Different World Series of Poker tournaments have different vibes.
From the opening Casino Employee's Event to the $250k Super High Roller, the energy and overall feel of the room change from day to day. However, there's one event that's always a party.
The annual Tag Team event kicks off here in Las Vegas on Thursday, June 22 at 12 pm local time. The $1,000 per team event is always a fun one; when else can you actually team with someone in pursuit of a bracelet?
That's right, even though we'll likely see the usual team costumes, stentorian energy, and overall fun atmosphere, players will still have a shot at the team bracelet in this three-day event.
How it works
How does team poker even work? I'm glad you asked.
As usual, there's only one player per hand while hands are live. However, players may tag their teammates out anytime they don't have a live hand.
The only requirement is that each team member plays at least one round of blinds at some point before the registration period is over. Once you do that, both teammates can be on their way to joint WSOP glory, together with double the bracelets and (hopefully) double the fun.
Allen Kessler's first bracelet?
Part of the fun is seeing who ends up on teams together and what their plan is for swapping in and out. We know for a fact two teams that will be there: Ashley Frank is with Andrew Neeme and Kristen Deardorff is with Allen Kessler.
"I'm hoping to break the curse and get Allen Kessler his first bracelet instead of a min-cash," said Deardorff. We'd love to see it.
Ashley Frank and Andrew Neeme: Vloggers United
I caught up with Ashley Frank as she gets ready to join fellow poker vlogger Andrew Neeme in the event, which will be her first WSOP Tag Team. Frank is hot off a deep run in the Monster Stack this week already.
"It means so much to play this with him," said Frank. "I've looked up to Andrew in the poker world for years. He's a huge reason I started to improve and study poker. He had so much influence on my career before I even met him, and now I'm lucky enough to call him my friend."
Both players are popular vloggers, with Neeme and Frank both sharing their poker adventures on YouTube.
"We first met when he showed up at my local casino for a meet-up game. I always thought it was cool that we're both musicians and poker players, and we both decided to shift our creative energies to the poker vlogging space."
When I asked her what their plan is as far as who plays when, it seems they haven't quite reached that topic.
We'll be rooting for a deep run for those two, as I'm sure some great vlogs will come from it.
Event details
The tournament starts at 12 pm local time. An important note is that both players must register together at the same time.
Players will start with 20,000 chips and enjoy 60-minute levels throughout the entirety of the event. Importantly, too, is that there are no breaks at all scheduled during the event except for color-up breaks. So, partners can check in and tap in to give each other breaks now and then.
Teams will play 11 total levels on both Day 1 and Day 2 before coming back to play to a winner on Saturday for Day 3.
Best of luck to everyone playing the tag team. Enjoy every minute. And those of you not here, follow along with all the fun via Poker Instant by clicking the button below.
