WSOP 2011 Main Event: Schedule And Coverage
July 7, 2011 11:21 amThe prestigious $10k No Limit Hold’em Championship main event is all set to get underway today at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
THE FIELD
Fifty-five events have now been completed at WSOP 2011, and with the 58th and final event having four starting days, players will be able to choose when to enter the foray and compete for the biggest prize in the whole of poker.
The Main Event always attracts the biggest crowd and with WSOP attendances already up 8.5% to 68,807 entries compared to the same point last year, it is anticipated the Main Event will help top last year’s total of 72,966 players across 57 events.
However, many believe the Main Event itself will fall well short of the 7,319 player field and $8,944,310 top prize at last year’s tournament. This is on account of the lack of satellites which were previously run by US facing poker sites, as well as thousands of players’ money currently frozen online.
Nevertheless, as WSOP executive director Ty Stewart explains:
“The indicators are obviously positive, but predicting the Main Event number is harder than predicting jury outcomes. You never know. They come at the last minute, and we won’t know who will show up, and we don’t know how many will show up, but that’s part of the fun.”
SCHEDULE
Here is the schedule for the 2011 WSOP Main Event:
July 7th to 10th: Day 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d
July 11th to 12th: Day 2a, 2b
July 14th: Day 3
July 15th: Day 4
July 16th: Day 5
July 17th: Day 6
July 18th: Day 7 (Reduce to 27 players)
July 19th: Day 8 (Determine November Nine)
Finalists will then recess and start play at the final table on November 5th to 7th.
COVERAGE
Starting on July 14th, on Day 3 of the Main Event, poker fans will be able to watch a 30-minute delay coverage of the tournament on ESPN3.com and ESPN2. As ESPN manager Matthew Volk explains:
“For the first time viewers at home will have the best seats in the house for the World Series of Poker, poker’s premier event. Fans will see hole cards post-flop and get an inside look at all of the strategy, angst and competition of the world’s best players vying for a seat at the most prestigious final table in the sport.”