WSOP 2005
It was the Greek poet Ovid who said that change is the only true constant. Many of us would like to believe that this is not the case, because familiarity is something that we all crave to a certain degree as human beings. While the more adventurous types of individuals - such as your humble correspondent - thrive on new challenges and new experiences, it is essential to know that there are a few basics in life we can always count on to remain the same.
Yet the year 2005 taught us that even the most cherished of traditions will ultimately fall. We have a choice in this matter, either to embrace change or to resist by kicking and screaming and begging for a return to the past. I choose to adopt the former approach, because it is always easier to ride the horse in the direction he's going.
Nonetheless, it was a bitter pill to swallow when I learned that the 2005 World Series of Poker would not be held at its traditional home, Binion's casino on Fremont Street in downtown Las Vegas. Instead, Harrah's Entertainment, which bought Binion's the previous year, decided in its wisdom to move the tournament across town to the glamorous Rio Hotel and Casino resort.
What can you do, eh? Obviously, there was the option of boycotting the tournament, but that seemed as foolish as cutting my nose to spite my face. So instead, I decided to roll with the changes like just about everyone else in the professional poker world and go check out the action at the Rio.
It turned out to be a tournament of massive proportions, on a scale that surely Benny Binion himself could never have imagined. There were 5,619 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to compete in what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick-and-mortar casino. Many entrants earned their seat by winning online satellite matches.
In the end, a player named Joseph Hachem, who got his way into the tournament by paying the $10,000 buy-in fee for the main event, went on to take the main prize. And what did he win, other than a shiny gold bracelet? An unprecedented pot of $7,500,000, that's what. It was clear to everyone watching the tournament, either live or at home on their television sets, that the World Series of Poker had reached a new heights.
Where do we go from here? Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure: the 2006 WSOP has every indication of being even bigger and more exciting than anything that has come before. So get ready, get your game face on and I'll see you at the Rio this year.
by Arthur Crowson
