The Player Pros and Cons for the November Nine:
Category: Poker
One of the key issues in the world of poker in recent months, has been the delaying of the Holdem WSOP main event until early November. Some players may think it is pointless, or a money making excersise, and some even think it is detrimental to the game itself.
My personal view is that a break of a day to give the final table players a brief rest before the game of their lives, would be perfectly acceptable. Mainly because the reasoning behind it would be to help make a better tournament for the players involved. Sadly I think this more lengthy, forced break is not for those reasons and I do not think it is a good idea.
Having said this though, it does offer the players a chance to maximise their chances of victory by using the extra time they are given wisely. If it were me, I would be practicing playing this final table with my friends, each of them in the same chip stack positions of my opponents. I would do my homework on each player and write out a profile of what I know of their play, and I might even assign my practice games partners their appropriate, corresponding instructions on how to play.
Although most of the players at the final table of the main event this year do not seem overly keen on the delay, you have to admit, it does afford them opportunity to prepare well.
For me though, this is not what poker is, or should be about. Playing great poker is about instinct and spur of the moment instances where you have to think concisely and quickly about decisions. The player who is in form, is the sharpest, and has the run of the cards should emerge the victor, but after a few months waiting, this could all change. If you have made it to the final nine, surely you would want to carry that momentum through.