The November Nine

In each of the 40 years of its existence, the World Series of Poker has consistently revised its schedule of offerings in order to create both the most attractive series of events as well as the most challenging test of poker skill.

It wasn’t until the WSOP’s second year (1971) that a no-limit hold’em freeze-out tournament was played to determine poker’s world champion. While the Main Event has remained a no-limit hold’em tournament ever since, there have been numerous changes to the event over the last four decades. That is to say, the decision in 2008 to create the “November Nine” and delay the Main Event final table was not the first time the tournament’s format had been altered.

In 1978, the tournament stopped being played as a winner-take-all event in which only the first-place finisher won any cash, and from thereafter the prize pool began to be divided among the top finishers. By 1980, the year Stu Ungar won the first of his three WSOP Main Event bracelets, the tournament had grown to 73 entrants and took four days to complete. It would remain a four-day event until 2001 by which time the field had expanded to a whopping 613 entrants, requiring that year’s champion, Carlos Mortenson, five days to claim all of the chips.

The Main Event was still being played on five consecutive days when Chris Moneymaker won in 2003, besting a total field of 839 players. The WSOP Main Event field then jumped dramatically to 2,576 players the following year. That would be the first year -- 2004 -- that the WSOP Main Event would stage multiple “Day Ones,” with half the field starting on one day and the other half starting on a second day before the survivors all joined together for their second day of play. Players would end up playing seven days altogether, with Greg Raymer ultimately taking the bracelet.

In 2005, the last year the final table was played at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino, the 5,619 entrants were divided into three separate “flights” or “Day Ones,” then competed six more days before Joe Hachem came out on top. The following year saw the most entrants -- 8,773 -- ever to play in a single WSOP Main Event. That year players were divided into four separate “Day Ones,” then two separate “Day Twos” before all playing together on the third day of play. Those making the final table would play seven days total, then take one day off before reconvening for an eighth day from which Jamie Gold emerged victorious. A similar format was followed in 2007, the year Jerry Yang won the title in a field of 6,358.

Then, in 2008, came what was the most dramatic change to the Main Event format since the WSOP’s inception. A total of 6,844 players played four Day Ones and two Day Twos, then players played five more days until only nine remained. Those players then went on a nearly four-month-long hiatus before gathering back at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on November 9th -- thus giving rise to the term “November Nine.” Those nine players played down to two -- Ivan Demidov and Peter Eastgate -- who then came back the next day for a heads-up battle. The 22-year-old Eastgate won, becoming the youngest ever WSOP Main Event champion.

The WSOP will be repeating the same “November Nine” format in 2009. Once again there will be four Day Ones (July 3-6), two Day Twos (July 7-8), an off day, then six more days of play (July 10-15) to whittle the field down to nine players. Those nine will then take the next 115 days to line up sponsorships, perhaps hire coaches, practice their games, and study their opponents before coming back on November 7 to begin the final table.

Once again, players will be playing down to two and then stopping, this time taking a two-day break before coming back to decide the 2009 WSOP Main Event champion on Tuesday, November 10. There will also be a special enshrinement ceremony during the final table weekend to honor this year’s inductees into the Poker Hall of Fame who will be selected both by a jury of poker media and fans during the weeks of play this summer.

Be sure to follow all of the action from this year’s World Series of Poker here at PokerNews.com.