Poker Writer
Greg Himmelbrand was one of the poker players not happy about the changes to the World Series of Poker $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Monster Stack when the 2026 WSOP schedule was released on Monday. He immediately expressed concerns about the increasing number of entries allowed in previously limited events.
“It was a freezeout not that long ago,” he said to PokerScout. “Then it became two freezeout flights where you could play 1B if you busted 1A. Then three flights, then four, then four with reentries.”
The New York-based player is a four-time WSOP Circuit ring winner and a two-time Mid-States Poker Tour champion. He has started his 2026 off right on the felt, playing a $3,500 Borgata final table on livestream, where he finished eighth for $54,995.
He went to X to voice his opinion after seeing the new WSOP schedule, and PokerScout asked him to expand more on his thoughts.
While more entries generally benefit stronger and more experienced players such as Himmelbrand, he’s still against the new format, saying it’s a net negative for the poker economy.
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Monster Stack Losing Its Uniqueness and Identity
Just a few years ago, the Monster Stack was a freezeout event. For many years, it served as a sort of WSOP main event for recreational players, offering a slow structure at a more affordable $1,500.
Then, starting in 2022, the tournament became a victim of incrementalism as the number of entries allowed steadily increased. Himmelbrand isn’t a fan of the creep toward more entries, saying it runs counter to the strong brand identity the event has built.
The new structure allows day 2 entries all the way through Level 11 for the first time. It also implements a concept that the WSOP introduced at WSOP Paradise, with day 2s staggered in between starting flights. Players can bust into the money and then still re-enter subsequent flights.
The strategy successfully goosed the numbers there past a bigger guarantee after missing the year prior.
“Now, you can bust 20 hours into the event on day 2 and still get another shot,” Himmelbrand said of the Monster Stack. “That’s a massive shift in a very short period of time.”
At some point, Himmelbrand believes, the relentless stacking of re-entries turns off the average low-stakes player.
This event already sells itself. It already has a huge prize pool. It doesn’t need to be diluted with all these extra re-entry opportunities. For many recreational players, this is the feature event of the series, and these changes are absolutely a turn-off for them. In my view, they’re bad for nearly everyone in the tournament.
Format Changes Will Give Deep-Pocketed Pros an Even Larger Advantage
Another negative feature of the Monster Stack format change is that it gets much harder for recreational players. While Himmelbrand himself and other professional players can benefit, he’s still quick to point out how much the new format tilts the odds against the players who are the lifeblood of the game:
It is giving the best players in the event so many opportunities that a large percentage of them will make it through to day 3, very deep in the event. This will make the tournament significantly tougher down the stretch and make the deck already stacked against the casual player even worse.
Some of the best stories each year at the WSOP are when recreational players or newcomers win a big event. This was true in 2019 when relative unknown 25-year-old Kainalu McCue-Unciano of Hawaii won the Monster Stack for more than $1 million. Stories like that keep the poker economy healthy and encourage new faces to play.
“Reducing the overall winnability of the tournament is bad for everyone,” Himmelbrand said. “And that’s bad for the ecosystem as a whole and the long-term poker economy.”
Will Players Turn Away From the Monster Stack?
These format changes were unpopular among many players, who agreed with Himmelbrand on X. Vinny Pahuja was one player who chimed in with his agreement, writing that he couldn’t agree more.
“You’ve ruined two of the best events of the summer for recs with these changes over the last few years,” he said.
But the question remains: Will these changes actually turn anybody away from playing the $1,500 event? Himmelbrand wondered, while admitting he’s likely to still play in the event despite his misgivings.
“One of the biggest problems with poker players in general is we talk shit and rarely talk with our wallet,” he said. “Will some casuals skip? Yes. I wouldn’t be surprised if unique entries went down, but it will be masked due to the overall entry count growing so much.
“Will most players complain, not like the changes, and play anyway? Also Yes.”
What is the Ideal Format for the Monster Stack?
Discussing the issues of the Monster Stack’s newest structure begs the question of what the ideal format is for the popular event. Himmelbrand advocates for returning to the two-flight format:
The two-flight format was the best, so I’d keep that. It still got a monstrous prize pool with over $1 million for first for a $1,500 buy-in. It offers one of the best structures for this price point of the series, with 60-minute levels and a 50K starting stack. That alone will attract all the casual players to come play it, as one of the marquee events of the series.
He noted that he is looking at it from the player’s perspective, while the operators have a different view of the ideal. On the surface, the new format will likely yield more entries than ever and generate more rake.
But even from that standpoint, does the new format sacrifice long-term gains for short-term greed?
Even from the operator’s perspective, the goal shouldn’t be a one-time max rake grab. It should be creating a product that players want to come back and play year after year. The long-term health of the poker economy has to be part of that calculation.
Reaching a Breaking Point in Tournament Poker
Himmelbrand also believes that tournament poker in general could be close to a breaking point with day 2 entries. Many tournaments are pushing day 2 re-entry ever deeper, and he suggests that could change if there is enough pushback.
A while back, max late re-entry hit its breaking point, where players were allowed to rebuy with as little as 5-6 BBs, and eventually it burst, where there was enough pushback that changes were made. I think these day 2 busts that can re-enter future day 1 flights might quickly also hit that point.
He finished his thoughts by stressing how harmful these changes to the Monster Stack and to tournament poker as a whole could be for the entire poker economy:
These events are already MASSIVE. They don’t need added flights, day 2 entries, and the ability to bust with 5% of the field remaining and play again. It’s harmful to the poker economy. It’s discouraging to casual players. It’s bad for nearly everyone in the tournament. Ironically, it’s probably even bad for the operator’s own bottom line over the long term, even if it takes more in the short term.
