World Series of Poker Begins Today

The waiting is over. The cameras are rolling. Hand after hand after hand of practice have prepared players for today. The World Series of Poker is on.

Today is the just beginning of six full weeks of poker at Harrah’s Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, the new venue for the World Series because the traditional location, Binion’s Horseshoe, is now too small to accommodate the burgeoning number of players. The final twenty-seven players of the Main Event, however, will compete until the end at the venerable Horseshoe.

Last year’s $10,000 buy-in Main Event, which is what most casual fans associate with the World Series, saw a record 2,576 entrants compete for the $5 million first prize, which Greg “Fossilman” Raymer eventually won. Because of the skyrocketing popularity of online poker, some estimates put this year’s Main Event field at well over 4,000 and there are some rumors that it may need to be capped at 6,600, as that is the capacity of the Rio. Regardless, the prize money will be by far the largest in the history of poker.

All told, there are 42 events at the World Series of Poker, each scheduled for one day (with the final tables played the following day), except for the Main Event, which is slated to kick off July 7 and see its champion crowned on July 15.

Today’s opening event is the $500 buy-in Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em event. 662 players started the tournament, for a $297,900 total prize pool (3 percent of the buy-in goes to the tournament staff and 7 percent to the house). The winner will take home $83,390.

Be sure to check back with Poker News Daily for updates as the World Series of Poker progresses.

Originally published June 2, 2005