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WSOP Vegas Will Break For 117 Days

HURRAH! You've made it to the Main Event WSOP final table.

You and eight others are now vying to win the millions. You're on a roll and keen to get on with it. You're as hot as Vegas on July 14.

But hold on. July? That's too soon. You need to wait until Nov. 9 for the next hand to be dealt.

Jeffrey Pollack, the WSOP commissioner, says: "This is no different than the final chapter of American Idol or The Apprentice. It's about building interest and excitement for the final chapter of this story."

With the best nine players known, the best nine players can be sold to the masses. So there will be a hiatus in which we get to know the players.

"It's going to create way more buzz. ... It's going to be more like a live event," says Daniel Negreanu.

Doyle Brunson, a two-time main event winner, is less appreciative: "Frankly, I don't like it. ... I guess it will create a lot of hype. ... It seems a little overkill or something to me."

Doyle is wrong. It's not overkill. It's TV.

The winner be crowned in the early hours of Nov. 11, with a two-hour taped and edited telecast of the final table set for 9 p.m. that night on ESPN.

"The champion will be crowned on the day of air. We're very excited about this change," says ESPN senior producer Jamie Horowitz.

But not half as excited as the final nine, who will become media darlings, and heavily sponsored, and unable to sleep properly for almost four months....

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