The Lammer Debate at WSOP: Some in Favor, Some Against it

pyramidThe Lammer debate is heating up in the ongoing World Series of Poker (WSOP). On Thursday, Event#35, $3,000 Pot Limit Omaha event kicked off and right from there a string of tweets started on social networking site Twitter regarding the use of lammers in ongoing WSOP. Earlier, lammers were used in two more WSOP events, which were $10,000 Heads up No Limit Hold’em and Event#22, $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha.

Those who are not versed with the lammer rule, here is an insight; every poker player is provided with two lammers of value 1,500 game chips along with their starting chip stacks. Players can use these lammers before the level four of the event otherwise these lammers are added to the chip stack a player has. A discussion regarding when it is more effective to use lammers is also going on amongst the players. Different players has different opinion on this topic. Some are opposing it and some are in favor of this new addition.

David Williams and Sam Trickett are amongst the players who are opposing the use of lammers. William said that he hates this new rule. It makes the game short stacked and no poker player likes to play with a shorter stack. He added that he don’t use them and as a matter of fact no player on his table used the lammers. Trickett was upset too, he clearly declared that he don’t like the addition of lammers to PLO. According to him,” In a tournament a player should be out when he has no more chips, providing somebody with extra chips doesn’t make any sense unless it is a Re-buy event”.

Players who favors this new addition in Pot Limit Omaha are Jeremy Ausmus, AP Phahurat and Mike Leah. Ausmus likes it because it gives a player second or third chance in an event which is impossible otherwise. Phahurat second it and added that with only one chance no matter how bigger the stack one possesses, he will play very slower and tight. Lammers brings speed and excitement to the game. Mike Leah has another point to advocate the use of lammers. According to him Players who plays high-stake games may not be in favor but for other players it’s a blessing. Rather than starting with a comparative higher stack, I would play with a smaller stack and lammers.