WSOP Predictions
The World Series of Poker is later this month and Barry Carter makes five big predictions about how it will go down.
A big decrease in numbers
No record-breaking Main Event this year and I think we will see a big decline in numbers across the board, as overseas players decide against going.
This is as a result of Donald Trump's trade war that has been dominating the news.
We have already seen that tourism is in decline in Las Vegas and anecdotally I know a lot of players who have made the decision to skip the series this year.
It may technically be just as easy to travel to Vegas from other parts of the world, but America does not seem as welcoming to foreigners right now, and that will be reflected at the WSOP.
A 'phone incident'
At the time of writing there is a lot of talk about the decision ban phone usage in the wake of laptopgate. This is both for all players when three tables remain as well as prohibiting vloggers from filming themselves at the table.
I 100% agree with the new rules, but it is hard prising the damn things out of people's hands.
So I have a vague prediction that there will be a smart device related incident this year as the new rules take their time to become the norm. Maybe someone will get caught looking up RTA, maybe someone will be wearing an apple watch at a final table, maybe a vlogger sneaks a camera at their table. I don't know what yet, but something will happen that we talk about.
Hellmuth plays the Main Event
Earlier this year Phil Hellmuth made the surprise decision to boycott the WSOP Main Event in protest over the long hours that older players are subjected to.
Phil Hellmuth is syonamous with the Main Event, not least because of his grand Day 1 entrances. He is also synamonous with publicity stunts and brand ambassadorships.
Call me a cynic, but I think all of this was part of an endorsement deal. I think we will see the classic Phil Hellmuth entrance this year and it will include some sort of sponsorship, maybe from an energy drink.
Brand deal or not, Phil is not skipping the Main.
A high profile cheater exposed
This is the first full WSOP with GGPoker as the owners of the festival. There has already been talks of whether GGPoker banned players are also banned from the WSOP.
My prediction is, yes, players who are banned at GGPoker will be blacklisted from the WSOP. Along the way, that means we might find out that a high profile name is banned from the WSOP for cheating at GGPoker.
Whether that is someone being conspicuous by their absence, or just the rumour mill doing their thing, I predict at least one previously squeaky clean image will be tarnished this summer.
WSOP+ is a hit
This year to register for WSOP events you need the WSOP+ app. A new way to streamline the process of registering and avoiding big queues.
There will be teething problems, you can't expect otherwise when you introduce a new technology to such a large group of people, but it will prove a hit.
European poker players know how easy live tournament registration can be, thanks to events like PokerStars Live and apps like Luxon Pay. It's about time it was made easier for American players.
What will we see in the WSOP this year? Let us know in the comments:
