With the 48th World Series of Poker now in its final stages, the organisers have released numbers showing the size and scope of this most prestigious of poker tournaments, noting that this year’s event has proved to be the biggest since 2010.
Among the mass of statistics published Monday by the organisers:
* This year’s events attracted 120,995 entries – up 12.2 percent on last year;
* Players came from 111 nations, with the US dominating with 94,087 players;
* 16,814 players cashed in this year’s events, which included 74 WSOP bracelet awards;
* Total prize money paid out this year will be over $231 million;
* Players were mainly male (94.6 percent) with an average age of 41.4;
* John Racener and Chris Ferguson tied in creating a new record for number of cashes during a single WSOP, both achieving 17 pay-outs this year.