2005 WSOP + GHOSTS OF POKER PAST

A few more photos have been added to the 2005 World Series of Poker Photo gallery.

The time grows short before the crowds take their place at the Rio’s Pavilion. The work crews continue to set up tables and lights, big screens closed circuit TV, sound systems, registration booths, all the things needed to guarantee a smooth and successful run for the historic 2005 World Series of Poker. The spacious, modern facilities at the Rio Resort are in stark contrast to the aging Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. Having spent a number of years covering the WSOP at the Horseshoe and remembering trying to crowd more people into Benny’s Bullpin than would fit; I, for one, am looking forward to this year’s uptown tournament. Of course, I’ll miss many of the things that were downtown traditional to the World Series of Poker; but I won’t miss the lousy lighting that made good photos an impossibility. I won’t miss the crowded corridors that were impossible to navigate, nor will I miss that peculiar odor that had permeated the Horseshoe the last few years. I will miss knowing about the best parking spaces, the shortcut into the coffee shop, secret passageways, lower levels and even the ghosts that are always just out of sight in the old place.

Would the late Benny Binion approve of his WSOP moving to bigger and better digs on the upper end of the Vegas Strip? Probably not, but the WSOP isn’t his anymore. Benny would have moved it to a better place, and that place would have been the Horseshoe. He always maintained his downtown property with a spit and polish attitude and continued to make the Horseshoe better without doing damage to it’s soul. Whatever it took to get the gamblers into his joint and make them comfortable was his special knack. Benny had a genuine affection for poker players and the World Series of Poker was his gift to everyone that plays the game. Did Benny foresee the WSOP becoming the monster of today? Probably not, in fact, no one predicted the tremendous growth of the industry until it was already well under way. So, how would he have handled the multitudes coming to be a part of poker history when the 2005 WSOP begins Thursday? The same way he always did. He would make sure you were treated with respect, got a fair shake and was as comfortable as possible. I think they should modify the stature of Benny, the one of him on his horse. They should show him holding a WSOP gold bracelet in one hand and a stack of food comps in the other. That’s how I remember the founder of the WSOP, bigger than life, and I do miss that memory.

Speaking of food comps, I hear rumors there will be no food comps, player buffets or any dining accommodations for the 2005 WSOP participants. I am assuming the ‘suits’ made a bottom line decision that continuing the Binion tradition of feeding gamblers wasn’t cost effective. Apparently the bean counters (pun intended) couldn’t work out an acceptable ROI on the food.

Least I forget, the final twenty-seven players in the $10K main event will return to the downtown Horseshoe for one last time. I’m sure the ghost of poker past will be out in force to see how this one plays out. Benny, Moss, Ungar, Strass, Roberts and a few others will be there playing in their own exclusive poker game and making side bets on the outcome of the live game.