Why does ESPN even bother with 9 players?

[shaniac]

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You just showed why they have more players at the final table.

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You are right, since I plan to watch one tournament out of 13 as opposed to all 13 (which I likely would if there were more players), I've clearly proved that point.

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Don't you mean you'd watch more with LESS players?

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Yes, that's what he meant--fewer players at the table makes curtains happier. In the heat of the moment, curtains clearly mistyped.

ESPN does a pretty good job with player-profiles and some of the color surrounding poker. If a 9-player format gives them more flexibility to do that, then I don't mind. Often the peripheral filler is more interesting than NL tourney hands.

The WPT is certainly a richer source of pure poker material, but it's somehow stuffier and less appealing. Both productions are leagues ahead of the competition. Poker players complain too much.

[Jimbo]

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You just showed why they have more players at the final table.

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You are right, since I plan to watch one tournament out of 13 as opposed to all 13 (which I likely would if there were more players), I've clearly proved that point.

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I understand what you meant to type. I also believe you will only watch one more episode. What I do not believe you proved is that more people would watch if there were less players. Where would this end? At six players? Five? Four? Three? Heads-up? On person playing solitaire should be able to make ratings history taking your theory to it's logical conclusion. Perhaps 60 minutes of a dealer sitting with his hand out waiting for a toke might be the highest rated WSOP show of all time.

[TheBlueMonster]

Just think about this logically (assuming that ESPN can't tell the future and won't know who will be entertaining)

[rheaume]

i downloaded some old school WSOP final tables that were broadcasted on ESPN. they were all 6 seat tables.

the most recent one i looked at was 93 or so think. maybe later. i have some more downloaded, just havent watched them yet.

so you could say, the wpt is ripping off the old wsop coverage.

[Quicksilvre]

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i downloaded some old school WSOP final tables that were broadcasted on ESPN. they were all 6 seat tables.

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The Main Event first had a nine-handed final table in 2002.

[sammysusar]

i seem to remember on one of the wsop updates they stopped at 10 handed (i think omaha) for espn. i think hellmuth was the shortest stack. more players probably means a better chance of having an interesting player to show.