It took all of 138 characters for World Series of Poker officials to rock the minds of poker players on Thursday: “Attn non-US WSOP players: You’ll want a 2nd form of ID besides passport to reg for events. Need ID proving your residency/current address.” The message morphed into “a second ID is required or you can’t play,” which is certainly not the case.

Instead, a second ID is simply recommended, not required, for non-US WSOP entrants. As WSOP officials followed up on Twitter by saying, and confirming to PocketFives, “Simply try and bring a document that shows your address along with a passport.” A driver’s license was acceptable, although WSOP officials added that most EU countries do not put addresses on them.

Other players asked about the validity of a hodge-podge of documents including pay stubs, health security cards, and bank statements, all of which WSOP officials said were acceptable as long as an address was present. Having this documentation should speed up the registration process.

Several players reported on Twitter that they had already left home and were not headed back before the WSOP to pick up a second form of ID with an address on it. To that end, Caesars Interactive Entertainment Vice President of Corporate Communications Seth Palansky told PocketFives, “They will be bogged down with other paperwork, but can still play. It will not affect a player’s ability to participate.”

According to PokerNews, plenty of players will trek from other countries to Las Vegas this year: “The [recommendation] will impact a large percentage of poker players around the globe. According to the WSOP, 2013 was a banner year for non-Americans, who won 33.9% (21) of the bracelets, represented 27% (2,282) of cashes, and accounted for 30.4% ($60,728,671) of all money won.”

The reason for the recommendation for a second form of ID, according to Palansky, is “anti-money laundering guidelines for financial institutions dealing with cash.” Documents in non-English languages will be acceptable as long as WSOP staff can make a copy of them.

The reaction from players on Twitter was less-than-accepting. PocketFiver Niall firaldoFarrell Tweeted, “Pretty helpful when I’m in Canada already… Might have been an idea to bring this up more than a week before the start.” Chris Big Huni Hunichen added, “This seems real stupid and should’ve be announced months in advance; if they go thru with this, [it’s] gonna be a big problem.”

The 2014 WSOP starts on Tuesday from the Rio in Las Vegas. Stay tuned to PocketFives for the latest WSOP news.

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