In the online poker world, the real names policy is starting to gain ground. Online poker sites are displaying players real names during gameplay and now, GGPoker has announced plans to use the real names of players as they take part in the bracelet events of the WSOP Online. The series begins on July 19th and will see more than 50 bracelet events take place across the network. This will mark the first time that players from outside the United States will be able to play online and compete for a bracelet.
Final Table Only
At GGPoker, using real names will only take place at the final table. The rest of the online tournament will play in a traditional format where the players screen names are shown. More details should be provided as to how GGPoker will be displaying the names in the future. It is not known if the WSOP site will do the same and showcase real names in New Jersey and Nevada.
At GGPoker, the brand has been trailing the use of real names at the VIP tables in the high stakes cash game section. They also used real names during high roller tournaments, starting to do so back in May. GGPoker has encouraged players to verify their accounts to continue playing at the VIP tables. This was done to stop multi-accounting and improve the overall gameplay ecosystem.
The head of GGPoker Network Jean-Christophe Antoine spoke to Michael Gentile of Pokerfuse, stating that they think using real names is good for online poker. They don’t know yet if it will work for everyone in every format, game type and other areas, so they are trialing it and testing to see how it goes.
Why Use Real Names?
Within the poker community, players are requesting that WSOP and GGPoker allow for real names to be used instead of screen names. This would allow for players to earn prestige when doing well in an online event. It also removes any anonymity during the game. On top of that, it helps to put a stop to multi-accounting, which has been an issue in the industry.
There is also a concern though, that some players may not be comfortable playing with their real name due to privacy concerns. Even so, the real names of players would only be used at the final table, so it seems most players would be on board.
For now, we will just have to wait and see how it goes. It will be interesting to see how the WSOP Online fares as players compete in the many events via GGPoker. Using real names at the final table can put a face to the player and even help a novice become well-known in the poker community.
The WSOP Online is going to be huge and could set new records in the online poker industry as players are logging in to play in high numbers over the past few months. It is expected that the series will see many guaranteed prize pools surpassed as players take part.
