Gregory Chochon, the Director of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), appeared as a guest on the French poker podcast, the RMC Poker Show, on February 15. While discussing the upcoming 2016 WSOP events, Chochon hinted at the possibility of a team tournament for the summer, marking the first time such news was revealed.
Assuming Chochon’s details are accurate, we know that teams will consist of two to four players, and the team buy-in will be $1,000. However, further details are still limited.
Numerous poker media websites appear to report that the event buy-in will be $1,000 per team member. However, a clear translation of the podcast’s summary specifically states:
“The tournament has a cost of only $1,000, which becomes the most affordable buy-in of the World Series if split between two, three, or four players.”
It is also logistically more sensible to associate the entry cost with each team. If teams vary in size, it’s challenging to conceive a fair system to distribute prize money if teams pay different entry fees.
WSOP Mixed Doubles history
The inaugural team event at WSOP was held 33 years ago in 1979, known as Mixed Doubles. The game played was seven-card stud, with a buy-in of $600. Similar to mixed doubles events in tennis, from where the name was derived, teams consisted of one male and one female player.
In the inaugural year of Mixed Doubles, Doyle Brunson paired up with Starla Brodie, the runner-up of the previous year’s Ladies Event at the World Series, to win the event and a $4,500 prize. Another significant winner of the event is David Sklansky, an author and poker player, who teamed up with Dani Kelly to clinch victory in 1982.
Even though Chochon didn’t imply that the forthcoming team event would involve mixed doubles, having a team event could still potentially boost participation from women who may usually feel uneasy about participating in an open WSOP event.
Upon hearing news about the team event, Alexandre Dreyfus from the Global Poker Index expressed his enthusiasm via a tweet. His Global Poker League also includes team play, and the WSOP event might potentially validate his idea for the league.
WSOP NV online qualifiers are expected to begin soon
While they aren’t currently available, qualifying for a World Series of Poker event can be best achieved through feeders on WSOP.com. Last year, these steps could be accessed for as little as $1.
After progressing through a few rounds of steps, extremely low buy-ins can transform into seats for less expensive buy-in WSOP events or even the Main Event, which is the most prestigious event in poker.
Joe McKeehen, a twenty-four-year-old professional poker player from Pennsylvania, was the victor of last year’s WSOP Main Event. His first place finish came with a prize of $7,689,346.
In 2015, WSOP.com provided opportunities to secure seats for the following events through step tournaments, satellites, or freerolls:
- The Main Event (Buy-in cost $10,000)
- The Women’s Championship ($1,000 entry fee)
- The Small One For One Drop (with a buy-in of $1,111)
- Choose any buy-in worth $1,500.
