
Currently, Jack Effel is open to suggestions for new games to be added in the 2015 World Series of Poker. The WSOP constantly seeks ways to draw in players and keep up with game trends. I’ll be sharing some of my own proposals today, along with a few other games that need to be introduced as stand-alone games.
Bracelet Bounty Event
I proposed a “Bracelet Bounty Event” on Jack Effel’s Facebook. In this event, any participant who has previously won a WSOP, WSOP-E, or WSOP APAC bracelet becomes a bounty. The bounty’s value would be equal to the buy-in. Therefore, if you eliminate a bracelet winner from the game, you’re essentially playing for free.
This would be ideal for an event with a buy-in of $1,500 or even $1,000. Alternatively, these bounties could be incorporated into one of the other special events, like the Monster Stack or the Millionaire Maker. This would provide players with an extra motivation to participate in these events.
PL Five Card Draw
I confess that I have a soft spot for Draw poker, as it’s the game I played growing up. Limit Draw, I find, is overly slow for today’s fast-paced gaming environment, though I think PL is a fantastic variation.
A few years ago, this game wouldn’t have been successful, even at PL stakes. However, the recent surge of mixed game players has made it a feasible game. It was included in the Dealer’s Choice selection during the 2014 World Series of Poker, and would work well as a standalone game.
I would suggest attempting a $1,500 buy-in initially to assess the interest. If it attracts a good response (pun intended), you might want to think about introducing a higher buy-in event the following year.
Badugi
It’s quite astonishing that Badugi has not yet been established as an independent game. Its popularity has been on the rise and it has been incorporated in mixed game spreads over the past few years. Participants in the Dealer’s Choice game can attest to the increasing popularity of this game.
I am confident that a Badugi event with a $1,500 buy-in would attract a good turnout. Even a $5k buy-in could potentially attract over 150 players. The WSOP enjoys trying out new games, and this experiment would pose minimal risk.
Mixed Lowball
I recommended another event to Jack Effel on Facebook. This mixed Lowball event would amalgamate 2-7 Triple Draw, 2-7 Single Draw, A-5 Lowball, Badugi, Badacey, Badeucy, and Razz to create the ultimate mixed lowball game.
No matter if the game is played in rotation or Dealer’s Choice format, it would attract those who enjoy lowball. I’d initially set the buy-in at $1,500 to gauge its popularity, and if successful, introduce a more expensive variant the following year.
Losers’ Bracket NL Hold’em
As I penned this piece, I conceived the concept of a Losers’ Bracket NL Event. This would involve an even number of players, with the first half knocked out getting a second chance in a subsequent (losers’ bracket) tournament later in the day. For instance, in a tournament with 1,000 participants, the losers’ bracket would comprise 500 players.
Once the field for the losers’ bracket is established, the event unfolds in two sections as a freezeout. Each section plays down to one table, and then the final two tables merge to play down to the final table, culminating in the determination of a winner.
This would provide an excellent opportunity for those who were eliminated to have another shot at winning the bracelet. Essentially, it’s like having two tournaments for the cost of one for the losers. Clearly, this is most ideal for a $1,000 or $1,500 buy-in event.