WSOP 2010 Fast Becoming The Domain Of The Young, Online Maths Whizz

Back in 2003, Chris Moneymaker caused a dramatic boom in the poker industry after becoming the first person to become a WSOP champion by qualifying via an online poker site.
Since then online poker and the WSOP has undergone some dramatic changes, all of which seems to favour the new breed of young, maths whizzes at the expense of the old guard.
For a start, the WSOP schedule has become a whole lot busier as, in some cases, buy-ins decrease and starting fields get larger. If UK pro Neil Channing could have it his own way, for instance, he would make sure there was a $2.5k minimum buy-in and fewer events were held.
As WSOP bracelet winner and top UK tournament earner Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, explains: “I don’t agree with the scheduling. I got 19th in the $5k the other day and I played a hand so badly it was scary because I was so fatigued. They expect you to play upwards of twelve hours, well most of these events are won by younger players and they’re more suited for the schedule.”
As the old guard reels from the onslaught of fresh blood on the scene, poker legend Doyle Brunson famously likened today’s tournament poker to a “crapshoot.” Phil Hellmuth, however, has his own take on the the tremendous success of the new generation, and stated:
“The reason I won 11 bracelets is my ability to read opponents. These new guys are focused on the math. And they are changing everything.”
At the heart of Hellmuth’s argument is that the new generation of players are now able to assimilate poker knowledge at an incredible rate compared to players from the past. Coupled with a whole host of assistance from poker software and available tracking data, the new guard have benefited enormously from a fast learning curve which has helped them dominate the online arena.
All the extra experience gained has spilled out in a big way into the live tournament circuit, and as author Dan Kadlec wrote recently in his Time Magazine article “Attack of the Math Brats”
“When Hellmuth enters the Rio this year decked out as a mixed martial arts fighter – his latest in a string of Main Event grand entrances – the math brats will be waiting.”