New "Mask Rule" At WSOP Tournament

May 14, 2009 - Written By Bonnie

Have you ever sat next to someone at the poker table and asked yourself " is that really who I think it is" ? One thing that is common with poker players is disguising their appearance. If you have ever watched the World Series of Poker or any USA Poker tournament for that matter, you may have noticed all the sunglasses and hats the players use to hide facial expressions. Players are not wearing all those accessories to be hip with a fashion trend, they do it to hide any emotions that might be displayed upon the dealing of the cards.

You may recall in one of the past WSOP tournaments, when professional poker player Phil Laak altered his appearance making himself appear to be a much older man. Phil Laak was able to pull this off in the main event and successfully deceive other players and poker media for an entire day. As some may of thought this action was quite hilarious, others were not so thrilled with the idea of going as far as to impersonate someone other than the person that holds the seat next to you. This action did infact prompt a rule change to 2009 World Series of Poker tournament, which states that players may not change their identity while seated at the table. The "Mask Rule" is one of the rule changes that is getting players all over talking. The unofficial chatter, amusing or not, has certainly caused a buzz throughout the online gaming community.