The beginning of the end kicked off bright and early at noon (OK, bright and early for poker players) in the Amazon Room at the Rio as the final of the four First Days came to the felt. Normally in the tournament world at the end of four days we're down to a final table, or at least three tables. Not at the World Series of Poker, however; in this marathon, four days is just the start of the game..
Professionals crowded the room as well as the newcomers and online players looking to make their mark. Defending World Champion Joe Hachem was regaling his tablemates with stories and it seemed that the mood was quite relaxed there. This wasn't the case for the table that held both "Captain" Tom Franklin and 2006 WSOP bracelet winner Max Pescatori. It seemed that they both were seeing how much their opponents could take as the floor was called on a couple of occasions to quell disputes. This, however, was more the excecption than the norm.
Other professionals getting their feet wet in the Main Event included Marcel Luske, Cyndy Violette, Freddy Deeb, Huck Seed and 2002 Champion Robert Varkonyi. One player seemed to sum up the general thoughts of people who have never seen the size of the Amazon Room when he commented, "It looks like a giant bingo game." If you know of a bingo game where the top prize is $10 million, please let us know.
On other fronts, I was speaking with writer and humorist Max Shapiro last night as we both strolled the aisles of the Main Event. One thing that he brought up is that the World Series has almost encompassed the abilities and size of the Amazon Room, so he proposed an interesting idea. Besides raising the buy-in for the Main Event (unfortunately that is something I can see happening), Max suggested the idea that, since Harrah's owns so many properties in Las Vegas, dividing early action up for the Main Event between the different properties and then at some point bring the players together to decide the champion.
This would work on many fronts and not so well on others. While it would allow for action to be played out and cut the time of playing the Main Event down (currently we're looking at a two week tournament and, if the field gets any larger, could you imagine a month long exodus?), it could be difficult to logistically plan out. In this day and age of the Internet, however, I wouldn't expect that.
Where the problems would come in is when it comes to television coverage. ESPN has already chopped their preliminary coverage down and, while they will turn around the two week World Series for broadcast only about ten days later, they wouldn't be so quick to be a part of filming at four or five different locations. The cost and logistics for ESPN would definitely increase and, as poker continues to be in the growing stages, we still need that around to help further the game.
As the action continues on into the afternoon, though, thoughts are not on the future or even tomorrow. The final Day One players are looking to join the other 2400 or so survivors who will come back on Tuesday and Wednesday. Then the real poker playing can begin at the World Series.
No comments
Add Your Comment