The World Series of Poker (WSOP) hosted its annual conference call Wednesday to announce the changes being made to the upcoming series in Las Vegas. On the call were WSOP Communications Director Seth Palansky, WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel and WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart, who were eager to announce that the final table action of 55 gold bracelet events will be aired live via the Internet throughout the series, which kicks off on Tuesday, May 31.
The coverage, which will be on a five-minute delay due to gaming regulations, will be aired on WSOP.com and sponsored by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. A wide overhead shot of the entire final table and its participants along with a flop camera will provide the visual sightlines, while audio from the event’s tournament announcer will describe the betting action as it occurs.
This marks the first time in the history of the WSOP that all 58 gold bracelet events will receive some sort of video coverage. ESPN3 will be streaming segments of the $25K Heads Up event, the $50K Poker Players Championship and the Main Event.
While the delayed coverage won’t provide any hole cards or live commentary, it will offer viewers a real-time experience much like on-site spectators would experience. Poker enthusiasts will be able to catch all of the biggest moments from the year’s most prestigious series that they may have missed in past years — one example being Tom “durrrr” Dwan’s run at a bracelet last year that created a huge buzz in the community.
“We are proud to provide video of the culminating action to a worldwide audience in real time,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “This online initiative will complement our spectacular television package on ESPN and deliver even more of this year’s WSOP to fans who want the most immediate coverage possible.”
The WSOP announced Wednesday that it renewed its sponsorship agreements with Jack’s Links and Miller Brewing Company, and added a slew of new sponsors, including On Tilt, Blue Shark Optics, audio company Klipsch, and Dearform Slippers. Miller will shift its branding focus from Milwaukee’s Best to the more popular Miller Lite, and all players participating in the Main Event and Ladies Event will receive a pair of slippers as part of the Dearform sponsorship.
The conference call also brought news regarding changes to the Hall of Fame voting. The WSOP has implemented the “Chip Reese Rule,” which will prevent players under the age of 40 from reaching the Hall of Fame (Reese was the youngest inductee at the age of 40 in 1991). The voting process has also been modified; nominations will still be open to the public but a panel of industry experts will serve as a selection committee to help determine the finalists that will be handed to the current Hall of Famers for a final vote.
Changes have also been made to the WSOP Player of the Year structure. The point system, which was harshly criticized by many in the past, will be adjusted to be based on the number of players and size of the buy-in. The WSOP will unveil the new system before the series kicks off. The conference call panel also stated that each of the seven bracelet events at the WSOP Europe will count toward the Player of the Year race.
Among the several other changes made to the 2011 WSOP include automatic shufflers added to every final table, new phone charging stations and free wireless internet in the hallways of the Rio Convention Center, and more satellites for players to qualify for WSOP events starting as low as $75 on site. Qualifiers will also be available at the Caesars system of cardrooms across the country.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for continuous coverage of the World Series of Poker this summer.