Tournament officials were undoubtedly eager to release the schedule for the 56th annual World Series of Poker, and players were just as eager to receive it, excited to make their plans for the summer festival.
Then Phil Hellmuth went and threw a wet blanket over the entire thing by announcing that he will skip the main event.
Hellmuth has his reasons, and even makes some valid arguments, but it’s not a good look for the bracelet GOAT to tell an already-aging poker population that not only are senior players dead money in the main event, but so is an old Hall of Famer.
“12-hour days, or longer, for six to seven days in a row is brutal and disproportionately affects older players,” Hellmuth pointed out.
“It’s still my favorite event in the world, don’t misunderstand me. I don’t want to miss it. But I know that I can’t do [it]. I’m 60 years old. I don’t think I could have done it at age 50.”
Although it’s not as dramatic as threatening to burn down a building, it is a surprise move for someone who has built their poker identity around the WSOP brand and even historically late and over-the-top main event entrances.
“We try to make decisions in the collective best interests of the entire field,” WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart said to Poker.org. “Recreational players are a huge part of the main event, and many have practical considerations like vacation days, time away from family and cost of travel.”
WSOP staff were reportedly made aware of Hellmuth’s decision back in December, informing them during the WSOP Paradise festival in the Bahamas about his intention to skip the tournament.
“We’ve been unwilling to compromise on the value and traditions of the event with 120-minute levels and an ultra-deep structure,” Stewart continued. “We feel playing five levels per day with the opportunity for multiple days off is a happy medium for a tournament that’s already 15 days.”
Hellmuth’s decision to sit out triggered a public relations crisis big enough to warrant a one-hour phone call from Daniel Negreanu, who is a former board member of the Players Advisory Council and is an ambassador for new owner and online poker site GGPoker.
The 50-year-old ‘Kid Poker’ commiserated with Hellmuth, but disagreed that changes should be made.
“The WSOP main event is special because of its long-standing consistency as a $10,000 buy-in, a freezeout, and with two-hour levels. All three of those things have been in place for over 50 years now.”
Tradition vs. Practical Changes
The first ever WSOP in 1970 was determined by a vote. Poker lore says that everyone voted for themselves, and then reluctantly agreed on Johnny Moss the second time around. That may have been the last time that the WSOP winner accurately determined the best player in the world, although arguments could be made for Doyle Brunson and Stu Ungar.
“I don’t think that the World Series of Poker main event is measuring skill [anymore],” Hellmuth reasons.
He is both right and wrong. We would all agree that the main event winner is never the absolute best player in the world, but there’s no denying that the cream always rises to the top.
It just has to. The structure is too deep for the vast majority of amateur players to survive. Hellmuth says that older players have trouble avoiding a big blow up, but that’s also the case with recreational players. When the blind levels are long, there’s more opportunities for mistakes.
A faster structure would only increase variance and make it easier for amateurs to win. But if you try telling a bucket-list main event player that it’s in their best interest to speed things up, or even register late, they’ll tell you to get bent. Dead money didn’t go all the way to Las Vegas to spew $10,000 in a few hands. They want more play – every second of those two-hour levels.
So, if the levels aren’t changing, how about the buy-in? Those with an inflation calculator are quick to point out that back in 1970, $10,000 was worth about $82,000 in today’s dollars. (No wonder there was only seven players!)
The reverse is also true. This year’s schedule includes a $300 buy-in event. That same $300 would be worth just $36 in 1970. Can you imagine them handing out a bracelet to someone who won a $36 tournament?
Raising the buy-in would definitely reduce the number of players and shorten the event, but it would be a different tournament, a main event in name only. Also, there are already plenty of high rollers on the 2025 schedule, including a buy-in of $250,000.
The biggest culprit for the main event’s now two-week duration is starting stacks. Back in the day, players got dollar for dollar on their buy-ins. For a $10,000 entry, you got 10,000 in starting chips. During the poker boom the stacks doubled, then tripled, then quadrupled.
Today, players start the main event with 60,000. That resulted in more than 600 million in play for last year’s record-setting field of 10,112. Is it any surprise the tournament lasted 15 days?
You could cut the starting stacks back to 50,000, which would theoretically reduce the tournament length by an average of about 17%. That would shave off two entire days, or allow for shorter playing sessions overall, but good luck going backward with the players. (In fact, there have been some calling for 100,000 stacks in the main event which would push the tournament to three weeks!)
The Fix
Since neither side seems willing to budge, I offer a solution inspired by the late ‘Miami’ John Cernuto, who personified the tournament ironman, but who like Doyle Brunson also found it difficult to play in the main event during his later years.
“I can’t go 10 days,” Cernuto admitted back in 2022. “But it’s not the 10 days that kills me. It’s the 40 days prior.”
In 2003, there were 36 events. That number has tripled to 100 live events, with more to be announced online.
There’s no sign that the WSOP is willing to reduce the amount of tournaments they are offering any time soon, so why not just move the main event to the beginning of the series?
It seems like a win for everyone involved. Those who are main event purists still get their two-week tournament, while those who are concerned about endurance get to rest up during the month of May to prepare for battle.
How much nicer would it be to celebrate the eventual main event winner sometime in the middle of the series when everyone is still in town and in a (relatively) good mood? It would also take the sting out of busting the main event, knowing that there were still four to five more weeks of bracelet opportunities left to go.
Another Record Is Unlikely
The WSOP main event has broken records for entries the last three years, but will Hellmuth’s declaration break the streak? It’s no secret that the poker population is aging, and there are undoubtedly some players who will take his comments to heart and decide the tournament isn’t for them anymore either.
However, the jury is still out on if Hellmuth will stick with his own plan. Some have even begun to place side bets on if the 17-time bracelet winner will relent and show up for a last-minute grand entrance.
Regardless of what the senior population decides to do, I believe we are headed for a slight decline in the main event. Reports indicate that some international travelers are more likely to avoid the U.S. during the Trump administration due to tariffs, boycotts, and increased scrutiny at the border for those from certain countries. Although the U.S. economy is expected to continue to grow, how inflation affects the poker community is yet to be determined.
I don’t think the 2025 champion will care much, though. $10 million is still a nice payday whether you beat a record-breaking field or just a really, really big one, especially if you still have your whole life ahead of you to spend it.
Julio Rodriguez is the Publisher and Editor-In-Chief for Card Player Media, having started with the company as a live tournament reporter at the 2006 WSOP. Originally from Miami, Florida, he now lives in Las Vegas with his wife and daughter.
*Photos by World Series of Poker, PokerGO, and Card Player
