WSOP - If You Had a Choice?

[runadrum]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? I play the lottery hoping to win the jackpot, not any 5 number plus bonus ball consolation. I'm happy that my first ever trip to Vegas will be to play in the main event and would not consider swapping it for 3-4 of the smaller events (bearing in mind I only play NLHE). :ok

[slapdash]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice?

I play the lottery hoping to win the jackpot, not any 5 number plus bonus ball consolation. I'm happy that my first ever trip to Vegas will be to play in the main event and would not consider swapping it for 3-4 of the smaller events (bearing in mind I only play NLHE). :ok

I never play the lottery. If I'm honest, I'd have to admit that I feel a little superior because I don't. :$ But it somehow disturbs me that I have lottery-playing tendencies when it comes to the WSOP main event. :lol

[fenner]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? done the main event and would do it again every time if I won a package wouldnt consider taking cash the wife would only blow it on the house/kids/wine whereas I get a week away living my dream

[slapdash]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice?

done the main event and would do it again every time if I won a package wouldnt consider taking cash the wife would only blow it on the house/kids/wine whereas I get a week away living my dream

I'd do it as well. But what bothers me is that I could afford to buy in if I really wanted to (well, not on a regular basis, but I could afford to do it once for the experience), but I'd never even consider doing that! And I just can't rationalize what the difference is. Even if I won $13k (or whatever it would cost to go and stay in Vegas and pay to play in the main event) in an online poker tournament, I wouldn't consider using it for the main event unless the prize I'd won was advertized as "main event package (oh, or you can take the cash if you really want to)". And that just seems completely irrational! I'm a mathematician, FFS! I'm scared of my irrational side! :cry

[dazdiamonds]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? i know the cash would be welcome for most people[me included] but i would want to play the main event everytime. i had a few nice cashes in online tournies recently and cashed some of it out, but after a month or so i realised i had just spent it on crap. so from now on all my poker winnings stay in poker.

[Fluence]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? With my sensible head on, I'd think about entering 2 or 3 smaller events, and making sure that if I busted out in all of them I would still have a small amount left over. (I always like to show a profit whenever possible) By entering 2/3 it would definitely increase my chances of cashing and possibly winning some serious money. I would then of course pay myself into the main event. As well as showing a profit I like to have my cake and eat it!

[stooo V2]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? i think the main lure for playing the ME is it is the big one. How many of us will play an FA Cup Final? Run out at Twickers (before giving the english a hammering ;) ), be the lead off batter in the World Series?!?! This is the big one for poker players. And an average joe can do it. You cant realistically get involved in most other sports big games. I'd play in a heart beat.

[philossify]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? I'm glad that the Everest package doesn't afaik let you take the cash otherwise I might have been tempted. Even though the mathematical odds are probablty against me and my live poker playing has been rare and cheapskate theres (still) a little kudos in getting to the ME (my brothers are so feckin' jealous) - and for me at the very least I'll get a cheap holiday to Vegas so its a no-lose gamble deal. Like Slapdash I'm not massively rich but not living hand to mouth either (mind you the way the world economies are going I might have to rob a bank one day in the future :rollin) . If I really wanted to I could afford to enter the event every couple of years or so from the profits on playing freerolls and value tournaments - but I prefer to use the money more wisely than that. Getting into big events via winning them through freerolls/cheap games suits me down to the ground . Poker is (to me) still a hobby that I make pin-money out of ... when I win the WSOP (:lol:hope:loon) or even get to a decent stage in it then I might change my mindset.... but I'm not sure I will - suspect I'd look upon it as a bit of jam and not an indication that I am amongst the worlds best poker players. Would I prefer to have option of 10*$1000 games with a better chance of coming out the end with 3 or 4K and still have had the experience of going to Vegas - possibly, but somewhat thankfully its not a decision I have to ponder. The nice thing about all the specials that us PLr's have won is that it says to the rest of you "stick with PL" (and keep subscribing to IP and PP) - one day in the future you'll get a decent freebie like this and be able to tick something off your list of 50 things to do before you die. I certainly didn't expect my visit to the WSOP to happen so soon :cow:cow:cow. :beer:beer:beer

[wurzel133]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? if you have won a package then unless you are living hand to mouth with the baliffs at the door go its a brilliant oportunity to do what most of us dream about (not playing the m e a holiday in vegas without the wife) . with some skill and a big slice of luck you could come back with a lot more than the cash option even bottom cash is double buyin so thats a tidy sum (hate this ive just agreed with wasp:loon am i a grumpy old man now to?)

