Jack Effel is currently taking suggestions for new games to add to the 2015 World Series of Poker. The WSOP is always looking for ways to attract players and stay on top of trends in the game. Today, I’ll share with you some suggestions I made plus a couple of other games that are overdue for introduction as stand-alone games.
Bracelet Bounty Event
One suggestion that I shared on Jack Effel’s Facebook was a “Bracelet Bounty Event.” The concept is simple. Any player that enters and has won a WSOP, WSOP-E or WSOP APAC bracelet becomes a bounty. The bounty would be the equivalent of the buy-in. If you knock out a bracelet winner, you’re freerolling.
This would be great for a $1,500 or even a $1,000 buy-in event. Another alternative would be to have these bounties during one of the other gimmick events such as the Monster Stack and the Millionaire Maker. That would give players an added incentive to come out to these events.
PL Five Card Draw
I will admit that I’m partial to Draw poker in general because it is the game I grew up playing. Limit Draw is frankly too slow paced to be viable in the modern game, but PL is a great variant.
Until a few years ago, this game wouldn’t have flown even at PL stakes. However, the influx of mixed game players in the last few years makes this a viable game. It was part of the Dealer’s Choice spread during the 2014 World Series of Poker and would make a great game to introduce as a stand-alone game.
My recommendation would be to try it at a $1,500 buy-in and gauge the interest. If it draws well (pun intended) then maybe consider adding a larger buy-in event the next year.
Badugi
I’m quite surprised that we haven’t already seen Badugi spread as a stand-alone game. It has been growing in popularity and has been part of mixed game spreads the last couple of years. Those playing in the Dealer’s Choice game could tell you how popular this game has become.
I have no doubt that a $1,500 buy-in Badugi event would draw solid numbers. I could even see a $5k pulling in at least 150 players or more. The WSOP likes to experiment with new games, and this would be an experiment with very little downside.
Mixed Lowball
This is the other event that I suggested to Jack Effel on Facebook. A mixed Lowball event would combine 2-7 Triple Draw, 2-7 Single Draw, A-5 Lowball, Badugi, Badacey, Badeucy, and Razz for the ultimate mixed lowball game.
Whether played in rotation or Dealer’s Choice format, this game would be one to draw out the lowball players. I’d start this as a $1,500 to see whether it has legs and then add another higher buy-in variant the next year.
Losers’ Bracket NL Hold’em
While writing this piece, I came up with the idea of a Losers’ Bracket NL Event. Starting with an even number of players, the first half of the field that is eliminated gets a ticket for a second chance (losers’ bracket) tournament to start later in the day. In the case of a 1,000-player tournament, you would have 500 players in the losers’ bracket.
Once the losers’ bracket field is set, the event plays out in two areas as a freezeout. Both sections play to one table and those last two tables combine to play to the final table and then a winner.
This would be a great way to give those eliminated a second chance to win the bracelet. For the losers, it’s two tournaments for the price of one. This is obviously best suited for a $1,000 or a $1,500 buy-in event.
