Major changes are coming to the World Series of Poker for its 2026 Championship Event.
This summer, hundreds of dealers will work in casinos on "The Strip" in Las Vegas.
Beginning with this year's edition of the Series, players will now be able to directly evaluate dealers using a new feature incorporated into the existing WSOP Live app.
This news has sparked debate in the poker community.
Some fans are questioning this new feature and whether it will improve dealer quality throughout the Series or ultimately create unfair evaluations among some dealers.
The Las Vegas World Series of Poker is scheduled to take place between May 26 and July 18 at both Horseshoe Las Vegas, formerly known as The Horseshoe Casino, and Paris Las Vegas.
During this time, events are expected to draw thousands of poker players from around the world.
Our Dealer Rating System is coming to Vegas!
— WSOP - World Series of Poker (@WSOP) May 7, 2026
Using the new Dealer Rating System on WSOP Live…
• Players can rate the dealer at their table
• Ratings are shared internally with tournament staff
• Dealers with the highest ratings will earn rewards throughout the series… pic.twitter.com/SvVkmnQCeK
Players Will Grade Dealers During Events
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) brings in dealers from all over the country to work during the tournament, which spans nearly 2 months each summer.
Dealers play an essential role in making sure that the games run smoothly and that players observe all the rules of play.
However, many players continue to express their dissatisfaction with the quality of dealers due to the fact that inexperience often leads to mistakes being made on key hands.
During other events, it is common to hear complaints about preferential delays, lack of consistency with chip counts, and confusion regarding the betting process.
The WSOP is looking to create a new rating system that will provide incentives for dealers to improve their service.
As detailed in an online video by WSOP personality Jeff Platt, a player can now use the “Rate Your Dealer” option via the WSOP Live app.
Every dealer will receive a rating between 1 and 5 for each dealer they worked with throughout the summer tournament.
The WSOP has compared the concept to customer ratings from rideshare programmes such as Uber.
High Ratings Could Lead to Bonuses and Bigger Events
The new programme serves two purposes: first, it allows the World Series of Poker (WSOP) to monitor its dealers.
Second, it provides dealers with financial rewards based on their performance so they can participate in larger events.
As explained by Platt, those dealers who consistently score high ratings will be rewarded with both bonuses and additional opportunities to deal at high-profile WSOP events.
Every dealer who consistently performs well will increase their chances of obtaining full-time opportunities in the poker industry after the summer ends.
During an online video chat on the topic, Platt stated that the ultimate goal of the dealer rating system is to recognize competent dealers and provide incentives to improve the overall quality of play within the games.
“We’re trying to elevate the best dealers,” said Platt in an interview regarding the feature online.
Although the actual ratings will remain confidential and will strictly be used for internal purposes only by the WSOP staff, players will not have access to any information about dealer ratings.
WSOP officials also indicated that players should avoid leaving bad reviews after they lose a hand or suffer a bad beat in the game.
Poker Players Split on the New Feature
There were mixed reactions from poker players to this announcement about new player rating systems that are coming into play in the WSOP in 2026.
There has been a great deal of discussion among poker players, all praising and commenting on the upcoming rating systems.
One of the players who is publicly in favor of the upcoming rating systems is Jeremy Ausmus, the six-time bracelet winner.
He believes the changes will address a long-standing frustration that has existed between players and dealers at the WSOP.
An idea to address one of the longest standing issues at the WSOP, this is a great start 👍🏼 👍🏼
— Jeremy Ausmus (@jeremyausmus) May 7, 2026
Despite Jeremy Ausmus' support for these rating systems for dealers, there are still other people who are not completely convinced that they will be able to handle these systems fairly.
Shaun Deeb expressed concern for the negative emotional effects and the impact it would have on dealers if a player lost a significant pot in a game and decided to give that dealer a low rating because they were furious.
Cool feature but really don’t like bonus being given based on it every dealer will be saying rate me 5 stars as they are getting pushed it’s going to be very annoying all summer long pic.twitter.com/iBFLS6dH3b
— shaun deeb (@shaundeeb) May 7, 2026
Furthermore, some have raised issues with the inexperience of many recreational poker players when it comes to determining if someone is a good dealer.
Even with all of these questions regarding the new dealer rating system, many poker players believe that it will help to better reward hard-working dealers who often go unrecognized in a large tournament.
Poker Community Reactions
@dklappin:
https://t.co/dj0rsC7HSm https://t.co/0jjgyC3jM8
— 🃏 David Lappin 🃏 (@dklappin) May 7, 2026
@msalsberg:
This seems particularly insane to me and actually cruel. Dealer makes a blunder, 8 people whip their phone out, shaming/embarrassing someone already very stressed. This is the worst idea I've ever heard unless we get to rate their body and face too then I'm ok with it.
— SaltySalsburglar (@msalsberg) May 7, 2026
@Firaldo87poker:
1 starring the dealer cos my AJ lost to KK
— Niall Farrell (@Firaldo87poker) May 7, 2026
@Kevmath:
It would be great if there’s also a video that walks people through the process of how to rate dealers, note feedback, etc.
— Kevin Mathers (@Kevmath) May 7, 2026
