2020-2070)
4. Fan Favorite Player
5. WSOP’s Favorite Bad Boy
6. Most Impressive Main Event Win
7. Four Most Important Players in WSOP History

Voting will remain open through 15 June 2019.

Additionally, a special panel made up of poker industry stalwarts and media members has been selected to determine an eighth category – the 50 Greatest Poker Players. The panelists will consider all players from the past 50 years and vote on who makes the final 50. The WSOP will publish this list following the conclusion of the voting and tabulation. The only criteria to determine the 50 Greatest Poker Players is they must have played at least once at the WSOP. This list can be made up of cash game players, mixed games players, online players or tournament players.

The WSOP – the longest-running, richest and most prestigious tournament series – opens its doors on Tuesday, 28 May 2019 at the Rio in Las Vegas. This marks the 50th running of the famed poker festival.

A record 123,865 entries participated in the 2018 WSOP, creating a 49-year high of $266,889,193 in prize money. The average WSOP gold bracelet event in 2018 had a $3,421,656 prize pool with $655,337 going to the winner.

Buy-ins for tournaments at the Rio start as low as $70. Single table satellites and all your favorite live poker games: low, medium and high limit will begin on 28 May and run 24 hours a day throughout the seven-week series taking place in the spacious Rio Convention Center for the 15th consecutive year. More than 500 poker tables will be set up across more than 100,000 square-feet of ballroom space to accommodate the thousands of players from around the world who attend poker’s annual Woodstock.