Posted by The Captain | Filed under The Pros Speak
One of the biggest topics in the poker world right now is the new format for the WSOP Main Event. The confirmation that the final table will be delayed for roughly three months sent the poker news and blogging communities into a frenzy of posting activity expressing all manner of opinion on the delay.
While a lot of writers have made valid points both for and against the new format, what we really wanted to know is how individual pros really feel about it. Fortunately for us, we were able to sit down with Howard “The Professor” Lederer and get his thoughts on the subject. In his own words, here’s what he had to say:
I think that it (the delay) will be very cool. It will vastly increase interest across all media for the final event. Because we’ll have these nine players that people know are going to be playing for millions of dollars in a few months, it’s not over. It’ll be shown on ESPN as a news event, not something that happened three months ago. Think about the buzz that the mainstream media will generate: now all of a sudden you’ve got these nine people thinking about and dealing with the pressure of what’s coming up. We’re a reality culture – we want to get to know interesting people. Nine people who might win however many millions of dollars it turns out to be for first place are a lot more interesting to talk to than one person who won three months ago.
As far as taking an extended break goes, it is what it is. If those are the rules, everyone’s going to agree to them before they sit down to play. Everyone will know that if they are good enough or lucky enough to make it to the final table that they’re going to take a three-month break. Maybe they can work on their game, maybe they can get some coaching, or maybe they can even get some mainstream coverage or even professional sponsorship. Certainly, I think that the player that finishes fifth after this three-month delay will be much better known than the player who finished in fifth place last year. I’m not saying that it’s important to every player to become famous, but I think that creating famous poker players is good for the game.
Again, it’s a good thing overall. And there’s precedent for it. I played in the Ladbrokes Poker Million VI tournament where we played our heats early for taped TV in August of last summer. This built up to up to the Championship Grand Final that we didn’t play until December.
Of course things will turn out differently, but that’s how it goes in all of life. Your drive home might turn out differently if you leave an hour later. It just is what it is. It’s a three-month delay that’s going to create a lot of buzz and positive exposure for the game of poker – which is good for the game – and it will change the final table. How it will change it, we have no idea. But it’s all completely fair and I think it will be good.
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