LAS VEGAS (AP) — The marquee event of the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas has drawn its second largest field ever.
Organizers say 7,874 players have entered the no-limit Texas Hold'em main event that began Monday at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino. That's the highest number of entries since 2006 and over 650 more than last year.
The players are vying for a piece of the $74 million prize pool. The winner will take home $8.8 million.
Some players paid the $10,000 entry fee, while others earned seats through satellite competitions with lower buy-ins.
The final table is expected to be set July 11.
New Jersey's Scott Blumstein took home the $8.1 million event prize last year after outlasting over 7,200 competitors.
The series has so far seen more than 109,000 entries.