The WSOP Extension

On May the 1^st, Harrah's announced what I think is the biggest change in WSOP history. They extended the WSOP, not in number of days, but in when the final table of the Main Event will be taking place.

When you get to the final 9 players this year, those chips will be bagged up as usual and the players will go home for the night, thinking of the possibility of becoming the 2008 World Series of Poker Champion. That’s when history ends and a new era begins. Nine players will then have to wait till November 9th and 10^th to play it out.

This decision, which was made by the powers that be at the World Series of Poker and in my opinion with strong urging by ESPN, will have both positive and negative effects.

The players committee which consists of TOP name players all gave their blessing and it’s no wonder, should one of them make the final table, it would mean a ton of $$ compared to the average guy getting there.

To see how the masses feel about the change, it’s easy to see that there are many on both sides of the fence, albeit from what I’ve read; more negative than positive. For a true sampling, look at the many poker forums around the world.

This article is my first thoughts on the subject as it just came to light, so I’m sure I’ll think of more as time passes, but in the meantime, let me start with the positives.

During that 4 month period of time:

Players will get the equivalent of 9^th place $$ to spend over the 4 months, this will allow then to play in other events that are high profile and get endorsement $$

Players will get more notoriety (15 minutes of fame extended)

Players will probably get more $$ to wear ‘logo-gear”, which I don’t take lightly and there will probably be tons of $$ for the waiting participants wearing gear as ESPN chronicles there life.

Players will get a break from the 7 day journey that gets them to the FT

There are plenty more positives, but:

What happens when players have 4 months to make a deal?

As a Pro, I count on the fact that I’ve been at 100 final tables in my career and the FT of a big event isn’t something you get a chance to practice. What happens when players can get expert coaching and now have the 9^th place money to pay for it?

What happens when players get a chance to watch the first 7 days of the WSOP broadcast, setting up their final table play?

What happens to the tradition of finishing the final table with no break in-between, the gruel being the time honored tradition?

Does this time allow for impropriety, you bet!

Does this time allow for strong arm influence, you bet!

What do you think of the final table playing down to 2 on the 9^th and then heads up play on the 10^th. What if one hand decides it all, or after they lose 7 players the chip count is 95% to 5%? You may think I’m crazy, but what happens when someone dies during those 4 months? Some year that’s going to happen, then what, take his chips out of play? Will that player be blinded off?

I can imagine a scenario where the player who has died is awarded 9^th place and the family of the player sues Harrah’s for 8 million dollars. No my friends this is just another case of Harrah’s/ESPN wins and the poker players who without whom there’d be no WSOP are once again with their hands tied.