Last year, the WSOP Main Event final table to

Playing the WSOP Main Event down to nine players and then taking a break for four months - heated debate roars in poker rooms and online poker forums: is this new idea great for poker, is it a silly marketing ploy, or is it the final blow to the legendary World Series of Poker as the poker world has come to love it?

Reassembly on November 9

When the Main Event is stopped on July 14 after the tenth place finisher has been eliminated, play will not be resumed until November 9, when the final table starts. The concluding heads-up match will take place the day after.

Two motives seem to lie behind this ploy. First, like this the final table can be aired "almost live" on ESPN after the rest of the World Series of Poker, keeping the proper chronology.

Nine looking for huge sponsorships

Second, it is suggested that the nine final players can use the four months break to capitalize on their coming appearance by "lining up sponsorships and coaches, review the play of their competitors, and take advantage of the new publicity and promotional opportunities that will be available."

On the other hand, people in the forums worry about the security issues involved. What's with potential collusion and inappropriate deal making? Or worse still, what's with competitors conveniently disappearing and being blinded away when play starts over?

Four months of compound interest

Another question is who'll be banking four months of interest on the $20 million or so in prize money that will be withheld? This should amount to something like $300,000. Harrah's has thought this through, of course.

As soon as play is stopped on July 14, each of the nine final table players will receive an amount equivalent to the ninth place prize money, that is, the minimum that they can win.

The rest of the prize money is put in an interest bearing account and the accumulated interest is distributed among the winners once the final placements have been established in November.
In addition, Harrah's gives each of the players an all inclusive trip for two for their return to Las Vegas in November.

Whether this is great for poker or the ultimate suck-up to marketing is open to question.