Trashing the WSOP Main Event Bracelet?
Can you throw this out?
The November Nine have been decided now, and one of the lucky players to return to the final table of the Main Event in the 2009 WSOP is Jeff Shulman, editor of CardPlayer magazine. This is his second final table at a Main Event final table, the first happening a number of years ago that left him humbled (more on that another time though).
What makes his return to this years’ final table however, is the statement he made should he win the event (currently he sits at 19.58million in chips, third behind Darvin Moon and Steven Begleiter). Jeff stated that should he win the event, he would ‘throw the bracelet in the garbage’.
Speculation is that this is due primarily to the bad blood between CardPlayer magazine and Harrahs, host of the WSOP, stemming from the selling of media rights to the events a couple of years ago. CardPlayer was once the number one resource in updating major events, however when Harrahs bought the rights to hold the WSOP, they decided to take bids from other resources, and CardPlayer elected not to bid. Some say this is the primary reason for the blood feud happening between the two organizations.
However, Jeff Shulman points out that this is indeed not the case. Harrahs may hate CardPlayer, but moreso over issues of fairness of play in the events, and the fact that Harrahs insists on practising favouritism for certain individuals and groups. For example, Phil Hellmuth was given a penalty this year in one of the events, and immediately went to the Jeffery Pollack to get it overturned, thereby not having to suffer a loss at the table. There is no doubt in my mind that if any average Joe player were to attempt this, they would not be as successful as Phil was, only because of his celebrity status. This is not the only example Shulman provided, as many of the players sponsored by SpadeClub.com (CardPlayer’s own poker learning site) were literally removed from their earned VIP seats at an event in and offered to other unknown celebrities. It seems that Harrahs has a real hate on for CardPlayer, doesn’t it? Shulman has called the bracelet itself “tacky” and he would never wear it, and therefore if he would win the Main Event Final Table in November, he would toss the jewerly into the trash can. Since then, he has recanted a bit and offered four alternatives:
- Auction off the bracelet and give the money to charity
- Hold a tournament for all players shut out of the main event and award the bracelet to the winner
- Give the bracelet away in a SpadeClub.com tournament
- Give the bracelet to Stephen Colbert ( a comedian of some caliber that I have never heard of)
Auctioning it off for charity is a good alternative, as is awarding it as a prize in a SpadeClub tournament, however awarding to those who couldn’t get their asses in gear to prequalify for the Main Event is just wrong in my opinion, but it would be HIS to do with as he sees fit, so I won’t begrudge him doing that either. I mean, should he win the Final Table, a task he even admits himself he has a slim chance of doing at all, he would have earned the bracelet and therefore could do whatever the hell he wanted to do with it, including tossing into the closest garbage can (can you imagine the dumpster diving fiasco should he do that…there WILL be blood). However, should he win it, I would ask him to reconsider his decision and accept the award.
First of all, its the STANLEY CUP of poker…as the World Cup is to soccer, the bracelet is to poker. Every poker player in the entire world wants it, dreams of winning it, and would kill to get it, but I’m hoping that 99.9% of them would rather EARN it than buy it in an auction. At least I would. He wouldn’t have to wear it, or even display it if he chose not to (Shulman admits he never keeps trophies either), but its the iconic symbol of the game, the brass ring that every player reaches for in their poker career, be they newbie donks or experienced pros. Its the epitomy of the reaching the highest level in this game we love, and it carries a lot of weight and more importantly, respect, in the poker industry. Not to mention its value is estimated at $30,000!!! Okay, so compared to the $8.5million for first place, that isn’t a lot, but $30grand is still $30grand!! To treat this as garbage is an insult not to Harrahs, as he might seem to think, but to the poker industry and all the players world wide that respect it so.
Jeff Shulman…should you win this contest in November, I truly hope you do what is best for the game as a whole, and not for some petty exhibition to examplify your personal conflicts.