[slapdash]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? I've just had a thought. Here's a question for those of us who: (a) Would play in the main event without hesitation if we won a package, even if we could take a full cash alternative, but (b) Wouldn't dream of buying in to the main event, even if we won the value of a package online, but not in a WSOP qualifier. How much would your decision be influenced by the fact that, in the first case, it's easier to justify to other people? (After all, she doesn't need to know you could have taken the cash alternative. :tongue2) I'm admitting nothing. :unsure

[glceud]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? I took a cash alternative for a previous big tourney package and would do so again for just about any tourney, however the main event has to done-its a sort of holy grail. Assuming I get there this year:hope if I fluked some wsop value added event next year and I was offered the cash instead I would take the cash. Put aside a few quid for Celtenham each year and if by chance I got 6 up one day and won $13,000 theres not a chance in hell of me spending it on the main event.($130,000 is another matter) To use your own cash as a casual player you are giving yourself a $13,000 "treat" no matter how well of you are thats a fair bit of cash. Having said all that I dont think there should be cash alternatives.

[Valiant23]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice?

(a) Would play in the main event without hesitation if we won a package, even if we could take a full cash alternative, but (b) Wouldn't dream of buying in to the main event, even if we won the value of a package online, but not in a WSOP qualifier. How much would your decision be influenced by the fact that, in the first case, it's easier to justify to other people? (After all, she doesn't need to know you could have taken the cash alternative. :tongue2)

Unfortunately I have a high sense of 'doing the right thing' in these types of cases and so I'm afraid the hardest person I would have to justify it to is myself (as with all things tbh). :(

Having said all that I dont think there should be cash alternatives.

I agree wholeheartedly. However I still think that there is some merit in multiplying the WSoP experience by playing in a range of events worth $10,0000, rather than just the ME.

[Marlin]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? In my current circumstances, if I could even dream of making the sort of sums that the mole seems to make playing cash games, I wouldn’t even consider going to Vegas.I would be ecstatic with that amount of income.

On the other hand, if I was actually making the sort of sums that the mole is making, then I would probably think that my undoubted talent could and should, be recognised by a much wider audience and the main event seems an ideal platform for that.

If I had won a package, then I would definitely have cashed it in and used the money to play at higher levels than I feel comfortable playing at the moment, purely to gain experience. Bear in mind, that I have never, definitively, won an MTT in my life.

I don’t believe there is a definitive right or wrong answer here. It will always depend on what feels right for the individual involved, when they come to their decision.

[GaF]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice?

On the other hand' date=' if I was actually making the sort of sums that the mole is making, then I would probably think that my undoubted talent could and should, be recognised by a much wider audience and [b']the main event seems an ideal platform for that.

Not sure I agree with that - the field is so large, that almost regardless of the talent you have, your chances of getting through the field are not high! I think you will get higher exposure for your buck through more "exclusive" events. EPT and WPT events for example. Even events like UK Open, which with a $5000 buy in, guarantee you 2 hours SKY TV coverage of a 6 seat STT event

[Marlin]

Re: WSOP - If You Had a Choice? I sort of agree and yet disagree. The main event, now, just seems like a lottery to me. If an established name wins it, they will inevitably be promoted as a superstar. If an unknown player wins it they will probably be seen as having been lucky or because their established name coach was so great. If I had the buy in I would prefer to spend it on the Monte Carlo Millions, but as that takes place in a Principality, in the very heart of Rip Off Europe, I dread to think what the accommodation costs would be. Regardless of that, just look at the adverts that appear nightly on TV, presumably at great expense, from the likes of Full Tilt and Pokerstars. Basically, these are all showing people who have done well at some WSOP event at some time. It seems to be an industry recognised standard. I’m not saying it is right that it should be recognised as that, simply that it is currently, the way it is. The main event just seems to be the epitome of it.