For years, the World Series of Poker has been the most anticipated land based poker tournament option in the world. Players from around the globe visit Las Vegas from May to July to take part in various poker tournaments on the schedule. Weeks of poker tournament play culminates in the Main Event, which names the top player for the year, in a sense anyway. Everyone wants to be the next big winner of the WSOP Main Event.
Each year, thousands of players descend on the Rio to compete in the poker tournaments of the WSOP. In doing so, the casino becomes very crowded. Players have to wait in long lines to cash out winnings or to register for events. For the 2016 WSOP, organizers have come up with a variety of ways to help with the wait times and streamline the processes of the events.
First up is the discussion of payouts. When a player earns a win or a cashout during an event, they do not want to have to wait in a long line for their payday. To streamline the payment process, the WSOP created the eQueue Payout Process. This process allows players to sign up for an alert via their mobile device. After signing up, players can go about their day and will then be alerted when they need to visit the cashier cage. This eliminates the need to stand in line and wait until others are done to be paid.
To help with the registration process, the WSOP has partnered with Genesis Gaming Solution Inc. to create and online registration option. By using the Bravo Poker Tournament Software, players will be able to log online and then register for one or multiple WSOP events. Players simply visit the Bravo Poker Live website and click on the WSOP link. From there, players will be able to register for WSOP events. Before registering, players will need to be a member of a Caesars Total Rewards program, which can be done online as well.
Payment during online registration is limited to credit cards, cashier check and wire transfer, with limits on when such payments can be used. Players also have to visit the Rotunda Area of the Rio to be able to verify their identity. This is still a lengthy process but a good option for shortening weight times and allowing those who do not live in Las Vegas to go ahead and register for events they wish to participate in. The WSOP may find that the wait times for the identity check may become long so this will be a learning process as well for WSOP series in the future. Once the ID is checked, players are given the information needed to take their seat in the first or only event they will be participating in.
Another change includes headphone usage. In the past, players have not been able to use headphones once in the money section of an event. The WSOP has now announced that headphones can be used until the final table is reached. This is a big expansion, especially considering events where hundreds or thousands of players earn a payout.
The WSOP did warn players that choosing to wear headphones does not exempt the player from the rules such as paying attention during game play or verbal commands from the dealer, opponent or floor staff. Players are welcome to listen to music but are asked to still pay attention during the event.
It will be interesting to see how these changes affect the WSOP this year. I would not be surprised if additional changes are made to the online registering process in the future due to what organizers learn from this new process.