Key Areas That Can Be Improved To Provide Players A Better WSOP In 2018 (Part 2)

We took a look at some of the key areas that players and media want WSOP organizers to improve in Part 1. Today with Part 2, we will go deeper into some of the other changes that the WSOP will do well to make at this year’s edition.
Listen To The Players And Respect Their Choices
Ever since the WSOP has implemented the hard stop, quite a few events are forced to be halted in the middle of the game and players lose out on their momentum and are forced to come back the next day.
The best solution is to remove the hard stop and listen to player feedback instead of relying on the tournament director to make the decision as to when to invoke the hard stop. As long as players are willing to continue playing, they should be given every right to continue.
This is also the first time that WSOP is implementing a big blind ante and shot clock for all high roller events, including the $1 million One Drop event. Daniel Negreanu, among other prominent poker pros, have expressed their support for the new format since it makes the pace of the game quicker and allows for more hands to be played.
Moving forward, the WSOP should start rolling out the big blind ante to all of its events. Wynn Poker Room is doing it in all of their events this year, and the ARIA has been using the format for all of its $240 daily events since last year. The WSOP might want to think about setting new trends in this regard instead of playing catch-up.
Make The Process More Easy For Registrations And Payouts
One of the biggest complaints from players is that the registration lines can be really long as thousands of players flock to the Rio to register themselves at the start of the tournament. Even with online pre-registrations, players will still have to line up as they arrive at the venue to go through a verification process and claim their seat cards.
Palansky says they have tried to make things easier but it is difficult as they have to abide by the standards upheld by the Nevada Gaming Control Board and go through a verification process which is time consuming. Things should be a little better at the 2018 WSOP as after the initial registration, players can use the Bravo Poker registration app to keep their money in a digital wallet and then use it to register for any event through the platform and avoid lining up again at the kiosks.
The problem with long queues is just not at the registration desks. The lines for the payouts at the end are just as long, since the WSOP pays at least 15 percent of the field size. Palansky said that they are aware of the problem and are providing newly-designed workstations to make the operation more efficient this year.
Drop Food And Beverage Pricing
Food and beverage vendors at the WSOP make a whack as they charge pretty high prices as they know players don’t want to take a break from the action and will be forced to pay the high prices to get some refreshments. The WSOP and Caesars should do something about reducing overall food prices and putting in place a 24/7 coffee shop that sells coffee at a reasonable price. Palansky says the WSOP is working hard to address all the concerns.
In a statement, Palansky said, “Really there is no area we are satisfied with. There can be an improvement in all areas, and we spend the off-season addressing our weaknesses and looking to turn them into positives. Rest assured, the team we have is experienced, is up for the challenge and is constantly in a continuous improvement mindset with our entire operation.”