November Nine Era Ends - WSOP ME Champion to be Crowned in July

The WSOP is set to kick off within a month in Las Vegas and this year, there will be some significant changes made to the Main Event. The final table will not be played in November as it used to be.

Since 2007 the WSOP Main Event was decided at a 9-handed final table in November known as the "November Nine". The line-up of the table was determined in July along with the other WSOP events, so for 10 years the tournament had a 4-month break before coming to its conclusion - an aspect that some players, for example Ylon Schwartz has criticized in the past.

This tradition is about to be broken, however. Poker Central has announced the acquisition of the global television and digital media rights to the World Series of Poker and they're changing the game. One of the changes is that this year the American sports cable channel ESPN will be broadcasting the Main Event with a 30-minute delay from Day 1A. In previous years ESPN used to only air highlights of the most prestigious poker tournament. The other change is regarding the final table: it's going to be played in July, 20th-22nd, to be exact - there will be no November Nine this year. You can find the full schedule below.

The time is given in EST. It has also been reported that ESPN has extended their deal with the WSOP for four more years so they will continue to cover the event in the future.