2010 WCOOP Starts Tomorrow on PokerStars

This year’s World Championship of Online Poker cranks up tomorrow over at PokerStars. Hard to believe it is already here. Also hard to believe this will be the ninth year of WCOOP.

Not to mention how friggin’ huge the thing has become.

Check it out...

2002: 9 events, $799,050 total prize pool
2003: 11, $2,716,200
2004: 12, $6,002,300
2005: 15, $12,783,900
2006: 18, $18,674,300
2007: 23, $24,218,600
2008: 33, $39,958,000
2009: 45, $51,652,800

This year there will be 62 events scheduled to be played out over the next three-plus weeks. Add up all of the guaranteed prize pools and they come out to exactly $50,000,000, meaning the total will probably be a bit more than that. (Last year the guarantees added up to $40 million.)

I will be among the crew helping report on WCOOP over at the PokerStars blog over the next few weeks, so check us out over there for recaps of all the action. You can also visit the official WCOOP site for all the stats, satellite info, and a lot else.

As expected, there is a ton of variety in terms of the kinds of games offered and the buy-in amounts. There is a tourney featuring that new “Triple Stud” game combining stud, stud/8, and razz. And those No-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo events (one with knockout bounties, the other with 10-minute levels), look fairly insane.

Here’s the complete schedule (all times Eastern):

Sunday, September 5
13:00 -- Event No. 1: No-Limit Hold’em (6-max.), $215 buy-in, $1,250,000 guaranteed
15:00 -- Event No. 2: No-Limit Hold’em (High Roller), $10,300 buy-in, $2,000,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 3: No-Limit Hold’em, $215 buy-in, $2,000,000 guaranteed

Monday, September 6
14:00 -- Event No. 4: Pot-Limit Omaha, $320 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 5: No-Limit Hold’em Shootout (6-max.), $320 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 6: No-Limit Hold’em (Turbo, w/rebuys), $215 buy-in, $600,000 guaranteed

Tuesday, September 7
14:00 -- Event No. 7: Pot-Limit Five-Card Draw, $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 8: Triple Stud (Stud, Stud/8, Razz), $215 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 9: No-Limit Hold’em (two-day), $1,050 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed

Wednesday, September 8
12:00 -- Event No. 10: Pot-Limit Omaha, $265 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
14:00 -- Event No. 11: No-Limit Hold’em (“Ante Up,” i.e., blinds stay same, antes increase), $320 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 12: No-Limit Hold’em, Heads-Up (two-day), $215 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed

Thursday, September 9
12:00 -- Event No. 13: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (6-max., 1 rebuy, 1 add-on), $215 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
14:00 -- Event No. 14: No-Limit Hold’em (6-max., $50 bounties for knockouts), $265 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 15: Razz, $215 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed

Friday, September 10
14:00 -- Event No. 16: Pot-Limit Omaha (6-max.), $215 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 17: No-Limit Single Draw 2-7, $215 buy-in, $50,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 18: 8-Game Mix (10-minute levels), $109 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed

Saturday, September 11
13:00 -- Event No. 19: No-Limit Hold’em (10-minute levels), $109 buy-in, $1,250,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 20: Fixed Limit Hold’em, $215 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed

Sunday, September 12
13:00 -- Event No. 21: No-Limit Hold’em, $215 buy-in, $1,500,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 22: No-Limit Hold’em (two-day), $530 buy-in, $3,000,000 guaranteed

Monday, September 13
14:00 -- Event No. 23: No-Limit Hold’em (4-max.), $215 buy-in, $700,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 24: Seven-Card Stud, $320 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 25: Pot-Limit Omaha (Turbo, 1 rebuy, 1 add-on), $215 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed

Tuesday, September 14
14:00 -- Event No. 26: Mixed Limit/No-Limit Hold’em (6-max.), $320 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 27: Fixed Limit Badugi, $320 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 28: No-Limit Hold’em (two-day), $1,050 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed

Wednesday, September 15
12:00 -- Event No. 29: No-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo ($50 bounties for knockouts), $265 buy-in, $150,000 guaranteed
14:00 -- Event No. 30: No-Limit Hold’em Triple Shootout (ten-handed, two-day), $530 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 31: 8-Game Mix, $320 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed

Thursday, September 16
12:00 -- Event No. 32: No-Limit Hold’em (6-max.), $320 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed
14:00 -- Event No. 33: Pot-Limit Omaha (6-max., 1 rebuy, 1 add-on), $320 buy-in, $500,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 34: Fixed Limit Triple Draw 2-7, $320 buy-in, $100,000 guaranteed

Friday, September 17
14:00 -- Event No. 35: No-Limit Hold’em (w/rebuys), $215 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 36: Fixed Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, $530 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 37: No-Limit Hold’em (10-minute levels), $320 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed

Saturday, September 18
13:00 -- Event No. 38: No-Limit Hold’em, Heads-Up (two-day), $530 buy-in, $600,000 guaranteed
15:00 -- Event No. 39: No-Limit Hold’em, Heads-Up (High Roller, two-day), $25,500 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 40: H.O.R.S.E., $320 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed

Sunday, September 19
13:00 -- Event No. 41: No-Limit Hold’em, $215 buy-in, $1,500,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 42: No-Limit Hold’em (two-day), $1,050 buy-in, $3,000,000 guaranteed

Monday, September 20
14:00 -- Event No. 43: Pot-Limit Omaha (6-max., w/rebuys), $320 buy-in, $600,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 44: No-Limit Hold’em (“Second Chance” -- i.e., one rebuy available only if busted w/in first hour), $320 buy-in, $750,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 45: No-Limit Hold’em (Turbo, $50 bounties for knockouts), $265 buy-in, $300,000 guaranteed

Tuesday, September 21
14:00 -- Event No. 46: Mixed Pot-Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha, $320 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 47: Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo, $530 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 48: No-Limit Hold’em (two-day), $1,050 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed

Wednesday, September 22
12:00 -- Event No. 49: No-Limit Hold’em (1 rebuy, 1 add-on), $215 buy-in, $250,000 guaranteed
14:00 -- Event No. 50: No-Limit Hold’em (w/big antes), $215 buy-in, $600,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 51: Pot-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo, $320 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed

Thursday, September 23
12:00 -- Event No. 52: No-Limit Hold’em (Turbo), $320 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed
14:00 -- Event No. 53: No-Limit Hold’em (w/rebuys), $530 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 54: Pot-Limit Omaha (6-max., two-day), $2,100 buy-in, $800,000 guaranteed

Friday, September 24
14:00 -- Event No. 55: No-Limit Hold’em (1 rebuy, 1 add-on), $530 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 56: Fixed Limit Hold’em (6-max.), $1,050 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed
20:00 -- Event No. 57: No-Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (10-minute levels), $215 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed

Saturday, September 25
13:00 -- Event No. 58: Pot-Limit Omaha, Heads-Up (two-day), $530 buy-in, $200,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 59: H.O.R.S.E. (two-day), $2,100 buy-in, $400,000 guaranteed

Sunday, September 26
13:00 -- Event No. 60: No-Limit Hold’em, $215 buy-in, $1,500,000 guaranteed
15:00 -- Event No. 61: 8-Game Mix (High Roller, two-day), $10,300 buy-in, $1,000,000 guaranteed
17:00 -- Event No. 62: No-Limit Hold’em, Main Event (two-day), $5,200 buy-in, $10,000,000 guaranteed