World Series of Poker 2006 - My Thoughts and Observations

It's hard to believe that the marathon that was the 2006 World Series of Poker is finally over. In my next few columns, I will be discussing some of the more interesting situations that I encountered at the poker tables during the tournaments. In this column, though, I am going to comment on my overall experiences at the event.



Comfort and amenities: I thought this area definitely experienced a big improvement from the 2005 Series. The restroom situation was a joke a year ago, and tournament management did a nice job of rectifying the problem. Temporary restrooms were added, and split breaks were utilized in the large-field events, in which only half the field went on break at the same time. Although some lines were still inevitable, they were at least manageable to the point where the players didn't have to choose between holding it and missing a few hands.



Getting food fast also became easier in 2006, with the addition of a temporary food court just outside the tournament area. Prices were more reasonable than the prior year, too, and the $10 coupon that players received when they registered for an event was good at every food outlet in the hotel. This was another area that needed improvement, and got it.



Another new addition this year was a valet service located just outside the tournament area. I found this to be far more convenient than the main valet at the opposite end of the resort. I prefer to valet for security reasons, but I also noticed that there was a significant security presence in the back parking lot used by most WSOP attendees, such that I would feel safe walking to my car at night with what remained of my bankroll. Kudos to management for paying attention to this detail, one that can be easily overlooked until an ugly incident of some sort occurs.



The Rio itself is a very suitable location for the biggest poker tournament on the planet. It is a comfortable place, and has a nice selection of restaurants. That said, it won't break my heart if Harrah's management ultimately decides to move the event to Caesars Palace somewhere down the road.



Tournament structures: I have long been a big fan of the slow structures adopted by WSOP events. Although this is the day and age of "double chips," in which players start with deeper stacks, I prefer the way the WSOP does it. Yes, players start with less, and there is often not much play early in an event. However, if you can overcome this and accumulate some chips, I think there is adequate time to play later on. The reason for this is that the WSOP structures include a lot of "intermediate jumps" in the blinds as the tournament progresses. So, they don't escalate as fast late in the event when the play is crucial.



I do think the structure for the H.O.R.S.E. event could use some work, though. As a first-time event, this tournament obviously was going to undergo some growing pains. The main one was the decision to make it a three-day event, rather than four or five days. As a result, the final table had to be reached at the end of the second day, which resulted in the last few players playing from 2 p.m. until 9 a.m. the following day to reach the final table. I also believe the first day of the event actually afforded too much play, something unheard of in tournaments. Only a few players were eliminated on day one as a result. However, the limits escalated quite rapidly on day two, meaning that just a few bad hands could quickly separate you from your chips. Of course, it is hard to legitimately bash a structure when the chip leaders heading to the final table were legends Chip Reese and Doyle Brunson, with Phil Ivey right on their heels.



What I would suggest for the H.O.R.S.E. event is to start at a higher limit, and lengthen the time for each level of play. With $50,000 in starting chips, the initial $200-$400 and $300-$600 limits were largely meaningless. I would have started the event at $600-$1,200 limits, and played all five games at each limit. As it stood, we played the two flop games (hold'em and Omaha eight-or-better) for 40 minutes each at one limit. Then, the stakes were raised for the three stud games (razz, stud, and stud eight-or-better), again for 40 minutes per game. This resulted in the stud games (which also feature an extra betting round) becoming far more important than the flop games. I don't think that's what the tournament organizers envisioned, and I would certainly favor more equal treatment of each game (yes, I am biased!).



Tournament schedule: I am hoping that July 15 is not repeated next year. As was the case on a few occasions, two events were scheduled, one at noon and one at 2 p.m. Most of the time, the events differed enough either in the size of the buy-in or the type of event so as not to create a major conflict with any but the biggest degenerate players. However, on July 15, a $3,000 limit hold'em event began at noon, with a $3,000 Omaha eight-or-better tournament starting at 2 p.m. Although these are certainly very different forms of poker, they do tend to appeal to many of the same players, in that both are limit flop games. With identical buy-ins, I'm sure many were faced with the same dilemma I was.



I, along with many other experienced poker players, am a bit disappointed by the increasing number of no-limit events. Nearly half the events at this year's WSOP fell into this category, which violates the original spirit of the tournament in which each event had its own unique place. However, the addition of extra no-limit tourneys seemed to just lengthen the tournament, and did not occur at the expense of the other events. I hope that Harrah's will continue to see the value in offering a varied slate of events. The no-limit events predictably received the biggest attendance, and if Harrah's wants to fill the room, this seems like a surefire way. In fact, if it were my business, I'd probably do the same thing.



Here's one more thought about the schedule: I hope that the $5,000 limit hold'em event re-emerges in 2007. It was inexplicably absent from this year's schedule, which I think may have just been an oversight. There were two $3,000 buy-in limit hold'em events, though.



The F-bomb penalty: I guess I'm confused. Before each event, a floorman announced to participants that they would receive a 10-minute penalty for uttering the magical "F" word. However, there must be some other "F" word than the one I was thinking about, because it seemed like every time I heard it, nothing happened. Ultimately, I had to closely monitor my speech for all words beginning with "F," as I would have hated to let slip some other "F" word, only to find that this was in fact the magical "F-bomb" the floorman had referred to, and been penalized for it.