How to Get Into the WSOP Main Event 2021

Are you ready to up your poker game? Learn how you can get into the 2021 World Series of Poker Main Event this year.

After last year’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Series of Poker is officially back for 2021! The WSOP will officially take place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas from September 30 through November 23.

Poker pros, amateurs, and fans alike have been looking forward to this prestigious gaming event since Caesar’s Entertainment took the poker tournament online last year. If you want to get back into in-person gaming in a big way, there’s no better place than the WSOP Main Event.

Inside the Main Event

Taking place from November 4-17, this final stage of a months-long tournament season whittles down tens of thousands of competitors to hundreds, and then to just a handful for the final table. But, before you reach the pinnacle of this famous tourney, you’re required to pay a $10,000 buy-in to play your way through competitors.

The last in-person Main Event in 2019 saw a payout of $10,000,000. And 2021’s winner could be you. So let’s cover seven ways you can get yourself into the competition and go for the million-dollar pots.

1. Invest in Your Skills

Maybe you recently hit a big jackpot playing online poker or you’ve been saving up for your seat at the big table. Either way, if you’ve got the 10 grand, you can send in your cash and head right to Vegas for the WSOP 2021 tournament in November.

2. Win a Satellite Tournament

Satellite tournaments are qualifying poker events where you play against other competitors vying for the money you can use to pay for a Main Event buy-in and accommodations in Vegas. Though there are some in-person satellite tourneys, most other tourneys are conducted online, making them a convenient way to score a spot in the big leagues.

Another great thing about getting in via a satellite tournament is that you have so many options for cost-effective buy-ins, even those as low as $1. Of course, if you really want to win some serious pots and get the buy-in money you need quickly, you may have to play through the higher tiers, which have more expensive buy-ins.

This option is also good for refining your skills against players of varying levels. You might rub elbows with seriously experienced players and, at the same table, clean out hopeful amateurs. And winning big in the satellites can also gain you some serious cred, much like poker pro Chris Moneymaker, who swept through satellite tourneys to pave his way to the WSOP Main Event in 2003.

3. Partner With Friends for a Collective Buy-In

If you’ve got a group of friends you like to play cards with or you’re all avid poker fans, pitch a friendly tournament that you can use to determine who the group will raise $10,000 for and send to the WSOP 2021.

Have everyone buy-in each week, and set aside those funds for the winner’s ticket. Then, each week you can play your regular poker game, giving every player points based on how well they do each week. Whoever has the most points by the time you have to pay the $10,000 is the group’s rep.

One of the simplest ways to divvy up the earnings is by splitting them 50/50, letting the winning rep take one full 50% share and dividing the other half equally among the rest of the group. But make sure everyone agrees to this arrangement and get it in writing to secure the investment and potential earnings.

Not only can you develop your skills and come up with a foolproof bluffing strategy, but you and your friends all have a chance to earn a large profit off of a modest investment — and have fun doing it!

4. Find a Sponsor Through Staking

Staking is a pro-trusted option for raising tourney money. It involves finding just one person willing to pay your way to the Main Event with you giving them a percentage of what you win.

This is a pretty simple strategy for established players with a great reputation at the table or even previous WSOP bracelets. However, there are many wealthy sponsors looking for up-and-comers, too. Peek around the official poker forums for anyone advertising a staking opportunity, or pitch the idea to a well-off friend, family member, or acquaintance.

Just like with a collective buy-in with your poker pals, get the arrangement in writing, including what they’re going to pay for (like the Main Event ticket, travel, and Vegas accommodations) and what the final split is.

Another benefit of this option is that, if you do well and hold up your end of the bargain, they might be willing to foot the bill for you to enter other tournaments in the future.

5. Try Selling Shares

As a sort of crowdfunding for your burgeoning professional poker career, consider selling “shares” of your WSOP winnings in exchange for a portion of your entry ticket price. You might ask friends and family or even complete strangers looking to invest in the next Daniel Negrenaeu. Browse the poker forums for people interested in getting in on the ground floor of your poker career, or advertise that you’re selling shares and wait for offers to roll in.

Selling shares in poker backing is just like stocks: Whatever percentage they pay for your ticket (and other expenses if that’s also part of the deal) is the percentage they get of your winnings. The more one person pays in, the more they can earn. And you get to keep the rest!

This option is best if you already have a decent amount of money saved up to pay for the ticket yourself, like $5,000. You’d also get to keep 50% of your winnings and split the other half between your backers.

6. Compete in a Freeroll Tourney

If you’re looking to go big or go home but not interested in paying a buy-in or asking others to pay for you, get into a freeroll tournament! Many online poker rooms, including those from 888Poker, host these no-cost buy-in poker tourneys that offer prizes like all-expenses paid Main Event tickets and accommodations.

The main downside is that you play against thousands of hopefuls from around the world vying for the same prize. But, like other qualifying tourneys, you can play with card sharks of many diverse styles, improve your bluffing skills, and earn your spot at a world-renowned table.

7. Enter a Raffle

Another free option with fierce competition is to enter raffles and free, quick competitions with prizes like Main Event seats. Follow casinos and poker operators on social media, where they sometimes hold these raffles or competitions in the months before the WSOP kicks off.

Ready to make 2021 your year for winning big? Try one of these options to make your WSOP dreams come true. And while you wait for November to roll around, practice your game at some of the best New Jersey online casinos for poker to prepare.