Poker Boom 2.0: 2023 WSOP Main Event Officially the Largest Ever

[stevenash]

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2023/07/poker-boom-2023-wsop-main-event-44008.htm?utm_source=xtremepush&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WSOP+Main+Record+%28xtremepush+%2375096683%29&utm_term=notification+%23%7B%7Bunique_id%7D%7D&utm_content=A

[Ian]

It's been a great year for the poker and the WSOP. Tournament fields have been up over 30% from last year. The Main event already has 8,846 players and with players able to register up to lvl. 8 on day 2 it should easily get into 5 figures.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

It's been a great year for the poker and the WSOP. Tournament fields have been up over 30% from last year. The Main event already has 8,846 players and with players able to register up to lvl. 8 on day 2 it should easily get into 5 figures.

I'm a little surprised by this. More Poker players would imply that people haven't been hit TOO BADLY by the economy.

[JAKEPEAVY21]

It's been a great year for the poker and the WSOP. Tournament fields have been up over 30% from last year. The Main event already has 8,846 players and with players able to register up to lvl. 8 on day 2 it should easily get into 5 figures.

I read that the main event has at least 9300 players.

[stevenash]

Playing in the Main Event is on my bucket list.
Next year is my year.

If I'm sent to the rail at the end of day one, don't care.
I need to do this.

[stevenash]

I'm a little surprised by this. More Poker players would imply that people haven't been hit TOO BADLY by the economy.

Serous players know how to come up with entry fees.

i was 'chatting' with Nathan Williams (Black Rain79) online last night, he sells shares on himself, and he can easily cover his own entry fee.
I love Nate's game.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Serous players know how to come up with entry fees.

i was 'chatting' with Nathan Williams (Black Rain79) online last night, he sells shares on himself, and he can easily cover his own entry fee.
I love Nate's game.

Sure. If everyone sells shares, it's a Net Loser all around.

Not a fan of the shares. Rumor is that Doyle Brunson used to sell 300% of himself. So, his result was guaranteed.

[stevenash]

^
Doyle was very shrewd.

[gauchojake]

Lots of players sell shares at a markup and lots of people buy shares. It's an easy way to get action and spread risk if you're into it. I hate poker so hard pass for me.

[Ian]

Playing in the Main Event is on my bucket list.
Next year is my year.

If I'm sent to the rail at the end of day one, don't care.
I need to do this.

Nice! With the crazy turnouts this year I'm planning to head out next year too... I don't plan on playing the main but I'd try a satellite or two.

[Ian]

Sure. If everyone sells shares, it's a Net Loser all around.

Not a fan of the shares. Rumor is that Doyle Brunson used to sell 300% of himself. So, his result was guaranteed.

I never heard this rumor about Doyle, but I heard the same thing about TJ Cloutier and Eskimo Clark... I think a whole thread could be made about the degen stories I've heard about those two.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

I never heard this rumor about Doyle, but I heard the same thing about TJ Cloutier and Eskimo Clark... I think a whole thread could be made about the degen stories I've heard about those two.

Post away. Not like there's excess traffic here. I'd be interested in hearing.

On the topic of Selling Shares, I think it's MOSTLY a Fools Game. I can think of a handful of players I'd be willing to buy shares in. The implication is that YOU would have an expectation > 100 cents on the dollar...and THEY would limit their risk.

I'd invest in Negreanu for sure, he's a Pro. A few other names come to mind. But MOST names would be a hard-pass, and certainly not at a premium (on top of the rake built into the fee).

[povis]

How much a winner will win 9mil+?

[Headsterx]

How much a winner will win 9mil+?

Yeah, and how much is the buy-in for the main table?

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Ian, one more comment about old-school players like Doyle and Dan Harrington. That 300% comment goes back 20 years or more. Doyle and Dan were pretty vocal about the hole-card cam being a detriment to poker.

They took a stance that getting your opponent to Fold meant that you got to take that information to the grave with you. Want to see? You have to pay to see it.

Fast Forward to the modern game. You do see a much friendlier attitude to showing your cards. If it's on tape (to be shown in one hour), they'll see it soon enough.

I have heard that Doyle 300% story multiple times. But it dates back to a No Hole-Card Cam era. When a player lays down his hand, those cards go in the muck never to be seen again.

