Technology restrictions
With the 2025 World Series of Poker just three weeks away, tournament organizers have released the official rulebook for the annual poker festival. For those who played at WSOP Paradise in December, it should come as no surprise that the most significant changes involve electronic devices. Phones and all electronic devices, even those normally approved for use, will not be permitted once a tournament is down to three tables.
Coaching from anywhere in the tournament room is now forbidden, as well. “This includes viewing of the tournament stream and usage of any electronic assistance,” Rule 64e states.
Rule 64a lays out more detailed prohibitions, designed mainly to further discourage coaching. In bold print, the rule reads, “Use or possession of device, software or hardware to obtain advantage at playing game prohibited,” and that means by anybody in the room, not just the players.
The rulebook specifically lists devices and software that “projects the outcome of the game,” “keeps track of cards played or cards prepared for play in the game,” “analyzes the probability of the occurrence of an event relating to the game,” and “analyzes the strategy for playing or betting to be used in the game.”
These rules, or versions of them, were first implemented at 2024 WSOP Paradise.
Controversy in 2024
The reason for the rules update stems from last year’s World Series of Poker Main Event final table. For years, the lucky players in the tournament to make it to the end have hired coaches or recruited friends to help them prepare for the final table. Those coaches and friends loudly cheer them on from the rail, often giving them tips between hands and during breaks.
It was all very common and accepted until the 2024 WSOP Main Event.
Eventual champ Jonathan Tamayo had a star-studded corner on his side, among them 2015 WSOP Main Event champ Joe McKeehen and poker pro and creator of the DTO Poker Trainer, Dominik Nitsche. That’s great for Tamayo, but what rubbed a lot of people the wrong way was that his coaches had a laptop open on the rail, running real-time assistance (RTA) software as the action was going on.
Now, Tamayo’s friends did not communicate with him while he was in a hand. They didn’t cheat. But Tamayo would go to them while he wasn’t in a hand to discuss matters, using the RTA software right then in front of everyone to discuss strategy based on hands that just happened.
It wasn’t against the rules, but was quite off-putting to many, and felt like it ran against the spirit of true poker competition.
The 2025 World Series of Poker kicks off on May 27.
Image credit: PokerGO.com
