“Players First” – Inside VP Alex Wong’s Vision For Players Series

At the heart of every poker festival is an idea that shapes the way events are designed, structured, and experienced. In an exclusive interview with Alex Wong, Vice President of Players Series, he shared the vision of the brand and how it is carving its own space in Asia’s crowded poker calendar.

Players Series: A Poker Tour Built for Players

What inspired the creation of the Players Series?

It goes back to when I left USOP. At the time, Asia was heading towards a higher buy-in for the Main Event – WPT was US$ 1100 onwards and then there was APT with around US$ 1500. A large percentage of people in my circle didn’t really go to these events because the buy-in was just too high. When they did go, they skipped the Main Event.

This gave me the idea of having a US$ 500 Main Event which is what we did for the first event here in Taiwan. We had a lot of support from the locals but then feedback came from the foreigners that it did not make sense for them to travel abroad and pay the high hotel expenses only to play a US$ 500 Main Event. So I made a change.

Two Main Events At Players Series

That realization shaped the DNA of Players Series. In order to include everyone, there would be two Main Events in one series.

Players can now choose to play the opening Main Event which is around US$ 500 and then they could stay for the second half which is the Championship Main Event which is US$ 1000. That’s as far as we are willing to go. We don’t need to go higher as there are other tours already doing that. We don’t want to price out players – that’s number one priority. 

Also, at the start, it was single re-entry for the Main Event. Now only the US$ 1,000 Championship has a cap of one re-entry per flight. The cheaper Main Event is unlimited. It’s an experiment, we are still finding the balance.

With the repricing a clear division in affordability, wouldn’t that reduce the player attendance for each Main Event?

Players do like the options. Most players cannot stay the entire series, they usually come for just one half or one weekend with a day or two carry over. They choose to come for the Main Event. Only the high rollers tend to stay for the entire series.

Apart from this, what else sets the Players Series apart from other brands?

We promote poker as a mind sport so we tend not to introduce certain formats that may be viewed as gambling. For instance, Flipouts, All-In or Fold. That’s not poker. If everyone wants poker to be legalized and considered a sport, then we cannot be showing the government that this is poker. So I try to eliminate these events from my schedule.

Rethinking High Rollers

One of the Wong’s proudest creations is the High Roller lineup which is designed not as an exclusive playground for elites but as a training ground for ambitious players.

We wanted to make our high roller events affordable to regular players. At Players Series, the high roller events start as low as US$ 1000 and only go as high as US$ 3,600. And they go up gradually throughout the series from US$ 1000 to $1200 to $1500 and up. Standard high rollers at other tours are much higher.

When you look at our schedule, it is favorable to the high rollers. There has been a lot of good feedback on these events. Players don’t feel like they are breaking their bankroll playing the entire period, and those players tend to stay the whole series.

But of course there are always players that ask for more. So we will have some events that cater to those but our primary focus is still making Players Series affordable and inclusive for everybody.

Attractive High Roller Packages

High roller tournaments can be a tough sell at many tours, often struggling to get off the ground with only a handful of entries. But at this series, organizers have found a solution – designing packages so compelling that players feel they simply can’t pass them up.

At some tours, they struggle getting their high roller events to start. You may have only 4 to 5 people and it’s not a very good experience. To counter that, we have made our High Roller packages so attractive that players instantly see the value in it and feel they cannot miss out.

Not only are the buy-ins awesome but we are giving back a lot to them such as free nights for early birds. And then if the high roller bought an early bird package and got on the table on the first level and is one of the first 16 players eligible for the 50% cash back promo, they end up not paying any rake at all. It’s actually the organizers losing money if they do both.

Prioritizing Structure Not Prize Pools

While most tours chase sheer volume, Players Series builds its reputation by offering deep structures, fair formats, and player-first value.

We also take pride in our structures and high roller events usually have the best structure, deep stack, longer levels, the reason for that is there is more room for errors. Poker is all about making these mistakes.

When you play a normal tournament where the structure is shallow, your mistakes can be costly that you don’t have a chance to come back whereas in the high rollers, you can afford to make mistakes, make some plays, some bluffs along the way. If you make a mistake, that won’t be the end of the tournament. So lots of room to play around. If you want to be good, you will have a much better chance of making it in the high roller than in a big field.

