Lucky Dog Poker by Russ Scott

This year's World Series of Poker $10,000 main event will have the longest commercial break in television history. The question is, will consumers and fans buy in or drop out?

The WSOP announced late last week that after the final nine contenders are decided on July 14 at the Rio in Las Vegas, the championship will be suspended for 117 days until Nov. 9-10. One day later, ESPN will air final-table action in a prime-time special just hours after a winner is crowned.

"Now fans and viewers will ask 'who will win' our coveted championship bracelet instead of 'who won.' The excitement and interest surrounding our final nine players will be unprecedented," said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP commissioner.

Maybe. The only sure thing so far, however, is that the announcement has polarized the poker-playing community between those who believe the added buzz will be an overall boost for poker and those who fear tradition and integrity are being sacrificed in a marketing ploy.

Think of it this way: Separating and highlighting the WSOP final table from the previous 11 days of competition is similar to adding that extra week of anticipation between pro football's conference championships and the Super Bowl.

For the WSOP, the gap allows time for lots of added hype and advertising for profit-conscious Harrah's Entertainment Inc. and ESPN. How much more hype the main event needs is debatable, however, when you consider it has drawn an amazing 20,750 players the past three years.

A delay of nearly four months seems way too long, but the timing is tied to ESPN's telecast schedule. Tuesday night coverage of bracelet events begins July 22 — just eight days after the main event is halted — and continues weekly through the Nov. 11 wrap-up. The Nov. 4 show will be a special final-table preview.

That's 17 weeks of World Series programming building up to the championship climax. To add suspense, the heads-up battle will occur very late on Nov.

10, well past most media deadlines. That means poker fans, if they wish, can easily avoid learning the outcome before watching it on TV.

"Our intent is to provide an even bigger stage for our players," Pollack said. That could happen, I suppose, but so could a number of other things that would spoil the effort. The biggest danger is that the long delay could change the outcome.

For example, what if one of the final nine players dies or is incapacitated? Would his or her chip stack just be blinded off until it was gone? A missing player would tilt the final-table dynamics and strategy.

The gap also allows time for professional coaching and intense review of opponents' playing tendencies, which easily could produce an outcome different from what would have happened on the original July 16 play date.

Another factor is momentum. Poker players who go deep in tournaments often describe finding a "zone" where they make lots of good decisions based on the flow of the game, their table image and their "read" on opponents. That zone could vanish with a super-long delay.

Perhaps most important is the increased potential for collusion. Pollack said a new code of conduct "will clarify that any unethical act, cheating or collusion will be met with very severe penalties. When play stops (on July 14), we are encouraging the world to take a look at these players, and they will achieve a level of fame. We hope it discourages (unethical behavior)."

Codes and threats aside, a four-month delay would be ample time for two or three players to discuss slow-playing each other (softer betting), giving hand-strength signals to each other or coordinating raises to drive an opponent out of a hand. The spotlight on players should deter any hanky-panky, but with millions up for grabs, who knows?

The delayed final table may accomplish stated goals, including another surge in mainstream interest in poker. But right now it feels like an attempt to fix something that isn't broken.

What do YOU think?

E-mail your poker questions and comments to russ@luckydogpoker.com for use in future columns. To find out more about Russ Scott and read previous LuckyDog Poker columns, visit www.creators.com or www.luckydogpoker.com.

COPYRIGHT 2008 RUSS SCOTT

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