The upcoming 2024 WSOP Paradise Super Main Event comes loaded with the biggest guarantee in poker history. The $50 million guarantee smashes the $40 million that was narrowly missed by the WPT at last year's World Championship.
It's an ambituous target, but there’s a reason for the WSOP to be slightly more bullish about hitting it than it would have been three weeks ago: the price of Bitcoin.
Poker players have been some of the most enthusiastic adopters of crypto, and bankrolls across the highroller community could be bursting at the moment.
Since Donald Trump was voted back in with a surprisingly big mandate on November 5, Bitcoin has shot up 43% from a price of $69,950 to slightly under $100,000. The $100,000 barrier – long a target for Bitcoin maximalists – looks likely to be breached any day now.
Donald Trump has polarized America but made Bitcoin holders happy.WSOP offers Bitcoin buy-in and price-increase refund
The reason for the most recent bull run is that the Trump administration looks set to be pro-crypto generally and pro-Bitcoin specifically. During his campaign, Trump promised to make the USA the "crypto capital of the planet" and to accumulate a national stockpile of Bitcoin.
And now, the WSOP has targeted the poker-playing crypto bros with a unique promotion.
Buy into the $26K Super Main Event with Bitcoin through the WSOP+ app, and you will be reimbursed any increase in the price of Bitcoin if you go on to cash and make a withdrawal on December 20, the day after the tournament ends.
It means you can lock in your Bitcoin price now (at close to an all-time high) and spin it up while taking a shot at the minimum $50 million prizepool. Simple math dictates that a 26% rise in the price of Bitcoin would see you play the Super Main Event for free if you bought in with BTC and cashed. And if the price plummets, you've sold at the high.
There’s one catch: you have to cash to get any potential refund. Reentries are allowed, but the refund is limited to one bullet.
Bull run over? Brian Rast still bullish on Bitcoin
Brain Rast has been one of the most outspoken poker players on the merits of Bitcoin. He enjoyed a deep run in the 2024 WSOP Main Event, finishing 24th, and currently has over $27 million in tournament winnings.
If Bitcoin does what Rast claims it will do, those lifetime winnings will be dwarfed by his Bitcoin wallets.
In a recent interview with PokerOrg, Rast talked about getting into Bitcoin in 2017. “My first purchase was at $1,800," he told us. “I have become convinced that Bitcoin is the investment opportunity of a lifetime.”
If you think it’s too late, maybe there’s time to think again. Rast is still extremely bullish.
“There’s a reasonably high percentage that Bitcoin will be worth $1m+ in 15 years... There’s a bunch of reasons why it should do this... Bitcoin, in my opinion, is like a favorite to 20x in 30 years; you’ve just got to wait for it to happen, but it's a favorite.”
You can watch the full interview with Rast below.
Additional image courtesy of Creative Commons/Gage Skidmore
