The World Series of Poker is still, without a doubt, the most important and prestigious tournament series when it comes to poker. Amateurs come from all over the world (including myself) to face off with the world’s top professionals hoping to win the WSOP’s trophy: a World Series of Poker bracelet. There are great players out there, top players even, who have yet to win a WSOP bracelet. Almost all great players try every year.
While the mainstream popularity of poker had waned over the years (from 2003 through 2006, poker was a huge deal everywhere, which led to huge ESPN deals and pushed the popularity of online poker to ridiculous heights…to which it came crumbling down in 2011 with “Black Friday”), poker is still far more popular than it was in 2002. In 2002, the World Poker Tour introduced card cameras on their tables to allow watchers at home to follow the action. Before this, quite frankly, poker was boring and unsatisfying to watch. The introduction to card cameras combined with Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event win led to poker exploding into the mainstream. To show just how important the card cameras were, there is a key bluff Moneymaker, an amateur who won his $10,000 entry seat online, makes against professional Sam Farha. It was a key hand that allowed Moneymaker to win the tournament.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D16DberFu3Q
There were 631 entries in the 2002 Main Event of the World Series of Poker. In 2003, there were 839, which was the biggest live poker tournament ever at that point. In 2004 though there were 2,576. The WSOP Main Event would peak in 2006 with 8,773 players. Since then, the field for the Main Event has ranged from 6,000 to 7,000.
Some online types, specifically on 2+2 Forums (probably the best poker message board out there in regards to strategy, although it’s rules and posters can be quite immature and at times disgraceful), will tell you that poker is dying. What they are getting at is that poker is a mathematical game in every form and at some point, people are going to solve it. Back in the pre-Moneymaker days, sure there were your mathematicians, but it was still a gambling game at heart. Back in the old days you’d hear someone going all-in and someone wondering if they should call or fold. Now, the question is whether or not someone should be calling or raising a 4-bet pre-flop. There certainly is other mathematical analysis done on the other games (meaning, non-No Limit Hold’em, which the Main Event is played) as well. With computers and tech, this is the way it’s going to go.
But it doesn’t change the fact (or my opinion, whatever) that the WSOP is the greatest tournament series in the world. Poker can be played in so many ways, and only the WSOP really hits on all of them. Like Omaha? You have your choice of Pot Limit, or High-Low. Maybe you are a fan of the split pot games, to which there are Omaha 8, Stud 8 and a OE 8 (both Omaha and Stud) event (I’ll be playing the Stud 8 for sure). This year the WSOP smartly has added a $565 and $777 event (previously, the smallest WSOP event in modern times in terms of buy-in has been $1,000) to attract more recreational participants (the $565 event, the Colossus, is projected to have about 15,000 to 20,000 players, which would shatter just about every live poker record). There is pretty much everything available to play if you play any type of poker. Hell, there’s even a Dealer’s Choice event!
The WSOP is doing just fine. While it probably will never hit the mid 2000s level of popularity it once did, there is still fun to have and money to be made. I just hope this year is my year to win a bracelet.