The worst was when I’d pay the credit card fee to register on bravo and then not be able to print out tickets at a kiosk - at least then I could go to the fast pass line and not have to get in the big registration lines, but still a pain in the ass. I’m also not sure the extra cage in the horseshoe ballroom is much help when it gets crazy busy.

Turns out a bunch of dealers and staff quit. WSOP misled them about overtime and 7-day weeks.

In general, I think the WSOP does a great job handling such a massive logistical challenge, but it’s becoming clear this year that they bit off more than they can chew (at least without total chaos). Just too many events and not enough staff to handle the crowds. We had a single floor person responsible for about 100 tables in our section today. The guy was busy trying to keep track of the sold seats, never mind managing disputes and picking up seat cards. Just totally unfair to the staff and the players.

Live poker is a challenge from a profitability standpoint, but the WSOP is a money printing machine. They kill it every year. They need to start investing in people and technology to streamline things. BravoPoker is a joke. There are far better systems out there. And the WSOP needs to hire more people instead of mistreating the ones they have.

WSOP events can be even bigger and better, but not if they continue to cheap out on the things which matter.

+1,000,000

Great info here, maybe this can clear up the confusion across the forum. I heard the same sentiment during a recent trip. May be some level of preferential treatment happening in the way hours are being given. The seasonal dealers may be getting less than expected and causing them to head home. The housing options off property for a seasonal dealer are not worth it without a solid 5-6 day week.

I doubt the local table game dealers hired from within caesars are the ones quitting but would be interesting to know if they "quit" and head back to blackjack tables.

I def think more cashiers/floor = more dealers working, or in the era of technology, better software+more floor = more dealers working.

I just think it’s time for the WSOP to invest in something which will improve the logistics. It could be people. It could be technology. It could be both. But something is needed. I used the TBIC account for the first time this year, and for me it has been great. But there’s still a line at that counter to fund your account. And the bravo app is terrible and doesn’t always work. And the fast-trac kiosks don’t always work. And, of course, even if one is able to register easier, there is still a lot of inefficiency in how bust-outs and re-entries are managed.

I have it on good authority that the house take at Horseshoe and Paris has been huge in June. This should come as no surprise to anyone. Poker players tend to also be gamblers. And they also like to splash money around. But people can’t be at a slot machine or table game, or eating at an over-priced restaurant, if they’re standing in line at the WSOP. There is a lot of money being missed out on by the WSOP and it’s hosts.

It is 100% time for them to do this. I hope they bite the bullet and develop their own tech for registration purposes. They could ditch Bravo and any other third party provider, build a system that works smoothly and efficiently, and charge a small fee to use it.

With technology being the way it is, there’s probably ample off-the-shelf type programs to build a solid foundation for this on. Hire some top-notch developers to customize it for WSOP purposes and tie it in to the rewards card system, and they’ll be off and running. Might set them back several thousand initially but they’ll more than make up for it in the additional fees the first year. Not to mention having happy customers who will have a more enjoyable experience and be more likely to return year after year.

Imagine busting and being able to rebuy with the click of a button on your phone. You can get a digital seat card sent to you and go right back to the tournament. Or you could be in your room or at home looking at the schedule and see an event you want to register for. Click the button and you’re in. Simple as that.

There may be some sort of NGC rules I’m not aware of against this but I’m sure they could put their collective brains together to find a work around that would allow for it to be nearly this simple.

Something like that basically exists with PokerAtlas. I don’t know what sort of cost it would be to implement that at WSOP scales. I do know that building their own would be more than thousands. We’re talking high 6 or even 7 figures. But they can afford it. And it would make such a huge difference. They might even be able to go on the road with it at the various Curcuit stops, like they do with dealers. … at least the big ones.

I do software for a living. Software and hardware to get current would cost millions. They are literally in the DOS era from the 80's right now. I've seen their screens. I can't see a cheap outfit like Eldorado spending the money.

I had a dealer today that said he's getting less hours than last year. Only about 60 hours per week vs 80 last year. He did say they started this year with way too many dealers. How can that happen? This is not their first year.

They did it on purpose to limit the number of OT hours.

I was trying to register about 15 minutes late for a mega satellite. Lucky for me the cashier told me it was a 2 hour wait to get a seat. That's just what they were admitting to - it could be worse. 20 minute levels, that's 5 levels you would miss.

Oh wow, I knew their systems were bad but not THAT bad.

Even if the costs are in the seven figures, they would recoup that cost in a year and have a system that would be quite lucrative for years to come just by cutting out the middle man and making the experience more pleasant to encourage repeat customers.

I know it’s cliche but you want to make an omelette, you have to break some eggs.

The problem is I think they have their heads so buried in the sand, they either don’t see it as an issue or don’t understand the potential for future growth and profit a modern refined system would provide.

No they don't care and there are still record fields. Whether we wait for late reg seats or not, they still get the same rake. Its not like they get more money.

If they could process entries better they would get more money, especially in these low buy-in, high rake events. People would throw many more bullets at them if the re-reg process were more streamlined.

I don't know much about OT laws. Can the company force you to work them, or are they optional?

If they forced people to work OT in earlier years this would make plenty sense. Having to deal with the HR side of OT gone wrong would be much worse than over-hiring.

I don't think they forward-think like that. CET was too cheap, and Eldorado is worse. If they let WSOP operate independently like a wholly owned subsidiary, it would make leaps forward. In both profitability and player enjoyment.

I doubt it would be an issue. Most dealers want the OT. They get paid time and a half. The dealer I talked to about it worked 80 hours a week last year, only 60 this year. This is the time of the year to make bank.

I just realized I never made a dime working OT. My adult jobs were always salary, and as a kid I was part-time.

I don’t know. IMO the WSOP had always operated more efficiently and intligently than either Caesar’s or El Dorado at large. But maybe the owners have more influence than I believe.

Probably like when you go to a restaurant and they ALWAYS say it'll be a "20 minute wait" so you know it's gonna be 35-40 minutes.

What time does the WSOP main event stream start at?

Not until 7:00 Vegas time.

Why aren't they streaming the main event if it's already underway?

On pokergo?

Because it’s PokerGo! They make no sense with their scheduling of anything.

Is the stream shown anywhere else?

PokerGo often live streams on their YouTube channel.