How to Prepare for the WSOP
Well, friends, here we are again at my favorite time of year. Yes, if you want to see a happy Owen Laukkanen, just show him a calendar that indicates summer is at hand. This is by far my favorite season for many, many reasons.
And I think it is safe to speculate, especially if you are a poker fan, that you share my love for the three warmest months of the year.
Sure, anyone can appreciate the sunshine, the beach, tropical drinks with little umbrellas in them and bikinis wrapped around tanned nubile flesh, but a poker fanatic really gets excited about summer because it means that the World Series of Poker is drawing near.
And yet, this can also be a time of great anxiety for fans of poker. Because they start asking themselves the question: "Am I fully prepared to make the very most out of this year's WSOP?" Well, I don't want you to get all worked up over nothing, so this article will cover just a few basic essentials that will help to ensure you don't miss out on all the fun.
First of all, where and when to go? For the second year running, the 2006 World Series of Poker will be held at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. With a huge tally of 44 scheduled events running from June 25 to August 10, it promises to be a nonstop barrage of poker excitement. Satellite tournaments will begin at the end of June while the most popular event, the $10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold'em World Championship Event, starts July 28. The Rio is owned by the Harrah's Corporation, which has many years of experience putting together spectacles that draw crowds by the thousands. This year's WSOP promises to continue that bodacious trend.
Now, as you might imagine, Vegas is pretty darn full during this summer months in general and even more so during the key weekends of the World Series of Poker. Therefore, it behooves you to make your hotel and flight reservation many months in advance. If, however, you are an incurable procrastinator and still have not attended to these vital matters, there's no need to panic. The wonder of the Internet makes it easier than ever to find great deals for both travel and accommodations. But, I should tell you it is in your best interest to stop reading this article right now and immediately go to your favorite travel Web site to take care of business.
Finally, I would strongly recommend that any prospective entrant to the World Series of Poker go to the tournament's official Web site where you'll find a wealth of information about how to pre-register and numerous other critical aspects. These folks really run a tight ship and it is one of the most informative and easy to assess poker sites I have come across. So get going and I'll look for you in Vegas.
