Good news for WSOP and ESPN!

[mischman]

16 Hours of ME and the HORSE and HU! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!


ESPN's announcement:

ESPN released its schedule of televised events for this year's World Series of Poker. Although the schedule is still tentative, it includes 32 hours of coverage, the most air time ESPN has committed to the event in a single year, exceeding its 2006 coverage by 10 hours.
ESPN will televise the main event and 10 preliminary events, including the HORSE event, which remains the highest buy-in ($50,000) at the WSOP. Below is the tentative schedule:
• Event 1: $5,000 mixed hold 'em
• Event 3: $1,500 no-limit hold 'em
• Event 4: $1,500 pot-limit hold 'em or Event 7: $5,000 pot-limit Omaha
• Event 8: $1,000 no-limit hold 'em with rebuys
• Event 13: $5,000 pot-limit hold 'em
• Event 28: $3,000 no-limit hold 'em
• Event 30: $2,500 no-limit hold 'em six-handed
• Event 31: $5,000 heads-up or Event 33: $1,500 pot-limit Omaha with rebuys
• Event 39: $50,000 HORSE
• Event 50: $10,000 pot-limit Omaha
• Event 55: $10,000 no-limit hold 'em main event

One of the biggest changes is the coverage of the HORSE event (branded the "World Series of Poker Players Championship"), which will consist of six one-hour shows, instead of the one-hour final table which was shown last year. Additionally, the format for the final table will continue to include all five games in HORSE (hold 'em, Omaha, razz, stud and eight or better) instead of changing to strictly no-limit hold 'em play.

Making its debut will be the $5,000 heads-up event.

.... the main event, which will receive 16 hours of coverage, an increase of four hours from last year.

Also see the full schedule for the 2007 WSOP.

 

[bonesking121480]

that is awesome now wonder when this starts lol

 

[mischman]

that is awesome now wonder when this starts lol

Also see the full schedule for the 2007 WSOP.

 

[smd173]

Glad to hear the final table of HORSE will stay HORSE this year. Pretty good schedule. Still lots of TV hold'em, but what are you going to do.

 

[nateofdeath]

it's good that they've changed the HORSE format (it'll probably be the only one i watch), but the whole schedual is still a little to hold'em heavy for me.

-n

 

[thwizzofoz]

I agree it is hold'em heavy, but, people like my Dad mostly watch hold'em. He has recently started watching Omaha. I believe through exposure to the other games, more will understand them and want to watch them. Understanding is the key, I believe.

 

[DESSERTLADY]

I have to agree it is very Hold'em heavy. A few years ago it wasn't this bad like this. Maybe we need to start a writing campaign for 2008 to ESPN.........Atleast they are keeping the HORSE the right way.

 

[dj11]

The reasons why what is televised is Hold'em heavy is the pocket cam. It is a simple game to figure out.

Figuring out Omaha Hi/Lo hands on the fly still drives me nuts. I can remember at least 5 times in every Horse tourney I play where I have to go back and see just how I won it all, or lost it all, or missed it all. I sometimes think that without computers Omaha would still be a kitchen game. It might take longer to figure out who won a Omaha hand than it took to play it.

Don't get me wrong here, I love Omaha, and H/L best, but from an inexperienced POV it will drive many viewers crazy. Gonna need some very sharp and Omaha savvy comentators for a live broadcast. If it is edited, then it will be much more interesting.

The 3 stud games, Razz (7 stud low), 7 stud, and 7stud H/L8b will be used to recompile our brains.

 

[Jack Daniels]

I'm liking the coverage planned for both HORSE and the ME. It also looks they're planning to air the ME last like in previous years. This year was a marketing f'up by airing the ME first. I watched the coverage of it and didn't watch a single other thing. In years past I watched all of them week to week. I'm sure there are others that were the same and their viewership #s dropped.

Should be interesting.

 

[chriscw81]

this is great for me!! poker is the only reason i turn my tv on!

 

[nateofdeath]

I have to agree it is very Hold'em heavy. A few years ago it wasn't this bad like this. Maybe we need to start a writing campaign for 2008 to ESPN.........Atleast they are keeping the HORSE the right way.

I agree with the letter writting campaign, or manybe emails.

I understand that hold'em is a fairly easy game to understand and that's what most people play these days, but there's so much more to poker then just hold'em. it wouldn't be so bad if ESPN hadn't once highlighted such a wide variety of games. It's just personal preference i guess, but to me it gets repetitive, and I think people are missing out.

-n

 

[thwizzofoz]

Poker with commentaries would be great, and helpful. As long as they don't try to put Black Jack on.

Televised BJ is about the most boring card game I have seen.

An Omaha H/L with disection of hands would be nice to be better able to understand the starting postioning.

 

[smd173]

If it is edited, then it will be much more interesting.

All of the ESPN stuff is edited. So following Omaha or even Omaha H/L hands is as simple as any televised Hold'Em event. The graphics on the screen will show who is ahead and readjust after the cards are layed out.

It's just that everyone likes the easy road to money and Hold'Em is a much simpler game than Omaha or Omaha H/L.

But can it be much longer before there is a Poker Network and then the hardcore poker fans could see all the wsop events?

 

[thwizzofoz]

I think you are onto something. A poker network. Poker 24-7.

I would watch that. As long as they don't keep replaying Gold's win repeatedly.

 

[skoldpadda]

LOL, the Omaha is going to confuse the heck out of the average viewer who only knows Hold 'Em.

 

[thwizzofoz]

It (Omaha) confused my Dad for a bit, but, then he got used to it after we played a few hands at the kitchen table. Now even he watches it whenever he can.

 

[wsorbust]

Any word on whether or not they're pay-per viewing the final table of the ME again?

 

[RUBYSRIVER22]

that is awsome thanks for letting us know

 

[blankoblanco]

Very very great. I love watching the WSOP