Is It Live or Is It the WSOP Main Event?

Filed in archive Tournament News on April 9, 2008

There has been a few instances where an online poker tournament ended when the final table was reached then the remainder of the tourney was played out several weeks/months later at a live locale (Paradise Poker Million Dollar freeroll was one of them). It's a great idea that you work hard to reach the final table, and are guaranteed the reward of doing so, plus the bonus of seeing your competitors live might give you an advantage versus playing against a picture of their kid or an avatar. But, what if the 90-day delay occurred at a live tourney?

And the biggest one of them all, at that?

Rumors have been swirling about in several blogs that Harrah's is considering moving the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event back 90 days from the time the 10th place finisher shows down a losing hand. Several pros and cons have been spouted, a great list by Tao of Poker guest writer but certainly no stranger to the WSOP, photographer and writer B.J. Nemeth.

"You get 90 days to study your opponent"
"You get 90 days to become a better player"
Are just a just a few cons to the idea, but as B.J. spells out there are several pros that outweigh the cons, the least of which all poker players are concerned about... money.

Sponsorship deals not made in the heat of the moment, several month worth of interviews and "hometown hero" type articles appearing in the local rags and magazines. Granted the final table still can't be shown live, but a mere 1-day delay in the Main Event broadcast on ESPN, I believe would greatly improve ratings as long as there's attempts to block real-time information on how the final table is playing out.

Please check out the links above for more opinions on this potentially sweet deal for the final nine next year.