WPT - questions about the amount of money in chips players start with and commentators knowledge?

Question

1. shouldn't the players in the final table all start with the same amount of money in chips? i suppose all tournament players started with the same amount of chips and only the winner of each table followed the next stage.

2. the commentators record their comments after the game is finished, because the law restrict them from seeing the wpt cams live, doesn't it ruins the all thing to know that they already know what is going to happen and pretend that they don't and fake their enthusiasm?

Answer 1

1. The final table is the culmination of a tournament that has lasted several days. Each player at the table has amassed a certain number of chips, and plays with whatever chips they have managed to win over the course of the tournament.

It's much more complicated than 'the winner of each table' going on to the next stage. As players lose all their chips, the tables are combined into fewer and fewer tables. Ultimately, they get down to one table.

2. I don't know for sure, but I suspect there is a combination of "live" commentary and "after-the-fact" commentary.

There is no law governing the WPT cams.

When one player is "all in", both players will turn up their cards. When this happens, the commentators can describe the action as it occurs.

When the cards are not shown, the commentary is recorded later on. The commentators may know the outcome (if they remember that particular hand).

Remember also that the final table lasts about 6 hours. It is edited down to a 2 hour TV show (including commercials, interviews, etc.)

Answer 2

In multi table tournaments, everyone starts the tournament with the same amount (used to be 10k, don't know now though) in wpt.  There are tournaments where you play to last man standing at each table, then they create a new table all with same ammount of chips, these are known as "shoot outs".  As people get knocked out in multi table tournaments, the tournament dirrector and his staff move people so the tables are as balanced as possible, simply because it is unfair for players at one table to have to take blinds more often than players at another table.  On tv with the wpt, you are only seeing the final six, not the final table, they don't shoot the show until the final table has lost 3 players. In multitable tournaments, the chips you have when you get to the final table are the chips you have, it would not be right to even everyone up.

As for Vince and Mike, I couldn't tell you if the commentary is live or not, I really never thought about it.  They stay in their booth, unlike commentators on other poker tournaments on tv, so it really wouldn't matter if it is live or not as far as the players are concerned, the show isn't broadcast live so it doesn't matter. Mike Sexton and Vince normally play in the tournaments also, I am waiting for the day that Mike will make the final 6 (he is a h**l of a poker player, winning last years tournament of champions at the wsop) just to see who they will get to fill in for him.