Online Poker Organization Happy About WSOP Delay
Everest Poker, an online gambling site that is one of the sponsors of the World Series of Poker, are very pleased at the turn of events. Everest is in total agreement with the decision that was made by Harrah’s to postpone the WSOP’s Main Event until November 2008. The three month time lag gives the online poker organization a chance to brand the table felts and inner rung of the table that will be used during the event as well as finalize their marketing of t-shirts, hats and other memorabilia.
"This move is a masterstroke for the WSOP's global profile and will undoubtedly make the build-up to the final table the most dramatic yet," said Jennifer Joyce, who is the chief marketing officer of Everest Poker. "From both a commercial and personal point of view I am hugely supportive of the schedule and from a European perspective it gives everybody a much better chance to see the biggest event in world poker.”
The change in the schedule moved the WSOP's main event from the usual mid-July date as a way to build up anticipation for the final event. Coordinators of the event are hoping that the move will also boost the ratings for the tournament which will be aired on ESPN later in the evening on the day of the final match. WSOP Marketing Director Ty Stewart stated that they felt it a responsible move in an effort to elevate the world of championship poker into a full blown sporting event.
Many of the online poker communities, however, are not happy with the way the tournament has been laid out this year and their discontent has been advertised all over the poker and casino blogs and chat forums that plaster the Internet. They feel that the move is nothing more than a marketing and financial decision that was made with no concern for the feelings of the players. Critics are calling the move a ‘mockery of the biggest poker tournament in the world’.
The WSOP tournament runs from May 30 to July 14 with the final nine players finishing out the final table on November 9 through November 10. When asked about the move, many poker pros were all right with the move overall and felt that it gave some of the newer players to the tourney a chance to practice in an effort to play their best game in search of the elusive WSOP Champion bracelet for 2008.
