There is a new element to professional poker play that was never more evident than last week. We all know about table selection but now professional QQWIN99 players have to consider “Continent Selection.” Last week there were major tournaments in London (World Series of Poker Europe) another tournament in Turks and Caicos (World Poker Tour) and players at the WPT event hopped privated jets to Aruba for the Ultimate Bet tournament and then there was the most recent leg of the Asian Poker Tour in Seoul, Korea.Players have lots of factors to weigh in making a tournament selection:
-travel arrangements and time consideration;
-overlap with next event;
-proximity to next event;
-television coverage and broadcast area;
-sponsors perks (did they comp the suite?);
-tour name recognition (WPT, WSOP, EPT…);
-sponsors required play (the PokerStars team showed in Seoul because it was a PokerStars sponsored event; the FullTilt team had a big presence in London because that is what the Professor wanted).
A lot of the players are also taking into account the competition, players can only make it to one event and if all of the European players are going to play in the WSOPE then the fields like Pot Limit Omaha will be tough.
Another factor to be considered is the increase in championships to be won. In years past there was one big event to win a week if that, now while you are hoisting the WSOPE trophy another player is having his picture taken with a WPT pile of money. More tournaments, more winners, more poker resumes being built.
Who says poker is not a business? Now let me see, the $110 at Binions at 7 PM or the 8 o’clock for $120 at the Venetian?
Life’s A Bluff returns today to 3 strips a week. …