Are WSOP Bracelets Less Valuable and Prestigious in 2025?

Watching the World Series of Poker this year, you may have wondered, "Are WSOP bracelets prestigious or valuable anymore?" This year in Vegas, 100 bracelets will wrap around the wrists of their new owners. That sounds like a lot, especially if you know how many were awarded in the early years of the WSOP. At this point, well over 2,000 bracelets have been won. That's a bad thing for the sport, right?

It's not that simple.

The amount of players has gone up. The number of events has gone up. As you can see, the WSOP is awarding more bracelets.

When sports and games become more popular, event organizers usually accommodate in one of the only ways they can (by creating more pinnacle-level competitions).

But, you can't easily compare poker to other sports. As an individual competition among thousands of players, there aren't many games like it. Poker's closest (popular) comparable is Magic the Gathering, which, based on estimates, doesn't even attract half of the numbers. Only a handful of top-level prizes are given out every year to winners of the Pro Tour, which is as close of a synonym for the WSOP as Magic the Gathering can provide. We can't compare poker to other games, and perhaps, no comparison is needed.

To find out if WSOP bracelets are really becoming more common, we must look at the numbers. Someone wise once said, they don't lie.

Are WSOP Bracelets Less Valuable? Here's How We Find an Answer

The only way to truly find the value of World Series of Poker bracelets is this:

1. Find out how many players joined bracelet events each year
2. Find out how many bracelets were able to be won at these events
3. Compare the ratio of players in WSOP bracelet events to available bracelets

It's a bit dry and boring, but this is how we find our answer.

If the ratio of WSOP bracelets to players remains somewhat similar, then then they (technically) aren't losing value. A Ferrari Enzo is immensely coveted, not because its fast and red, but because you can't easily get one. Compared to the global population, these sought after hunks of metal are extremely finite. If Ferrari started creating 100s more each year, their value would plummet. A WSOP bracelet's value should abide by the same principle, right?

Put the calculator down and close ChatGPT. We've done the legwork for you.

The Bracelet Debate is Over: Answered by Boring Calculations

It's time to ditch your emotions about how common WSOP bracelets are—the facts are here.

It turns out that getting your hand (or wrist) on a bracelet is basically harder than its ever been. In WSOP's early days, bracelets were relatively over-supplied and players were much more likely to be wearing one by the end of the events. Around the year 2010, that numbers swayed heavily in the opposite direction.

Check out the table below to view the number of WSOP annual summer series bracelets as a percentage of the total number of entries.

The value of a WSOP bracelet, in terms of achievement, is higher than it was in the early days.

When players go online to learn about the 2025 Vegas World Series of Poker and see 100 bracelet events on the schedule, they might get the wrong idea. It might sound like a lot, but they haven't crunched the numbers. Winning a bracelet is still statistically unlikely, and in Vegas, they haven't become easier to win. Even for the best professionals, and that won't change anytime soon.

So the next time someone tells you WSOP bracelets have no value, or are easy to get, hit them with the numbers.

Player Opinions: Is a WSOP Bracelet Still Valuable?

Opinions are mixed on this one.

Some think that WSOP bracelets are devalued, simply because there are more in existence.

Some mistakenly think that ~100 bracelets on offer makes them easier to attain.

Others, know that WSOP bracelets are extremely hard to win and have tons of intrinsic value.

Let's hear from some players and community voices:

Phil Hellmuth – 17-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner
“To me, the bracelets have always been a really huge deal, to me more than the other guys, because I knew that they represented history.”

Nikolay Fal – Winner of WSOP Event #69 in 2024
"They are not devalued – there are more tournaments, but also more participants in them. In the first years, bracelets were generally given by voting, which is also reasonable – community recognition is worth more than beating 30-50 people. Each bracelet is incredibly important, and only those who can't win devalue them. Like 'A bracelet is some kind of crap, anyone can win it on the Internet in two days.' Well, go and win! When you win and continue talking about devaluation, you will be listenable. This is all talk in favor of those who can't win."

Mike Sexton – Professional Player, Hall of Famer, and Beloved Commentator
“Winning a WSOP bracelet is the dream of nearly all poker players, the marketing of which has played a key role in attracting customers. The staying power, however, will evaporate if more and more bracelets are continually handed out."

"I’m worried, as the number of events continually grows, the value of each bracelet will diminish."

