The World Series of Poker 2025 (WSP) has prohibited the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and any human input in this year’s tournament.
The move comes as controversy has overshadowed the winner of last year’s tournament, Jonathan Tamayo and the regulator felt it had to make appropriate changes to the tournament’s 2025 instalment.
WSP makes changes to AI and human intervention
The regulatory changes have been an attempt to stem any computer-related assistance and coaching that players can receive during tournament play. We reported that devices were revised in early May and were banned from competitive poker playing spaces.
“Participants and spectators are not allowed to use charts, apps, artificial intelligence, or any other form of electronic assistance in the tournament room that could give a Participant an advantage over another Participant,” according to the WSP Rulebook (64d).
2015 Main Event champion Joe McKeehen and four-time WSOP event winner Dominik Nitsche both assisted Tamayo from the side-lines, in a spectator’s seat.
Nitsche brought the controversy to the boil when he was photographed sitting with a laptop while consulting the eventual 2024 winner.
Jack Effel, senior vice president of poker operations and World Series of Poker for Caesars Entertainment, said, “We wanted to add some tighter protective measures to ensure that players couldn’t easily access that (assistive) information during the events to give them an advantage over another player. I think that’s going to elevate and help create a better experience.”
This year’s tournament will be held at Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas for the battle to claim the jewel-laden bracelet that poker players covet.
Since 1976, the winners of the tournament have taken home this icon of the sport, which equates to the Super Bowl ring or the belt of a boxing world champion.
The 2024 tournament bracelet won by Tamayo is comprised of 445 grams of 10-karat gold and a variety of 2,253 precious gems, including 1,948 round diamonds, 230 black onyx stones, and 75 red rubies. The appraised price of the fabled item comes in at $500,000, according to the WSP.