If you’ve been following the poker space for the past few weeks, you are probably aware of the controversy that was created by the WSOP’s decision to open its inaugural WSOP 2025 Industry Employees Event to a wide pool of people connected to the industry, including various poker vloggers and streamers.
The new event comes as a replacement for the Casino Employees Event, a tournament that has been on the World Series of Poker schedule since 2000. Now under the new name, the tournament is seemingly open for registration for anyone who has any ties with the poker industry, not only the individuals employed by casinos (as it used to be in the years prior).
The announcement created quite a stir in the community, in part due to a lack of clear and concise rules as to what will be used to identify someone as an “industry person.” For example, anyone can open a YouTube channel about poker and post a video or two. Would they then qualify to play under new rules?
Attempts to get more clarity on the issue haven’t really led anywhere. Kevin Mathers reached out to the powers that be, asking a very specific question — “how does one prove they’re a gaming/poker blogger, vlogger, or streamer when registering?”
Unfortunately, the answer left much to be desired and offered no real clarity:
“For the Employee Event, you must have some type of a gaming ID, poker blogger/streamers to use only if asked for your credentials when registering.”
No, we did not lose a part of the answer while typing it out — it is, word for word, what WSOPFAQ at Caesars’ official site replied to Mathers’ query, finishing with: “Hope this answers your question.”
So, the confusion around who exactly can play and under what circumstances remains, but a much bigger question is why did WSOP feel the need to expand and change the event in this way — and is it fair to the people for whom the event was created for in the first place, i.e. various casino employees?
This One Is Not for You
Traditionally, the first event of the World Series of Poker has been the one for all the hard-working casino staff, kicking off a long and busy summer in Las Vegas. The idea is to give the dealers, the floors, the servers, and everyone else who help make the magic happen a tournament that’s their own.
Very few of these people are what anyone would class as poker professionals. For most, poker is a fun hobby; some may take it more seriously than others, but overall, it is a “soft” field.
The biggest controversy about the change is that it would seemingly allow poker vloggers and streamers, people who play the game for a living and spend countless hours on the other side of the felt, to enter the tournament and compete for a bracelet that, by the original design, was meant to go to a casino employee.
So, the likes of Rampage, Mariano, Brad Owen, Andrew Neeme, and even Doug Polk, once the most feared heads-up player in the world, could enter this $500 event to chase a bracelet.
Without trying to guess who of those qualify under the new rule, one must wonder why this even needs to be an issue. While the idea of chasing +EV situations is familiar to most poker players, is that really the only thing that exists?
Is squeezing a bit of extra value really that important to someone that they would happily take a seat in a tournament that they have no business playing in?
And is winning a bracelet in this way something to be proud of?
Sadly, past experiences have shown that some players will do whatever it takes to chase the value, even if their presence in the field is likely to ruin the experience for those that the event is meant to cater to.
However, there is an interesting twist here. Perhaps not all casino employees mind this. While having a bunch of poker vloggers in the field will likely reduce their chances of winning, they might get an opportunity to play against people whose content they watch on a regular basis, and that experience could be worth it for some.
Shooting Stars
The Casino Employees Event at the WSOP used to be a quiet affair. While those playing it have a lot of fun, it’s not a tournament that gets a lot of media coverage.
If a bunch of popular faces from the poker space get in the mix in the new Industry Employees tournament, this is likely to change, as at the very least, they’ll give it exposure on their own channels and social media platforms.
It’s difficult to say how important this might be to the rest of the field, but it’s fair to assume that at least some would enjoy it. As they would enjoy the opportunity to play some hands against famous poker vloggers and streamers and send some of them packing.
So, perhaps this idea isn’t all bad, and there are some positive sides to it.
But even so, we still need more clarity as to who exactly falls under these new rules and who doesn’t. Allowing anyone who ever uploaded a couple of poker videos seems ridiculous; at the same time, not having clear and precise rules before registration begins could lead to a lot of confusion and unnecessary arguments.
Hopefully, it won’t come to that, and WSOP will clear the air soon enough so that the series can get off to a strong and positive start!
