WSOP - If You Had a Choice?

[WASP]

Totally pisses me off people who take the cash option, you know what you are playing for before you play it. Why suddenly change your minds and do a runner when you have been luckily enough to win a package (and denying others).

I am so glad more and more sites are firming up their T&C's on these packages to stop the whores.

[teaulc]

Originally Posted by GotaFancy?

It also makes them extremely rich and famous!! (Though Jerry Yang seems to be a bit of an exception - however we all know who he is!!)

WHO????????

[ColU_FC]

Originally Posted by WASP

Totally pisses me off people who take the cash option, you know what you are playing for before you play it. Why suddenly change your minds and do a runner when you have been luckily enough to win a package (and denying others).

I am so glad more and more sites are firming up their T&C's on these packages to stop the whores.

I'm a very very bad boy.

[GotaFancy?]

I presume you're kidding - but just in case not - http://www.jerryyangpoker.com/

[teaulc]

Originally Posted by GotaFancy?

I presume you're kidding - but just in case not - http://www.jerryyangpoker.com/

i had him round for dinner the other night and he was saying how much of a luckbox he was,but that he learnt everything from some guy called Telepe

[GotaFancy?]

Originally Posted by teaulc

but that he learnt everything from some guy called Telepe

If he did, he forgot most of it on the final table

[ubermonkey1]

Originally Posted by slapdash

I'm not trying to persuade anybody that they shouldn't play in the ME, but I can't help feeling that many of us (and I include myself) are being rather irrational about this.

Several people have justifed the fact that they'd play by saying that $10k would not be a life-changing amount of money to win. True, but I'm sure that for at least a few of us it wouldn't be a life-changing amount of money to lose, either. So why aren't we buying in to the ME?

the way i look at it is ,my wages pay my bills etc and my poker gives me a bit extra money here and there if i need it.
so anything i win is a bonus and any packages etc i win i will play ,and play without fear
however if i was to take 6k out of my wages all of a sudden the bills might not get payed etc if i lose ,thats gonna effect my game and that is not the way i want to lose if i do
so its more about the effect it would have on my mental state and game,and how it would effect my normal life.
dont get me wrong, i dont think i have an amazing chance of winning or cashing well in the $1500. but i know with some decent luck cards wise i might have a chance .if i lose life goes on,if i win who knows

[slapdash]

Originally Posted by WASP

Totally pisses me off people who take the cash option, you know what you are playing for before you play it.

Yes, you know you're paying for the choice between a cash option and a WSOP package.

If a poker site has a tournament where the prize is cash or a WSOP seat I have no problem with people playing it for the cash.

I am so glad more and more sites are firming up their T&C's on these packages to stop the whores.

If a site insists that you take the WSOP seat or else get nothing I'd have no problem at all with that, either; in fact, I'm surprised that more of them don't do that.

Whore = somebody who plays poker to win money?

[msaban]

If I was fortunate enough to win, If I had the option I think I would swap the main event package for several smaller buyins and the cash to comftably go away without spending any of my own cash. Basically for the same reasons others have already given, multiple experiences, multiple chances etc

However the chances of me winning a package are not very realistic, so rather than waste time thinking about it I'm saving my thoughts trying to work out what I'm going to spend the money on when I win the national lottery.

[glceud]

Originally Posted by slapdash

Whore = somebody who plays poker to win money?

Poker Whore = somebody who takes value seeking to extremes and will drop their pants for any site offering the oppurtunity of a quick buck but more importantly show loyalty to none of them. This includes me and many more on here, but hey it beats working

[runadrum]

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).

[slapdash]

Originally Posted by runadrum

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).

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.

[fenner]

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]

Originally Posted by fenner

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!

[uhudazflo]

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]

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]

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]

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 ) . 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 () 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 .

[wurzel133]

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 am i a grumpy old man now to?)

[slapdash]

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. )


I'm admitting nothing.