Play the WSOP ME or take the 10K in cash? hrmmm..

[n1bd]

I'm assuming you're a good player so you are +ev in the main event. That means, in the long run, you get back your 10k entry "and then some".

So it all comes down to how big your bankroll is and whether your BR can handle the variance. The MTT FAQ recommends 50-100 buyins for an MTT bankroll, which would be like $500k-$1000k.

That's a lot, obviously, but that is to make sure you don't go broke if you play 10k events regularly, which you don't do. So you can safely gamble with less if it's a one-time fun thing. But $500k should still give you a ballpark idea of where your BR "should" be to play in this game, and if your BR is much less than that, it should set off warning bells that the main event variance may hurt you more than the potential upside can help you.

Basically, if 10k is a decent chunk of your BR, it can probably help you more if you "invest" it in daily play rather than in the main event. I have discussed this very topic with several friends, and have always said that I think taking the seat over the 10k is a mistake unless you have a large roll.

But there's another consideration that points the other way. If you're young and don't have many financial responsibilities, you should be more risk-seeking. If you can score a multimillion payout from the main event, that will change the next 60 years of your life a lot more than an extra 10k will.