WSOP needs Big Changes
Every year they play the final table and every year people light up the online message boards with complaints. Normally I am able to make some type of argument related to game play and situational thinking. Not this year though, this year was a debacle. These were not just "misreads" as they were kindly saying on the broadcasts, these were people playing to get lucky. The two that played to get the most lucky did and Joe Cada ran like no one historically has before him. I doubt anyone will ever go from just over two million in chips to win the World Series of Poker ever again, you have to really put yourself out there to do that.
You really can not blame Darvin Moon though
I think we all saw exactly how bad Darvin Moon is last night, clearly he came into the final table with the idea that he would bully people around and re-raise and outplay them postflop, when that did not work it was onto plan B and plan B was just move all-in preflop. While sad and annoying to anyone that follows poker, let's be honest it was his best strategy and it got him second place. Sure he had to get lucky more than a few times but he was better off relying on luck than skill.
It is Joe Cada's play that was disappointing
I totally get that it is part of the whole deal to sell the kid in post production as a "poker prodigy" but no one is going to buy that after this final table. I am sure the kid has some ability and just had a difficult time adjusting to the situations that seemingly baffled him the whole final table but every time he got bailed out (except the AJ hand against Shulman that was one silly play that did not work).
There need to be big changes
For poker to be taken seriously over the long haul the main event needs to become a $50,000 buy-in. I am sure a $50,000 buyin is already in the works but it needs to be the premier event that ESPN exposes. That gives really everyone what they all want, more skill and higher profile names at the final table. In addition that final table should be at least two broadcast weeks long. There were some silly plays at the $40,000 event this year but nothing like last nights broadcast.
In terms of the argument for bigger and better names at the final table that has never meant a lot to me. Only established pros care about that nonsense and they whine about it incessantly so Jeffrey Pollack tries to throw them a bone occasionally. ESPN and the WSOP can make stars out of anybody, sure it helps when Phil Ivey shows up at the final table but they do not NEED that to happen to have an entertaining match. The next Phil Ivey is probably playing micro-stakes online somewhere. So the focus needs to be on quality, if known players show up at the final table that will just be a bonus. This event needs six weeks of coverage.
Also please do not subject us to HORSE. Do some testing in any market without big name pros and you will see what your ratings already tell you.
Keep the $10,000 buyin event
In fact, that could use a facelift too, but it needs to be the event that airs before the premier event. As commissioner I am sure the tradition and prestige of the Main Event is something that is tricky to mess with, so do not mess with it. Call the other event something like WSOP Premier or something to that effect. While we are talking about big changes I would like to see a regional qualifier. Rather than having 7,000 people show up at the WSOP why not play day one and two at Harrah's properties around the world, trust me all the people in Europe and Asia will thank you. This could even be a great opportunity to get your brand into more markets and I am sure there would be casino's that are not Harrah Properties that would love the co-branding opportunity. Keep it ten venues or so and for goodness sake do not make it as long as this year, no one really cares to know that Daniel Negreanu has a cold must less be subjected to two hours of it (if it was one hour it seemed longer).
The Main Event coverage was too long this year
My proposal gives you two premier events ( I know you already think the WSOPE is one but it is not), I think you guys struck gold with the November Nine idea. Now it is time to move forward with a change that is not even as big. The difference being that you would have two final nines, the kiddie table like you had last night and the event for the grown ups.
Tags: WSOP poker World Series of
5 responses to WSOP needs Big Changes
Thursday, November 12, 2009
I agree with most of the post. I was also very dissapointed by this years final table. And guess what happened to my mind during watching? I really started to think about that maybe poker IS A LUCK-GAME, like all the politics and restrictive gouverments tries to tell us here in Europe!?! Well one thing is for sure: if nobody ever lays a hand down, it will be it. And this years finals didnt muck too much.
Maybe a new additional event can help, but maybe it pushes out people, who then see the difference and dont even play the 10K anymore. When i remember the footage i saw from this years 40K event i also wasn´t too happy at all. So i hope the people from Harrahs notice the problem and find a proper solution. I just hope that this years final table didnt hurt poker too much in the end...
Stay tight!
Greetings, greygoose
Thursday, November 12, 2009
I agree w/ the post, we should see better poker players at the finals table not some "hope i hit" players. Its the WORLD SERIES of POKER, not hey lets get together and try this game out i saw on tv. You wouldn't pay to see some crappy no good baseball players at the World series in the MLB, you want to watch the best, the greatest hell even the good up-and-coming players not crap like we saw at the finals this year. Sometimes poker is about luck, its called gambling but what we saw was Cada and Moon playing like crap, little skill and mostly based on luck on those stupid calls they made. It was a waste of my time. Screw you if this sounds like a ramble, because it is. lol/ I just watch the WSOP and am sadly dissapointed.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
why does everyone insist on this. Don't people understand that its the size of the main event that makes it so great(7k players), the fact that its a tournament and that anyone can win (jaimie gold) and that its a tournament so an sometimes people get it in bad and still end up winning the whole thing (cada). Seriously if we wanted to figure out who the best player in the world was we'd just have everyone play 500k hands this year and find out who has the best win rate. Oh wait that person is already out there (cts) but nobody cares. What the masses love is the fact that anyone can get in and anyone can win. There will never be a substitute for the main and that is a good thing.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Agreed. Good Post.
Leave a reply
Download and run Bluffware to have your hands automatically uploaded to your personal Bluff.com database.
Watch this video to see how.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Flash I didn't say get rid of the main event, I actually think my idea would expand it by quite a bit, it just shouldn't get ALL of the attention. I think my solution is a good compromise to that effect.