Is a World Series of Poker Europe bracelet a legitimate WSOP trophy? Poker players and poker pros pay a similar buy in to the American version of the WSOP to compete for the European World Series of Poker Texas Holdem Main Event championship (along with the other events). Somebody going after one of these bracelets will face a similar field of poker players and poker pros on their way to the Texas holdem championship. So if the competition is the same, the investment of money is the same, and the company handing out the trophies to poker players and poker pros is the same, then it is legit, right? According to Matt Savage, it is not.
Mr. Savage was speaking about the World Series of Europe on “This Week in Poker” and said the following about the legitimacy of a WSOP bracelet won away from Las Vegas:
“I don’t like it. I don’t think it’s like a real bracelet.”
As if that wasn’t enough, he went on to say that “The World Series was founded in Vegas, and that’s kind of what it’s about. So, I don’t think that those bracelets are as valuable. Phil Laak has a bracelet now, great, but he didn’t win it in Las Vegas.”
I doubt Phil Laak or any other of the poker players and poker pros who have won bracelets at the WSOP Europe would agree with him. Actually I doubt we could get his own mother to agree with him on this point about the legitimacy of the World Series of Poker Europe. From my vantage point, it seems Mr. Savage has a little WSOP penis envy going on. During this interview he was also asked about the lower buy-ins for the World Poker Tour and whether or not they affected the prestige of the WPT. He used this platform to once again assail the World Series of Poker Europe. He stated that the World Series of Poker fields are capped fields. In his opinion, this lowers the value of the European bracelet (Tell that to the new WSOP Europe champ who had to go through poker pros like Phil Ivey to win his Texas Holdem championship).
Harrah’s was not about to let this stupidity go unchallenged. Ty Stewart, VP with Harrahs and the WSOP quickly responded.
“I wonder what he might say about his own WPT bracelets, awarded retro-actively after six seasons in a blatant attempt to borrow equity from the WSOP and confuse the marketplace…”
“Sounds like sour grapes when your “biggest event in history” ($3.4MM prize pool) is still several million in prize pool less than the WSOPE main awarding a bracelet somehow not worthy to Mr. Savage.”
“You tell Phi Laak and Gus Hansen they didn’t earn real bracelets here in London. I’m sure they felt their WPT bracelets received in the mail had already capped their career accomplishments.”
The plain and simple truth is that the European bracelets, and the Texas Holdem Championship, mean just as much as the American version. To diminish the poker players who have won is just small and petty. Maybe if Mr. Savage had a few more accomplishments on his resume, and at least one meaningful win in a Texas holdem tournament, he may not be making a world class ass of himself right now.
