Are you travelling to WSOP 25?

I think people dooming about the markets and border were always going to be wrong

It has been great so far! No issues.

Some facts based observation:
Flight on the way over (from Europe) was not full (it usually is), talked to friends (and heard from others) that are not coming (for all the reasons mentioned), but numbers on the ground clearly tell another story (turnout for the 1K Mystery topped last years)

You say they detain anyone who mentions work, so wouldn't that technically include someone traveling to WSOP and saying they are a poker player when asked what they do for a living?

How does scanning electronics work btw? Is it just a person swiping through your phone a bit or is there some sort of special tech they use? I'm not particularly tech savvy, curious what 'scanning' in this sense means in 2025.

As a Canadian who spent time in the US earlier this year, there was always some knob wanting to make the 51st state comment

I've got accounts with Chase and Wells Fargo. With my Chase card I can get 3, 000 a day and with Wells Fargo 2, 500. Cash is my bitcoin of choice. Everybody accepts it everywhere, immediately with no questions asked. Try that with bitcoin and tell me how it works out when you want to buy some groceries. You can even negotiate a little (maybe 10% off) by using cash!

I was on a fully booked overnight flight form DC to Frankfurt on Sunday. Guy next to me said that his Frankfurt to DC flight was half empty even though flights from the US to Europe roundtrip are roughly 2x the price than the other direction right now. I just checked Google Flights and looks like he was correct. Part of it is certainly the strong Euro and the fact that schools in the US are off already, but still kinda nuts.

For the next couple of weeks I see flights from Frankfurt or Paris to Vegas for $500 roundtrip. Sounds like a great time to come over for an impromptu poker trip. (Paris - New York is $380 if the wife wants to go shopping).

I actually did some research on the subject, the official CBP language says „poker is a skill based competition“, and with that it’s on the edge between gambling and work.

With that being said, it’s all up to the customs guy you meet, he can deny you on a whim if he wants to.

I’m in Vegas now (playing in the WSOP), and talked to a lot of friends I met here - none of them had any issues coming in (and many are pros)

So it seems like it’s still a small chance of bad stuff happening to you … which of course doesn’t help if you’re the one it is happening to.

Side note:
The bad stuff though if it happens is definitely worse than ever before, that’s a fact too, from all those confirmed and reported cases.

Sorry, but unless you can cite a source, I call BS that the "official CBP language" says anything about poker.

I'll donate $25 to a local charity in Las Vegas (Three Square) , if you can provide proof of what you claim the CBP says about poker.

There is this thing called „google“ … ;-)
Save your 25 bucks buddy

Glad you or no one you have spoken with had any issues.

Customs of any country I have visited operates on the same principle you stated "it’s all up to the customs guy you meet, he can deny you on a whim if he wants to." We have our fair share of little tyrants / jerks but we are hardly the lone ranger.

Best of luck to you at the WSOP and enjoy your stay.

Erm, where did I mention Bitcoin? I'm in agreement with you, we need cash to continue.

But I was talking about trends in the United Kingdom, not Los Angeles/USA, and how it affects UK recs (of which I am one) getting cash to play in the WSOP.

I called BS because I looked first, on the off-chance you weren't making your claim up out of whole cloth, "buddy".

I cross a US border regularly, monthly, from and to Las Vegas, and pass through the CBP system in whatever US gateway port of entry I'm passing through. (The process has become easier over time.)

You were called, "buddy", and you apparently folded rather than collect an easy $25 for a local charity in Las Vegas. (I don't need to look at your cards, you made the thing up about "research")

There is and was near zero chance CBP language ever specifically discusses "poker"

I'll drop the $25 donation on my way out of town.

I created this thread because was almost certain that I will skip this year, but reading through and speaking to cpl others, decided to go last minute.

And was pleasantly surprised, sure the CBP agent asked me a few questions but nothing that wasn't asked during previous entries. Got through with no issues and did not see anyone else get into issues as well.

The numbers also seem to have gone up, the mystery bounty itself was up from last year and had Canadians at almost every table, so happy to stand corrected that looks like the wsop hasn't been much affected by what's happening, at least this year.

But I did see some declining signs as well, most of the people I spoke to said they were really unhappy with the prices and rake last couple years and if that doesn't change it may affect their decision to come back.

The app is awesome though, hardly and issue with it, saved a ton of time!!

Legacy media is a disease on both sides. Really hard to know what's true and what isn't anymore. I guess you just have to experience things first hand like you decided to do to get real facts. Sad times we live in

"The CBC reports a nearly 11 percent drop in American tourists driving to Canada in April, and a more than 8 percent drop in May. The shift has meant a financial hit for tourism and businesses."

Looks like it goes both ways