One thing I always try to stress to the team is that it is not about prioritizing the prize pool. Majority of the series’ they design their structure around making their prize pool as big as possible. Yes, you can achieve that by reducing the starting stack, reducing the level duration, so players lose their stack faster then they rebuy and rebuy and rebuy. That’s easy to reach the prize pool but then the quality is significantly reduced.

Developing the Next Generation

For Wong, developing new players and regular players is key. The deep structures offered by Players Series allows amateurs to sharpen their skills before stepping into bigger international arenas.

I have a friend who attended the first Players Series for his first ever tournament. After that experience, he played the second one and reached the final table of the high roller events. From then he went to Triton and WSOP events and ran deep. For him, he will always attribute that he gained the most valuable experience from Players Series before he went to the bigger buy in events. 

According to Wong, most players would never dream of playing a high roller event. The tables are packed with pros which is akin to just breaking one’s bankroll. However at Players Series, they offer a starting point with lower buy-ins. Players need not have to lose their bankroll just to have a chance at events with the best structures.  

For example, Candy Lin, she  won our Superstar Challenge, buy-in was only US$ 3000 and such a good structure with 250,000 stack. She had more room to practice, to make plays. It gave her more freedom as compared to a normal event with a smaller stack where you can’t afford to make too many mistakes or try things out. It is impossible not to make a mistake in a tournament so you must be given some leeway because it should not be too punishing and cost you your tournament life.

Mission Of Inclusivity

At its core, Players Series is about access, inclusivity.

In terms of payouts, we pay around 15%. Not many tours do this and the reason is so more players can ITM and get their money back. It is easier to not break your  bankroll when you attend Players Series. We also try to keep it as true to a competitive poker tournament as possible.

A lot of players that are just starting their poker journey, they want something sustainable. Most of the problems that players face is bankroll management. So when they attend the Players Series, they find it affordable and tend not to buy in alot and break their bankroll. They can play and enjoy proper poker without having to go to Europe to play a good structured tournament. At the high rollers as well, good feedback on the structures. They are mostly two-day events.

We’ve even boosted our ladies events from freeroll to championship. Women can choose and we’ve also created special trophies, pink ones. 

Hosting Events Outside Of Taiwan

Rather than over-saturating the calendar, the team has deliberately chosen quality over quantity – limiting stops to ensure each one feels unique and eagerly anticipated.

This is our third event in Taiwan. So we tweaked everything to fit based on the Taipei market. But our schedule will always be based on the locals there, their buy-in power, what they can afford. The events will not be the same at every place we visit. We are not fixed on anything, we are flexible. That’s why it is named Players Series coz we prioritize the players. So any feedback is welcome. And if it is reasonable, we will try to adapt it. 

Because we are only able to come to Taiwan at the moment, I have set the limit to host an event only twice a year, three times is one too many. We want to keep the Players Series special to players. Having the same event more than twice a year, it loses its appeal. But just twice, players look forward to it, plug it in their calendars and come. Ideally I dont want to do the same event in the same place for more than twice a year. So after this event, we stop and wait until next year to do our next one.

Also, Players Series relies on our partnership with the local clubs. There is a strong local support in Taiwan unlike places like Cambodia, Malaysia, Korea. These places don’t allow locals to play so we would have to rely on international players. The Philippines is possible.

Message To Newcomers

For Wong, the proof of the brand’s success lies not just in the carefully built structures but in the players’ overwhelming response. With options tailored for every type of competitor, Wong highlights why the series has quickly gained a strong following.

There are alot of options at Players Series for everyone. Take a look at the schedule and look at the structures. But most of all, look at the turnout. I think the turnout is a good measure if it’s worthwhile for you to play.

Our Main Event has proven itself, minimum 500 entries, reaching over 800+ after, and likely over 1000 for this series. But if you don’t want to play the Main Event and prefer smaller fields, the High Rollers events are the best entry point to these smaller fields and good structures. You can’t find a better starting point. 

Player Series Championship II happening in Taiwan right now!