2008 World Series of Poker Delivers Many New Historic Firsts

The saying goes nothing is as constant as change, and so it is with the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP), with Harrah's announcement that they will deliver a new set of historic firsts from the moment the cards are dealt this Friday in Vegas.

The 39th annual WSOP runs from May 30-July 14 and features 55 different bracelet events in almost every variation of poker. The 47-day extravaganza unfolds at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is annually the world's richest and most prestigious gaming tournament.

In addition to offering a record number of new championships in various poker disciplines and at a range of buy-in levels, the 2008 WSOP will include a historic format change to the $10,000 World Championship of No-Limit Texas Hold'em- commonly referred to as the Main Event- as well as a wide range of improvements for players and fans alike.

The innovations will be on display beginning Day One. The inaugural 2008 bracelet event is a $10,000 World Championship of Pot-Limit Hold'em, the first of its kind at the WSOP. The tournament also marks the first time since the WSOP went to a multi-event format that it has opened with a $10,000 buy-in championship.

In all, the 2008 WSOP will feature 55 bracelet events, including an all-time high of eight $10,000 World Championships and eight $5,000 championships. Tournament organizers also have included eight $1,500 championships in the schedule to create the most diverse mix of bracelet events ever offered.

"If you've dreamed of becoming a WSOP champion, this is the year to enter," said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. "With 55 opportunities to win a bracelet, more $1,500 and $10,000 events than ever before, and same day television coverage of our Main Event Final Table, the WSOP stage has never been brighter."

MAIN EVENT: FINALTABLE DELAYED 117 DAYS

Perhaps the most notable innovation at the 2008 World Series of Poker will be a groundbreaking format change for the Main Event. For the first time in the WSOP's 39-year history, the Final Table of the Main Event will be televised in primetime on ESPN the very same day that the WSOP World Champion receives their bracelet.

Once the final nine players of the Main Event are set on July 14, action will be suspended for 117 days. These players- to be known as the 'November Nine'- will have an opportunity during that time to secure sponsors and coaches, study their opponents' play and devise new playing strategies before reconvening at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on Nov. 9 to compete for the most coveted prize in poker.

The Main Event winner will be determined in the early morning hours of Nov. 11 and, in a telecast first, ESPN will air its final table coverage that night beginning at 9:00 PM ET.

MANY PLAYER STORIES

Amid these new and enhanced events will be a host of highly compelling player stories that develop during the six-week poker extravaganza. One of the most anticipated themes at the 2008 WSOP will be whether Phil Hellmuth, who won a record 11th gold bracelet at the 2007 WSOP, can further distance himself from the legendary duo of Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, or whether either of these 10-bracelet-winners can even the score with Hellmuth.

Fans will be equally interested to learn if the longest-ever winning streak for amateurs at the Main Event will continue for a seventh straight year and whether the unprecedented international participation- 87 countries were represented at the 2007 WSOP, and five countries were represented at the Main Event final table alone- will continue.

MANY RECORDS TO BREAK

As spectators navigate a more spacious and comfortable event layout- tournament and satellite tables will be spread over five rooms, creating more space in each- they will have a first-hand opportunity to see if any of the following records established in 2007 will fall this year:

CHANGES TO WSOP OPERATIONS

To enhance the overall player and spectator experience, a number of significant changes have been made to the WSOP tournament operations. In addition to spreading play over five rooms to reduce congestion and improve sight lines, other changes being instituted include: