On Wednesday, PocketFives brought you an exclusive interview with World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament Director Jack Effel, who previewed the five new bracelet events that grace this year’s schedule. Today, we’re proud to bring you Part 2 of our interview, which focuses on the delayed final table of the Main Event, tournament registration at the Rio, and whether we’ll see the series move to another Caesars property anytime soon. Read Part 1.PocketFives: Thanks again for joining us. Will the WSOP Main Event final table ever return to July?
Jack Effel: We thought about it. We really feel the delayed final table is a good platform to showcase the final table of the largest poker event in the world. We don’t feel it should be fly-by-night and be over with. We do feel that having the delayed final table has elevated the visibility of the winners to become the next ambassadors for poker.
The focus on who will win is powerful. To be able to give a player who has spent two weeks trying to reach the final table and win the most coveted prize in poker – it should be showcased and not something that just happens quickly. People start to get emotionally attached to the players at the final table. The players become household names, they get their fans, their fans come to the Rio, and we have time for it to be something special. We will keep it until something better comes along.
PocketFives: One of our members suggested a separate line to register for bracelet events than the one used for the $200 buy-in tournaments and mega-satellites.Jack Effel: The WSOP is made up of a lot of different things. It’s made up of players who want to play satellites, cash games, $200 tournaments, and even a $1 million tournament. We want to be the one source for everyone to be able to do all of those things. The question is what is the most effective way for people to register for what they want to play?
This year, we are increasing our capacity for players so we can accommodate everyone who wants to play all of our events and not have to shut anyone out. What you’ll see this year is a lot of the deep stack, mega-satellites, and live games in the Pavilion. The cage that houses satellites will have more cashiers and more personnel, which will take pressure off the main cage so players can register for bracelet events. The tweaks we’re going to make this year will be better for players who want to play everything.
PocketFives: Will there be enforcement this year in the ladies’ event?
PocketFives: The ladies’ event was structured to be a ladies-only event. It has a lot of history and prestige and it’s a special tournament for those players. It gets 1,000 players every year and it’s the one event they come out for. If they come out, they might want to play other things like open events and maybe the Main Event too. Male players shouldn’t mess with it. We always put it a day before a small tournament so guys can play in that one instead.
PocketFives: Do you see the Main Event having more than a $10,000 buy-in?
Jack Effel: We’ve bounced it around a few times. It’s that one special event of the year. $10,000 is a lot of money. There are a lot of great poker players in the world that should have the opportunity to compete and not be shut out of the Main Event because the buy-in is too high. If you make it too high, you shut out guys who should have the opportunity to compete. If you make it too low, players don’t have to do as much to get in. It’s a good price point. It’s tradition. I don’t think it needs to be messed with, but time will tell.
PocketFives: Will the Main Event once again air live this year on ESPN?
Jack Effel: ESPN is in the process of finalizing their schedule of what they’re going to film. The Main Event will be filmed and you’ll see a lot of the great coverage you saw last year. The One Drop event will also be televised.
PocketFives: Has there been any discussion of moving the WSOP to another Caesars property? Can you tell us about the allure of holding it at the Rio?
Jack Effel: In terms of moving it, there are no plans in the future to do so. The Rio is the perfect property. It has the parking, the hotel space, and it’s close to the Strip. But, it’s not on the Strip, so you can easily get in and out. The convention space is plentiful. Now, we’ll be spread out again and housing 470 tables. That’s unheard of for a poker tournament. The Rio team does a fantastic job of putting it on. They have the experience now. They’re dedicated. They’ve put a lot of their blood, sweat, and tears into making this event great.
PocketFives: Is the value of a gold bracelet diminishing now that there will be around 70 of them awarded this year between WSOP and WSOP Europe?Jack Effel: The idea of winning a gold bracelet is the level of competition you have to beat and everything you need to do to accomplish that goal. This is a prestigious event overall and we want to continue to grow it. We want to allow players to win bracelets in a controlled manner in various disciplines of poker.
PocketFives: Can you tell us about the layout of this year’s WSOP?
Jack Effel: Retail is moving into the Rotunda. The Miranda Room will be an expanded dining area. The Brasilia Room will have the Noon bracelet events starting and spilling into the other rooms as needed. The Amazon Room will continue to be the champions’ room. We’re also moving the 5:00pm events into Amazon so they don’t have to hear the barking coming from the live games and satellites.
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