Friday may have been the wildest day in WSOP history as hundreds of players who late registered for the $500 Big 50 event stood in line for hours waiting for a seat, and due to a lack of players busting fast enough, WSOP staff was forced to move poker tables into random rooms inside the Rio to accommodate such a massive turnout. And it’s only May 31. We’re just getting started for the summer, folks. Buckle up.
Things got so crazy that an old bowling alley and storage locker were turned into makeshift poker rooms. If there was a spot to place card tables, staff made it happen. With more than 5,000 entrants per session in the Big 50, and both Day 1B and 2A running at the same time, the WSOP had to improvise.
Outside the convention center, the parking lot was jam-packed like never before. Hundreds of cars in the afternoon desperately circled around the Rio’s massive parking lot hoping to find any spot. Many decided to just drive to the Strip and walk a mile back to the Rio.
Make Do With What You Have
As you can tell from the following CardsChat video, there wasn’t much room to maneuver on Friday inside the spacious convention center.
Day 1B began at 10 am and players continued registering throughout the day. The tables were so full that many entrants were told to come back at 5 pm to stand in line and seating for those players would begin shortly after.
There was only one problem; a lack of available seats. Players weren’t busting fast enough to ensure new entrants could jump right into the action. Instead, a massive line, at least 1,000 deep, formed in the convention center hallways. Some players stood in that line for 3-4 hours awaiting a seat. Many were, understandably, angry.
Chaos wasn’t limited to those registering late for Day 1B. The Day 2A session, which had the 1,580 remaining players from Thursday’s 1A group, was set to kick off at 5 pm. But, again, the WSOP staff couldn’t find tables to place these players and many of them couldn’t find a parking spot as the lot was full.
So, the 2A session was delayed nearly two hours. At the end of the day, Mikhail Vilkov bagged the biggest stack with 3,475,000.
The Rio will be just as packed on Saturday as Day 1C began at 10 am and the 1B returnees will come back for Day 2B at 7 pm. On Sunday, Day 1D kicks off. Everyone who advances to Day Three will return on June 5 with a chance to win the $1 million first place prize.
What Caused the Problem?
The root of the chaos was, perhaps due to the slow pace blind structures. In most low buy-in tournament and even also some high rollers, blind levels range from 20-30 minutes in length.
But in the $500 Big 50, each level lasted 50 minutes and players started with 50,000 chips, enough for 500 big blinds. That differs drastically from the Colossus, which survived over 20,000 entrants in 2015 and 2016. In the Colossus, which was a $565 buy-in tournament from 2015-2018, the pace was fast. Players started with just 5,000 chips and played 30-minute levels.
So, players dropped like flies, allowing new entrants to quickly get into the action. But things were different on Friday in the Big 50, and it likely was the result of a slower paced tournament.
