Week 2 at the WSOP: Bracelet for Seiver, Late Registration Controversy & More

The second week of the 2024 World Series of Poker is in the books, and it did not disappoint in terms of excitement.

So far, some 20 bracelets have found new owners, some of them claiming their first WSOP gold and some adding to their already-rich trophy cabinets.

A player certainly belonging to the latter group is Scott Seiver who won his sixth bracelet just a few days ago, reconfirming his place among the game’s best.

Almost no WSOP goes without a controversy of some kind, and it seems that the pain topic for 2024 will be the late registration and rules that define the procedure, which many players don’t quite agree with.

Scott Seiver More Motivated Than Ever

Most poker fans know the name of Scott Seiver all too well. He’s been on the grind for well over a decade, and during his time on the circuit, Seiver has achieved some impressive results.

A few nights ago, he added another accolade to his impressive resume, winning his fifth career WSOP bracelet after triumphing in Event #10 – $10,000 Omaha Hi-Lo 8 or Better Championship.

The tournament saw a turnout of 171 entries, but the field consisted of many well-known pros that Scott had to navigate around on his way to the eventual victory. The final table alone boasted names like Calvin Anderson, Jared Bleznick, Jonathan Cohen, and Benny Glaser.

Despite the formidable opposition, Seiver held his own, got down to heads-up against Cohen, and proceeded to wrap the tournament up, winning a WSOP bracelet and over $426,000 for his performance.

The experienced pro will be turning 40 the next year, which will make him eligible for the Poker Hall of Fame, and with his resume, he ticks all the boxes. In an interview for Poker News, Seiver said that this was his biggest motivation right now.

Cash games are Seiver’s bread and butter, but lately, he’s turned more towards tournaments as they are more in the public eye. So far, his plan to reaffirm his tournament skills ahead of his likely HOF nomination is going better than expected.

Late Registration Causes Some Turmoil at the WSOP

Late registration has become commonplace in poker tournaments, and World Series of Poker events are no exception.

Players are allowed to register a few hours after a tournament starts, which many pros see as an edge and try to take full advantage of by registering as late as possible.

While opinions on late registration differ, everybody has come to accept it as a reality of modern-day poker. However, recent happenings have fueled some new controversies.

Namely, the rule for events with buy-in of $10,000 and above is that players have to register and be in the line at the late registration table when the registration closes.

So, what’s been happening in some events is that the play resumes after the break, and there are still players standing in the line, getting seated only 10 or 15 minutes after the action resumes.

It seems that some players have been taking full advantage of these rules, making sure they spend as much time in line as possible and get to their seats well after the play had already started.

Not surprisingly, many pros from the high-stakes community aren’t thrilled about this, including the likes of Chris Brewer, Ike Haxton, and a few others who took it to social media to share their thoughts.

Some suggested that a good solution for this problem would be to simply make the break longer and not restart the event until everyone’s registered and seated. However, Jack Effel isn’t very keen on this solution as he believes this wouldn’t be fair to the players already in the tournament, and it would invariably lead to longer days.

It wouldn’t be a World Series of Poker if there weren’t at least some controversy surrounding it. We’ll see how this situation develops and if there will be any changes in the near future to try and address these complaints.

Phil Ivey’s on the Grind

One of the biggest names in all of poker, Phil Ivey has had a hot-cold relationship with the World Series of Poker in recent years.

In 2024, however, it seems that Tiger Woods of Poker is in the full grind mood, as he’s entering tournaments left and right, including some events with lower buy-ins.

We can only assume that there are some pretty hefty bracelet bets in the background that are motivating Ivey to put in the hours, but maybe he just felt it was time to add another bracelet or two to his collection.

Either way, it’s great to see the full house at the 2024 WSOP, with the likes of Ivey, Negreanu, Hellmuth, Greenstein, Deeb, Seiver, and many other legends of the game throwing their hats into the mix.

Things are only heating up in Las Vegas, and there is plenty of action remaining in the cards. Some of the questions we have are: Will Hellmuth win another bracelet? Will Daniel Negreanu finally win a bracelet after a long, dry spell? What can we expect from Ivey this year?

And, of course, who will claim the coveted 2024 Player of the Year title?

All of these will be answered in due time, so stay tuned, enjoy the show, and cheer on your favorite players as they battle it out with cards and chips on the green felt!

Article by

Ivan Potocki

Ivan played poker professionally for over five years but finally decided to merge his passion for writing with poker and became one of the leading writers in this industry. You can connect with Ivan via his LinkedIn profile and follow him on Twitter.