“This is the greatest tournament in the world!” — Davin Anderson, 2004 Main Event
For the past three weeks, ESPN has aired preliminary events at the 2009 World Series of Poker. The $40,000 Anniversary Tournament, the WSOP Champions Invitational, and the Ante Up for Africa events were all entertaining, but it’s the main event that gets us all excited for Lon McEachern and Norman Chad before SportsCenter rolls around. Starting on Aug. 18, the main event will be broadcast every Tuesday night for two, one-hour episodes until the final table is reached. The November Nine will then finish out the tournament, and the results will be aired on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Unlike some previous years, the poker world seems genuinely interested in not only how this tournament plays out, but how it is shown by ESPN in the coming episodes. Several questions remain, such as: How will ESPN handle the shutout players? Who will play the part of the token villain for the year? How many people will win beef jerky from a Sasquatch? Who will get more celebrity coverage, Jason Alexander or Jordan Farmar? Will Lou Diamond Phillips (pictured left) be this year’s Dennis Phillips?
The network has remained tight-lipped about what storylines will be shown, but they have revealed that each of the four starting days will receive its own two-hour block of coverage for the first four weeks. Day 2A and 2B will then air on Sept. 15 and 22, and the remaining days before the final table will be shown leading up to November. Though many still object to the televised delay, last year’s coverage responded with a 50 percent increase in the ratings. ESPN recently signed a new seven-year contract extension with the WSOP, confirming that the tournament series will continue to be shown through 2017.
Despite the secrecy, it would be impossible for staff to downplay the importance of Phil Ivey (pictured right) making the final nine.
“This is the most excited I’ve ever been for a season of the World Series of Poker,” said Jamie Horowitz, the coordinating producer for ESPN. “It’s long been discussed in poker — could a pro ever win the main event [again]? Having Phil Ivey as part of our November Nine has just added a new level of interest in poker, not just on the blogs but even within ESPN … There is just an elevated sense of excitement for this season.”
Chad, the well-known color commentator, added, “There’s some mystical, magical quality to Phil Ivey that elevates him above the rest. He just has an amazing table presence that’s unequaled in the game.”
Whatever ESPN decides to do, you can catch the madness for yourself when it all kicks off at 8:00 P.M. EST on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
