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Joe_King
Royal Flush
Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 705
Location: Sydney Australia
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 Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 9:23 am Post subject: WSOP Final table in November 117 days after 10th busts WTF??? |
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USA Today is reporting tonight that the World Series of Poker Main Event will be stretched out all the way until November.
The Main Event will start on July 3rd and play down until the final table on July 14th. Then, there will be a multi-month pause in the tournament, and the players will re-convene on November 9th.
On November 9th, the final table will begin. They will then play down from 9 players to 2. The final heads-up battle will take place on November 10th.
Then, ESPN will televise the final table just a few short hours later on November 11th, to allow for an "almost virtually real-time telecast".
This means that there will be a 117-day pause in the tournament.
ESPN have said that they will also air a "special" on November 4th that will talk about what the final table players have been doing between July and November.
The reason for the change is fairly obvious - higher ratings.
This change will impact the tournament and players in a number of ways, including:
-it will allow players more time to negotiate lucrative sponsorship deals for the final table
-it will allow players to receive extensive coaching from July to November
-it enhances the possibility that a player might not be able to participate at the final table due to illness, death or another reason (how bad would it look if a player were simply blinded off at the final table?)
-it will allow players more time to sell "pieces" of themselves at the final table
-it will allow players to review footage of the Main Event up to the final table and adjust their play accordingly
The people behind this decision say that it is good for the game and good for the "growth of poker".
Apparently there will be a news conference at 11 am on Thursday morning to discuss this change. We'll have a more in-depth article once we listen to this news conference. |
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feihua
Royal Flush
Joined: 14 Oct 2006
Posts: 840
Location: Asakura, Fukuoka Japan
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 10:28 am Post subject: |
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Yeah, it is the truth.
They did it. I was hoping against it. But it is done. And weird.
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Final Nine Players Will Square-Off This November on ESPN
LAS VEGAS – May 1, 2008 – The World Series of Poker® (WSOP) Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light today announced a groundbreaking change that will more closely align the televised presentation of the world’s largest, richest and most prestigious poker tournament with other premier sports broadcasts.
The last nine players of the $10,000 World Championship of No-Limit Texas Hold’em, known as the Main Event, will compete on November 9-10 instead of the originally scheduled date of July 16.
“Our intent is to provide an even bigger stage for our players,” said Jeffrey Pollack, Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. “Now fans and viewers will ask ‘who will win’ our coveted championship bracelet instead of ‘who won.’ The excitement and interest surrounding our final nine players will be unprecedented.”
This change in how the Main Event final table is staged will bring the excitement and drama of high-stakes WSOP tournament play closer to millions of fans around the globe.
All other 2008 WSOP tournament structures and schedules remain unchanged. This announcement affects only the final nine players of Event #54, the Main Event World Championship.
Continuing the trailblazing efforts that have made the WSOP the industry standard, this move is being made in close collaboration with ESPN, the television rightsholder of the WSOP, and the WSOP Players Advisory Council (PAC), the commissioner-appointed committee of professional and amateur poker players who provide guidance and perspective to the WSOP leadership team.
"It's an exciting time for the World Series of Poker and ESPN," said Jamie Horowitz, senior producer, ESPN Content Development. "This adjustment will add a new element to a very successful and popular event. We look forward to documenting all of the exciting stories that make the WSOP Main Event the seminal competition in all of poker."
“This is a huge step forward for poker and more specifically poker on television because it will help create more buzz around the final table and that is good for all of us,” said Daniel Negreanu, a WSOP PAC member, three-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and one of today’s most successful and popular poker professionals. “Not only will this innovative step create more buzz for the final table, the added time prior to the final table will help get poker mainstream media attention. I’m very excited about this decision and can’t wait to see it all unfold, hopefully from a seat at the final table!”
The 39th annual World Series of Poker will take place from May 30th to July 14th at the Rio® All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The Main Event will begin on July 3rd, with the Final Table being determined on July 14th. The nine players who advance to the Final Table will return to the Rio on November 9th to play down to just two players. The final two, will go head-to-head late in the evening on November 10th to determine the champion and winner of poker’s ultimate prize.
The winner of the Main Event is expected to be crowned in the early hours of November 11. ESPN will edit the two-day Final Table action and televise it in a two-hour program from 9:00-11:00 PM ET on Tuesday, November 11 just hours after the winner is crowned. This is akin to television coverage of the Olympic Games, where because of time zone differences, the telecaster schedules programs “same day” in primetime to provide the largest possible audience a convenient viewing time.
ESPN will begin its coverage of the 2008 World Series of Poker on Tuesday, July 22. Viewers will see two hours of original poker programming every Tuesday through November 11 (except November 4 when a special preview of the Final Table will be aired at 10 p.m.). Telecasts will be aired at 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. July 22 through September 30 and at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. from October 7 through November 11.
