2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

39th annual World Series of Poker presented by Milwaukee's Best Light beer will be held at the Rio May 30 through July 17, 2008.

a few notes.

1) the rumors about the date change were wrong

2) the rumors about the venue change were wrong

3) does this mean Harrah's doesn't expect to sell Rio before the WSOP, or does this mean one side of the business doesn't speak to the other? Do the new owners of Harrah's have any input yet?

Business as usual is of course more valuable than business interrupted so that would explain the announcement and plans even if they intend to offload the WSOP.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

It was pretty clear there was going to be no venue change until 2009. Caesars is adding a new convention hall and parking that will be completed by mid 2009, so you'd have to wonder.

I'm more curious to see what events are scheduled and what changes will be done to the structures / buyins / fees / layouts if any.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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It was pretty clear there was going to be no venue change until 2009. Caesars is adding a new convention hall and parking that will be completed by mid 2009, so you'd have to wonder.

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Word on the street was that the WSOP was for sale, Jack Binion is taking the WSOP and the Rio. Word also is that Palms might take the Rio which is possible since they are building a tram between the Rio and the Palms. Obviously this is all just rumor, and the recent announcement casts some doubt on the rumor.

Too bad they didnt change the dates, the WSOP was much better positioned in the spring.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

It doesn't make business sense for Harrah's to have the WSOP in the spring. Convention season in Vegas is in full-swing up until Memorial Day. It's in their best interests (their pockets) to create demand for their rooms during off-times. (Off times being summer weekdays)

I know Pollock went on record and said the "Poker Tent" wouldn't be used in 2008. So you'd have to wonder if they locked up an additional room to use. I kinda liked the poker room since it wasn't as loud as the Amazon Room. Granted, I wasn't in there when the temperature was an issue.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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39th annual World Series of Poker presented by Milwaukee's Best Light beer will be held at the Rio May 30 through July 17, 2008.

a few notes.

1) the rumors about the date change were wrong



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Actually dates changed. Last year was June 1st start date. There are 2 more days on the schedule this year.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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[ QUOTE ]
39th annual World Series of Poker presented by Milwaukee's Best Light beer will be held at the Rio May 30 through July 17, 2008.

a few notes.

1) the rumors about the date change were wrong



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Actually dates changed. Last year was June 1st start date. There are 2 more days on the schedule this year.

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bah, we were all hoping for a return to spring.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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39th annual World Series of Poker presented by Milwaukee's Best Light beer will be held at the Rio May 30 through July 17, 2008.

a few notes.

1) the rumors about the date change were wrong



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Actually dates changed. Last year was June 1st start date. There are 2 more days on the schedule this year.

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bah, we were all hoping for a return to spring.

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I meant to say this year (2007) was June 1st. Anyways, Harrahs would rather fill hotel rooms in the dead of summer than worry about them during the brisk spring business. It's not secret why it got moved to summer in the first place. I'm in favor of going back to April with it too.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

Have to respectfully (if somewhat selfishly) disagree with TT's post re. seasonal preferences. As a once-a-year, non-pro pilgrim to Mecca, summer is much better for vacation planning purposes.

Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the higher WSOP attendance in recent years can be partly attributed to the change to a summer timeframe, as more civilians have the opportunity to come out on their summer vacation and make a donation (this poster included). I could stand to be corrected on this point ... I wonder if anyone at Harrah's has attempted to quantify the issue of which season maximizes attendance? Of course, if they were to pay me, I'd be delighted to spend an hour in a focus group and gripe about WSOP matters.

Anyhoo, since the thread is on seasons, here's a gratuitous WSOP-themed haiku poem:

amazon summer
we freeze while the desert burns
another bad beat

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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Have to respectfully (if somewhat selfishly) disagree with TT's post re. seasonal preferences. As a once-a-year, non-pro pilgrim to Mecca, summer is much better for vacation planning purposes.

Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the higher WSOP attendance in recent years can be partly attributed to the change to a summer timeframe, as more civilians have the opportunity to come out on their summer vacation and make a donation (this poster included). I could stand to be corrected on this point ... I wonder if anyone at Harrah's has attempted to quantify the issue of which season maximizes attendance? Of course, if they were to pay me, I'd be delighted to spend an hour in a focus group and gripe about WSOP matters.

Anyhoo, since the thread is on seasons, here's a gratuitous WSOP-themed haiku poem:

amazon summer
we freeze while the desert burns
another bad beat

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not so sure your right, most of working America takes Vacation in August I think. I could be wrong of course.

Bitchin' haiku!

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the higher WSOP attendance in recent years can be partly attributed to the change to a summer timeframe, as more civilians have the opportunity to come out on their summer vacation and make a donation (this poster included). I could stand to be corrected on this point ...

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Summer vacation? Hardly any of the WSOP players are in high school.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the higher WSOP attendance in recent years can be partly attributed to the change to a summer timeframe, as more civilians have the opportunity to come out on their summer vacation and make a donation (this poster included). I could stand to be corrected on this point ...

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Summer vacation? Hardly any of the WSOP players are in high school.

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but a fair amount are in college

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

Is there a schedule out yet?

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the higher WSOP attendance in recent years can be partly attributed to the change to a summer timeframe, as more civilians have the opportunity to come out on their summer vacation and make a donation (this poster included). I could stand to be corrected on this point ...

