What Is 2012 World Series of Poker results

Overview

The 2012 World Series of Poker (WSOP) marked the 43rd annual edition of the prestigious poker tournament series, hosted at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The event attracted thousands of players from around the world competing across 61 different bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Main Event.

This year’s WSOP was notable for record-breaking participation in several events and a surge in young, skilled players making deep runs. The Main Event final table, known as the 'November Nine,' was delayed from July to November, continuing a format introduced in 2008 to build suspense and media coverage.

• Greg Merson emerged as the Main Event champion, defeating Jesse Sylvia in a heads-up match that concluded on July 15, 2012.
• Merson took home $8,531,853, the largest single payout of the 2012 WSOP series, after overcoming a field of 6,598 entrants.
• The Main Event had a buy-in of $10,000, generating a total prize pool of $62,681,000, with the top nine finishers earning six-figure payouts.
• Merson also won a second WSOP bracelet earlier in the series, in Event 54: the $10,000 6-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship, earning an additional $619,046.
• Jesse Sylvia, the runner-up, earned $5,290,774, marking one of the largest second-place finishes in WSOP history at the time.

How It Works

The WSOP Main Event follows a structured elimination format where players compete until one remains with all the chips. The 2012 edition adhered to the 'November Nine' format, where the final table was paused and resumed months later for televised coverage.

• Buy-in: The entry fee was $10,000, standard for the Main Event, allowing players to start with 30,000 in tournament chips.
• Structure: The tournament used escalating blind levels, increasing every 30-45 minutes, forcing players to accumulate chips or risk elimination.
• November Nine: Introduced in 2008, this format delayed the final table from July to November 4–11, 2012, to allow for production and broadcast.
• Heads-up Play: Greg Merson defeated Jesse Sylvia in a heads-up battle that lasted over five hours, with Merson holding a nearly 2-to-1 chip advantage at the start.
• Bracelets: Winners of each WSOP event receive a gold bracelet, considered the highest honor in tournament poker.
• Prize Distribution: The top 660 finishers in the Main Event cashed, with 9th place earning $755,430 and payouts increasing progressively.

Comparison at a Glance

Below is a comparison of key WSOP Main Event results from 2010 to 2012:

The 2012 Main Event saw slightly fewer entrants than 2011 and 2010, but still ranked among the largest in history. Greg Merson’s victory was notable for his consistent performance and youth—he was just 24 at the time, becoming one of the youngest champions in recent years.

Why It Matters

The 2012 WSOP had a lasting impact on poker culture, highlighting the rise of younger, analytically driven players and the growing influence of televised poker. Merson’s dual bracelet wins underscored skill and endurance in high-stakes environments.

• Merson became a poker celebrity, appearing on ESPN and in promotional campaigns for poker training sites.
• The 'November Nine' format continued to boost TV ratings, with the 2012 final drawing over 2.1 million viewers on ESPN.
• His win inspired a new generation of online-trained players to compete in live tournaments.
• The 2012 series helped solidify the WSOP’s status as the most prestigious event in poker, despite declining entrant numbers from 2010.
• Merson’s success story—rising from online poker to WSOP champion—became a model for aspiring professionals.
• The event also highlighted growing international participation, with players from over 100 countries competing across all events.

The 2012 World Series of Poker remains a landmark year, remembered for Greg Merson’s breakout performance and the continued evolution of poker as a global spectator sport.