Seth Palansky Talks 2014 WSOP Final Table, Phil Ivey Cheating Scandal and Potato Chips
As the 2014 World Series of Poker Main Event resumes Monday, the WSOP’s Seth Palansky talks to Gambling911.com’s Thomas Somach about who will win, why potato chips matter and what’s up with poker pro Phil Ivey losing a casino cheat lawsuit.
LAS VEGAS -- After a four-month break, the 2014 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event resumes in Las Vegas on the evening of Monday, November 10, at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino, just off the famed Vegas Strip.
A final table of nine players--the "November Nine" as they're called--will play high-stakes, no-limit Texas hold 'em poker under the glare of television lights and a worldwide TV audience until just one man is left sitting.
That man will earn an unprecedented $10 million prize, a gold-and-diamond championship WSOP bracelet and the right to call himself the world's best poker player (at least for the next year).
So what can poker fans expect when the WSOP resumes?
Gambling 911 over the weekend caught up with Seth Palansky, the official spokesman for the WSOP and Caesars, the Vegas gaming company that owns the WSOP, and asked him who he thinks will win this year's Main Event, whether the four-month hiatus has been a success and what's the deal with his pal, Phil Ivey, who a London court says cheats at cards.
Here is a transcript of that interview:
Gambling 911: In 2008, the WSOP started taking a four-month break after the Main Event final table of nine was set in July, resuming play in November to increase publicity for the event. As this will be seventh straight year that format is being used, is it safe to assume the WSOP is happy with the way the new format has played out and that it is now a permanent fixture of the WSOP Main Event?
Seth Palansky: Just to be clear, the change was an effort for the packaged TV programming to air and then be able to come back with a live finale. Poker has never seen a bigger stage for the game and we still love the atmosphere and excitement that comes from this format and believe viewers tuning in Monday and Tuesday will see why. It will be more akin to a World Cup match than a typical poker program.
G9: What will be the television arrangements this year for final table play? Will ESPN be showing it again on a slightly-delayed, almost-live basis?
SP: Yes, ESPN has live coverage of every single hand. On Monday at 8 PM ET, ESPN2 covers all the action until we reach two players. We will pause then and come back at 9 PM ET on ESPN on Tuesday to award our victor $10 million and crown poker’s newest world champion.
G9: Would you like to see final table play eventually be televised live, like the Super Bowl is, or is that unfeasable due to technical or logistical considerations?
SP: It is unfeasable. This is our Super Bowl. This is as live as poker can ever be for people while protecting the integrity of the game and cards. The event will be shown on a 30-minute delay with hole cards. So folks at home will get to see all the action and the only reason why we have the delay is to protect the integrity of the event.
G9:Will there be any live radio coverage of the final table?
SP: No. There will be live TV and some live web streams in international markets. The event will be live in over 80 countries.
G9: Who do you think is going to win this year's WSOP Main Event? And which of the November Nine would make good ambassadors for poker should they win the title?
SP: The player that plays his cards the best and has a little lady luck on his side will capture the title. Whomever it is will be deserving after outlasting 6,682 competitors who were all vying for the $500,000 one-of-a-kind bracelet and the $10 million first-place prize. I think Bruno Politano or Billy Pappaconstantinou could do the most to spread the passion of poker to more people if they were to win. Both simply because of their unique stories and situations.
G9: Internet casinos have set betting odds and offered wagering on the WSOP Main Event for a long time, but in recent years Las Vegas casinos have also begun to do so. Do you think Vegas casinos allowing betting on the tourney is a good thing, a bad thing or has no effect on anything?
SP: Yes, absolutely, it is a good thing. Anything that raises awareness and opportunity for folks to have a rooting interest in the outcome is great for the game. We have a consumer promotion with Ruffles currently featuring 20 million branded WSOP bags of chips at retail. We are offering a consumer a chance to win $10 million as well on Tuesday by correctly picking the final hand. It’s these types of things that really help drive interest and bring new viewers to the game.
G9: Finally, you know controversial poker pro Phil Ivey, who made the November Nine a few years ago, quite well. A British court recently ruled that a London casino doesn't have to pay Ivey money he earned playing cards there because he cheated to win it. What is your reaction to that ruling and the case in general? On another note, Ivey was recently granted a license to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Las Vegas. What is your reaction to that news, and do you think this will be a good thing or a bad thing for the world of poker?
SP: The truth is, I’m very dumb on legal matters and don’t know the intricacies of this case well enough to understand the why or how of the ruling. What I know of Mr. Ivey is as a poker player. And he remains one of the best and most feared players in the game. It’s rare to find a player who can play all the games well and is willing to. Mr. Ivey is one of those rare guys.
By Tom Somach
Gambling911.com Staff Writer
