What the WSOP Has to Say About the Max Late Reg Controversy

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Jun 08, 2024 3 min read Last updated Jun 09, 2024

June 9 update: The WSOP have issued the following statement on X:

According to Chris Brewer and other high rollers, some players are able to enter certain World Series of Poker (WSOP) events after registration has closed, and many have proposed solutions to the problem.

Jack Effel, Vice President of the World Series of Poker and Caesars Digital, assured PokerNews that players have not been abusing any late registration rules.

Max late reg is when a player registers for a tournament just before registration closes. Although players start with 20 big blinds, or sometimes even fewer, when registering so late, there are some advantages, namely only having to play a short amount of time before the bubble bursts. In many cases, one or two quick double ups from a player who enters when registration closes is enough to sneak into the money.

But there's a separate issue in play this summer that has some high rollers a bit on edge. And that is players, as Brewer tweeted, still being allowed to enter events 5-10 minutes after registration closes, or even longer. Effel, however, explained the verification process for when players register for an event takes a bit of time, and that is why occasionally a player may not arrive at their seat until a few minutes after registration closes. It also takes time for a player to make it to the table from registration, depending on location.

So, why not, as some players on social media suggested, pause the clock when this occurs and wait for all registered players to take their seats? Effel explains that doing so would be unfair to those who are already in the tournament, and it would just make for a longer day.

Effel stated that tournament staff stationed at the registration desk will permit those in line prior to when registration closes, but will cut off those who aren't in line on time. The longtime WSOP executive also said that he's open to suggestions for improving the registration process if there is a better solution, and is willing to discuss procedures on-site at the WSOP with poker players who have concerns.

What the Poker Pros Have to Say About Max Late Reg Abuse

Brewer's tweet sparked a healthy debate on X, and allowed players to offer up solutions. Justin Bonomo, second all-time on The Hendon Mob earnings list, was quick to jump into the conversation and give his two cents.

"If they’re not there in time, they shouldn’t get seated. It shouldn’t matter when they got in the cashier line or whatever. The only exception worth making is for people who busted bullet 1 in the last 10 minutes. Everyone else had many hours to reg," Bonomo wrote.

Isaac Haxton, one of the all-time greats, also chimed in and referred to Brewer's concerns as a "game integrity issue" that is "so easy to solve." John Monnette and Jared Griener both mentioned that they noticed players in recent events taking their seat 20 minutes after registration closed.

Some suggestions among those who commented on Brewer's tweet include pausing the clock until all players registered are seated and making scheduling adjustments.

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