The 2011 World Series of Poker took a chance this year and added Badugi to the 10-Game Mix Event.  They also reinstated the $2,500 Omaha 8/Stud 8 Event.  While the WSOP is always the one place in of poker where you can consistently find more games than just No-Limit Hold’em, there is always room for improvement.  The following are some games that I would like to see the WSOP offer in the near future.

Pot-Limit Five Card Draw

A game that has seen a virtual resurrection on Full Tilt and PokerStars is PL Five Card Draw.  It has been decades since a regular draw game has been offered at the WSOP.  Part of the reason is the death of the game in live casinos.  However, as has been proven in the past, the WSOP does like to follow online trends, and this would be a great one to follow.

While straight limit draw is somewhat mechanical in play,  PL Draw does allow for some of the metagame elements of NL and PL Hold’em.  The game allows for plenty of bluffing and gambling chances and would be a great addition to the schedule.  I personally promised Jack Effel that if this event was offered at a reasonable buy-in, I would attend the event.

Triple Stud

Another game that has become popular online is triple stud.  This is a mix of Seven Card Stud, Stud 8 or Better, and Razz.  This is the true test of proficiency in stud and would definitely draw a solid crowd.  While it is true that Stud numbers overall are down this year, I believe this mixed format of the game would draw interest.  The event has been held at Aussie Millions in the past with reasonable success and I think it could be successful at the WSOP provided it is offered at the $1,500 or $2,500 level.

Badugi

I think that the turnout in the 10 Game Mix this year should give a bit of an indication that people want to play this game at the WSOP.  Whether it is next year or a year or two down the line, expect this game to be offered in the mix.  For those unfamiliar with the game, Badugi is a draw variant played with four cards.  The object is to get one of each suit in your hand without making a pair.   If multiple people make a “badugi,” then the player with the lowest hand wins.

The WSOP has gained some criticism from players in the past due to the number of Hold’em offerings.  Some have called it the World Series of Hold’em.  One must remember that Hold’em is where the money is at in the poker world, and any event wanting to be profitable has to offer it as its primary game.  However, the WSOP has done a great job of providing a true mix of games.  Hopefully they will continue this tradition and add the games listed above to provide an even broader array of game offerings.

Tags: Aussie Millions, Badugi, Card Stud, Casinos, Crowd, Decades, Draw Game, Effel, Elements, Full tilt, Pl, PokerStars, Pot Limit, Proficiency, Series Of Poker, True Test, Virtual Resurrection, world series, World Series of Poker, WSOP

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 23rd, 2011 at 7:51 am and is filed under Poker News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

One Response to “Suggestions for Future WSOP Events”

1. Steve Lee says:

   July 21, 2011 at 7:16 pm

   Just wanted to tell you people what a bore it is to watch someone think for 10 min. plus. Will not watch anymore WSOP televised shows. Totally boreing. Way to go.

   S. Lee