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'Bubble Dynamics' Tricky to Calculate Late in a Tournament
There's so much to think about when the tournament money bubble approaches that you almost need a computer to track everything. Let's call it "bubble dynamics" and answer an Illinois reader's question.
Q: Last week in a card room …Read more.
Reader Believes WSOP Main Event Was Just a 'Luckfest'
Last week's rousing finish at the World Series of Poker main event stirred questions from readers. Let's answer them.
Q: It seems to me that all you have to do to win the WSOP is get your chips in bad and then get lucky. Joe Cada wasn't the best …Read more.
Youth Prevails Again at Record-Setting World Series of Poker Finale
When the cheers finally subsided early Tuesday morning inside the Penn and Teller Theater at the Rio, the poker world was left with an unmistakable message: Youth WILL be served on the game's highest stage.
For the second straight year, the World …Read more.
Ol' LuckyDog Sorts Through World Series Final Table to Pick a Winner
With the highly anticipated World Series of Poker main event final table set to play out Saturday and late Monday, then aired on ESPN Tuesday night, an interesting question arises:
Which of these outcomes would benefit the game most?
— Is it a …Read more.
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No Recession Plan for 2009 WSOP -- It's 'Full Steam Ahead'The message during last week's 2009 World Series of Poker media preview conference call was bigger, better and full steam ahead. "Whether you are a first-timer or a seasoned pro, this is the best year ever to come to the World Series of Poker," WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack said in his opening remarks. Against the ongoing swirl of bad economic news, World Series officials laid out an ambitious and diverse 57-event schedule that kicks off May 28 with a special four-day, $40,000 buy-in no-limit hold 'em tournament celebrating the WSOP's 40th anniversary. That's quadruple what it costs to enter the main event — poker's most-coveted and biggest tournament. Nevertheless, more than 200 of poker's elite players with deep bankrolls figure to compete in what essentially will be a best-of-the-best battle. The event should produce "a final table for the ages," Pollack said. In addition, 6,000 to 7,000 players are likely to compete in the $10,000 main event that begins July 3 and, like last year, will feature a suspended final table that plays out in November with quickly produced television coverage on ESPN. The question is: In a troubled economy, can the WSOP equal or top last year's record-breaking $180,774,427 in overall prize money and 58,720 entrants for 55 events? "We could have planned for a recession WSOP some months ago and cut back," Pollack said. "We decided that was not the right thing to do, so it's full steam ahead." "Our view is that we have an obligation to stage the best possible event that we can," he said, calling the series an "annual festival for poker players from around the world." Pollack acknowledged, however, that 2009's numbers might decline. "This could be a year where attendance isn't what it was," he said. "We're not planning for that, however. On the contrary, we're planning for the best World Series of Poker ever." The commissioner said "attendance will come and go, and (television) ratings will come and go over the long haul. Indeed, the tournament lineup's lone concession to the financial crunch is the four-day "Stimulus Special" event, scheduled with two starting days on May 30-31 to accommodate an anticipated monster field. The tournament features the smallest buy-in ($1,000) for a bracelet event this year and could attract more than 5,000 players. Nearly 1,000 seats already have been sold. "This is going to be one event that no poker player in the world should miss," said tournament director Jack Effel. "It's going to have the largest prize pool ever in a live tournament at this buy-in level, and we're expecting a huge turnout." In the past year or two, some tournaments around the country have experienced declines in attendance. But others have grown or been stable, thanks in part to lower entry fees, added prize money from the house, cheaper hotel room rates and more playability due to larger starting chip stacks and slower betting structures. The 2009 WSOP is no different. For example, starting chip stacks for each event this year will be triple the buy-in amount, coupled with added betting levels to tournament structures, Effel said. "Players will feel the effects early on in a tournament, have a better chance to make decisions, and hopefully (the changes) will help the better players make it through the event," Effel said. Added chips and slower-rising betting levels "will always reward best play," he said. Pollack added: "We are obviously very aware of what's happening in the global economy. We're sensitive to it ... in our continuing quest to create an improved value proposition for players and spectators." We'll know by early July how the numbers shake out. Don't bet against more records being set. 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 2009 RUSS SCOTT DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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