Quote:
Originally Posted by AceHigh Pino  This is seriously one of the craziest things to ever be announced - I can't wait to hear what Harrah's has to say when the press conference goes down tomorrow.
I mean, I just couldn't fathom being in that big of a "zone" for a week at the biggest tournament of the year - only to have to wait 4 months to finish the tournament....all to build drama and buzz.
DISCUSS....  |
Okay after reading what some people have said on other boards I have to say that thsi idea is not all that bad. This could really put poker back into the mainstream. Imagine the players lives for those 3 months. They would be like quasi celebritys, almost like a reality show if you will. They will be on talk shows, radio shows, oprah, etc.... If there are no pros at the table then this
PR time would allow you to meet the players first, and you can decide who to root for.
It is not all great. There are many crazy things that coulsd happen and I have heard crazy things. Everything from collusion and crazy deal ideas and I have heard crazy (but not too far off) ideas about possible murders and such spawning from players wanting that added edge (they aren't playing for pennies here!).
So some pros:
Poker back in the mainstream
Players will be like "quasi celebs" bringing outside interest to poker
The build up will be greater
larger prizes (explained below)
Some cons:
Possible collusion
players will definetly be coached, possibly changing reads that players had on thier opponents 3 months earlier
other possible oddities could occur in the off time
So it isn't all bad but I think the good outweighs heavily the bad. When I first read about this I thought it was the worst idea ever but the more I think about it the more I like it! Imagine that you make the FT of the ME and have to wait 3 months. Imagine all of the interviews, the cameras, the hype. Then to finally play a sold out event with a huge crowd surrounding you... I think that you might lose the hype and intensity that goes along with playing the ME FT at the Rio with the hooting and hollering poker junkies surroudning you but in reality a final table setup liek this will be equally as intense, if not more.
Other things that should be mentioned. On Daniel N's blog he says the players will all receive thier 9th place money before the final table. The rest of the money will then be invested by Harrahs. Harrahs will not receive the interest the players will so the prize will be even bigger than if the FT was played immedietly! Also the players are being notified before buying in, it's not liek they don't see this coming (I am unsure how harrahs is handling people already currently bought in)
I was a skeptic of this whole idea at first but now it doesn't seem so bad.
