5 Poker Games That Deserve Their Own WSOP Event

1. Home
2. News
3. 5 Poker Games Wsop Event
4. 2948

There’s a lot of speculation on whether the 2021 WSOP will run this fall. Kevmath says it will. Daniel Negreanu says it will run this fall. Regardless, it appears a live WSOP is happening.

Looking forward to the series, we are looking at some games that we think deserve a slot in the rotation as a primary offering. Today, we give you five games that deserve their own WSOP event.

Five Card Draw

How many of us grew up learning how to play Five Card Draw? Draw poker is one of the oldest forms of poker in the world, but outside of lowball or Dealer’s Choice, this version of poker is not offered in WSOP events.

Five Card Draw is a classic poker game that would definitely have a following. If you want to guarantee a solid turnout, make the game at least pot-limit. Some online poker sites are now offering PL 5 Card Draw, and it’s time for the WSOP to give this game a try.

Badugi

A popular form of lowball poker, the object of Badugi is to make a hand with one of each suit. The game is an action game similar to 2-7 lowball and is one that garnered a lot of attention a few years back. Unfortunately, the WSOP never saw fit to give it a slot in the rotation. You can find it in mixed games like Dealer’s Choice, but not in a standalone game. If there are over 100 bracelet events a year now, why not make at least one Badugi event?

Big O

Omaha games are among the most popular outside of NL Hold’em. Big O is a popular variant that gives players 5 hole cards as opposed to four. It is a helluva an action game and one that Omaha aficionados will flock to. You can also offer a Hi-Lo version of the game. The WSOP prides itself in being both traditional and innovative and this would be a great way to continue that tradition.

Short Deck Hold’em

It’s no secret that Short Deck NL Hold’em is popular amongst professional poker players, but it has enough of a following amongst recreational players to make it viable as a bracelet event. This is one game where you could offer multiple pricing points and the game would do fine.

Offer a $1,500 event for recreationals and offer a $10k Championship for the pros. If you really want to mix things up, make a $25k or $50k Short Deck High Roller. Phil Ivey is among the pros proficient at this variant and we could see him win his 11th career bracelet in this type of event.

Chinese Poker

Chinese Poker used to be offered at the WSOP but it hasn’t been there in decades. If you don’t want to offer standard Chinese Poker, you could offer Open Face Chinese. OFC is a popular variant of the game that has been spread in tournament form live and online. There are quite a few pros that would come out to play the game, including Shaun Deeb. This would be a great showcase for pro players and a unique event to stream on WSOP.com or PokerGO.

Mixed Games Are Not Enough for These Variants

We know what some of you will say. The WSOP offers most of the above games in a mixed game format. While true, there are many players that don’t want to sit in a Dealer’s Choice game just to get a chance to play Badugi or Draw poker. There are experts at these individual events that would love a shot at a bracelet. The sheer volume of bracelet events out there should allow for at least one event for these games. Who knows? Maybe the games will prove popular enough to permanently place on the schedule.