Dan Harrington got his "Action Dan" nickname in part because of this trend. Dan was viewed as a very tight player. If Dan entered a pot, his holding should be viewed as very strong. Once Dan started writing more AND the hole-card cam became more prevalent, that changed more. Dan admitted that he played up his table image. In the right spot, Dan would overplay air-ball holdings if he thought his play could get his opponents to lay down stronger holdings.

One Main Event hand comes to mind. Greg Raymer was in the hand, and this is around the time that Raymer was going for the title. Two players (including Raymer) entered the pot before Harrington in late position. Harrington was holding pure air (26 off-suit). With an Open and Call in front of him, Harrington 3-bet. Opener folded, and Raymer also folded stating "Pay the man his money." Why play a big pot Out of Position against a guy who is tight as a drum?

[Ian]

Post away. Not like there's excess traffic here. I'd be interested in hearing.

On the topic of Selling Shares, I think it's MOSTLY a Fools Game. I can think of a handful of players I'd be willing to buy shares in. The implication is that YOU would have an expectation > 100 cents on the dollar...and THEY would limit their risk.

I'd invest in Negreanu for sure, he's a Pro. A few other names come to mind. But MOST names would be a hard-pass, and certainly not at a premium (on top of the rake built into the fee).

I agree with you on markup for sold shares. For a really strong player I could justify paying a 5% markup, but 10% is about as low as it goes. Many pros ask for 50% or more. With prices like that staking is somewhere between a barely profitable investment with huge variance and an outright sucker bet.

[OldBill]

i hate bingo poker cant stand it like yesterday i had A Q vs AJ unforumtley Q hits river and I los out of tourney because that gave the other guy a str8

i always get screwed over with better hands like J 10 clubs folops the flush draw and str8 draw loses to A 8 made 8's on flop fawwwwwwwwwwwk this game i will not plya it in real time because you can have AA AK AQ A10 KK JJ and lose to A 3 with KK flops AA 33

even this hand i LOST AJ suited flop str8 and flush draw k 6 off BUYS TRIP Kings after i go all in after flop

[Ian]

Post away. Not like there's excess traffic here. I'd be interested in hearing.

I'll give you one.

During a break in a $1500 WSOP event Eskimo Clark walks into the bathroom and takes the urinal next to Sam Grizzle.

"Hey Sam, you want to trade action in the $1500?"

"Sure, how about 5%."

They agree and Eskimo leaves without washing his hands. At the sinks another player approaches Grizzle.

"Sam, I've got to tell you. I'm in that event and Eskimo just busted out."

"That's okay," Grizzle replied. "I never even entered."

[ChuckyTheGoat]

I agree with you on markup for sold shares. For a really strong player I could justify paying a 5% markup, but 10% is about as low as it goes. Many pros ask for 50% or more. With prices like that staking is somewhere between a barely profitable investment with huge variance and an outright sucker bet.

At 50% markup, you could hold a gun to my head and I still wouldn't sign the deal. Margins in poker are so small. MOST of these guys aren't as good as they think.

The Hendon Mob results show Gross payout. What are their Net results? Probably not too good, unless they hit ONE big score.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

I'll give you one.

During a break in a $1500 WSOP event Eskimo Clark walks into the bathroom and takes the urinal next to Sam Grizzle.

"Hey Sam, you want to trade action in the $1500?"

"Sure, how about 5%."

They agree and Eskimo leaves without washing his hands. At the sinks another player approaches Grizzle.

"Sam, I've got to tell you. I'm in that event and Eskimo just busted out."

"That's okay," Grizzle replied. "I never even entered."

Ha-ha-ha. That's a good one!

Exactly. When you think you've heard it all, guys will go to new depths. Be VERY cautious with guys in gambling circles.

Goes back to my other posts. Understand the rake/juice in the game. In sports/horses/poker, think about the GROSS amount of $$ going into the pot. Calculate the rake/juice/takeout. Depending on the bet, the Gross payout is somewhere between 80 and 95% of buy-in.

Who likes to say that they're a LOSING gambler. EVERYONE has a story. Winners are the exception, not the rule.

And if a guy clears profit because he's selling a share, he's not a winner. He's a charlatan.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Ian, it's been a while since I was active on the Poker scene. Have some old posts in here, did have some nice scores in mid-level tournaments.

Biggest WSOP event I ever played was a $1500 buy-in at 6-max game. I'm very much of the opinion that full-ring 10-seat game is too wide. Smaller table makes for a better game, since the Early Position open requires such a strong game.

