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The 2019 World Series of Poker [3] (WSOP) got under way this week as poker’s most popular professional series celebrates its 50th anniversary.
From its humble origins as a one-off invitational tournament to the global powerhouse of today, immense credit is owed to the people behind the scenes for evolving the series and ensuring WSOP maintains its place at the head of the industry.
So how did WSOP establish itself as the world’s leading professional poker series, and how has it managed to not only survive the tough times but also thrive over the past half a century?
It is important to not underestimate the pioneering role WSOP assumed in the poker revolution during the 20th century, leading the surge in popularity during the 1970s of tournament play in American casinos.
Laying the foundations
Had WSOP retained its original format from its 1969 inaugural year - known then as the Texas Gamblers Reunion [4], which involved a handful of invited players with the winner decided by a vote after several days of play - poker’s evolution could have taken a very different course.
Instead, founder Benny Binion put in place the following year the foundations that would forge WSOP and tournament poker’s future.
Throughout the 1970s and 80s, WSOP expanded much the way you would expect any increasingly popular sport and event would: greater volume of entries, satellite events, increased prize money, the addition of a Ladies Championship - all of which undoubtedly contributed to WSOP’s growing influence, but nothing that should be considered too innovative.
What was certainly innovative was the addition of everyday poker players, who were then competing against the best players in the world - and it was by tapping into the wider poker public and making it more accessible that allowed WSOP to flourish.
Under the guidance of Binion’s son Jack and the two men Jack recruited to run WSOP, Jim Albrecht and Jack McClelland, a number of progressive decisions were made that allowed the series to go from strength to strength.
ESPN gets on board
WSOP’s move into television - as TV was becoming an increasingly influential part of American life and culture – was a large contributing factor. After the first six tournaments were shown either as specials or on CBS, ESPN opened up the series to an entirely new and bigger audience.
Aside from a three-year stint on the Discovery Channel, WSOP has since 1988 been broadcast on ESPN [5], which has played a huge role in making poker a riveting spectator sport. It might not seem too revolutionary nowadays given the phenomenal success of e-sports, but focusing efforts in transforming poker into a TV spectacle was a big risk.
It was not all smooth sailing, though. WSOP hit rough times at the end of the 20th century when Jack Binion was excluded from operations and subsequent disputes threatened to bring down the company. In addition, WSOP had to deal with a direct rival in the form of the World Poker Tour.
The digital revolution
Yet, when it was time to evolve again - with the onset of the digital revolution - WSOP took advantage, even if it was triggered by fortuitous circumstances. Those circumstances went by the name of Chris Moneymaker [6], who revolutionised poker as the first player to win the WSOP Main Event in 2003 after qualifying in an online tournament.
Moneymaker’s victory shifted poker’s dynamic and opened the game up to the mainstream. Since then, and aided by the increasing prominence of online activity, WSOP has gone truly global, with series in Europe, Africa, Asia Pacific and an International Circuit.
Leveraging their position as poker’s leading brand, WSOP strategically branched out into other avenues away from tournament poker by identifying key trends and developments in technology. This included a succession of video games were released from 2005, allowing people to enjoy poker on their consoles.
Spotting trends
The rise in popularity of video poker games - which has experienced its own fascinating history [7] - was also spotted by WSOP, who introduced video poker machines into some Harrah’s casinos.
Meanwhile, the aggressive expansion of online gambling in the past 15 years was recognised by WSOP and in 2009 they provided the online gaming services of 888 Holdings, allowing users in the United Kingdom to play online for real money.
Add to those a WSOP Poker Academy and a WSOP Lottery in Arizona, and it is fair to say that the company has certainly diversified away from tournament poker.
Tournament poker will always be the backbone of WSOP and the strength of its brand will always be rooted in the success and popularity of its events and series. Yet WSOP’s tournaments have been heavily influenced and shaped by technological and cultural trends.
History is filled with failed companies that either refused to embrace change or acted too late, and it is to WSOP’s credit they have successfully evolved to remain an industry leader.
With the world changing faster than ever, particularly online and with the emergence of social media, it will be on WSOP to ensure they continue to spot the trends and changes, like they have done so for half a century.
If they successfully do that, while staying true to their foundations in tournament poker, there is no reason why in 50 years they won’t be celebrating their centenary.