2024 Poker Predictions
Bracelets before May, another Main Event record, and lots of Game of Gold predictions this year from Barry Carter.
Every year Barry Carter makes some bold predictions for the year ahead, here are his 2023 predictions.
'No late reg' tournaments
One of the perennial arguments in poker of the last five or so years has been how long is too long for late registration. It is now widely known that long late registration periods give pros an edge, while operators like them because they boost the numbers.
A lot of people complain about it, however. They either think it is unfair or goes against the spirit of the game.
Online and live I think the tide is turning, just a little bit. I anticipate seeing either a major tournament with no late reg, a vastly reduced late reg period, or at least an incentive like 'early bird' to discourage it.
The biggest Main Event (again)
It took almost 20 years to break the WSOP Main Event attendance record, but I suspect it will take just a year to break the 2023 record.
Live poker is booming, it feels too big to fail. People will have seen the 10,043 players in the 2023 Main Event and get serious FOMO in 2024.
How much larger will the field be? I have no idea. But the post-COVID live poker boom is not slowing down any time soon.
Game of Gold Clones
It was a late addition but for me, Game of Gold was one of the great poker successes of 2023. It really captured the poker public's imagination in a way we haven't seen in a very long time.
It seems inevitable, therefore, that we will see competitor shows that mix poker and Survivor-style reality TV.
The PokerStars Big Game is returning but we already knew that. Other than that I expect to see more shows like this going forward. So much so we may end up being sick of the format.
However, I would love to see 'pros watching other pros in the green room' '-style commentary in live poker events. That to me was the secret sauce of Game of Gold that should be replicated.
Game of Gold Season 2 goes OTT
Season 2 of Game of Gold has such a high bar to live up to, especially because it seems inevitable that the drama will need to increase to keep the public's interest.
Every good reality TV format ends up being overly sensationalist. This is because it stops being about the format and more about the fame-hungry people who want to appear on the show.
I would love it if GGPoker didn't invite the Hellmuths and the Nik Airballs who are just in it for the clicks, but sadly as the show grows in popularity, those are exactly the kinds of people who will be auditioning in greater numbers.
Bracelets before May
By my count, at least 178 bracelets were awarded in 2023. Between WSOP Paradise and the online series at GGPoker and WSOP.com, there were bracelets awarded in every month between May and December.
The partnership between GGPoker and the WSOP seems to be going from strength to strength, and I simply cannot see them looking at the months between January and May without wanting to fill the void.
So my big prediction for 2024 is that, in some capacity, a tournament series will take place, live or online, that awards WSOP bracelets before the official World Series of Poker starts in May.
What are your 2024 poker predictions? Let us know in the comments:
