WSOP Main Event Question?
 

This is the only poker related TV that I even get excited for even more. I could not wait to watch this, but all other poker related TV I will only watch if I just happen to turn it on while i'm playing. Does anyone else feel this way? No matter what happens with the other tournies, I think this one will always continue to grow because of all the hype that surrounds it, and because it is truely the "one" premier poker tournament.

Re: WSOP Main Event Question?
 

I have my Tivo set to record anything poker related...

Re: WSOP Main Event Question?
 

I didn't watch tv before the poker boom.

Re: WSOP Main Event Question?
 

The Main Event also gets the best coverage of any tournament. How many hours are we getting for the Main Event this year? 10 or more?

Most of that coverage is non-final table hands in which there is no need to show lots of knock-out hands.

Re: WSOP Main Event Question?
 

[ QUOTE ]
The Main Event also gets the best coverage of any tournament. How many hours are we getting for the Main Event this year? 10 or more?
Most of that coverage is non-final table hands in which there is no need to show lots of knock-out hands.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that. Even compressing a full day into 1 hour of coverage (like day 1A and 1B) we got to see a different kind of poker from what is usually shown because of the deep stacks and slow blind structure so we got to see decisions and moves on all the streets.

The best TV poker I've seen IMO is the Championship Poker at the Plaza on FSN, and that was again because of the structure of the tournament, mixed with the hours of coverage, to give high quality poker and show some top notch poker on the way to Daniel Negreanu's win.

The Main Event is like that because we get to see all the stages of the tournament, some early, some mid-game, some bubble play, and the final table coverage.

Norman Chad was on the podcast poker show from Vancouver and mentioned how in a typical WSOP 1 hour coverage of one of the other events there is 46 minutes of coverage, and once you take out time for background color, the rules of the game, player profiles, Hold'em or Fold'em, and the Nuts you have time for ~15, maybe 20, final table hands. And the typical 10 person final table has 200+ hands. So less than 10% of the final table hands are shown and 0% of the non-final table hands are shown. Even if <1% of the non-final table hands are shown, showing 100+ of them does add to the context of the main event tournament.

And even if people argue if the Daniel Negreanu laydowns in day 1B were superior laydowns or merely decent/good ones, to see that kind of decision making on several different streets rather than the all-in fest of the typical TV poker is worth while.

And all of that is why the main event is destination TV for poker watching, before even getting into the fact that the main event is in a class of its own in terms of prestige as a tournament.

Re: WSOP Main Event Question?
 

I respect any man that wins the main event and I do enjoy watching it. But damn, 6,000 people, that is almost too much. The early stages are a bit ridiculous. I was watching it and it seemed like a few people were not taking it seriously. Randy Jensen was sitting around reading his book and when he got knocked out he didn't seem to care. That guy who almost knocked Jesus out with a k9, that was unbelievable. I actually prefer watching the smaller tournaments to the main event.

Re: WSOP Main Event Question?
 

Randy was reading a book at that time in an attempt NOT to bust out on the first day like he had the previous 3 years. The problem was he found a hand and went bust towards the end of the day. Fat bowler guy was in for only $225 and looked to bust a poker legend and get on TV.

Re: WSOP Main Event Question?
 

I was getting bored with the ESPN coverage this year. The novelty of watching events other then the ME had worn off from last year and they blew it not giving Johnny Chan's 10th bracelet full coverage.

Still the ME is just in a class of it's own. It has it's own amazing prestige and, imho, ESPN edits better then anyone else to create the drama. They, unlike the WPT and FSN events, have commentary that suppliments rather then talks over the table talk.

Ayone else feel like hitting the guy who hit cripple Jennifer Harmon and then slow rolled the nut Str8 flush? ;~)