The schedule for the 2022 World Series of Poker has finally been unveiled and with it, the dream of winning a WSOP gold bracelet has awoken for players around the world. With 88 live events held at the WSOP’s new home on the Las Vegas Strip, plus an additional 14 online bracelet events for players in regulated states, the schedule has been hailed by most as a towering home run (potentially the only home run we’re going to see for quite some time).

More baseball analogies: the schedule covers all the bases. Whether you are a weekend warrior or a super high roller, a first-timer or a POY-seeker, the 2022 WSOP schedule “has something for everyone” from the Opening Day $100,000 Bounty High Roller straight through to the $1,000 Super Turbo NLHE. No matter when you make your way to Las Vegas this summer, there’s going to be something to get geeked up about.

That being said, there are some standout events worth taking a closer look at and, potentially, planning your own personal bracelet chase around. So, here’s a breakdown of some of the high points of this year’s schedule to help you refine when you are going to take a couple of extra vacation days in hopes of making that WSOP deep run.

READ: World Series of Poker Announces Complete 2022 Schedule

Big Field, Small Buy-in ($1K and Under)

These events, commonly referred to as “bracelets on a budget”, offer recreational players some of the best opportunities to get involved with the World Series of Poker. Especially for those players making their first trip to the summer series. Ten years ago, it would have been insulting to insinuate that a bracelet could be won for under $1,000. This year, there are 22 events that have a buy-in of $1K or less and another, the One More for One Drop, that is $1,111 with the $111 going to charity.

A few of these are restricted registration events, like the Casino Employees and Seniors Event, but the majority of them bring the energy and excitement of a WSOP event for a lower price tag to everybody. But with that, these events also bring larger fields and, traditionally, a little more chaos. Expect lines to buy-in, lines for the restroom, and longer lines for everything they have lines for. Still, there are a number of events in this schedule of $1Ks and under that should get special consideration.

Must Play – $500 The Housewarming

In the tradition of the 2019’s Big 50 and last year’s The Reunion, The Housewarming is that low buy-in ($500), mega-field event that everyone is going to fire in if for no other reason than the prize pool is going to be massive (a $5 million guarantee) and everyone is going to want to see the WSOP’s new spot. Yep, there will likely be some frustrations with so many people vying for a seat and stress testing the new WSOP setup. But with COVID restrictions taking a back seat, everything should move a lot smoother than it did in 2021. It says a $500 buy-in but players can fire in every starting day so bring (or sell action for) multiple bullets just in case.

Don’t Miss – $1,000 Million Dollar Bounty

Originally supposed to take place in 2020, the Mystery Bounty will finally take place on the WSOP schedule. The concept is once you’ve made the money (on Day 2) for every player you knock out you get a bounty but you won’t know what that is until you claim that bounty and reveal it. This year, the top prize is $1 million. That’s right someone could min-cash, take out one short stack, and pull an extra $1 million. It’s been a successful tournament at the Wynn, it will be exciting to see how the WSOP promotes it and how many players this draws.

The High Rollers

The WSOP continues to compete in the high-roller arena, with 10 of the 88 events coming in with a buy-in of $25,000 or more. Add in the Championship Events, plus a Short Deck and Super Turbo Bounty which all have price tags of $10,000 then the schedule is more than 25% aimed at high rollers. Of course, the majority of these events will be out of the general public’s price point but from a fan’s perspective, these events are where you are going to get to watch some of the best players in the world compete. These are the tournaments that bring the superstars to town and keep them battling all summer long.

Must Play – $100,000 High Roller Bounty

How do you kick off a revitalized World Series of Poker in a brand new home? Entice the biggest names in the game to be there on Day 1 with a $100K bounty event where they collect $25K for every player they knock out of the tournament. It should be a fun way to kick off the series and, potentially, bring in a few recreational whales. However, the $100K price tag is steep. Looking to the PokerGO high rollers as a guide, you see $100K fields hover in the high teens to low 20s in terms of entries. However, this is the WSOP and that alone should beckon elite players from around the world to make their way to Las Vegas and into this opening-day event. Either way, this event will make for a nice one for fans to follow from the very start.

