November None
The November Nine, a great (okay, make that "a pretty good") idea that never lived up to expectations has been killed. Put out of its misery for a lack of interest. Everybody, it seems sighs and says that's just poker's plight these days. A fad, that's come, gone, and now is back to being a niche game. Black Friday! Poker scandals! Blah, blah, blah! Oversaturation! I disagree. The truth is the November Nine died, not because of any of those things, but because we let it wither on the vine. And by "we" I mean us poker players who entrusted the WSOP and its broadcasting partners to do what was best for our game and our signature event. Sadly, as usual, when it comes to poker, we put our faith in the wrong people. In a better world with ESPN as a broadcasting partner, the following would have happened with a November Nine. In the summer nine diverse players, hopefully including a talkative villain/hero (depending on your perspective), a couple