Poker Writer
The World Series of Poker unveiled its new massive streaming stage with five feature tables and 12 outer tables. Nicknamed the “mothership,” the stage is set in the Paris ballroom rather than in the Horseshoe, as in previous years.
It is about the size of a football field, making it a much larger operation than the one in Horseshoe since the WSOP’s move from the Rio in 2022. The video on the WSOP X account shows a few of the tables being dramatically unveiled by new presenter Jeff Platt.
Bracelet winner Joseph Cheong posted a video that more clearly shows the layout of the new area, with Alex Foxen and Chance Kornuth checking it out as well.
The stage will also feature a new show called WSOP Countdown, which sounds similar to pre-game shows in several sports. It will cover all the stories before the action of the day and be hosted by Platt, Joe Stapleton and Norman Chad.
The new stage is bankrolled by GGPoker and is estimated to cost millions.
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More Feature Tables, More Coverage
The most obvious takeaway from the significantly larger streaming stage is more coverage of more events. The WSOP promises daily streams on YouTube, showing a variety of tournaments. Streaming starts tonight with the $25,000 Heads-Up Championship.
With no streaming schedule out, it appears as though this year’s coverage will be decided the day of the event, prioritizing flexibility as opposed to a more rigid schedule on the old PokerGO platform. Platt has promised that every event will be covered “in some form.”
One other change that PokerScout will monitor as the series goes on is just how much coverage expands.
In previous years, WSOP coverage often defaulted to only showing final tables. That often led to a fairly boring watch of players trying to ladder up with tight ICM play. The most exciting and interesting parts of most tournaments sometimes come with a handful of tables left, late enough for the money to feel real, but before ICM becomes a dominant consideration.
Platt assured that coverage will be deeper than just final tables:
Our plan this year will include a significant amount of pre-FT coverage. Ex: we’ll start heads-up champ coverage on Day 1, Milly Maker on Day 3 etc.
The five feature tables and 12 outer table sets indicate that coverage will indeed expand beyond just final tables, which is good news for those looking to watch for entertainment purposes.
Photo credit: WSOP / Tyler Abrams
