2016 WSOP - Running down a busy first week in Las Vegas

June 10, 2016

Nine bracelets have already been awarded at the 2016 World Series of Poker. Here's what you may have missed:

Colossus falls short of field size expectations

After expanding from four starting sessions to six, adjusting structures and level length and altering payouts so that those making it deep into any session could cash in and turn that money over into another attempt, it seemed a virtual lock that Colossus II would draw a bigger crowd than its predecessor.

Nope. So what happened?



My experience and observation lead me to a few different possibilities. First and foremost, I think there was a certain amount of hangover/apprehension stemming from the payout issues from 2015. It's a shame if that was indeed a cause for certain players to stay away, because the WSOP did a great job with online pre-registration and keeping lines down until the very last session, despite the fact that players could only pre-register for one session at a time (as opposed to as many as desired for Colossus I).

Another potential factor was that a certain percentage of the first Colossus field was simply checking an item off of the bucket list -- they got to play in their one lifetime WSOP event, and had little desire (or means) to take another shot. Others in that kind of category might have been overwhelmed or turned off by the fact that pros could take up to six separate shots at building up a stack.

Finally, the proximity to the Millionaire Maker could've impacted attendance as some players either may have had to choose which of the two weekends to attend. By opting to show up for the Millionaire Maker, players would elect to shave a week off of what's otherwise going to be a lengthy summer anyway. This is, admittedly, the hardest to prove and the biggest stretch among these possible factors, as the positioning was identical at the 2016 WSOP.

The 21,613 entries is still nothing to sneeze at, and if the WSOP can consistently draw 20,000-plus for this tournament you can expect it to return on a yearly basis. Expect the WSOP to continue to tinker with certain elements as it learns from each year's event.

Rebuilding the foundation of the WSOP

The first week of the WSOP is always a hotbed for debate, with certain changes (or a lack of change) spurring heated conversations that tend to play out on social media.

Certain suggestions were to be expected: lower rake, more player benefits for entering events, no more 10 and 11 a.m. starts. There were multiple players pushing for the return of long-banned (and four-time WSOP Circuit ring-winner) Sam Panzica, and a strong push for the consideration of November Nine alternatives.

Among all of the replies to my tweet and DMs that followed, two concepts in particular stood out as worthy of further exploration. One included the "information pay-wall" currently in place on the live updates at WSOP.com. It was rightfully pointed out that it's likely dissuading some from keeping up to date with the events at the WSOP, further alienating an audience that nobody in the industry wants to shrink any further.

The second idea, from former PokerNews reporter Tim Duckworth, builds upon one of the most popular changes put into place at the 2016 WSOP -- payment automation and the ability to register for certain tournaments online. A WSOP/Total Rewards debit card, which players could add money to at the beginning or throughout the series, could allow players to sign up for a tournament at an electronic kiosk to reduce lines, and could even be used at the Poker Kitchen or various kiosks at the Rio. Most importantly, it would allow players to travel around Las Vegas without having to carry substantial amounts of cash on them as often -- solving a significant safety issue.

Good and bad from Week 1 of the 2016 WSOP

• There were rumbles about Howard Lederer returning to the WSOP for the first time since Black Friday, but instead it was Chris Ferguson who made his first appearance in a bracelet event since the original Full Tilt operation was shuttered by the U.S. Department of Justice in April 2011. He wasn't the most popular player in the room, with several attendees going out of their way make a public spectacle of the situation. The 2000 WSOP main event champion has yet to make any public comments on Full Tilt or his decision to return to playing bracelet events.
• Ben Keeline nearly stayed home from the WSOP, but in an extraordinary turn of events, he cashed in on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and won Colossus II for $1 million. He spoke to Andrew Feldman and me on the latest edition of The Poker Edge, and spoke at length with Dave Tuley immediately following his victory Tuesday night.
• All of the bracelet winners in the first week of the WSOP were first-timers, save for one -- Robert Mizrachi. He earned his fourth bracelet in the $10,000 seven-card stud championship, giving him his four wins in four different disciplines (his previous wins came in pot-limit Omaha, limit Omaha eight-or-better and a Dealers Choice tournament). Mizrachi has won a bracelet in each of the past three years and now holds a slight edge over his brother Michael, four bracelets to three. He also joined this week's Poker Edge podcast.

Looking ahead

The Millionaire Maker kicked off Friday morning in Las Vegas, and the expectations are understandably high once again. Adrian Buckley is the defending champion, having outlasted a field of 7,275 to win $1,277,193 and the bracelet in 2015. Despite the drop in Colossus attendance, I'm going to make a bold prediction and say the promise of two seven-figure paydays (for the first time ever in this event) will bring out a bigger crowd for this version of the Millionaire Maker than any previous instance.

Results

Event 1: $565 Casino Employees no-limit hold 'em
Entries: 731
Winner: Christopher Sand ($75,157; first bracelet)

Event 2: $565 Colossus II no-limit hold 'em
Entries: 21,613
Winner: Ben Keeline ($1,000,000; first bracelet)

Event 3: $10,000 Seven-card stud Championship
Entries: 87
Winner: Robert Mizrachi ($242,662; fourth bracelet)
Final table notables: Matt Grapenthien (one bracelet), George Danzer (three bracelets), Ted Forrest (six bracelets), David Benyamine (one bracelet), Bill Chen (two bracelets), Calvin Anderson (one bracelet)

Event 4: $1,000 Top Up Turbo no-limit hold 'em
Entries: 667
Winner: Kyle Julius ($142,972; first bracelet)
Final table notables: Ben Yu (one bracelet)

Event 5: $1,500 Dealers Choice
Entries: 389
Winner: Lawrence Berg ($125,466; first bracelet)
Final table notables: Andrew Brown (one bracelet), Paul Volpe (one bracelet), Randy Ohel (one bracelet)

Event 6: $1,500 No-limit hold 'em
Entries: 2,016
Winner: Peter Eichhardt ($438,417; first bracelet)
Final table notables: John Racener (2012 WSOP ME runner-up), Anthony Zinno one bracelet)

Event 7: $1,500 No-limit 2-7 draw lowball
Entries: 279
Winner: Ryan D'Angelo ($92,338; first bracelet)
Final table notables: John Monnette (two bracelets), Tom Franklin (one bracelet), Dan Kelly (two bracelets), Konstantin Maslak (one bracelet)

Event 8: $1,500 HORSE
Entries: 778
Winner: Ian Johns ($212,604; first bracelet)
Final table notables: Justin Bonomo (one bracelet), Georgios Sotiropoulos (one bracelet), Andre Akkari (one bracelet), Svetlana Gromenkova (one bracelet), Scotty Nguyen (five bracelets)

Event 10: $10,000 Heads-up no-limit hold 'em
Entries: 153
Winner: Alan Percal ($320,574; first bracelet)

Full 2016 WSOP schedule