Gone 'til November: A Look at the Main Event Final Table

In an attempt to garner more attention and publicity, Harrah's Entertainment recently announced that the lucky nine who make the World Series of Poker Main Event final table will get a 117 day break after the final table bubble has burst. While this will allow the WSOP to create almost four months worth of buzz and crown a Main Event winner on ESPN in almost real time, giant question marks have been raised by both proponents and those opposed to the hiatus. Let's take a look at the major points.

Sponsors

Ever since Chris Moneymaker claimed the 2003 title, triggering the poker boom, sponsors have plastered their logos all over those at the final table. In years past, such sponsorship deals were usually a split second decision. With only one night between making the final table and actually playing for the championship, players weren't left with much leverage. Now, players will have 117 days to negotiate, finding the best deal for them, maybe even be the center of a bidding war between online cardrooms, such as Full Tilt or PokerStars. Maybe the amount of buzz created by the time off will attract sponsors outside of the usual online poker rooms. I've often wondered why companies like Red Bull aren't tapping into the poker market.

Collusion

Many players have already voiced concern that the layoff will leave time to collude with others at the table. While it's not far-fetched to think that final table participants could strike friendships, in turn devising schemes or making deals, it appears that the WSOP has faith in the participants. While online tournaments have often been the subject of scandal, with a handful of the top online players found guilty of violating Terms of Service through multi-accounting, seat selling or other forms of collusion, the live arena seems to hold faith in the honor system. Major live tournaments have yet to face the breaches seen in the online arena and until they do, the WSOP has no reason not to trust the final nine, or any entrant, for that matter. These are all questions that could arise in the days or weeks following the telecast on November 11th, but appear to be pushed to the back burner until then.

Preparation

Greg Raymer, the 2004 Main Event winner, said in PokerStars news release that the delay, "might be huge for the continued growth of poker; however, the down side is this long gap allows the players to become completely different people between the time they make the final table and when they play it."

This looks to be an advantage, not so much for professional players, but for amateurs or relative unknowns. Players will most likely spend a large part of their time studying, not only tightening up their game itself through books or coaching, but researching others at the table. Expect players to spend a lot of time studying a final tabler's tendencies on TV, or surfing through clips on YouTube. There are a lot of clips of pros playing big hands on the internet, which could give the upper hand to an unknown.

"They're going to watch the ESPN broadcasts and go, 'Oh, did you notice that? When he does this, he's bluffing,'" said Daniel Negreanu. "Great players and amateurs alike will have an opportunity to really devise schemes and plans for how they're going to play."

Expect to see improved play and reads by the lesser knowns and perhaps non-traditional play by any professionals who make the final nine. Well prepared opponents are most likely going to force such pros to switch up their style.

Availability

Two questions arise when talking about availability; Will players, especially foreign, decide not to show up, due to committing in both July and November? And what if, for whatever reason, a player makes the final table, but can't physically attend?

Many people in the poker business are predicting a larger Main Event field than the 6,358 who coughed up the $10K buy-in last year. While there is a chance that prior November commitments, or travel difficulties, could turn away some prospective entrants, the WSOP seems to have faith that players will still make their way to the Rio. Since the delay only effects nine players in the field, you would have to believe that anyone who gets that far will do everything in their power to clear their schedule and make the trip. After all, the WSOP has stated that they will pay each player 9th place money before the 117 day break and pay for their trips back to Vegas in November.

As for a player not being able to attend due to uncontrollable circumstances, or whatever, the current answer from the WSOP is simple… blind them off. This is standard tournament practice. Some players, like two-time Main Event winner Doyle Brunson, call the break "overkill" and have thrown out the suggestion of having an alternate, which at this moment seems to be out of the question. WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack insists that the chance of uncontrollable circumstances surround all sporting events. Besides, who's to say one is more susceptible to accident or injury during a 117 break than in the tail end the grind that is the WSOP Main Event. Some of these players are coming off of two months or stressful tournaments and the Las Vegas lifestyle. A break might do people good, especially if those players use this time to take or themselves and spend days preparing, not partying.

Momentum

The idea of momentum may come into question. What if you're playing your A-game at the time? What if you don't think you will be able to replicate the run that got you to the final table four months down the road? What if you have reads on players, but those reads disappear in the upcoming months as players tighten up their games? These are all very plausible situations. As of right now, the answer is simple, deal with it. Everyone at the table will be faced with the same problem, so theoretically, there shouldn't be any advantages. Johnny Chan, the last player to win back-to-back Main Event titles, told USA Today that, "poker is a game of skill. The hands are random. … It's how you play your hand. I don't believe in hot streaks." So don't expect to be cut any slack from former champions.

While these questions will probably loom until the final table wraps in the early hours of November 11th, the delay is now set in stone and players will just have to make due. It is possible that a bad experience in 2008 could lead the WSOP and the Players Advisory Committee (PAC) to revert back to old ways. For now, those involved with the decision seem genuinely excited about the idea of crowning the champion the same day that the program will air.

"Our intent is to provide an even bigger stage for our players," said Pollack. "Now fans and viewers will ask 'who will win' our coveted championship bracelet instead of seeing 'who won.' The excitement and interest surrounding our final nine players will be unprecedented."

"It's an exciting time for the World Series of Poker and ESPN," said ESPN , senior producer Jamie Horowitz. "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 PAC member Daniel Negreanu. "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!"

At this time, the poker community remains split between those in favor of and opposed to the lay off. They will most likely remain that way until the WSOP has finally wrapped in the closing weeks of 2008. The major powers behind the WSOP, Harrah's Entertainment and ESPN, feel that by building up players during the hiatus, with events like the scheduled final table preview to air on Nov. 4th, they will attract more than just the casual fan. Rather than reading results as they happen in outlets such as poker news sites, fans can tune into the two-hour program on ESPN in almost real time. For those who don't approve of the schedule change, hey, at least they got rid of the poker tent this year.