WSOP IS BETTER OR WORSE BECAUSE OF ONLINE PLAYERS AND WIDESPREAD APPEAL - HMMM?....

I Read a blog asserting that the WSOP is a "crapshoot" because of
the influx of amateur players and that this has ruined the integrity of
Poker play. I took that to mean that when the WSOP main event had 200
or fewer players that contributed to the "purity of play". In tapes
I've seen they made the same bluffs, moves and mistakes that people
make now.
I think when you get to the last 5 tables (probably more) everyone
there has skill and luck, you can't get that far without both. In the
old days the entire field was comprised of pro's - usually several
hundred. I don't see the connection that poker is dimished rather it is
increased. Most good internet players I know feel that it's a much
easier proposition to beat 200 people than 6000....
Below was my reponse - WHAT DO YOU THINK ???

While luck certainly takes a part in winning a 5000 + player
tournament, in my view It is totally ridiculous to assert that a
tourney with this many players is a crapshoot and can be won by a
"luckbox".
Every solid pro I've heard says that it takes luck and skill to win a tournament today - that makes sense to me. (I
don't include people like Matusow and Helmuth - they say it's luck when
beaten, even if they go all in early with JJ against AA on the button)
More often, when pros lose now days, their underestimation of their
opposition plays a part. I have heard many of them express that very
sentiment. It would at best be tactically unsound, in light of the last
6 years of poker play to assume easy victory because your opponents
were internet players. (I played in a local tournament and I'm a
newbie. I used a minature mouse for a card protector - everybody
laughed until I kicked all 50 of their butts. I can't attest to their
skill level but I've had much harder games online. I bet the
next time they see a mouse card protector they'll think differently)
Playing 50 people is a walk in the park PLUS they totally
underestimated me) Chris Ferguson and Howard Lederer both went
so far as to say they'd have to consider that internet players can
play and they'd have to adjust style to win because of the
agressiveness of internet players.
Certainly playing online only doesnt give you an opportunity to
develop skills at "face to face reading" opponents BUT no where else
can you gain "experience of playing many hands against various styles"
of opponents for FREE and it gives you a great opportunity to play
tournaments where there are thousands of opponents. I have heard many,
many pros complain about tournament size. Internet players are totally
used to playing thousands of players in tournaments.

Merlin333


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