Walk into the Rio and it’s the usual madhouse, as players, spectators and generally lost tourists mill around the World Series of Poker tournament area taking in the grandeur of it all.
New WSOP Commissioner Jeffery Pollack has touted improvements for the event, and most are good, but there are still areas to work on.
If you’ve read Pollack’s interviews in the various poker magazines, he keeps touting the lowered price of pizza. I’ll give him that, pizza is reasonably affordable at $3.50 for a double slice, but what about the $6 burgers and the $2 12-ounce cans of soda? Pollack touts the affordable food offerings, but really the only reasonably priced food is the pizza he so devotingly references.
At least the WSOP added this poker kitchen outside behind the tournament area, which helps with the logjams that occurred when food was offered in the hallways last year. Pollack has also instituted staggered tournament breaks, which prevents human traffic jams in the halls.
Portable bathrooms are behind the poker kitchen, helping to alleviate the wait in the lone men’s bathroom near the tournament area, but there still aren’t enough bathrooms to meet demand during many of the breaks.
Satellites are more manageable this year, with lines for different buy ins ($125 and $175, $225, $275, etc.). Last year, it was pretty much every man for himself in finding a satellite seat.
There is also now a player’s lounge beside the poker kitchen, a nice addition for participants to relax between games.
Overall, it’s encouraging to see Pollack and his staff work to make improvements to the players’ experience at the WSOP and I’m sure they will consider more additions for 2007.