Jack Effel – Senior Vice President of Poker Operations and WSOP
Technically a WSOP bracelet has two values:

1) Manufacture value = cost to make
2) Intrinsic value = priceless :)

Jon Sofen – Poker.Org Journalist and Enthusiast
"The World Series of Poker is slowly turning into college football, another game I love, but that wasn't a compliment. Winning a gold bracelet has always been the crowning achievement of any poker player, especially the tournament grinders. But I'm concerned the WSOP's recent decisions will eventually devalue those accomplishments."

Danny Brandsdorfer – Cash and MTT Player
I think what it really boils down to is the depreciation in the value of a WSOP Bracelet/Ring. If so many people have it is it special anymore?

David Huber – Ex-Online Pro, Writer, Editor, and Enthusiast of Two Decades
"Conventional wisdom may lead one to believe that WSOP bracelets have become less valuable (both monetarily and intrinsically speaking) as a growing amount continues to be awarded each year. However, it remains true that quite a few poker players still consider winning a WSOP bracelet to be one of the most prestigious poker achievements."

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Online WSOP Bracelets: Less Valuable Than Live Bracelets?

When WSOP bracelets started to be awarded online, it reignited the debate for many players. Online bracelets have become part of the WSOP brand, with more being awarded each year. In 2020 (due to the COVID pandemic) there were 85 online events, and last year, there were 33 online bracelet events played over the summer.

So, does it matter if a World Series of Poker bracelet is won online or live?

Here are some opinions on online WSOP bracelets and how they fit into the World Series ecosystem:

Shaun Deeb – 6-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner
"There’s always going to be a watering down of bracelets over time. I’m not going to hold it against myself if I win one. I won’t hold it against some amateur if they win three. The events are for everyone."

Olivier Busquet – Professional with $9 Million Live Earnings
"I mean, I’m human. Would I like to win a World Series of Poker bracelet? Of course. Yeah, sure. I’m not going to turn it down. It would be great. Would I view it any differently from a normal (live) bracelet? No, I don’t think so. It’s not easy to win these tournaments, no matter what the format is.”

Phil Hellmuth – 17-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner
"Now’s an opportunity for some people that are better at online tournaments to win some bracelets. That’s not a bad thing."

Brandon Shack-Harris – 2-Time WSOP Bracelet Winner
“I take pride in being a bracelet winner on behalf of those who truly love the game and have maintained the dream of winning one. This is why I hold its value in high regard and the brand accountable to protect it.” (Commenting on his concern about the online WSOP series and more bracelets in circulation)

Barry Carter – PokerStrategy Editor and Author
"I am actually a big fan of that [online bracelet events] and I am looking forward to playing some satellites for it. Most poker is online, it stands to reason to me there should be online bracelets. I actually think an online bracelet has more gravitas than live bracelets in formats that only get played at the WSOP."

Ty Stewart – WSOP Executive Director
“We expect many of these events will have thousands, if not tens of thousands of players. We know many of the top players in the world will be participating. Comparing eras is always a slippery slope. But our trophy bracelets are really just a way to document history of the game, and we’re confident these online WSOP events will be historic.”

Tadas Peckaitis – Professional Player, Author, and Coach
"The main objection is that having so many bracelet-awarding events hurts the value of a bracelet. If they’re so easy to come by and you can get one by playing from home in a tournament with the buy-in of just a couple of hundred dollars, it’ll start to lose its appeal and prestige."

What's the Key Takeaway?

Our infographic, quotes from players, and the words in this article don't matter. In the end, a WSOP bracelet is valued differently by everyone.

It doesn't matter if the chances of winning a bracelet are lower than ever. Some people will still say there are too many in circulation.

It doesn't matter if online bracelets are still a huge achievement. Some people will say winning from your couch isn't in the spirit of the World Series.

It doesn't matter if the World Series has larger fields than ever. Some people will still say there should be fewer bracelet events.

This debate won't be settled today, tomorrow, or year from now. The poker world will have to wait and see how the WSOP brand handles the crown jewel of poker tournaments. Until then, remember something. The World Series of Poker is still the absolute pinnacle of poker tournaments, until Triton or WPT reaches the same status. Whether you think these fancy bracelets have lost value or not – they're still coveted. They're still intensely fought over. And the ones who win them still grin ear-to-ear in their final table photo.