November Nine: 2011 WSOP Main Event Final Table Coverage Good for Poker, Had Little Effect on PlayPlayers Speak About 15-Minute Delayed Live Broadcast |
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The general consensus from the final nine players of the 2011 World Series of Poker main event was that the nearly-live coverage, broadcasted on the Internet and on network TV, was good for the game – but didn’t make too much of a difference in the action.
In late October, ESPN and the WSOP announced that every hand of the event (except those missed due to commercials) would be shown with holecards, on a 15-minute delay. The stakes were raised after successful ratings from 30-minute delayed live coverage in July.
The WSOP did not sequester the members of the November Nine, and actually encouraged them to watch the broadcast and receive information from friends and family during the breaks.
While there was originally some concern from the poker community regarding the integrity of the game, everyone was on a level playing field, according to champion Pius Heinz.
“I didn’t mind it too much, because it was the same for everyone,” Heinz said. “No one was at a particular advantage. I was happy that they did it.”
Heinz said it changed his strategy minimally, because once a player is at the final table they already have developed a good understanding of hand ranges.
“Just being sure which particular part of the range he had at any given time is actually not that interesting, because you know what’s in his range anyway,” Heinz said. “Just picking random hands out of his range and realizing what he had isn’t that important overall to your play.”
Heinz described many key situations at the final table as “standard.”
Heinz admitted that there were some mind games going on, and “whoever did it the best comes out on top.” The German did experience one mental benefit through it all.
When his heads-up battle with Martin Staszko was turning sour, Heinz was in danger of questioning his play. However, thanks to the relay of information from his rail, Heinz figured out what was going wrong — he was just card dead compared to his opponent.
“It was good to know that every time he won a big pot he had a hand,” Heinz said. “He always had the nuts, and I never had anything. This was really great for my confidence, because if he doesn’t have a lot of hands, it means he’s outplaying me. But when he is catching hands, you are just handcuffed, and there’s nothing you can do. I knew from this that he didn’t have an edge of me.”
After his elimination, fifth-place finisher Phil Collins, who was short stacked through much of the final table, said the coverage was “absolutely great for poker,” but it didn’t affect his game.
“It’s exactly how our game should be," he said. "From a fan’s standpoint, it makes it so much more intriguing if there are people at the final table cheering and you can watch it. We fantasize as poker players what it would be like to go deep, because it’s live on TV now and when you cheer everyone gets to hear it.”
Like Heinz and Collins, ninth-place finisher Sam Holden didn’t use the information he received about his opponents’ holdings for any strategic advantage, but the Brit agreed that the added dynamic is beneficial to the game.
“It opens it up to a real TV sport,” Holden said. “In the past, people outside the poker community always enjoyed the edited footage, but the people in the community always knew the final results before it was even aired.”
Anton Makiievskyi, who exited the tournament in eighth, said he was happy with the WSOP’s choice because it will bring more “fish” into the game.
Ty Stewart, Vice President of Caesars Interactive Entertainment, said the decision to make the coverage nearly live was in the best interest of poker (which took a big hit after April’s Black Friday) and that it wouldn’t diminish the purity of the sport.
“Ultimately the best player, and whoever has the best cards, will end up winning,” Stewart said before the final table. “We don’t think the broadcast will sway the balance, one way or another. We know that there is an impact, but I think that the impact on play is imprecise, and the benefits to the poker community at large are absolute.”
The Nielsen ratings for the final table coverage have not yet been announced. The WSOP website, which hosted a live stream, experienced about a 100-percent increase in traffic for the week of Nov. 7, according to website information company Alexa.
Follow Brian Pempus on Twitter — @brianpempus
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