Schedule

After a somewhat abrupt suspension of play last night at 189 players, the Main Event of the World Series should play out something like this over the next three days:

Thursday Day 3: 1308 played down to 474
Friday Day 4: 474 played down to 189
Saturday Day 5: 189 playing to 81 or 72 (or less)
Sunday Day 6: 81 or 72 playing down to 27
Monday Day 7: 27 playing down to November Nine
November: Final Table

Today is the critical day, with a full five levels scheduled the field will definitely go under 100. Trying to anticipate the pace of play is a skill developed by good tournament directors but about as accurate as predicting the weather (we had lightening last night in Las Vegas; 90 degrees at midnight and lightening). The key to today's decision is a balance between the number of remaining players and the stack sizes. When the field is full of stacks of similar sizes, play takes longer; when there are a good number of short stacks, play is quicker.

Because the staff has the option of stopping play at any time, we know they definitely want to make tomorrow (Day Six) a reasonable length day getting down to 27 but even with this in mind, no one would be surprised if a fast pace lowers todays field to 63 or even 54 and then on Sunday we go for a final two tables at 18.

This is all about managing the pace of an unpredictable game at ten or twenty different tables. What we do know is that Monday evening or early Tuesday morning, we will have nine players left standing.

The complete World Series of Poker Schedule for 2008 can be found in the post immediately below this one.

Let's take a look at how the WSOP staff has changed and improved the schedule of events for 2008. As in 2007, there will be 55 events in the WSOP (plus two "Special" events, yet to be announced in the days preceding Event #1).

No Limit Hold'em: There will be 16 pure No Limit Hold'em events; that is fewer than last year. But NLHE will also appear in 1 Shootout event, 1 Heads Up tournament, 3 six-handed events, 3 mixed limit and no-limit tournaments, both the Ladies and the Seniors events. Oh and two $1,000 NLHE events with rebuys.

Limit Hold'em: The previously mentioned 3 mixed Hold'em tournaments and 4 Limit only events, including one shootout and as one of five games in the 3 HORSE tournaments.

Pot Limit Hold'em: 3 events.

Omaha: 4 Pot Limit Omaha, 1 Pot Limit Omaha 8 or better, 3 Omaha 8 or better, 1 Omaha 8 and Stud 8, 1 Pot Limit Hold'em and Pot Limit Omaha (several of these events are rebuys).

Stud: 2 Stud and 2 Stud 8 or better.

Deuce to Seven Lowball: 2 events

HORSE: 3 tournaments

Razz: 1 event

The buy-ins have also taken some adjustments for 2008, there will be 8 Championship events at $10,000, including the Main Event. Also in the buy-in mix are:
21 $1,5000 tournaments
7 at $5,000
2 at $3,000
5 at $2,500
6 at $2,000
4 at $1,000 (2 rebuy events, the Seniors and the Ladies)
1 at $500 (Casino employees event)
1 at $50,000 (Championship HORSE)

All events will be three day events this year except for the Main Event (13 days), the $50K HORSE (5 days), one 4 day event (Event #2, the first $1,500 NLHE event), one scheduled 2 day event (Limit Hold'em Shootout, which will be changed to a three day).