The second-ever WSOP Paradise is just days away, and the folks at the Series decided to learn from their previous mistakes and amend their tournament rules in the wake of the “laptop-gate” scandal that shook the poker world a few months ago.

That time around, the WSOP Main Event champion Jonathan Tamayo worked together with a team made up of two experienced poker professionals, who not only coached him during live play, but also used a laptop on the rail and possibly ran solver sims throughout final table action.

To avoid such incidents happening again, the World Series of Poker has now changed its rules in quite a big way, clearly tackling various issues involving electronics and live coaching in the tournament area.

The move comes as a relief to many in the poker world, who have been advocating for an electronics-free environment in the tournament areas, which would allow for a fairer competition.

Doug Polk, Daniel Negreanu, and Alan Keating discussed the importance of introducing such rules earlier this year in a podcast episode you can watch below:

Electronics and Live Coaching Banned at WSOP Events

The main issue the poker community found with this year’s WSOP Main Event final table was the fact Jonathan Tamayo had a help from a very strong team of railbirds throughout the last day of action.

Tamayo himself admitted that he probably would not have won the event if not for help from Domink Nitsche and Joe McKeehan, who won the WSOP Main Event himself several years ago.

Their support at the final table was not in question, but the fact they brought out a laptop and potentially used solvers during live play, before conveying the outputs to Tamayo, certainly was.

Nitsche even went to social media to openly discuss having a piece of Tamayo’s action and criticize the people who had a problem with him and McKeehan using a laptop on the rail while their “horse” was playing for millions of dollars.

The new WSOP rules now clearly state that players and spectators will be limited in the way they use electronics in the tournament area during live play.

For one, any use of charts, solvers, and other apps that may be considered as forms of real time assistance will incur penalties, including elimination from the tournament for the players and removal from tournament area for the spectators.

Furthermore, players will not be allowed to use their electronic devices in any capacity while their hand is live. Once a tournament is down to three tables, all mobile phones and other electronics will have to be handed to tournament staff, to be returned on player breaks and after the conclusion of the tournament.

Prior to final tables, players will not be allowed to place their electronic devices on the rail or the table itself, and all mobile phones and similar devices will have to be silenced.

Players will also be penalized for trying to contact other players at their table during play, while spectators on the rail will not be allowed to view the live steams.

All of these rules are designed in an attempt to reduce the ability of railbirds to affect play and help the players they are supporting by providing information they should not be privy to.

Finally, this year’s WSOP Paradise is also introducing a new rule that bans live coaching, which means players will no longer be able to run to their railbirds for advice on general strategy either, although it remains to be seen how this particular rule will be put into practice.

Should Players Be Allowed Significant Interaction with the Rail?

With the use of electronics in the WSOP tournament area now significantly restricted and live coaching “banned,” the real question is whether players should even be allowed to run to their rail between hands at the final table.

Spectators at WSOP Paradise (and future WSOP) final tables are a net positive for the game and players surely feel great to have the support of their friends and family at the biggest moments of their careers, but that’s really as far as it should go.

If we look at other spectator sports, we don’t see players running to the fans in the middle of the match in search of guidance, and we should not see it in poker either.

WSOP might do well to restrict the interactions players are allowed to have with the rail, as this would not only limit the opportunities for “live coaching,” but also make the WSOP final tables appear more professional, as players would not be roaming around between hands looking for help from anyone that will give it.

This year’s WSOP Paradise will be an opportunity to test out the new WSOP rules and see just how well they work, although the one regarding coaching will likely need further amendments to be fully integrated into the game.

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