RODEOHOUSTON Payout, Format, and Key Details Fans Need to Know

This is the day that so many wait for in the rodeo world. RODEOHOUSTON is about to kick off, and it is a game-changer for athletes making their bid for the National Finals Rodeo. A win in Houston nearly guarantees a berth in Las Vegas in December.

With tournament rodeos seemingly taking over the winter tour, every one is different. That can be frustrating for fans and athletes alike. Nothing is the same, and the formats vary every rodeo. Rodeo On SI will give you all the details.

Here is everything you need to know about RODEOHOUSTON.

RODEOHOUSTON Tournament Setup

Rocker Steiner is interviewed after his RodeoHouston win — Rocker Steiner at RODEOHOUSTON | Photo courtesy of RodeoHouston

There is no question about it, RODEOHOUSTON is the largest purse cowboys and cowgirls will have the chance to win throughout the year. A strong performance here will catapult them into the top 10 and usually right to the top.

The rodeo will take place over the next nearly three weeks. From March 2 to March 21, fans can tune in to watch the best of the best compete for a bonus worth $65,000.

There will be five brackets with eight contestants in each event. Those eight will compete in three rounds to determine who moves on to the semi-finals. The top four contestants based on money won through the bracket will move on to the semi-finals.

In the semi-finals, there will be 10 contestants in each event with two performances of just one round. Meaning 20 total contestants (half of the original 40) will advance to the semi-final rounds. Out of each semi-final, the top four will move on to the finals. This will be based strictly on their performance in the semi-finals, no scores or money carry forward.

Competitors who do not advance from the semi-finals will have one more chance in the wildcard round. A total of 12 contestants will meet for an ultimate showdown to become the only one to move on to the finals. The wildcard round is split into two performances with six contestants in each. One from each of those performances will move on to the finals.

This will allow 10 contestants to advance to the finals. Four from each semi-finals (8) and then one from each wildcard round (2).

RODEOHOUSTON Payoff

Bull Rider at Rodeo Houston — Bull rider at RODEOHOUSTON | Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

The biggest attraction to Houston is the payoff. With only 40 competitors having a chance to collect on the payday, the odds are much better than at many regular-season rodeos.

The payoff for each of the rounds in the brackets is:

1st - $3,000
2nd - $2,000
3rd - $1,000
4th - $750
5th - $500
6th - $250

Semi-finals Rounds will pay:

1st - $3,000
2nd - $2,000
3rd - $1,000
4th - $750

Wildcard Rounds will pay:

1st - $3,000
2nd - $2,000
3rd - $1,000
4th - $750
5th - $500
6th - $500

Finals Round will pay:

1st - $65,000
2nd - $30,000
3rd - $20,000
4th - $10,000
5th - 10th $2,500 each

Concert Lineup

Following every performance at RODEOHOUSTON, there is a concert with some of the best talent.

Date	Performer	Comments
March 2	Riley Green	Opening Day
March 3	J Balvin
March 4	Rascal Flatts	Armed Forces Appreciation Day
March 5	Russell Dickerson	Sensory Friendly Day
March 6	Lizzo	Black Heritage Day
March 7	Dwight Yoakam
March 8	Forrest Frank
March 9	Luke Bryan	First Responders Day
March 10	Megan Moroney
March 11	Creed	Community Day
March 12	Chris Stapleton	Volunteer Appreciation Day
March 13	Shaboozey
March 14	Kelly Clarkson
March 15	Pepe Aguilar	Go Tejano Day
March 16	Cross Canadian Ragweed
March 17	The Red Clay Strays
March 18	Koe Wetzel	Family Wednesday
March 19	Lainey Wilson
March 20	Parker McCollum
March 21	Tim McGraw	RODEOHOUSTON Finals
March 22	Cody Johnson

How to Watch RODEOHOUSTON

Fans can watch RODEOHOUSTON live on The Cowboy Channel and the Cowboy Channel+ app every day. Fans can also tune into the RODEOHOUSTON website and watch the livestream at www.rodeohouston.com. The rodeo starts each night live at 6:45 p.m. Central time.