Non-Hold ‘em tournaments growing in popularity at World Series of Poker

By Case Keefer (contact)

Thursday, June 24, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

Since poker exploded in the last 10 years, Hold 'em has undoubtedly become the game's most popular variant across the world.

Hold 'em dominates up to 90 percent of the action in local card rooms. It's the only form of poker ESPN will broadcast for its 2010 World Series of Poker coverage.

But it may no longer be poker's fastest growing game. While registration for the 2010 World Series of Poker Hold 'em events has stayed consistent with last year's numbers, entries have increased from a year ago in each of the last nine non-Hold 'em events at the Rio.

"If I have to give a hunch why, it's because there are so many professional no-limit Hold 'em players that players are having to extend their repertoire if they want to make a living doing this," World Series of Poker spokesman Seth Palansky said.

This week has been full of popular non-Hold 'em tournaments at the World Series. The $1,500 pot-limit Omaha split eight-or-better tournament, for example, attracted 847 players as opposed to the 762 who entered last year. Both the $3,000 HORSE tournament, which Phil Ivey ultimately won, and the $2,500 razz event also saw slight increases this week.

This trend doesn't surprise many poker veterans.

"We've always said if you want to play with the big boys, you need to learn all of the games," Eli Elezra, a notable Las Vegas poker player, said at the beginning of the summer.

A better chance to win a coveted World Series of Poker bracelet also could be considered a factor in the growing field sizes.

Every $1,000 no-limit Hold 'em tournament, for example, has attracted at least 3,000 players. Those massive fields are understandably tougher to navigate than say, the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship that had 170 players.

"Numbers-wise, those are the events I have the best chance to win even though I don't really know the games," said Tom Dwan, a high-stakes cash-game pro who booked sizable bets on winning a World Series bracelet this year that have forced him to play as many events as possible.

But there is another side to that reasoning — smaller fields mean lesser weak spots in competition.

"You've got to be better because you're going to face a tough field," Palansky said. "When Phil Ivey got down to the final five at the HORSE table, they were all bracelet winners. These are not easy fields."

Because of the increase in popularity in other games, the World Series of Poker appears to be on its way to another record-setting year.

Through 41 events, there have been more than 44,000 entries. That's nearly 8,000 more players than at this time last year.

"We're very enthused and very impressed," Palansky said. "We've been setting records and the economy as a whole doesn't seem to have made much of an effect."