WSOP Online Gold Bracelets Plan Splits The Poker Pros

Phil Hellmuth has 15 of them, Phil Ivey and Doyle Brunson 10 each, and 99.9% of poker have none. WSOP gold bracelets that is, and last week a lively discussion erupted on Twitter about their value with news that 85 more will be handed out this summer as the WSOP goes online…

It’s not quite a heated argument, despite Busquet’s rather brusque tweet, but the decision to offer 85 WSOP bracelets for online events has seen two camps emerge – those who feel it lessens the value of the bracelet, and those who see it as both necessary and positive…

Well, make that three, Busquet’s argument that they don’t – or shouldn’t matter a damn having its followers too.

Thirty years ago there were 14 of the gold trinkets handed out, and every decade that has passed has seen that number basically double – last year’s 50th anniversary seeing 90 pieces of jewellery awarded.

That’s not including the WSOP Europe, and now with the WSOP forced into the virtual world, many are complaining that even one-day online events will see players walking off with a shiny bauble of ‘poker excellence’…

It was Brandon Shack-Harris who sparked the debate, the Wisconsin-born pro the owner of two such WSOP gold’s himself, but wondering if the WSOP were ‘double-dipping’ the pool at the expense of their brand.

David ‘bakes’ Baker, who also has two bracelets and several near-misses, doesn’t think so.

“I don't feel like my achievement has been reduced in any way”, he tweeted, adding: “Were people from the old school complaining when the WSOP expanded? I'm happy there are more people and more events, I'll be satisfied with my wins no matter what.”

Sam Grafton – yet to win a bracelet but a crusher in both live and online poker -  threw in one of the first ‘comparisons’…

 Meanwhile, the runaway leader in lifetime WSOP gold bracelets, Phil Hellmuth, told USPoker:

“I think online poker is legitimate. I’m looking forward to battling tens of thousands of poker players for WSOP gold this summer.”

He also found time to comment on JC Tran’s amusing tweet…

What do you think? Does the plan to award gold bracelets to the online winners demean the title or value? Feel free to leave a comment below…