Posted by Dr Fro 8:48 PM

All the buzz on the poker news/blog sites is the new rule at the WSOP regarding the final table. Harrah's has decided to take a big break once the final table of the Main Event has been set. The 9 Final-Tablers would do a celebrity tour until the fall then meet again to play it out.

People who hate change hate the idea; people who don't, don't. Surprising.

I'll save you all the internet research and boil down the main pro and the main con:

The biggest pro is...this is very good for television, and that is good for the poker economy/business, and we all benefit from that.

The biggest con is......too much opportunity for collusion/deal-making.

Oh, who gives a flip? I don't care if the bubble bursts. Poker's progress, even if it wanes, is significant. It used to be very hard to find a poker game and now it is hard to avoid one. So bully to Harrah's for trying, but I don't care.

And collusion??? Are you kidding me? The opportunity currently exists. At least now, the sponsors will make it lucrative 9and transparent) enough to not need to cut a deal.

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There are so many bad poker interviews out in the media, but this one is just great. Maybe it is because I love the blog and the poker player. Whatever, here is Phil Gordon on the Freakonomics blog

He said a lot of interesting things, but three caught my attention enough to mention them here:

• He was asked, "What skill is more important in Holdem: discipline in the range of hands you play, or the ability to read the other player?" He answered the former! Really? Crap, I gotta go change my reason for living.
• The top five NLHE players in the world? Phil Ivey, Patrick Antonius, Phil Galfond, Brian Townsend and me. Ok, not me, but Ivey, yeah. We know Antonius and BT from High Stakes Poker, but I am a bit surprised to see them on this list. Phil Glafond? WTF is Phil Glafond? Well, he was the dude on HSP that kinda go screwed over by the producers (Google him). He has always been a big hero on the internet, but to get props from Phil Gordon like that is a pretty big endorsement.
• Then he said "As for Negreanu — things aren’t always the way they appear on television. " Ouch.

I respect this guy a lot, so I'll take his other-than-I'd-expect-answers to heart.

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