WSOP Cracks Down On ‘Electronic Assistance And Coaching’ With New Rules

The World Series of Poker updated its rulebook in advance of this Friday’s start of the WSOP Paradise festival in the Bahamas, with key changes made in obvious response to the controversy that surrounded Jonathan Tamayo’s Main Event win in Las Vegas this summer.

Tamayo, a veteran poker pro from Humble, Texas, outlasted a field of 10,112 players to capture the $10 million top prize in July, winning in the end by defeating amateur Jordan Griff heads-up. Tamayo received advice during the final table from 2015 champ Joe McKeehen and well-regarded pro Dominick Nitsche, and there was debate in the moment over the fact that Tamayo’s coaches had a laptop computer — which bled into full-on conspiracy theories when McKeehen’s AirPod fell out of his ear during a celebratory hug.

Whatever the degree to which Tamayo did or didn’t have inappropriate advantages, the WSOP has amended its tournament rules in an effort to prevent similar controversies going forward.

One of the key additions in the updated rulebook is Rule 63b, addressing “Electronic Assistance and Coaching”:

Players and spectators are not allowed to use charts, apps, or any other form of electronic assistance in the tournament room. Failure to adhere to this policy will result in a penalty up to disqualification for the player and removal from the tournament room for the spectator. Spectators are also prohibited from providing live assistance or coaching. Failure to adhere to this rule will result in a penalty for the player and removal from the rail for the spectator. Non-players on the rail must adhere to the **WSOP Terms & Conditions, including no viewing of live streams on an electronic device.

The 2024 WSOP Main Event final table aired on a delayed stream, with hands and each player’s hole cards shown to the public approximately 30 minutes after the action took place. With the help of McKeehen and Nitsche, Tamayo is believed to have received information about his opponents’ earlier decisions and tendencies, and Tamayo acknowledged afterward, “If Joe and Dom weren’t here, I likely do not win this tournament.”

An ‘impression’ of impropriety

There was some speculation that Tamayo’s friends may have been using “solver” software to guide strategic advice as well, though this was never substantiated.

Whatever the specifics, longtime poker media member Kevin Mathers told Casino Reports that the circumstances surrounding Tamayo’s win created negative PR for the game that needed to be addressed.

“Having a team of notable pros get together to discuss strategy against a less experienced player can be a bad look for both those involved in poker and those casually watching,” Mathers said. “It gives the impression to the latter group that there’s ‘cheating’ going on.”

To that end, new rules against electronic assistance and coaching on the rail, with threats of disqualification and removal, are all well and good. But will they have teeth?

“The pressing concern,” Mathers said, “is how these rules will be enforced, especially regarding those spectating on the rail. Will talking to your friends, significant other, etc., be disallowed? I’d expect some modifications of the rules will be made in time for the 2025 WSOP.”

Then there’s the matter of players having breaks in play during which they can leave the final table area and have unmonitored interactions with supporters who could theoretically access the delayed stream.

“I don’t think they can ever prevent players from getting access to information on breaks,” Mathers said, “unless they go back to [an approach by which] players were completely restricted from leaving the final table area.”

Additional rule changes

While less directly tied to Tamayo’s triumph, there are other changes on display in the revised WSOP rulebook. One involves taking players’ cellphones and all other electronic devices once a streaming tournament is down to its final three tables:

When a tournament reaches three (3) tables, all players’ electronic devices will be removed. Players will only be allowed to have their devices back during player breaks or after elimination. No devices will be allowed to be used on the tournament rail during these late stages of streamed events and no coaching from the rail will be allowed. This includes viewing of the tournament stream and usage of any electronic assistance. Failure to adhere to this rule will result in a penalty for the player and removal from the rail for the spectator.

Also, phones or other devices may no longer be placed on the table at any point during WSOP tournament play; players are only allowed to use devices, even for an innocent text to their Mom to say hi, if they’ve folded their cards and are out of the current hand; and players must move at least one table length away from their table to have conversations on the phone.

While these rules appear designed to prevent possibly advantageous reception of information during play, they also should promote proper poker etiquette and faster play, reducing the chance of side conversations getting in the way of the task at hand.