The British mixed games specialist Benny Glaser has been attending the World Series of Poker for many years. In 2025, he finished second in the WSOP Player of the Year race and won three bracelets in the 100-event series, the best of any player who took part.

We spoke with Benny to find out if one of the WSOP’s favorite adopted sons believes it is a good idea for the WSOP Main Event to consider a move back to a ‘November nine’ format of delaying the World Championship final table or not.

Taking a Break

“Players aren’t going to be playing [while] exhausted.”

We started by asking the eight-time WSOP bracelet winner what he felt about the idea of the WSOP Main Event returning to a ‘November Nine’ format. Between 2008 and 2016, the world’s biggest poker event stopped when nine players remained and took a hiatus of over three months, returning to the Rio in November to play down to a winner. While the location has now changed, Benny can see the format working if changes are afoot at the Horseshoe Las Vegas on the Sin City Strip.

“I think overall the break from the final table is good for poker,” Benny says. “I think it gets more publicity, it gets more attention in a good way and means that players aren’t going to be playing [while] exhausted.”

This was a key feature of the original November Nine format, with entertaining background videos on each player giving poker fans the chance to learn more about each competitor and pick the favorites for the final. Benny thinks the preparation time this kind of hiatus would give each player would be a positive, too.

“They can prepare for it in whatever way they want such as flying their families in,” the eight-time WSOP champions says. “That is always nice for something so special and a once in a lifetime thing.”

Would the Move be Positive for Poker Fans?

“When the possible improvement level is bigger, that’s naturally going to favor players that have more ability to improve.”

While some poker fans enjoy the way that the current format breaks players down and sees them reduced to their wits after nine days out of ten spent at the felt, Benny thinks a break between the play down to a final nine and the final table would give viewers a better all-round experience.

“It’s good for poker fans as well,” he says. “There’s more talk and attention about it in the meantime. It doesn’t mean people lose interest in that time, as you can hopefully get to know players more during that period.”

We asked Benny whether the hiatus of a few months between reaching the final table and playing down to a winner would give big names and elite professionals an advantage with their access to coaching likely to be far greater than that of a recreational player, but Benny sees things the other way around.

“As far as whether it gives amateurs or pros a bigger advantage, I’d say it’s probably going to be amateurs. When the possible improvement level is bigger, that’s naturally going to favor players that have more ability to improve.”

Who Would Have the Best Overall Chance of Victory?

“Professionals probably would have more time to dedicate to that improvement than an amateur would.”

Everybody wants to win the WSOP Main Event and Benny is no different. If he were to crown himself champion of the world, then, much like in 2025 in the case of Michael Mizrachi, there would simply be no reason that he shouldn’t be in the Poker Hall of Fame. He sees the balance between those who earn their living through the game we all love and those who play for fun as slight in terms of who’d fare better with a break in the Main.

“Professionals are going to know better how to improve, but the fact that amateurs have more to improve will probably mean that – relative to their skill – they will improve more than professionals would,” he says.

It’s a good point that all improvement is relative but as Benny counters, the factor of funds also plays into any calculations on edges.

“Comparatively speaking, [amateurs] would get more help in that time although professionals probably would have more time to dedicate to that improvement than an amateur would, so it makes for an interesting dynamic and an interesting possible end result.”

With the WSOP Europe festival just over a month away and only three months until cards are in the air in Las Vegas, Benny Glaser will be looking to go hard at the WSOP Player of the Year race once again. We can’t wait to see how close he gets to glory again this year and whether he can win his ninth bracelet at least across a bumper year of World Series of Poker action.