Although many of the pros won’t manifest until no less than Thursday, the 2016 World Series of Poker officially kicked off Wednesday morning with the primary of 69 events. The 47th annual summer series began at 11 a.m. with the Casino Employees event, a $565 buy-in no-limit hold’em tournament.

In 2015, the WSOP hosted the most important series of all time with a record-setting 103,512 entries from a whopping 111 different nations. A COMPLETE of 11,638 players received no less than one payout from an overall prize pool of greater than $210 million. The $565 buy-in Colossus event alone accounted for 22,374 entries.

The excitement across the Rio was palpable even before play began as players lined as much as buy-in not to only Wednesday’s event, but other events within the summer.

“This is my sixth year in a row playing,” said Stephane Dias, a 41-year-old kitchen worker from Montreal, Canada. “I play numerous poker in Montreal, Niagara Falls and Atlantic City, but I AM GETTING really excited after I come to Las Vegas.”

Some, like the bargain price point.

“You can’t beat the inexpensive buy-in,” said Kevin Cunningham, a 45-year-old table games dealer from Bishop, California. “It’s only $500 for a shot at a bracelet.”

Others just desire a shot at redemption.

“This is my third year,” said Tim Van Horst, a 46-year-old pit games supervisor on the M Resort. “The first two years I USED TO BE within 10 spots of the money, so that is the year I ULTIMATELY get there.”

“I played Colossus last year and didn’t make it past day 1,” said Guillermo Bonilla, a 34-year-old firefighter from Chicago. “It was a fun experience though, and that i desired to take another shot at it. I only have three days off from work, so we’ll see what happens.”

But the veterans don't have anything at the WSOP rookies, who're trying to make their mark at the Las Vegas poker scene for the primary time.

“I’ve never played in a WSOP event before, because it’s the same as the postman choosing to head for a walk,” said 61-year-old Detroit, Michigan poker dealer Becky Kaatz. “It’s the very last thing he desires to do. But it’s been a dream of mine and everybody kept telling me I needed to opt for it.”

“This is my first time playing in a WSOP event,” said Tom Sipos, a 49-year-old from Vienna, Austria. “I’m planning to play in 5 or 6 events, but I honestly feel like I can’t lose. I FEEL it will likely be an excellent experience it doesn't matter what happens.”

There has been various changes announced for this year’s series. Players can now wear headphones throughout the money bubble and up until the general table. Players too can register for events using special kiosks located across the Rio and also to more chips within the $10,000 buy-in events, many tournaments can even start an hour earlier in order that the fields can reach the cash at the first day of play.

For more coverage from the summer series, visit the 2016 WSOP landing page complete with a whole schedule, news, player interviews and event recaps.

Read More... [Source: CardPlayer Poker News]