World Series of Poker Changes Spark Excitement, Debate2009 WSOP Scraps Rebuys, But Adds a $40,000 Event |
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The 2009 World Series of Poker schedule was released Monday morning, and, as has become an annual tradition, it was the subject of much speculation and debate.
The three major storylines that developed from the announcement concerned the addition of a $40,000 no-limit holdem event, the removal of rebuy events from the Series, and the inclusion of a $1,000 no-limit hold'em event.
“We were trying to do something special to commemorate the 40th-annual World Series of Poker,” said WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky in creating the $40,000 event. “It did not receive unanimous support in this economy, but everyone sort of agreed to it once we made it clear that this is not intended to be an annual event.”
Many top players, including poker pro Daniel Negreanu, have argued in the past on behalf of raising the entry fee of the main event so that there could be a deeper structure and a higher likelihood that a skilled pro would win the event. So when the $40,000 event was announced, there was speculation in the poker forums that this might be the first year of many that feature a higher-priced hold’em event.
While Palansky said that this $40,000 event should be considered a one-time occurrence, he acknowledged that it was conceivable that a higher-priced buy-in could return in future years.
“We had no intention of putting this on the schedule as a tester to see if it makes sense doing long-term,” said Palansky. “It’s a very sensitive question for us because we run the main event, which crowns the world champion of poker. We in no way want to cannibalize that event.”
Greg Raymer, the 2004 WSOP main-event champ, says that it is likely that he will play the $40,000 event.
“There’s going to be talk of that (the prestige of the $40,000 event compared to the main event),” said Raymer. “But I’m pretty sure the main event is always going to be the main event.”
Raymer expects the $40,000 event field to resemble the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. field and said he wouldn’t be surprised to see the high-priced no-limit hold’em event return, although perhaps as a $50,000 event, in future years.
“If the event is a success, why would Harrah’s not repeat it?” said Raymer.
Although Raymer was in favor of the addition of the $40,000 event, he was not happy that the World Series decided to get rid of rebuy events.
Card Player first reported in December that tournament organizers were considering scrapping rebuys, a move the WSOP confirmed on Monday.
“I don’t see any real purpose in eliminating the rebuy tournaments,” said Raymer. “To be honest, the people that complain about them the most have a very clueless understanding of what poker is about.”
“The purpose is not to win a tournament,” said Raymer. “The purpose is to make money.”
Palansky, however, offered the reasoning behind the controversial decision.
“In simple terms, we want every bracelet to be up for grabs in a fair and equitable manner,” said Palansky. “Skill should determine the winner, not how big your wallet is.”
The Player Advisory Council (PAC), a 15-member committee, was influential in making this decision.
Negreanu, a member of the council, voiced his support of the change in his most recent blog: “Frankly, rebuy events should have never been a part of a World Championship series event, and what is happening this year is simply fixing that mistake.”
Palanksy said that players who like rebuy formats will still be able to find them this summer at the Rio, just not in bracelet events.
Other notable changes in the schedule include the addition of a $1,000 buy-in event in the Series’ opening weekend and the addition of a "triple chance" event.
The WSOP has coined the $1,000 event the “stimulus special.” It is the cheapest non-rebuy, open event the Series has featured since 2006. Palansky said that it’s impossible to guess how many people will turn out. But he is hopeful that the number of entrants will reach 5,000 — which would be the most of any non-main-event live tournament.
If that’s the case, the winner could conceivably get a $700,000 first place prize.
“Where else can you get 700 times your investment in four days of work?” Palansky asked.
For the triple-chance event, each player will start off with a stack of chips and two opportunities to collect more chips within the first two levels of the tournament. Unlike online tournaments, wherein a player can only buy back after he or she has busted, a player can use their two extra “chances” at any time during the tournament’s first two levels — including at the very beginning of the event.
Although there were many changes made to the 2009 WSOP schedule, one notable thing remained the same — the four-month final-table delay so that viewers could watch the final table “nearly live.” The organizers insist that they will do a more effective job this year.
“We are in agreement with some of the criticism that existed,” said Palansky. “We’ll certainly try to address some of it, if we can, including getting more heads-up scenes.”
Palansky said that the structures and starting chip amounts for the events will not be finalized for another month or so, but that he expects players to be pleased with what they see.
He called 2009 “the year of value” for the World Series, saying that tournament organizers are discussing ways to make this year’s Series more appealing to the casual player — including possibly adjusting the amount of starting chips players have to the number of spots each tournament pays out to the hotel-room prices at the Rio.
Registration for the 2009 World Series will begin in February both on-site and online. The first event kicks off May 27, and the final table will play out Nov. 7-10.
Check out the complete 2009 World Series of Poker schedule.
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