PocketFives has learned that the ratings for the pre-taped, or packaged, World Series of Poker Main Event on ESPN episodes increased by a sizable 17% in 2012 compared to 2011. The Main Event’s packaged shows began airing in August and concluded on October 23.

The packaged Main Event shows, which ran for two hours every Tuesday night, drew a 0.7 household coverage rating, with 664,000 households tuning in. Those numbers were up 17% from last year, when the WSOP Main Event fetched a 0.6 household coverage rating and attracted 549,000 households. The household impression numbers were up 21% this year compared with the 2011 WSOP Main Event, which also aired on ESPN.

The final table of the WSOP Main Event aired on Monday and Tuesday, October 29 and October 30, on a 15-minute delay. Three-handed play stretched for nearly 12 hours on its own and nearly 400 hands were dealt at the final table, a new WSOP Main Event record. The first nine hours of three-handed play garnered a 0.6 household coverage rating across 632,000 households. There was no direct comparison given as to how the ratings for the near-live final table stacked up to last year.

The live final table also aired immediately following the arrival of Hurricane Sandy, one of the largest natural disasters ever to hit the United States. The so-called Superstorm knocked out power and cell service to much of the Northeast United States. As PocketFives reported, Atlantic City casinos were closed and a chunk of the East Coast was likely unable to tune into the Main Event’s final table when it aired on ESPN on a 15-minute delay.

ESPN has carried the WSOP every year since 2002. One year later, Norman Chad supplanted Gabe Kaplan alongside Lon McEachern and the two have served as the faces of the WSOP on ESPN ever since. ESPN also carried the WSOP from 1988 to 1998, sans a one-year gap, before the annual poker series briefly moved to the Travel Channel for three years.

Three-handed play in the 2012 WSOP Main Event concluded shortly before 9:00am Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 31. This author had just rolled out of bed for a meeting, only to see that heads-up play was commencing around 8:15am Eastern Time. Several minutes later, Greg Merson defeated Jesse Sylvia for the 2012 WSOP Main Event title and a nearly $9 million payday (pictured).

This year’s final table consisted of eight Americans and one Hungarian. Thus, only two countries were represented. The makeup of this year’s final nine was in stark contrast to 2011, when seven countries were represented. The WSOP Main Event also nearly featured two women at the final tablefor the first time ever, but Gaelle Baumannand Elisabeth Hille were knocked out in 10th and 11th, respectively. Whether the lack of non-Americans and non-males inhibited the WSOP Main Event’s ratings is not clear.

2012 also marked the first year of the delayed final table format that the conclusion took place in October rather than November. WSOP officials first teased the change back in January. This year, the Main Event final table’s Octo-Nine play was held one week earlier so as to not to go head-to-head with the U.S. Presidential election, which saw incumbent Barack Obama defeat challenger Mitt Romney.

Stay tuned to PocketFives for the latest poker television news. We’d like to thank ESPN for providing the ratings used in this article.

Want the latest poker headlines and interviews? Follow PocketFives on Twitterand Like PocketFives on Facebook. You can also subscribe to our RSS feed.