Barry Carter looks at the major three poker tours and tries to assess which one is the hardest title to take down.

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not ## Tough opposition

PokerStars provide more satellite traffic than anyone else. This would suggest that there are more players out of their comfort zone in these events. However I personally believe the standard of online players is so high these days that you could make an argument that bringing more of them to a live event like the EPT actually makes it tougher, not easier. The WPT is unusual here, in that the difference between the fields is the difference between chalk and cheese a lot of the time. Events like the LA Poker Classic and the final championship event at the Bellagio are considered to be some of the toughest events of the year, but then some of the resort-based stops in less developed poker economies like South Africa and Cyprus could be argued as being some of the softest big events of the year. However the common consensus is that the sheer festivity of the WSOP, coupled with the fact that it is in the adult playground that is Las Vegas, still makes bracelet events the softest and full of the most recreational players. ## Structural differences

The other big reason why bracelets could potentially be the easiest titles to capture is because they are the only events in non-Hold’em disciplines, where a greater skill edge can be enjoyed by a proficient player. Games like Stud, Razz, Triple Draw and Mixed Games are still an unknown quantity for a lot of players who enter them; someone who chooses to specialise in these disciplines could boast a much bigger edge than an equally skilled player in a No-Limit event. The structures in both the WPT and EPT are incredibly deep and slow. The WSOP on the other hand has a great deal of variation. The Main Event structure is to die for and arguably the best in the world, but some of the smaller events are crap shoots in comparison. Then there is simply word of mouth from all the best players in the world. Generally speaking, most people say that the EPT is where you will find the toughest tables, and the WSOP is where you will find the softest action of the three. From a sheer numbers point of view, there is no denying that an EPT title is the hardest to win and a WSOP bracelet the easiest. However from comparing the average WSOP, WPT and WPT tournament on their own merits, I still believe the EPT comes out tougher. The fields are huge, the locations are in full of good players and the presence of the best online players makes them, for me, the toughest tournaments in the world. Though it needs to be said that none of these events are easy, nor is any poker tournament these days. I’d love to hear what you think about this debate in the forum below:Discussion forum: EPT/WPT/WSOP - Which is the toughest?By Barry Carter Read more columns by Barry Carter l Follow Barry Carter on Twitter | | |—| | Mad Marvin won back-to back WPTs |

Discussion forum: EPT/WPT/WSOP - Which is the toughest? By Barry Carter Read more columns by Barry CarterFollow Barry Carter on Twitter -

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