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Source: ESPN
Over six thousand poker players have competed in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) tournament this year, and the culmination of this popular betting sport begins on November 8th when the final phase of the poker competition begins. The poker games between November 8th and 10th are expected to raise a lot of excitement both in Las Vegas where the competitions will be taking place, as well as in homes and pubs where poker fans will be watching from.
ESPN is set to show all the poker games within 30min of the live play. Even avid online poker players are likely to put their play on hold on those three days in order to have the thrill of watching the WSOP season finals almost live. ESPN’s poker broadcasts begin on November 8th at 8:30pm Eastern Time (ET) or 5:30pm Pacific Standard Time (PST).
Massive Monies Involved In WSOP Tournament
The WSOP tournament involves big monies, not just in the preparation of the series but also in prize money. For one, players take away winnings in millions of dollars. Also a lot of money changes hands through economic activities that are fuelled within the area where the poker games are held.
The poker player who takes 1st place at the end of the November Nine competition this year is set to take away a whopping $7.6 million. He will also be honoured with a beautiful and prestigious gold bracelet and be the envy of other poker competitors.
November Nine is a relatively new concept
The concept of having the finals of the competitive poker tournament televised live on their own, and thus the November Nine, was initiated in 2008. It was meant to give ESPN a commercial edge. Before this arrangement was put in place, the poker finals were held as soon as all poker players but nine fell on the wayside. Today, however, ESPN televises sections of the WSOP competition over months, and these are also edited. This whets the appetite of poker players and fans alike and there is, therefore, anticipation for great viewership during the November Nine. And in a place like Las Vegas where state laws are favorable for betting games like poker, November Nine is likely to be on the lips of many.
This year, the finalists for the poker tournament have been known since the month of July, yet the finals have been pending as per the November Nine plan. Now, as November 8th approaches, the poker fraternity is not expressing their anticipation towards legalization of online poker in more US states. Rather, they are focusing their attention on the coming poker finals, and very likely, making bets on the possible winner of this year’s WSOP tournament.
November Nine Champions
People in the poker world are proud of anyone who emerges the winner after such a hotly contested position as the WSOP champion. Whether a player engages in online poker or poker that is played conventionally, they all appreciate that it is not easy to beat other seasoned and well prepared competitors within an environment like the one presented by the WSOP tournament.
Past champions in this competition include Peter Eastgate who won in 2008; Joe Cada who did it in 2009; Jonathan Duhamel in 2010; Pius Heinz in 2011; Greg Merson in 2012; Ryan Riess in 2013; and Martin Jacobson in 2014. After November 10th, the poker fraternity will be in a position to add one more name to this list of champions. That name can only come from the nine finalists in this poker tournament who include, Zvi Stern; Pierre Neuville; Joshua Beckley; Max Steinberg; Thomas Cannuli; Joseph McKeehen; Patrick Chan; Federico Butteroni; and Neil Blumenfield.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]