Don’t Miss – $250,000 Super High Roller

Speaking of elite fields, the return of the $250K Super High Roller will undoubtedly be one of the most contested of the schedule. Last year, Adrian Mateos won his fourth WSOP gold bracelet taking down the 33-entry field for a massive, career-high $3.2 million score. This event should bring out the tippity-top of poker talent, and maybe a random multi-millionaire or two, and be one of the most-watched events of the year.

Championship Events

The road to the 2022 WSOP Player of the Year will likely go through the Championship Events. Current reigning 2021 WSOP Player of the Year (and PocketFives own) Josh Arieh picked up critical POY points by taking down the $10,000 PLO8 Championship for $484,791 as well as a final table finish in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship. The best of the best will test their mixed game skills in some of the toughest tournaments on the schedule. Plus, don’t forget – the Main Event is a Championship Event. Speaking of which….

Must Play – $10,000 Main Event (No Limit Hold’em Championship)

There was talk, prior to 2020, that the WSOP was on the verge of breaking its 2006 record of 8,773 entries into the Main Event. In fact, in 2019, when Hossein Ensan won the championship, the WSOP came up just 204 entries short with 8,569 runners. Some poker pundits event predicted that 2020 could see 10,000 runners but then, you know, there was the pandemic. 2020 was a wash.

But prior to the 2021 series, there was optimism, at one point COVID seemed to be waning and once again, there was talk that the Main Event was going to be massive. But COVID came surging back and despite that, the 2021 Main Event posted an impressive 6,650 entries. So the question is – is this the year? Are players ready to return and push the Main Event to new heights? Some Main Event satellites are already running (GGPoker’s ClubGG) and COVID restrictions are easing with no proof of vaccination requirement at the time of this writing and an optional mask policy. Plus a new home on the Strip…the new era of the World Series of Poker may kick off with a record-breaking Main Event and, if so, you won’t want to miss it.

Don’t Miss – $50,000 Poker Players Championship

It’s always fun to watch the old-school mixed game grinders hold off the emerging stars of the game in what is often referenced as one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year.

Must See – $10,000 Dealers Choice 6-Handed

Adam Friedman won the Global Poker Award for his final table performance in this event in 2021 where he bested Phil Hellmuth heads-up and completed an astounding third title defense. All eyes will be on Friedman to see if he can make it four in a row.

Best of the Rest

The best part about the series is the non-stop action. If you want to avoid the big-field, low buy-in crowds but can’t afford a high roller there is still plenty to look forward to. There are 39 different events with a price tag between $1,500 and $5,000 and span just about every poker variant you may want to play. A whole host of mixed games, a few freezeouts, and returning favorites (Monster Stack, Millionaire Maker, Closer) make up the bulk of the schedule. So, if you are looking for that sweet spot of hunting for a bracelet in a modest-sized field with a moderate buy-in, check out these events.

Must Play – $1,500 Millionaire Maker

A staple of the series, the Millionaire Maker continues to be a draw for one core reason – the tournament delivers on its promise to make the winner a millionaire. There’s no other tournament at this prize point the promises that, save for the Million Dollar Bounty which will make someone a millionaire. The downside, is there are two starting flights and players get an option for a single re-entry per flight meaning that someone may spend up to $6K in this one. But with 60-minute levels and starting with 250 big blinds, if you are going to fire one shot at a seven-figure score this may be it.

Don’t Miss – $2,500 Nine-Game Mixed

This isn’t for everybody but for those that want the experience of playing in the PPC without risking $50K, this might be the next best thing. There is a $1,500 Eight-Game Mix on the schedule as well which will scratch that itch as well.

Of Note – $1,500 Monster Stack

After years of people complaining that they couldn’t enter the second flight of the Monster Stack if they busted Day 1A, the WSOP (for better or worse) capitulated and will allow players who bust out from Day 1A to fire in Day 1B.