For the last twenty or so years, Lon McEachern’s silky-smooth voice, combined with Norman Chad’s snappy old-man-yells-at-cloud commentary, has graced the WSOP Main Event airwaves from day four to its conclusion.
This year, we’ve seen neither hide nor hair of either of the iconic commentators during the Main Event, as we now roll through day six.
The question remains: Will the dynamic duo return, or have they been put out to pasture for good?
Yesterday, PokerOrg received an urgent text from Lon. He had read the Maria Ho ‘missing the WSOP’ feature and wanted to inform us that he and Norman are also indeed missing from the WSOP commentary booth. Would we like to know why?
We did.
You both were seen briefly walking the halls of the WSOP early on. Did either of you contribute any commentary to the streams?
Lon McEachern: I did, yes. I announced three final tables: The 100K High Roller, The 10K Limit Championship (both with Jesse Sylvia), and the Ladies event with Jen Shahade.
Norman Chad: I did half of a non-final table. That was it.
We noticed you played a few events, Norman, and did something you rarely do, which is make a day two.
NC: Oh, so I’m the punching bag on this now, but yes, it was a bad year. I was zero for the five tournaments I played, breaking a streak of five straight years where I had cashed once or twice a year at the WSOP.
I was not close to cashing at any point this year. I crawled out of town on all fours.
The poker world, for the most part, has come to look forward to both of you commentating during the Main Event. What’s going on?
NC: I compare it to when college students, before they go to grad school or go out into the work world, they take a gap year. I decided this would be my and Lon’s gap year. With me, because I'm more unpredictable, it might be a gap decade. We will record commentary for CBS in post for the Main Event episodes coming out in a few months.
So yes, we are on the sidelines for the Main Event live stream, but we will be front and center for the post-edited shows.
You’ve had some fantastic guest commentators in the booth in past years, such as Maria Ho and Antonio Esfandiari. Who have been some of your favorites?
NC: You just mentioned two of my favorites. I had a great rapport with Antonio. It was great to commentate with somebody who is both getting a massage in the booth and also lying down literally on one elbow while doing the commentary. That is quite a talent.
Maria Ho, for the last two or three years, has been an absolute delight in the booth.
LM: I have worked with so many poker pros during my tenure. It was a joy to listen to their different styles, and I appreciated what each brought to the show. David Williams got me into crypto, Kane Kalas was hyper analytical, Jonathan Little keeps track of the movies he's watched each year.
I hate to pick favorites, but overall I have to go with the OG: Antonio Esfandiari. He was the first to embrace what was needed and did it so well and welcomed the casual fan into the game with simple explanations that had to make players of so many viewers.
I’m sure you’ve been watching two of the louder players at the WSOP, Martin Kabrhel and Will Kassouf. Do you think their table talk is good for the game?
NC: There's a difference between Kabrhel and Kassouf, several differences. First off, Martin is a better poker player than Will.
As far as the table talk stuff goes, Martin's is much more entertaining to take. Kassouf, at some point, is like an automobile horn that is stuck; you just want somebody to stop that car horn.
If you're at the table with either one of them as a player, I think they're very difficult to take. The stalling is just way too much, and I believe Kassouf goes way over the line with his banter. Frankly, I wish we did not shine a light anymore on Kassouf.
LM: First off, I love table talk; it makes our shows better and makes for a better experience at the table for the players, usually.
I’ve had the pleasure of being knocked out by Will at the Irish Open a few years back. At that time, he was still riding high from the exposure given to him on the WSOP shows. But Norman is correct here, Kassouf and Martin are two different blabbers. Martin seems more organic to me, while Will has a chatter that seems well rehearsed and does get old quickly and more annoying.
Both players could do well to cut their acts down 75%. I mean, I like tequila, but we know what happens when that's all we get in an evening out.
So if you're not on the live streams, what are you guys up to this summer?
NC: Even though Lon and I are away this summer, we're still working with GGPoker. We're putting out on YouTube a replay of some hands from the WSOP, including the Main Event.
They are little snippets of some of the best hands of the summer. We're taping a few dozen for GG. It sort of keeps our toes in the water for this gap year.
LM: Most of them will go up over the next week or so. We'll be taping more in the next couple of days, they should be up on WSOP.com.
Additional images courtesy of Antonio Abrego/PokerGO/ESPN.
