Improvements Appreciated at 39th Annual WSOPPlayers Give Praise to Changes Which Have Made the Series Run Smoothly |
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It’s been called a zoo, it’s been called chaotic, but it’s hard to imagine thousands of poker players playing 55 events in a confined area being anything but crazy. The World Series of Poker is considered the most legendary and prestigious tournament series in the world and should be run like it is. With the considerable growth of poker, it’s been no easy task to run the WSOP, and last year, the complaints of players seemed to reach an all-time high. Harrah’s addressed many of those issues for this year’s event, and players are noticing and appreciating the new much-needed changes.
So far, 20 winners have been crowned, and the Amazon Room has seen more than 20,000 entrants. It seems as though the WSOP has kicked off without a hitch.
“While we are very pleased that things are running smoothly thus far, we have a long way to go before we consider the 2008 WSOP a success,” said Sports & Entertainment Director of Communications Seth Palansky. “We have put a lot of planning and preparation into this event, and we spent a considerable amount of time evaluating the research we do after 
each year’s event in order to improve it. What you are seeing is that pre-planning and adjustments from the feedback paying off.”
Last year’s feedback included a considerable amount of criticism for the Pavilion, a tented area outside where many players were forced to play in during a few WSOP events, including the main event. This year, absolutely no tournament action was played in tents. WSOP bracelet winner Todd Witteles was one who was greatly affected by playing in the over-heated tents and had no problem expressing his displeasure with the decision, as made clear in a video interview with Card Player TV.
“I think this year has greatly improved,” said Witteles about the 2008 WSOP. “I’ve played the World Series from 2005 to 2008, and it got steadily worse with last year being the worst, by far, for many reasons, with the tent, the playing cards ... they just messed up everything. This year, I’ve seen remarkable improvement, the best of the four years."
Another big complaint from last year was the length of the registration lines. At t
he beginning of the 2007 Series, even pre-registered players had to wait up to five hours. Instead of opening the registration line the day of the first event like last year, it was opened on May 28, two days before the start of the first event.
“There are absolutely no lines this year. It’s great,” said poker professional Chad Brown.
Also helping unclog the clutter is that the cage was separated from tournament play to accommodate more guests, including a special area for Total Rewards Diamond and Seven Star members. The area is also combined with the payout area to allow for quicker processing of player paperwork. Player information is also kept electronically to expedite the process even more for repeat winners.
“The issues in the past may have more to do with the unbelievable growth the event has attracted, and all of the logistics and planning sometimes just can’t help you deal with sheer overwhelming numbers that show up all at once,” said Palansky.
Other improvements include separate entrances for players and spectators, expanded restroom facilities, and the addition of the Sushi and Noodle Bar to the food selection near the Amazon Room.
Palansky credits much of the improvements to the Player Advisory Council (PAC), which includes members such as Daniel Negreanu, Robert Williamson III, and Jennifer Harman. One change that the PAC is particularly proud of is the implementation of a new structure for the events.
“It gives you less play than last year in the beginning, but way more play towards the middle to end of the tournament, which a lot of pros like,” said Brown, who is looking to break his WSOP cashing record at eight. “I’d rather be knocked out early and move on. It’s better than having a lot of play early on, and then, when you get close to the money, you could lose one 
hand and be out.”
Tom Schneider, 2007 two-time bracelet winner, is also a member of the PAC and agrees that structure has made a very positive impact.
“I have to say that I am very pleased. I think things are very organized, and the events and the structure are excellent. They also added the mixed game, which is my favorite tournament now. Things are going very well, in general,” said Schneider, who recently made the final table in event No. 18, the $5,000 buy-in deuce-to-seven draw lowball with rebuys event.
Mike Matusow, the winner of the event No. 18, gives Jeffrey Pollack, the WSOP commissioner, kudos for this the way the Series has gone thus far, but says that one change that could be made next year is that ESPN be more willing to add events to the televised schedule if such a stacked final table should arise.
“Not to be egotistical, but people like to watch me play. It was an amazing final table. At 3:30 in the morning, we had standing-room only to watch deuce-to-seven triple draw,” said Matusow. “It is what I was saying before the tournament started. Why does ESPN just pick six events that they want to televise and that’s it? They should have a cre
w here, see who makes the final table, and then make the decision.”
While Harrah’s has no control over which events are televised, they were responsible for getting rid of the sequestered final tables for live airing which allows friends, family, and fans to watch the action unfold. Matusow says that having the crowd watch him win his third bracelet made it even more special.
His opposition to the sequestered tables last year was made clear in an episode of The Mouthpiece in which Matusow spoke bluntly about not being allowed to watch close friend Phil Hellmuth take down his 11th bracelet.
Many players who give praise to the great improvements made by Harrah’s at this year’s WSOP are grateful but feel that, for the price, the accommodations are long overdue.
“I’m happy with what they’ve done this year, but I don’t want to give them too many pats on the back, because it shouldn’t have taken so long to get it right,” said Witteles. “They are making so much money, it’s about time that the Series is run like it should be.”
The changes so far have been positive, but the most controversial one has yet to come. It was announced just before the start of the WSOP that the main event final table will play down to nine players on July 14 and wait until Nov. 9 to reconvene to play down to a champion. Harrah’s has high hopes for this unprecedented move.
“As for the delayed final table, we have heard nothing but positive reactions of late,” said Palansky. “After the initial firestorm of people who either didn’t take the time to understand the issue or those who tend to respond negatively to any change, we have seen pretty overwhelming positive input on the table, with everyone hoping they are one of the November Nine. We believe we are starting to hit our stride in planning, preparing and carrying out the World Series of Poker, but time will tell.”
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