Still not sure if the 2008 WSOP Main Event delay will shower final table contenders with extra change. It is hearsay if any “Dead Money After Midnight” will benefit after 129,600 hours of sleep, eat and re-group. ESPN and Harrah’s attempt to turn the final table into a live televised cliff hanger makes sense considering…an all-in move by the fifth place winner isn’t all-that-exciting when it is a five handed table and it’s already been posted.
Yet, not to be crude but what if someone dies? Would a family member sue Harrahs for lost wages? Any decent judge would throw the case out of court (excluding election years) faster than a man burns skid marks after hearing “we need to talk.” Besides, it wouldn’t be like Harrahs inflicted emotional harm to the family members, right? However, despite the integrity of the claim you can still file suit at the courthouse. I think I could sue my cat for divorce even though we never officially married.* But I wouldn’t because:
1. Why waste tax dollars when people need food.
2. Not interested in winning example status and jail time for lawsuit abuse.
3. I wouldn’t marry my cat (because I’m already married).
Nonetheless, should a horrible situation like death arise, they will have to decide between one of the following two scenarios:
1. Tenth place will move up a rung like an online cheating scandal.
2. A WSOP Vinnie Vinh empty chair Blind-Off.
On a lighter note, the players will get plenty of time for heavy sleep. Not so good. Why? Because traditionally tournament success also depended on how well a player could think after many hours of play (endurance).** This is the part of poker I refer to as…dead money after midnight. In fact, Freddie Deeb, the “other” main event winner (50k H.O.R.S.E) liked my phrase so much he wanted to use it for a chapter in his book, “should I ever write one.” And don’t forget…Johnny Moss winning in 1949 after Nick Dandolos said “Mr. Moss, I have to let you go” then went to bed.
That being said, I’m at home and it’s after midnight so I’m totally rambling with typos and poor grammar…head on over to Tao of Poker and check out BJ Nemeth’s post with some smart pros and cons. He has great points on why this will do well for poker. As to Harrahs and ESPN’s goals, keep in mind that Benny Binion liked the advertising and publicity his casino received from the World Series. But I’m going to bed now so you will have to read the 1973 Binion interview with Nevada historian Mary Ellen Glass here.
And Mr. Jeffrey Pollack…would you enlighten us because inquiring minds want to know.
*I think, meaning these are assumptions as I am not practicing law without a license.
**The content of this post has been written while under the influence of sleep deprivation. Anything stated above may or may not be true as it is highly probable that I was sleep typing.
