In brief: WSOP’s low buy-in events raise questions; Jungleman challenges Gus Hansen; Mike Takayama covers up

06/08/2019

With all eyes fixed on Las Vegas currently, there has been an abundance of WSOP stories surfacing this week. If there is one thing you can always guarantee with poker’s premier festival, it is that there will be plenty of talking points. WSOP 2019 is only just into its second week and we already have some points of interest to relate.

Big 50 too big?

With the all-time record for field size broken by the Big 50 event, WSOP organisers were probably feeling quite pleased with their accomplishment. That high-five moment soon faded however, as players began voicing complaints about the event. The $500 buy-in tournament attracted 28,371 competitors and saw many players queueing for long periods of time just to be seated. It was not only the Big 50 that caused problems, with Daniel Negreanu tweeting about a payout backlog and hour-long delays in the $600 Deepstack.

$600 Deepstack is halted due to a payout backlog.

They should send us on break and sort it. We have been sitting at the tables for over an hour waiting.

They don’t have the staff to handle this and Big 50 payouts.

Send us on break yo! @WSOP

— Daniel Negreanu (@RealKidPoker) June 4, 2019

Sergio Aido also weighed in on Twitter with a list of concerns about WSOP’s organisation abilities, and there is a growing feeling that the WSOP are sacrificing a large part of what is positive about playing the WSOP in exchange for getting as many players through the door as they can.

For fuck’s sake @WSOP

If I compare the organization between and EPT and this, I just want to cry.

Same chipset in 600$ and Main Event. Stupid refund method in the 10k$ HU, absurd queues even in the VIP registration… come on.

— Sergio Aido (@petgaming) June 6, 2019

This apparent mentality is epitomised by the rise of lower buy in events such as the $500 and $600 tournaments mentioned above. Doug Polk voiced his thoughts on Twitter, questioning just how low WSOP buy-ins could feasibly go.

Not a fan of all of the$600 type events. Part of the WSOP is that events are mid-high stakes, so not every single person can enter.

If you disagree, then why not have a $450 event? $120? Maybe we should end the summer with a 182,382 person $50 tournament for #WSOP50

— Doug Polk (@DougPolkPoker) June 3, 2019

The prestige of winning a WSOP bracelet is being eroded by these events in the eyes of many, and the same can be said about the gradual increase in the number of events organised each year.

Jungleman lands in Vegas and issues challenge to Hansen

Tournament action may be booming across Vegas this time of year, but the same is true of cash games too. For the big guns, Bobby’s Room is the place to be, and some the game’s biggest names have already paid a visit. Gus Hansen has reportedly been involved in $2k/$4k games and was followed to the felt by Daniel “Jungleman12” Cates, after Hansen challenged the infamous online star to come and play him. Jungleman responded with an eerily dark Instagram video in which he sent a funny, yet ominous message to Hansen, claiming to have “new moves and new memes” which the Dane would not be able to handle.

View this post on Instagram

The greatest intercontinental poker battle the world has ever seen rages on! @therealgushansen challenged me to battle him in vegas… now I’m here to take his money!

A post shared by Daniel Cates (@junglemandanpoker) on Jun 1, 2019 at 1:07pm PDT

Hansen had already admitted on Instagram to losing a six-figure sum while playing, and that was before Cates arrived. His summer could now be about to go downhill fast.

Mike Takayama fuels debate about acceptable attire

There has been a question about clothing in poker for many years. How much facial covering is too much? Filipino player Mike Takayama looks determined to find out, having sat down in event 16 wearing a face mask, dark glasses and a hat, covering the entirety of his face.

Some players took to Twitter to voice their displeasure, perhaps not being aware that face masks are common in Asia, and not just at the poker table. Shaun Deeb apparently called the floor to ask if it was acceptable for Takayama to cover his entire face, and apparently it was deemed to be within the rules.