Reactions, Details on WSOP Final Table Date ChangeA Conference Call Took Place Today Outlining Changes |
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Today, Harrah’s announced it will delay the final table of the World Series of Poker main event until November so that it can be broadcast on ESPN with only a two-hour delay.
Managers from the WSOP, ESPN, and Miller Brewing held a conference call today with members of the press to explain the reasoning behind this decision, and also to outline several changes that should improve the overall experience for this year’s players.
The change was given the blessings of the WSOP Player Advisory Council (PAC), which counts as members Daniel Negreanu, Tom Schneider, Robert Williamson III, and Jennifer Harman.
Pollack said the 16-week gap between the “end” of this summer’s WSOP and the main event’s conclusion in November will give the players an “unprecedented opportunity to capture the world’s attention” with the help of ESPN and the world’s media outlets. He believes it will help create buzz by giving poker fans the opportunity to speculate on who will win the main event while it’s being broadcast, instead of talking about who already won.
It will also give the players more time to secure endorsements for the final table, as well as line up poker coaches and study their opponents, not to mention rest up from the intense marathon of play that the WSOP main event is known for.
The main event starts in the Amazon Room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas July 3. Players will play until July 14, the day the nine finalists will be determined. ESPN begins broadcasting its WSOP package July 22, which also marks the start of a large promotional campaign.
The players will then be flown back to the Rio by Harrah’s, and the final table will reconvene Monday, Nov. 9, when they will play down to two. The heads-up match will begin late on Nov. 10 (Pollack expects the champion to emerge in the wee hours of Tuesday, Nov. 11). The final-table play will be opened to the public. It’s not yet known where in the Rio it will take place.
Meanwhile, ESPN producers will be busy putting together the final-table broadcast, which will be aired in a three-hour special, starting at 9 p.m. ET on Nov. 11.
The final nine won’t be leaving Las Vegas without at least a portion of their paydays. All nine will receive ninth-place prize money on July 14. The rest of the final table payouts will be put in an interest-bearing account. The interest earned will be added to the final-table prize pool as a bonus.
A representative of WSOP partner Miller Brewing Co. said the company is cooking up a marketing plan centered around WSOP sponsor Milwaukee’s Best, the final nine players, and the WSOP, but no details were released. The ESPN representative said that not much will change with the look and feel of its broadcasts compared to recent years, but those final nine players will be heavily featured throughout. In what way they will be featured is still being determined.
Reactions from Players
Most of the players that spoke about the change today were cautiously optimistic that it will increase poker’s popularity, but some also expressed some major concerns about how the time off will change the WSOP forever.
Chad Brown believes the delay will help the amateurs the most. After all, they now have 16 weeks to beef up their game, maybe even hire poker coaches, before the prize money escalates into the stratosphere.
Former WSOP champion (2004) Greg Raymer agreed with Brown and had this to say about the change, through the PokerStars public relations agency:
“I am very torn over this proposal. It might be huge for the continued growth of poker, however, the downside is that this long gap allows the players to become completely different people between the time they make the final table and when they play it. You know that all nine will get coaching, and especially they will get coaching tailored to each of their eight opponents. If the chip leader is somebody you play against regularly, either online or at your local casino, of course I am going to come to you for advice.”
Daniel Negreanu, who sits on the WSOP Advisory Council and gave the WSOP his blessing, dedicated his newest CardPlayer.com blog entirely to the change. It can be found here.
Jamie Gold, the WSOP champ from 2006, who rode maybe one of the hottest heaters (both with his solid play and run of cards) when he won the WSOP, said he could see how it will be positive for poker, but also is bothered by how the change may effect the integrity of the tournament.
“It is supposed to be a mental marathon, and you aren’t supposed to get a break of several months in between. It changes the momentum. It gives people such a new perspective and time to regroup and strategize and plan,” Gold said. “It’s making it two separate events instead of one poker tournament, which I thought was part of the allure and the great competitive nature of the event.”
Tom Schneider, who also sits on the WSOP PAC and won the WSOP Player of the Year title last year, was all for the change.
“I think it is fantastic idea, and I can’t wait to make a final table like this. Two years ago, who came in fourth? You probably don’t remember. In this format, everyone who makes the final table will be remembered. They will get promoted properly and everyone will get the attention that they deserve for such an accomplishment,” he said. “I think that they are finally making a big enough deal out of this event. There will be a proper build-up to the most exciting poker tournament in the world. It is really going to put anyone who makes the final table on the poker map and in history.”
Bill Edler also thinks it’s a good idea.
“The main event is definitely the Super Bowl of our sport. It has been a little unfortunate before when people already knew who won, so it will be more exciting for average fans who are watching,” Edler said. “When I finished 23rd in the main event last year, I was exhausted. This will give players a chance to rest before play in the most import tournament of their life.”
On the other side of the coin, Max Pescatori thought the idea was so bad that he joked that he thought it was April 1, and not May 1 (today), that was supposed to be April Fool’s Day.
Other WSOP Changes
Pollack and WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel also went over several changes that players will see this year. They include:
The WSOP starts May 30. On-site preregistration starts May 28.
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