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Summer vacation? Hardly any of the WSOP players are in high school.

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but a fair amount are in college

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I guess. I turned 21 my senior year, so in the summer I would have been working full time, but I can see where many would be 21 at the end of their junior year.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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but a fair amount are in college

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I guess. I turned 21 my senior year, so in the summer I would have been working full time, but I can see where many would be 21 at the end of their junior year.

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And you forget how many youngins these days are on the 7-year graduation plan. Or the "I still haven't found myself, so I think another couple years of grad school would be nice" life plan. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

But seriously folks... a LOT of people hit the WSOP with families in tow. I see moms + kids hanging around outside the Amazon room all the time trying to see dad. Summer is definitely an easier time for most northern-hemispherians to get away, and since the vast majority of WSOP participants are not professional poker players, catering to them is good. Whether that means "june" or "august", I don't care... June weather is typically a bit more humane, but it's not really all that different.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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but a fair amount are in college

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I guess. I turned 21 my senior year, so in the summer I would have been working full time, but I can see where many would be 21 at the end of their junior year.

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And you forget how many youngins these days are on the 7-year graduation plan. Or the "I still haven't found myself, so I think another couple years of grad school would be nice" life plan. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

But seriously folks... a LOT of people hit the WSOP with families in tow. I see moms + kids hanging around outside the Amazon room all the time trying to see dad. Summer is definitely an easier time for most northern-hemispherians to get away, and since the vast majority of WSOP participants are not professional poker players, catering to them is good. Whether that means "june" or "august", I don't care... June weather is typically a bit more humane, but it's not really all that different.

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Jeez, I would think that's the worst kind of vacation to take the family on. If dad is in a tournament, he's gone all day and night, and gets back to the hotel at 2:30 or 3 am. He's not going to feel like getting up at 8 am to spend 3 hours of quality time with the family before going back to the WSOP.

If he's just there to play cash games, he can spend the day with the fam, but he's going to be playing on little sleep if he stays up very late. Even if all his family members are 21 and over, there's not much that's more boring than railing somebody for more than 30 minutes, especially if they're not players themselves.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

My guess is most of these players are there 'cause they won their seats, and as long as they were coming to Vegas they dumped everybody into the minivan and made a vacation out of it. If the choice is mom and the kids stay home while dad goes to play the WSOP, or you take everybody along for an inexpensive if imperfect vacation, which will it be?

If you hold the tourney in April, it'll probably be the former and dad will show up, play his one day, stay one more night 'cause it's free despite his wife nagging him to hurry up and get back, and go home.

If you hold the tourney in July, the family will arrive a day early, everybody will eat and gamble and see shows and leave money in the hands of Harrah's, dad will play the tourney and bust out on day 1 while the kids swim and mom dumps dollars into the slots, they'll stay another couple days and swim and eat and play and leave more money in Harrah's hot little hands, and then go home.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

hopefully this is the year I make it out there for an event or 2

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

It is freaking HOT in Las Vegas in the summer... [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

Surface of the sun hot!

Tuff

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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My guess is most of these players are there 'cause they won their seats, and as long as they were coming to Vegas they dumped everybody into the minivan and made a vacation out of it. If the choice is mom and the kids stay home while dad goes to play the WSOP, or you take everybody along for an inexpensive if imperfect vacation, which will it be?

If you hold the tourney in April, it'll probably be the former and dad will show up, play his one day, stay one more night 'cause it's free despite his wife nagging him to hurry up and get back, and go home.

If you hold the tourney in July, the family will arrive a day early, everybody will eat and gamble and see shows and leave money in the hands of Harrah's, dad will play the tourney and bust out on day 1 while the kids swim and mom dumps dollars into the slots, they'll stay another couple days and swim and eat and play and leave more money in Harrah's hot little hands, and then go home.

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A couple years ago (when I still watched tournament coverage), ESPN did one of their human interest features on the winner of one of the tournaments who had driven out in his RV with wife and daughter.

Thank Bav is spot on here. If a player wins his seat either online or in a B&M tournament, there's usually some travel expense money also. Can make for a cheap vacation in a city that still has enough kid-friendly attractions to keep them busy, more than enough shopping (low to high end) and spas to keep moms happy, and some decent baby-sitting options (Kids Tyme in a lot of locals' casinos for starts) for the parents to have a night or two out, kids free. And it's easier to pull this off when the kids are out of school.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the higher WSOP attendance in recent years can be partly attributed to the change to a summer timeframe, as more civilians have the opportunity to come out on their summer vacation and make a donation (this poster included). I could stand to be corrected on this point ...

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Summer vacation? Hardly any of the WSOP players are in high school.

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But some of us teach it, so summer is great for me.

Re: 2008 WSOP Dates Announced
 

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Indeed, it wouldn't surprise me if the higher WSOP attendance in recent years can be partly attributed to the change to a summer timeframe, as more civilians have the opportunity to come out on their summer vacation and make a donation (this poster included). I could stand to be corrected on this point ...

[/ QUOTE ]

Summer vacation? Hardly any of the WSOP players are in high school.

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But some of us teach it, so summer is great for me.

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Exactly. Same with me. If it's any earlier than it already is then add it to the list of basically every other tournament that I can't play because of work.