First, let's get a few things straight: 1) I'm nothing more than an amateur poker player. 2) I've never lasted past day 1 in a multi-day tournament. 3) I have no idea what it's like to play for the kind of money that is up for grabs in the WSOP Main Event.
That being said, I don't really like the idea of finishing a tournament four months after it started. When I started playing poker I was intrigued and enamored with everything surrounding the WSOP. It was a month to a month and a half of total poker geekdom. Not that I ignore poker during the rest of the year, especially now that I'm really trying to make strides towards playing for a living, but the bacchanalia of poker that is the WSOP was always the best time of year.
Back in 2008, the first time the WSOP finished the Main Event in November, I remember hearing a big-time pro saying that he liked the idea. He thought it was great that players could get coaches and sponsorships and rest up. I remember feeling like I disagreed with him, but I couldn't pinpoint why at the time.
The problem I have with the November Nine is that my impression has always been that the WSOP is all about who is playing the best poker right now. It's about who has the stamina to outlast a massive field of players over the course of seven to eight days. And obviously, since Black Friday, the sponsorship part of the argument sort of goes away. Although, it did seem like sponsors were able to get their hands on the players they wanted with no problem at all, so why did we have to give them four months?
I think it would suck to have been playing a great WSOP, make a great run in the Main Event, get featured on almost every airing of the WSOP on ESPN, then have one of my opponents take four months to study my play and figure out ways to beat me. What am I supposed to do to combat that? Unless they're also featured on ESPN, I really have nothing to go on. The other player then has a distinct advantage.
All that being said, I'm still going to follow the November Nine this year. Why? Because it's still the most prestigious tournament in the world. I still love poker. And I hope to one day be there.
