2011 WSOP Final Table Going Near-Live Starting November 6th

With the 2011 WSOP Main Event Final Table only a few weeks away,  television network ESPN has now announced a nearly real time format for their coverage of poker’s ultimate competition.
With a prize pool of almost $28.3 million to be shared out amongst the nine finalists and $8.71 million going to the eventual winner, the premier poker event deserves comprehensive coverage fitting of a top sporting event.
In the past WSOP broadcasts coming from Las Vegas have suffered from a number of factors, including a 30-minute delay, all of which have hampered ESPN’s efforts to draw fans even closer to the action.
However, that is now about to change after the announcement that the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) will be showing every hand of the final table on just a 15-minute delay, with viewers able to see the players’ hole cards after the hand is over.
The two day action will be streamed online at ESPN3.com. and WSOP.com and as WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart explains:
“This coverage shifts the paradigm for poker’s potential on television and will showcase our championship with unprecedented richness and scale. For the first time, we will truly be represented as live sport versus just being broadcast on a live sports network.”
In order to accommodate the new format, the final table will now get underway at the Rio’s Penn and Teller Theater on Sunday, Nov. 6th at 11:30 a.m. Three players will then return on Tuesday, Nov. 8th at 5 p.m. and play down to the eventual winner.
The final nine competitors hail from seven different countries, a record for the WSOP Main Event, and line-up as follows:
1: Martin Staszko, 35, from the Czech Republic (40.175m)
2: Eoghan O’Dea, 26 of Ireland (33.925m)
3: Matt Giannetti, 26 of USA (24.85m)
4: Phil Collins, 26 of USA (21.425m)
5: Ben Lamb, 26 of USA (20.725m)
6: Badih Bounahra, 49 of Belize (19.95m)
7: Pius Heinz, 22 of Germany (16.475m)
8: Anton Makievskyi, 21 of Ukraine (15.325m)
9: Samuel Holden, 22 of England (13.725m)