Each of the players who make it to the WSOP Main Event Final Table will receive ninth place prize money on July 14, when the finalists are determined. Harrah’s will then provide each of those players with an all expense paid trip for two for their return to Las Vegas in November to play the final portion of the tournament.
From July 14 to November 9, a span of 117 days, players will have an opportunity to line up sponsorships, coaches, review the play of all their competitors, participate in other tournaments, and take advantage of the new publicity and promotional opportunities that will be available. |
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Honest_Rob
Postmaster General
Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Posts: 5120
Location: trying to get back to even
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 11:17 am Post subject: |
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| sacrilege |
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joshlive9
Banned
Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 230
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 11:18 am Post subject: |
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| Seriously....wow, I am truly disappointed. I guess I can see some of the benefits of doing this, but I definitely see many more negatives. |
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BOYNAMEDSUE
Moderator
Joined: 27 Jun 2005
Posts: 7141
Location: Toronto
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 11:47 am Post subject: |
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Do all the players get 9th place money right away to tie them over until the final table?
This is **** dumb. |
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mgodd
Royal Flush
Joined: 31 Dec 2007
Posts: 615
Location: North Carolina
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah that sounds pretty retarded to me. I have never played in any big tournaments or anything before, but I would imagine that you would seem to lose a lot of momentum after running hot every day for a few weeks and then come back 4 months later to finish. Also for the guys that travel from the other side of the country, or even internationally for that matter, that adds unnecessary travel expenses and hassels to make an extra trip out there for such a short time. And for the Joe Schmoe who makes it that has a real job and a limited amount of vaction time, I don't think that is very fair. |
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g_420man
Message Board Junkie
Joined: 13 Dec 2007
Posts: 1518
Location: Fulltilt poker. Where tilting is a normal thing.
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 5:58 pm Post subject: |
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thats really stupid cause the players have the WSOP planed for the time frame that it takes place and for those who have other tourneys or on tour have to reschedule just to go play a 9 person final table cause the network wants to and has taken over the WSOP to go ahead and take the fun out f it.
Looks like espn has Jeffrey Pollack wsop commissioner in there pocket. is espn really hurting for rating just to hear Norman Chad say wamboozled 1000 times? |
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Flying_Kiwi
Message Board Junkie
Joined: 03 Sep 2006
Posts: 5219
Location: Popping bubbles
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 6:13 pm Post subject: |
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| It's turning into a complete farce. I also would see it as being a slight security risk to any of the regular types who make the final table. It allows 4 whole months for all the vultures, beggars and long lost friends to start circling. |
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renegades8
Forum Fish
Joined: 26 Nov 2006
Posts: 3117
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 6:28 pm Post subject: |
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My thoughts on this: I'll tell you guys in a few months. 
But really, I hate it as well. I don't really feel like reading the whole thread, but I think it's bad for the good players and good for the bad players. This allows the bad players to improve their game and also gets rid of any momentum and players have built up throughout the tournament. |
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feihua
Royal Flush
Joined: 14 Oct 2006
Posts: 840
Location: Asakura, Fukuoka Japan
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 7:01 pm Post subject: |
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My biggest worry?
This is another sign that Fantasy Poker is not going to happen this year. |
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jonn deer
High Card
Joined: 01 May 2008
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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two problems i see with it:
1- the short stack has four months to hire a hitman and whack the rest of the players. or they might get sick and die from natural causes.
2- WSOP would hold the prize money for four months and earn interest on it. where would that money go.
but for one thing, i really hope im one of the nine people that are worrying about this come june. |
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live4freerolls
Message Board Junkie
Joined: 23 Nov 2006
Posts: 1786
Location: Micro Ballin
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 9:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Yeah seriously what if someone dies, lololol. |
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bigblackgmc
High Card
Joined: 01 May 2008
Posts: 3
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 10:51 pm Post subject: ME Round 2 |
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| Does anyone know how to register for round 2. I won a round 1 event awhile ago and now it says I do not have any entries. Please advise! |
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goomlah
Royal Flush
Joined: 08 Sep 2005
Posts: 561
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: Thu May 01, 2008 11:09 pm Post subject: |
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| WSOP, you have got to be f-----n kidding me. What good does this do besides make better TV? |
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sixandfour
Royal Flush
Joined: 31 Mar 2007
Posts: 534
Location: Far from home
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| Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 12:10 am Post subject: |
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One thing you guys are forgetting is how much money the final 9 can make on promotional appearances, sponsorships, and just have their "day in the sun" for 4 months. I'm not so sure I'd be upset about the wait for an extra million or two and a lucrative sponsorship deal, especially if it extends beyond the ME. As for the delay and chance to study up, I figure every one will have the same ability to study one another, and while some lucky noob may get better, there's only so much you can get from coaching. Experience is the best teacher. The best players will be best able to use these new benefits to their advantage.
Yeah, this whole idea is pretty self-serving for Harrah's and ESPN, but the players stand to gain here too. |
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