Harrah's announces 2007 World Series of Poker dates

The 2007 World Series of Poker will begin June 1 at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino Harrah's Entertainment officials announced Monday.

The Main Event final table will begin on July 17th, Harrah's spokesman Gary Thompson said.

A full event schedule will be available in two to three weeks Thompson added.

"The earlier dates will allow ESPN to televise the WSOP in the summer, avoiding the (Major League) baseball playoffs that can hurt ratings," Thompson said. "The result will be wider exposure for the players and higher ratings for the programming."

Harrah's officials are also reviewing a proposed schedule with the Players Advisory Council to make sure this year's series is more appealing for participants, Thompson said. The results of this meeting will be considered before releasing the final schedule.

"The 2006 World Series of Poker was the best yet, but 2007 will be even better," said World Series of Poker Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. "As a first step, we've moved the start date up and now we're developing an expanded and well-rounded schedule of events for 2007 that will appeal to both professionals and amateurs."