WSOP Final Table Seems Set To Play Out on 9th November
According to reports on USAToday.com, the final table of the Main Event will be played out on 9th November, with Negreanu, Chan and Raymer have differing views on the move.
Thursday 1st May 2008
American news website USAToday.com has suggested that the final table of the Main Event will indeed be played out in November, a move which we alluded to last month. A press conference is due later today, with many expecting the move to be confirmed then.
While some in the poker community have questioned the change, two-time Main Event champion Johnny Chan, believes the change should be welcomed.
'Poker is a game of skill. The hands are random. … It's how you play your hand. I don't believe in hot streaks,' Chan says. Chan also added that the new format will allow sponsors to 'come to them [the players] and say, 'Hey, wear this patch or wear this logo. We'll give you X amount of dollars.''
The WSOP begins on 30th May, with ESPN airing taped broadcasts of various events from 22nd July onwards. Daniel Negreanu believes players at the final table will fully exploit those. 'They're going to watch the ESPN broadcasts and go, 'Oh, did you notice that? When he does this, he's bluffing,'' Negreanu says.
A news release from PokerStars explains 2004 Main Event champion Greg Raymer is torn about the new format because of the potential for coaching.
'It might be huge for the continued growth of poker; however, the down side is this long gap allows the players to become completely different people between the time they make the final table and when they play it,' says Raymer.
