The $50K H.O.R.S.E event got under way this weekend but very few players straddled up. For the pros, this is the ‘showpiece' event - the massive buy-in attracts a stellar field and juicy payouts. It's on a par with the Main Event as the most coveted bracelet. However, the atmosphere was somewhat subdued this year, with only 95 contestants taking to the green felt; significantly less than the 143 and 148 who have entered the last two years. In his Full Contact Poker blog Negreanu dismisses claims this is due to the troublesome economic climate. Instead, he argues a lack of TV coverage (no major network, notably ESPN, have agreed to screen the action) has contributed to the dearth of jockeys. With no brand advertisement, websites sponsoring pros for the event are reluctant to fork out for the steep buy-in - there simply isn't the incentive. It all boils down to the reasons for the snub from the TV companies. Negreanu suggests the multi-variant format doesn't appeal to the casual viewer - who are only really familiar with NL Hold'em since the poker boom. The Canadian Limit expert wants the final table to be all NL, so television will once again embrace the event.

Negreanu's suggestion seems to be a bit ‘anti-poker'. The $50K H.O.R.S.E event is SUPPOSED to be orientated towards the pro's, who inevitably all have their preferred variants. It's the $10K Main Event where all the media coverage and jazz comes to the fore. Making the final table NL is a bit of a kick in the teeth for someone, such as Jeff Lisandro, who has accumulated their stack in a specific variant, such as Stud. Would they not be irate if it was all blown away by one ‘cooler' or bad beat? It just seems that once you mount a H.O.R.S.E, you should stick with it on every furlong. The solution is simple - introduce more ‘higher buy in' NL events, such as the $40K, which was won by Ukrainian Vitaly Lunkin. But this is down to tournament director Jack Effel to organize, not Mr Negreanu.

Source:  www.aintluck.com