Would a ‘November Nine’ Return Be Good or Bad for the WSOP Main Event?

Image courtesy of WSOP.com

This summer, the 57th annual World Series of Poker is back, and with 100 WSOP bracelet events, it’ll be as big as ever before, as we reported this week.

The Main Event has been confirmed as beginning on July 2, but while we know when the World Championship will begin, we currently have no confirmation as to when it will end.

The current schedule runs up to July 13th, when the final table of nine players will be formed.

There is some discussion that the conclusion of the Main Event has been juggled just a few days to avoid attention being diverted to the FIFA World Cup, with semi-finals and the final in the days following that date.

But could the ‘November Nine’ format of 2008-2016 inclusive be making a surprise comeback?

We spoke to three players who have a variety of WSOP experience to see what might work about the format’s return, and the potential problems that delaying the biggest final table of the year could also create.

The Argument for the November Nine

Many poker fans and players didn’t like the format when it took temporary residence in the Rio for a nine-year spell during the post-poker boom period. One who did like the way it was during those years was a man synonymous with the World Series of Poker, Allen ‘Chainsaw’ Kessler.

Over the past few years, the mixed game poker legend Allen’s thoughts on the WSOP have been a constant during the seven weeks that players decamp to Sin City and play poker more than they sit down to eat and drink.

Allen, known affectionately as ‘Chainsaw,’ is never afraid to wade in with his opinion and has thousands of followers on Instagram where he shares his poker journey. Allen has come out in defense of the November Nine format.

The build-up to a later date is a good idea, says Allen. It gives fans more time to get to know the players, the final nine get a much-needed break, and it creates a lot more built-up interest in the final table.

The build-up to the final table would be exciting for fans as Allen sees it, and it would also give the lucky nine who make the final table itself the chance to become more acquainted with the eight people standing between them and a potential $10m top prize.

The players get more of a chance to learn about their opponents and their tendencies. I’m positive. There’s no downside unless it’s months away and [there’s] no way it’s that far out.

The Argument Against the November Nine

While Allen Kessler would be happy if players were to leave the Main Event when they make the final table months before returning to play down to a winner, not everyone feels that way.  Former teacher turned poker player Ian Simpson represents 888poker, who were the main sponsor of the WSOP for many of those November Nine years.

Simpson, who has been outspoken about the increased rake in WSOP events in recent years, doesn’t think there should be a protracted break between the formation of the final table and playing down to a new world champion.

I’d rather the tournament isn’t disrupted, and play continues consistently minus a rest day, says Ian. If there’s a big delay before the final table, the players are almost forced to spend a lot of money on coaching. The players who play the final table almost aren’t the same players who made it there in the first place.

We asked if that would tip the balance in favor of the elite players who could have access to the best coaching ahead of a later finale. However, Ian rightly mentions the counterargument to that point.

I’m not sure, actually. The amateur has the most to learn. Most pros will only be able to improve marginally. I’m very pro things for helping the amateur player, so conversely, the recreational player has the biggest chance to improve.

We love this idea, and Ian expands on the logic a little.

When you know a lot about a subject, new knowledge is only small increments of improvement, he says. When you don’t know much, you can improve quite a lot just by improving the fundamentals.

Ambivalence Towards the November Nine

While those are both strong arguments for and against the November Nine format, we wanted to see if there was a player out there for whom the move wouldn’t have an influence on them playing the event or rooting for their favorite.

Step forward the Triple Crown-winning Roberto Romanello, who recently won $500,000 in the WSOP Mystery Millions event, ploughing a lot of it into his newest venture, an AI-assisted sporting picks site for U.S. sports like the NBA, NHL, and the NFL.

While Ian is dead against the move and Allen advocated for the November Nine return, Roberto said he wouldn’t mind which direction the tournament organizers go in and that it creates a level playing field either way.

It’s the same for everyone, and honestly, I’m really excited about the chance to come back to Vegas with family and friends to play in the biggest final table of my life, he says.

It also brings a huge spotlight and excitement to the game from all over the world, so it definitely has its perks. That’s probably why they’re doing it.

With the WSOP Main Event just a matter of months away, we could be closer to the start of the World Championship that final table players would be from finishing the tournament and crowning a winner.

Given that hasn’t happened for a decade, it could be a very different-looking World Championship if the WSOP decide to court controversy in the biggest poker tournament on Earth.