Question: Between WSOP and non-WSOP (competing casino) events, do you think one can carve out a schedule over six weeks where a solid player can play with a nice EV? Say +20% expected ROI or better.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Saw this as the best answer I've seen:

Originally Posted by The Learner

What's the reason wsop is so popular this year?

Pent up demand from the pandemic and with inflation the way it is, $10,000 just isn’t as much as it used to be. Also, with easier access to solvers now, a lot more people fancy themselves as experts and want to take a crack at it.

[Ian]

Ian, it's been a while since I was active on the Poker scene. Have some old posts in here, did have some nice scores in mid-level tournaments.

Biggest WSOP event I ever played was a $1500 buy-in at 6-max game. I'm very much of the opinion that full-ring 10-seat game is too wide. Smaller table makes for a better game, since the Early Position open requires such a strong game.

Question: Between WSOP and non-WSOP (competing casino) events, do you think one can carve out a schedule over six weeks where a solid player can play with a nice EV? Say +20% expected ROI or better.

Carve out a nice +EV? Yes. How much +EV? I don't know.

There are plenty of pros who come to Vegas for the series and do just what you describe. A friend who grinds tourneys professionally does that every year and I've played with dozens more doing the same thing, so it's definitely doable.

I'm almost exclusively a cash game grinder, so I'm not really the right guy to ask about tournament specific stuff. I do know there are online tourney pros on 2+2 who can tell you their online ROIs, but with live poker I'm not sure there's anyone who could tell you because it's imo impossible to get a big enough sample size.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Salud, Ian. I wrote several threads in the Poker forum back when I was playing tournaments.

Played one memorable hand in Vegas some years ago. I had J3(hearts) on the Big Blind, called:

*In later-stage of the tournament, I flop huge with a Pair + Flush Draw. As action works around, it's a 3-way All-in, I have a hand that can't Fold and has good equity versus all holdings.

Amazingly, there were three Heart draws in play:
*My bottom pair + flush draw.
*Nut Flush draw + over to the Ace.
*Gutshot draw + dominated flush draw.

I'm the only one with a pair but I'm dodging like half the deck 2x! Despite leading, I'm only running to like a 30% win probability. I dodge turn, but one of the five remaining Hearts comes on River, I lose with a smaller Flush.

[stevenash]

$12,100,000 Awaits the Winner of the 2023 WSOP Main Event

https://www.pokernews.com/news/2023/07/2023-wsop-main-event-registration-closed-44037.htm?utm_source=xtremepush&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=WSOP+Main+Event+2+%28xtremepush+%2375168832%29&utm_term=notification+%23%7B%7Bunique_id%7D%7D&utm_content=A

[Madison]

Money = toilet paper. The entry fee versus 15 years ago is circa 50%.

[mpaschal34]

Maybe SBR management will see these poker numbers and think that it would be value added (drive increased traffic) to bring poker back.

[mpaschal34]

I agree with you on markup for sold shares. For a really strong player I could justify paying a 5% markup, but 10% is about as low as it goes. Many pros ask for 50% or more. With prices like that staking is somewhere between a barely profitable investment with huge variance and an outright sucker bet.

I saw somewhere that Doug Polk said the numbers state that the markup of a professional player is around 0.93. Therefore an average you will lose $ in the long run staking players.

I’ve never bought shares of professional players….just some friends. And you can guess if I’m up or down in that scenario.
Although it is fun to have a piece of their action and sweat with them.

[ChuckyTheGoat]

Money = toilet paper. The entry fee versus 15 years ago is circa 50%.

Some truth to that. But that means those buying in have some discretionary income.

I suppose that makes sense. The poker-playing crowd does include SOME affluent multi-millionaires and mostly people above the middle-class.

[klemopixx]

Maybe SBR management will see these poker numbers and think that it would be value added (drive increased traffic) to bring poker back.

Wouldn't that be nice!

[OldBill]

i aint buying shares of nobody in bingo board game AA gets drilled by all in Q 9 or worse

fawwwwwwwwkkkkk em all

[Debi]

I have sold 50% of my action for many years. This summer at the WSOP I decided I would play on my own dime for a change because I was starting to feel that trying to win for other people was getting in my head too much.

I was right - it felt amazing to only care about my own money. I only played 4 events because I made 2 day 2's and had to cancel a couple. Finished close to the money in 2 of the 4 and made a deep run in a 3rd. (top 40 out of over 4k entries).

I don't think I will ever run a stake again - I will just play within my budget with my own money.