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2015 WSOP - Poker Players Championship features smallest field

ESPN staff
June 26, 2015 « Brian Hastings, Max Pescatori win bracelets at 2015 WSOP - Poker | Rugby Test »

[+] EnlargeBellande Jean-Robert
Paul Oresteen/BLUFF


The $50,000 Poker Players Championship was introduced in 2006 for the biggest and best bankrolled players in the world to fight for bragging rights among themselves. The event served as an answer to the criticism that the World Series of Poker had grown too fast, too quickly and the main event was no longer the measuring stick of greatness for a poker pro.

The event has a short, but rich history with past winners like Michael Mizrachi, Scotty Nguyen, Freddy Deeb and Chip Reese – the namesake for the PPC trophy. The format changed a few times, including a no-limit hold 'em final table for TV audiences to easily digest, and the event laid the foundation for big buy-in high roller events around the world.
But the 2015 WSOP PPC drew the smallest field in the event’s history with 84 players, and much of the talk at the tables pointed to the expansion to the 10-game six-max format as the reason for the decline.
“It’s definitely attributed to the addition two games,” said Brandon Shack-Harris, runner-up in the event last year. “People are unfamiliar with the games and some players prefer to not play games where you can go broke in a single hand.”
The WSOP added no-limit 2-7 and Badugi to the mix of games, both cash game favorites among the high limit crowds at the Bellagio and Aria.
“I play with the best players in the world on a consistent basis and a lot of the guys here I play with at Aria,” said this year's runner-up Jean-Robert Bellande. “This 10-game mix I happen to especially like more than the old eight-game structure because they added my two best games. Very few people in this tournament can play those games at the highest level and that gives me an edge.”

Jason Mercier felt the two new games only played a minor role. “I think there’s a few people that didn’t play because Badugi and no-limit deuce were added, but also it’s part of a larger trend in the poker economy,” he said. “It’s a lot of money to put up for one event and you have to be comfortable with all the games.”
Shack-Harris pointed out that people don’t want to pay $50,000 and find themselves in position where their tournament life was at stake in a coin flip situation. “Also, the six-max format a lot of people don’t feel comfortable playing these games six-handed,” he added. “They prefer to sit back and pick their spots a little better. I’m fine with the additions, I’m willing to sacrifice a game that I feel very comfortable playing in order to get a larger field,” Shack-Harris added. “It seems more fun when there’s more competition.”
Justin Smith finished 10th and believed the drop was more of a reflection on the current poker landscape than anything else.

“It seems that in America poker is still declining and a lot of the money is drying up in Europe, so now we’re feeling the effects on a global scale," he said. "Not too many people in poker have a lot of money anymore. There hasn’t really been an influx from Asia, there could have been if it was marketed better. I don’t think any Asian players were in the event.”
Shawn Buchanan echoed his thoughts. “Most people who play this event are pretty good poker players and could learn the games on the fly,” he said.“At least the guys that have the money to play - there’s just less money in the poker world now.”

Bellande acknowledged that the buy-in was steep, but for the entrants the event was about much more than cashing.

“This is not a money value tournament, this tournament is all about ego," he said. "You know you’re playing against the best in the world and it’s a chance for a bracelet against the top players.”

Greg Mueller didn't play in the event and felt that the event has lost the hype and grandeur that used to be associated with the PPC. With no televised broadcast for the fourth consecutive year, and a lack of sponsorships and stakes as a result, the event needs to be reevaluated.
“Walking into the $50,000 used to be like going into a playoff game and now it feels like it’s just time to put the work boots on,” said Greg Mueller. “It used to mean you were one of the best players in the world to play this tournament. The hype for the World Series isn’t as big as it used to be, there’s no TV for this table and $50,000 is a lot of money for one tournament ... This event used to take up half the Amazon Room with crowds of people watching on the rail – it was awesome. Now, the buzz just isn’t there.”