World Series of Poker Hitting its Stride

As I write this, we're two weeks into the World Series, and you have to applaud the WSOP officials for the noticeable enhancements made to this year's event.

There is no question that the deluge of players over the past two years has caused headaches, long lines, and frustrations for many players, but, overall, things seem to be running much more smoothly this year.

Logistically, improvements are apparent as soon as you venture into the Amazon Room. Color-coded quadrants divide the massive room, which is capable of hosting 2,740 players at once. These quadrants, all equipped with multiple tournament clocks devoted to each specific area, help the organization of multiple, simultaneous events much better than in the past. Also, all satellites are now taking place outside the main area of play in a designated room. This has eased congestion and confusion immensely. The food options are better, and the room looks like a class act.

The elimination of the poker tents is another big improvement. Last year, many players had to play outside in a hot tent while howling wind nearly blew down the structure. With seating capacity for nearly 3,000 players in the Amazon Room, there is no need for tents. Also, alternates are not allowed for any events. I think this is a good idea. However, there already have been two events ($5,000 no-limit hold'em shootout and $1,500 no-limit hold'em sixhanded) in which players were turned away due to there not being enough tables left to accommodate them. I don't think players should ever be turned away from an event.

I've played a few events so far. One improvement I've seen this year at the tables is universal enforcement of the WSOP Tournament Rules, which were released prior to this year's event. One item in particular that I thought was a problem due to vagueness in the past was calling for a clock on an opponent. All too often, you have players calling a clock on you after only a few seconds have elapsed. Oftentimes, for big decisions, you need more than a few seconds. The WSOP spelled it out very clearly in the rules this year, which state, "Once a reasonable amount of time, which is no less than three minutes, has passed and a clock is called, a player will be given one minute to act. If action has not been taken by the time the minute has expired, there will be a 10-second countdown. If a player has not acted on his hand by the time the countdown is over, the hand will be dead." This and the other 50 or so clearly spelled-out poker rules that the WSOP released in advance of the tournament are very helpful for new and veteran players alike.