The New World Series of Poker Triple Crown

Golf and tennis have their grand slams, while horse racing and baseball have their triple crowns. In order to win the triple crown in baseball, you have to lead the league in batting average, runs batted in (RBIs), and home runs.



It's not an easy feat by any stretch of the imagination.



Well, the new Triple Crown at the World Series of Poker is even tougher to win. The crown jewel has always been the $10,000 buy-in main event, which we've seen balloon in number of players participating over the last few years. It's become increasingly difficult to win, as the field is expected to push 8,000 this year.



While the main event is still the tournament to win as far as prestige is concerned, a lot of the top pros now have their eyes on other prestigious WSOP titles, as well:



1. The main event – This is still the one to win since the prize money is so significant, but it is no longer the event that will "make or break" a career. In basketball, a guy like Charles Barkley, who had a wonderful career, is missing one important piece of hardware that would have made his career complete: a championship ring.



In the '80s and '90s, I think that was the case with the main event, also. Not anymore. While it's still a dream of mine, and I'm sure all other poker players out there, it is no longer a necessary title to win in order to define a Hall of Fame poker career.



People often ask me if a pro will ever win again. Of course a pro will win again. In fact, I usually answer that question by saying this: "I'll tell you what. I'll pick 200 pros to win and you pick 200 amateurs to win."



Obviously, nobody is ever willing to make that bet with me. However, when you take 200 pros against a field of 6,000-plus amateurs, of course the pros are the underdogs. That's easy enough to understand, but don't kid yourself, guys like Phil Ivey, Johnny Chan, and John Juanda better be on your WSOP fantasy team!



2. The Player of the Year award – Now, this isn't a tournament, but it's arguably more difficult to win than the main event itself. When you take a look at the leader board in the WSOP Player of the Year race, it's always filled with a "who's who" of poker. Some would argue that it's much easier to get lucky in one tournament and go on to win, but to do it again and again, showing consistent results during the entire Series, shows a level of skill that can't be looked upon as a "fluke."



I was lucky enough to win the award at the 2004 WSOP, and it holds a special place in my heart. To win that award, you have to bring your A-game to the table day in and day out, and battle against all of the other top pros vying for the honor. It's a fun ride, but the pressure and hard work can take a lot out of you.



3. The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event – This event most closely resembles what the WSOP was always truly about, an elite class of players duking it out for some seriously high stakes. The buy-in for the main event back in 1977 was $10,000; 30 years later, that buy-in hasn't changed, and in a sense, due to inflation, has become even cheaper.



Well, the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event will be the biggest buy-in tournament in the history of the WSOP, and it will in some ways re-create a little of the mystique that went along with that first-ever WSOP main event. The buy-in, being so large, gets rid of a lot of the "riffraff," if you will. The format, a mix of hold'em, Omaha eight-or-better, razz, stud, and stud eight-or-better, all but ensures a star-studded final table. At the final table, the action will switch to no-limit hold'em, which should make for some awesome television.



My guess is that anywhere from 80 to 100 players will enter this event, a far cry from the almost 8,000 that I predict for the main event. Some think there will be more than 100, but it really doesn't matter how many entrants there are as far as prestige is concerned. If only 40 were to show up, you could be sure that it would be a group of the toughest poker players ever assembled.



Some believe this event has taken over center stage and will become the new world championship. I'm not so sure about that, but I can tell you that the addition of this event has created a lot of positive buzz amongst the top pros – those pros who cut their teeth on the high-limit cash games and believe they have something to prove. Poker is more than just no-limit hold'em. The elite poker players understand that, and this event will give them a chance to shine on the world's biggest stage.



Now, winning this WSOP Triple Crown in one year is next to impossible. Sure, if you win the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event and the main event, the Player of the Year award would seem attainable, but the odds against that are … well, I have no idea, but it's a big number!



No, this Triple Crown is more of a career Triple Crown: three trophies to add to your mantel that would make you feel like you've basically done it all at the WSOP.


Never underestimate how important this kind of thing is to even the most laid-back "grinders" out there. This feat would be a real honor, and would guarantee the player accomplishing it a place in poker history. So with that, who are you betting on to be the first WSOP Triple Crown winner?



You can read Daniel's blog and play poker with him at http://www.fullcontactpoker.com/.