WSOP to Delay the Main Event Final Table

As an avid player for over 30 years, I like the idea that  a "corporate" sponsor such as ESPN, is taking initiative to "promote" poker in to the mainstream.  There are many opinions of poker, and in most cases to the outsider it is just gambling.  For the many who play you know that it is a game sport of many skils, and the more of those skills mastered the better your indiviual results.  I have read where many have said it is just a "game", and with the, for a lack of a better term "luck" factor I can see your point.  But poker is a sport, as in many sports you master basic skills to improve your game.  Since the intorduction of online poker, the basic skills of reading cards, betting patterns, etc.. are easily improved.  As in any  sport, mastering of the basic skills make you a "good" player but mastering the skils above the basics make you a "great" player.  For example how many "dead money" players know what thier own "tells" are and use them to thier advantage.  Yes the Moneymaker phenon, has brought many players to the felt, and the "pros" of poker had to adjust thier skills to compete with "radical" play.  But as more and more media exposure happens, you are seeing more and more "pros" at final tables.  This is not a coinidence, this is "Great" players mastering higher level of skills to eliminate weaker opponents.  Yes the "luck" factor still plays into the sport, but as does the unusal bounce of a line drive that turns a sure game winning out out into a game winning RBI single.  That is my arguement regarding "game" v.s. "sport".  As for the delaying of the final table, I am not sold on the idea, I am more wait and see.  I am just glad to see that risks are being taken to bring the sport of poker to the masses, and if it brings more "dead money" to my usual game, the sooner to retirement I will be

Originally posted by Phitau_Trucker I don't think re-opening the world to poker and improving poker as a whole is the main concern with this change to the main event. If the WSOP wanted to improve poker to the masses it would change the Main event from NLH to HORSE or the mixed game where there are 8 different forms of poker played. This would really be a change in pace, breaking tradition, and opening the world to all the different forms of poker. This would be the best change yet, so the beginners or uneducated might actually understand that poker is a group of card games and is not just another way to say no-limit hold 'em.

Originally posted by NCG33 Personally I feel the 4 month delay takes away from tournament.  The day after day grind to the final table is what makes tournament poker great.  I know I am not alone in thinking it is a huge joke to have the delay so I am not going to watch the final table broadcast.  There are other means to know what is going on while boycotting ESPN.  I suggest anyone who feel like I feel do the same.  It is all about rating and the $ from advertising... no watchers... no ratings... no $... next year we will be back to normal.   What was so bad with the PPV anyway... I thought it was great and worth the $.

I am a little late to the table here and this news really upset's me.  We planned a trip back in early April with the specfic agenda of seeing the Final Table.  We were actually hoping to see our tax account (2005 runner-up) play as we were joking with him about it when our taxes were getting done.  I guess we will have to go on Monday and see them get to the final 9.

How is the interest distributed?