WSOP 2008 Sets Off

Today at noon, WSOP 2008 will be brought into being. The poker fest of the year, the series of competitions that every player craves to win, the Big One.

Like last year, the World Series of Poker is held at the Rio All Suites Hotel and Casino, off-strip in Las Vegas, an experienced organizer of huge get-togethers in anything from international police authorities to cutting-edge household appliances.

How many entrants in the Main Event?

Like every year, the question on everybody's lips is how many entrants there will be in the Main Event. Will last year's dip to 6,358 entrants be extended downwards, or will numbers turn around and continue up the steep slope of last decades?

The $50,000 HORSE event from 2006 and 2007 will of course be repeated a third time, and except for the Main Event there are seven $10,000 world championship events in various disciplines.

Big bucks right from the start

Rather than the traditional Casino Employees Event, this year's series sets off with an audible bang: a $10,000 Pot Limit Holdem event. Will last years winner, Allen Cunningham, be able to repeat his triumph?

To put a damper on the unending registration lineups from last year, the sign-up opened a couple of days in advance. Organizer Harrah's has taken a number of steps to meet various player criticisms, such as more restrooms, better food and no more playing poker in a tent,

Better food and harder penalties

A new and stiffened Code of Player Conduct has been implemented to make the experience more agreeable for the large part of the attendants who, by nature of principle, don't tend to enjoy being mistreated by fellow players.

Remains to be seen how much bad blood will be stirred up by the reinforced penalties themselves. Who can blame you for blurting out something stupid after being bad beat!