The 2006 World Series of Poker was a rousing success any way you slice it. The event at the Rio had 46 tournaments, including a brand new $50,000 HORSE event. Now preparations are underway for the 2007 WSOP, which is only six months away. Big changes are in store for the event, including a 300 table poker room, 9 additional bracelet events, three starting days instead of four, and a Main Event that will begin shortly after the 4th of July. PocketFives.com sat down with Gary Thompson, Director of Operations for the WSOP, to discuss these changes and their impact on the largest poker event on the planet.

Perhaps the biggest change at the 2007 WSOP will be nine additional events, which means nine additional bracelets will be at stake. These new events include two new HORSE events, one with a $2,500 entry and one with a $5,000 entry. There will be several 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball events with re-buys. There will also be a Mixed Hold’em championship, as well as Stud and Razz events. “The primary concern the players had last year was that we didn’t have certain types of games in the schedule. They wanted to have additional non-no limit hold’em games in the event.”

Last year, according to Thompson, “We ended up seating over 700 alternatives for some no limit events. What are planning on expanding the number of tables by not only using the Amazon room, but also additional space adjacent to it. It’s a customer service and convenience measure. We want to make sure that anyone who wants to play in these events is able to without having to be an alternate. We also have a day off between Day 1C and Day 2, so, if demand is there, we can actually have a Day 1D.” The poker area will contain 300 tables (up from 220 last year), which, over a three day period, means up to 9,000 entrants. The possibility of a Day 1D, if needed, will also allow for additional players to partake: “We don’t know how many players we’ll be getting.”

The Players’ Advisory Council, which was heavily involved in the planning of the WSOP, also discussed whether the value of a bracelet would be diminished because of the larger number of events. Thompson comments, “One of the things that came up during the discussion was an analogy to the Olympics. The last summer Olympics had over 300 events. Winning a gold bracelet still has enormous value for the people who win them. It was a concern we had internally, but the reality is that players on the PAC wanted a larger schedule.”

The Main Event, which started last year on July 29, will begin on July 6. Regarding the decision to move the event up three weeks, Thompson explains that the decision was largely due to television production: “The move to July 6 was primarily driven by a desire on the part of us and ESPN to make sure the Main Event post-production was done, edited, and on the air so we weren’t competing on Tuesday nights with baseball playoffs. We don’t know exactly what the airing schedule will be, but we know it’ll be on Tuesday night. They wanted to get their initial broadcast of WSOP on the air as soon as possible before the playoffs started.” This means that many poker hopefuls will have to adjust their summer schedule accordingly. However, players will still be able to select their own starting date, as was the case in 2006.

In addition, plans are in the works for additional changes to the already-successful Las Vegas event: “As we go forward, you’ll see announcements about additional enhancements regarding changes in some of the procedures that will be welcomed by the players. I think there will be more non-poker events as well in the entertainment realm that will be of interest. There will be additional social things like parties that you’ll see. The WSOP is becoming more of a lifestyle experience than a straight poker tournament.”

Thank you to Gary Thompson and the Media Relations staff of the World Series of Poker for assistance in this interview. We look forward to seeing everyone in six short months at the 2007 WSOP!