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2010 World Series of Poker running thread

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by zagoshe, Jun 3, 2010.

  1. Inky_Wretch

    Inky_Wretch Well-Known Member

    The offshore wire transfer ban has had to have really hurt as well. The gambling sites aren't sending nearly as many people to the WSOP these days.
     
  2. old_tony

    old_tony Well-Known Member

    That definitely has hurt the size of the Main Event field, but I don't think it would have much to do with ratings for the televised stuff.
     
  3. Buck

    Buck Well-Known Member

    The attempted online gambling ban hasn't affected it as much as many people thought.
    Look at the main event field:
    In 2003, the year Moneymaker won, the field was 839.
    In 2004, the year of the 'poker boom', there field was 2,576 - three times the size of the previous year. That's a huge jump.
    In 2005, the field was 5,619 - twice the size of 2004 and six times the size of 2003. That is explosive growth, but you can't maintain that kind of growth.
    In 2006, the field was 8,773 - almost 10.5 times the size of 2003 but only 1.5 times the previous year. There's a saturation point here. There's a plateau. The fad is dead but the popularity is not declining.
    In 2007, the field was 6,358. Smaller than the previous year but larger than 2005.
    In 2008, the field was 6,844.
    In 2009, the field was 6,494.

    There's a plateau, but the field is still almost eight times the size it was just seven years ago. Of course it couldn't maintain that explosive rate of growth.
    839 in 2003, to 2,576 in 2004, 5,619 in 2005 and nearly 8,800
     
  4. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    I just got back from the WSOP. Still a ton of people there playing, not only at the WSOP, but at tourneys all over town. I don't think it was possible to sustain the huge growth from immediately post-Moneymaker (growth which actually began just pre-Moneymaker), but it's holding pretty steady, I think, despite the problems caused by the changes to the law.

    By the way, I busted out of two WSOP tourneys without cashing, but I finished 16 of 840 at a Venetian event.
     
  5. Birdscribe

    Birdscribe Active Member

    Well said. OT and Pitt. I find myself stumbling upon the WPT telecasts almost by accident and more often than not, stumbling upon the same episode on another FoxSports affiliate a couple days later. I have no idea whats on or when it's going to be on -- a sad change from the TravelChannel days when Wednesday nights at 9 was appointment TV.

    Speaking of the WPT, my tolerance for Vince Van Patten and his inanities is just about up. He adds nothing to the telecast and everything he says subtracts from something useful Mike Sexton could add.
     
  6. Birdscribe

    Birdscribe Active Member

    I was wondering when you were going to chime in with an update, BB. Sorry to hear you didn't cash. Any good stories?
     
  7. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    Played with Greg Raymer briefly. He came in with a short stack and busted in about 45 minutes. I didn't play a hand with him. Otherwise nothing of note in the WSOP events. I had a lot of unknown good players with me in my first event and a lot of unknown bad and annoying players in the second.

    The Venetian was pretty awesome, getting close enough to smell that $54K -- I was 8th after Day 1 -- but I busted in 16th on a KQ<AK all-in preflop.

    <a href="http://moby.to/265ir2" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.mobypicture.com/19fc1e65cc219ef87fbb2ee731eb7740_view.jpg" alt="Posted using Mobypicture.com" /></a>
     
  8. Birdscribe

    Birdscribe Active Member

    Did you cash at the Venetian, BB?
     
  9. BB Bobcat

    BB Bobcat Active Member

    Yeah. 16th paid $1977 ($350 buyin)
     
  10. playthrough

    playthrough Moderator Staff Member

    I enjoyed watching High Stakes Poker the first couple years it was on. But WSOP and other hold-em tourneys don't hold me anymore, you can only watch so many bad beats, trash talk, low-level celebs, etc. In recent years of watching WSOP, the most interesting segment would be the (I forget the name) piece where they show the players away from the table.

    Edit: "The Nuts", I think was the name.

    I'm a big Norman Chad fan too, but that's not enough to make WSOP appointment TV anymore.
     
  11. mustangj17

    mustangj17 Active Member

    Watching other people gamble is of no interest to me. At all. I could care less if someone wins or loses on the turn, the flop, the river, the tweet, or whatever those things are called.
     
  12. ucacm

    ucacm Active Member

    I'm kinda surprised that someone hasn't mentioned Durr's second place finish, which apparently would have netted him several million in bracelet bets...
     
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