Which side events are the softest?

Are the side events before the Main Event of a festival softer, or tougher, than those after the Main Event?

I had a fun chat recently about side events with a student. The question they asked was were they softer before or after the Main Event?

My answer was very clear, I think they are much softer before the Main Event.

The reason is that when the Main Event starts, the good regs arrive in town. The amateur players who visit, especially satellite winners, tend to leave as soon as they bust the Main Event. But the good regulars stick around.

For that reason, the side events after the Main Event tend to feature more serious grinders, and fewer, relatively, amateur players.

When are the most locals playing? 

In contrast, the side events before a Main Event tend to mostly be made up of local players, who are very good value.

We saw this at the WSOP this year. The $3,000 event before the Main Event was one of the softest fields I have played at a high price point; the $3,000 event after the Main Event was a murderer's row.

I would bet that if you did an analysis of poker festival results, you would see more 'unknowns' win the tournament before the Main Event, and more famous names win the side events after it.

So if you only have one bullet to fire in a festival, playing before the Main Event will give you fewer headaches.

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