There has been a lot of talk about the tenth anniversary of Chris Moneymaker winning the World Series of Poker Main Event. The 2003 tournament will forever be remembered as the time everything changed and poker went from the back rooms to the big stage.
Tonight, ten years later, the 2013 WSOP Event debuts on ESPN for another year of primetime coverage with all the big names, big hands, and, of course, commentary from Lon McEachern and Norman Chad. While some things have changed since 2003, others, like Lon and Norm, remain the same. The fun begins tonight at 9pm ET with two hours of poker action.
One other thing remains the same: Phil Ivey. Poker fans still wonder what might have been had Ivey beaten Moneymaker in the pivotal hand where Ivey turned a boat only to have Moneymaker river a bigger boat and send him to the rail. We got a glimpse at the possibilities four years ago when Ivey made the November Nine.
This year’s Main Event coverage picks up with the Day 3 action. Players aren’t in the money just yet, but the possibilities of making a run in the biggest tournament of the year. One player who is building a stack and picking up momentum? None other than Ivey, who spends a good portion of tonight’s coverage seated at the feature table. Some might remember from the summer that this table was a veritable murderer’s row of poker sharks, including bracelet winner Max Steinberg, Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, and One Drop High Roller Champ Anthony Gregg, just to name a few.
The feature table action with Ivey is just a taste of what tonight’s Main Event premiere has to offer though. The coverage has a walk down memory lane with Mr. Moneymaker, sideline interviews with Kara Scott, Mic Check segments with two of poker’s biggest talkers, and a surreal discussion between Kevin Pollak and a piece of jewelry. You think we’re kidding. We aren’t.
You’ll have to tune in to see what we mean about Kevin Pollak, as well as to see how Ivey and others fare. Be sure to Tweet along with us @WSOP as we watch the big premiere. Tell us what you loved, who you love to hate, and what you are looking forward to seeing as we watch the action get down to this year's November Nine.
In the meantime though, here is a glimpse at what you can expect from Ivey and the feature table tonight. Hopefully it can tide you over until 9pm ET when the action kicks off: