Final Table Schedule

What's everyone's opinion on the new schedule for the final table?

For those who aren't aware, play schedule remains the same as previous years until they get down to the final nine players on July 14.

The final nine all receive 9th place payout $ & go home to rest, study up their opponents & get ready to play again.

They reconvene November 9th & play it out for 2 days.

ESPN will start airing weekly coverage the third week of July to finish up the week before the final table & will edit the final table coverage in 2 days to air November 14th.

The objective is to build interest in the tourney & make it air like a professional sports league with the final table being a playoff atmosphere.

i hate it and i hope it back fires into the wsop's face.....

If I was at the final table in this situation, I would definitely want the extra time to study my opponents, even though the great game I might have been playing throughout the event may fade, and hurt me at the final table. As a fan, I would rather see it play out like it used to. My friends and I usually get together and buy the Pay Per View option, and watch the final table all the way through, but something tells me they might not have the pay per view option, or you may have to buy 2 options (one for the first day of final table play, and one for the heads up play?).

3 months to rest?? seems like their trying to manufacture another poker boom -the advantage would clearly go to the inexperienced chris moneymaker types who will inevitably make the ft... it's clearly a hype builder but i'll still watch.

From a punters point of view... I'd love to see it all on the TV.
From another punters point of view, It sucks to have to wait..

If I was a player there, I would be upset as you know how poker works.. Good runs and bad runs.. If I was at the final table of the main (one day, one day) then I would be on a good run, a great run.. I wouldn't want to have to wait... I might be on a bad run then.

I'd think the advantage swings to the pros who make it. They'll have time to study the games of the unknowns who make it so they'll no longer be unknown. Meanwhile the lucky amateur will have time to get nervous, deal with sudden celebrity, and think himself to death.

ooo I've just thought that if the shows are broadcast before the final, you'll be able to watch the hole cards of your opponents in the previous rounds! Ouch!

Exactly, imagine watching Jamie Gold's play before you went up against him at the final table. That's why he blew out of the last to ME's in the first day.

Big advantage for any players who escape sitting at the featured tables or escape the cameras (Jerry Yang).

Hmmm, they all get 9th place money and then when they re-convene, do they still play for millions. Would the 8th place finisher still get the 8th place money as well? or just the difference in the two?

All the places get the difference between 9th & their finishing position. They also get comped travel arrangements for two for the additional trip to Vegas.

I hope no ninjas make it to the final table, or there might only be one person sitting down come November.

Seriously, this format invites some serious security concerns. With that much money on the line, at the minimum I would hire a brass band to play outside all the other players' hotel rooms the night before so they got no sleep.

Not to mention the possibility of collusion between players.

Could there be a possibilty of a chop pot? Each player last year could have walked away with $2.45M by chopping... who am I kidding... to be in the spotlight... nope... no chop pot

Do they allow deals in the WSOP. I have never heard of any?

I wonder if the 9 players will go to the final table with their previous chip stacks or start with a set amount.

^previous chip stacks

That's what I figured, it would be stupid to go the other route.

To put it bluntly... you wouldn't. Whether Harrah's participate in them actively or not, there's absolutely nothing they can do about the players getting together on break, hammering out their own deal and then playing on and sorting out the cash afterwards.

I imagine they'd actively discourage it for the Main Event though. Do a deal on the deuce-seven final table? Meh, who cares. But give the public the idea that the November nine aren't playing to win? My god, poker is even more fake than professional wrestling!

As for the original topic, it was discussed at length back in May after the announcement:

WSOP ME Final Table to be delayed...

FWIW, my view is meh - the Main Event is just one of 55 events at the World Series. I've been following the blogs on the other 54 for the past month and a bit. If delaying the final table of one event means we get to preserve the other 54 in their current state, then that's fine by me.

just because u have guaranteed money, doesnt mean u dont care about the bracelet, everyone who plays poker plays for the oppertunity to take down the main event, a deal might even make the play better because the players dont have to worry about coming 9th and getting 600k while 1 place more they get 900K

I think I remember reading one time that one of the final 3 the year Moneymaker won had tried to cut a 3 way chop and I think Chris was the one who turned it down. Then went on to win.

As mentioned elsewhere, Harrah's can't stop you, but I'm sure they don't love the idea.

After all, the money is one thing, but what are you going to do with the bracelet, take a hacksaw to it?

I am so wwith you here lol, you sound so mad in this post, im liking the angryness lol

lmoa @ them thinking themselves to death cuz its so true

mike matusow's oppinion
YouTube - WSOP 2008 Final Table

We're talking about public perception though - the Average Joe that watches ESPN. If he was to find out that the players had done a deal for the prize money, the whole thing would become a professional wrestling style joke in the public's eyes.

Sure, they still play for the bracelet. But it's the nine million bucks that gets the public interested.

I couldn't have heard a better argument, well said Mikey!

personally i would prefer to watch it all in one go because you know there and then who the winner is, however if you look at it from the pro's point of view they get 3 months rest, time to improve their game and also time to study other players games. As a result of this i feel that the competition will be alot harder and exciting thus creating a better final table to watch for the public. also i assume the WSOP will chuck every single $$$ for advertising it and hyping the final table up.

good for poker IMO more publicity and I think the idea was to create a celebrity status of Finalists and build up anticipation.

More advertising = more new players!!!

= More Donks = More money

mmm they would just keep playing and the winner would get the bracelet...even with a deal. Its like on pokerstars when theres a sunday million deal, they still must play for the remaining 30k that gets taken out and put in the middle by the deal.

=more hookers=less money=life is a vicious cycle

I have no argument with the Mouth. I agree with just about everything he said. He brings up many very good points. Such as what happens if somebody gets sick or dies?

This was a very good rant from the Mouth.

lol, i actually laughed outloud at this

Same thing as if they'd gotten sick or died the night before an un-delayed final table, I'd think.

I think the bottom line is this: the Main Event isn't for the poker fanatics any more. It's for the masses. If this is what's best for the masses, what brings in the most money for Harrah's so they continue to put on the rest of the series, then so be it.

The prestige that used to be attached to winning the Main Event has really been transferred to the $50K HORSE. That's the event that decides who the best poker players in the world are.

Hahaha so did I lol !!!

something will go wrong, something that could have been avoided if the final table would not have been delayed (i can only hope)