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The 2011 WSOP Main Event numbers are finally in. Today’s field numbers 2,802 players to bring the final total for the Main Event to 6,865.

This is the third largest Main Event in the history of the WSOP.

This game seems to be able to survive anything.

A total of 693 players will receive a payday. Min-cashers will take home $19,359 and the winner of the 2011 WSOP Main Event will receive $8.71 million.

Eight out of nine final table members will go home millionaires.

What do these numbers mean? First, it means that many of us in poker suck at predicting numbers for the WSOP.

Many of us were predicting 1,500 fewer runners or even less.

Next, it proves the resiliency of the World Series of Poker. Poker players seem to turn out for the series regardless of what is going on in the rest of the world.

Economy in the crapper? No problem. Major online poker sites shutdown in the USA?  Third largest event in history.

Poker is tough and its players tougher.

Finally, part of the credit has to be given to the WSOP staff and planners. A large part of the record numbers this year is a direct result of the planning and organization of the staff.

Some of it was called creative scheduling, while some of it has to do with the hard push of satellites by organizers and staff.

Whatever the tactics used to help achieve these numbers, they worked and I congratulate them.

There are still eight days left of play in the 2011 WSOP Main Event. A lot of huge names will fall and many stories are left to be told.

Who will make the November Nine? We will know in a little over a week. Stay tuned!

For daily recaps of all the action at the 2011 World Series of Poker, check our WSOP news section.