The 2006 WSOP welcome banners are out!
On the eve of the 2006 World Series of Poker it’s a flurry of activity at the Rio Resort in Las Vegas. Banners hand outside the Rio Pavilion welcoming players and fans while inside vendors are busy assembling booths, additional restrooms are being completed, cashier cages are secured and ready, a Poker Kitchen awaits the thousands of hungry players and fans, ESPN film crews are busy setting up and testing the final table production, ESPN boom cameraman Larry Wood is back for another year busy laying tracks for his equipment, and 208 poker tables sit perfectly aligned with 208 dealer chairs and 2080 player chairs waiting to be positioned around the tables before Sunday morning. Somewhere World Series of Poker Tournament Director Bob Daly is having a sleepless night worrying over the thousands of details that must be completed for this biggest of all poker gatherings.
I wandered around the WSOP tournament area Saturday afternoon visiting with old friends and making some new ones. Sunday morning the doors open for forty-seven days of poker frenzy at the WSOP. Everyone that has looked at a poker hand must at least once in their life experience the thrill of being a part of this extravaganza. Come as a player or a fan, but get to Vegas while the 2006 World Series of Poker is in town. The first event this year is the annual Casino Employees $500 buy-in tournament. A one day contest limited to verified casino industry workers, a tradition started by Benny Binion as a tribute to the people that make Las Vegas the world’s number one adult fun destination.
Tuesday’s WSOP event #2 is the first open tournament and will fill the room with more than 2000 players for the $1,500 No-limit Hold’em tournament. I’m anticipating another round of records this year breaking those set in 2005 for every category. Will this be the year a poker blogger wins a bracelet? How many 2005 defending champions will repeat? Will Johnny Chan or Doyle Brunson win bracelet #11. Will Phil Hellmuth pick up his tenth bracelet and move into a three way tie fro the record? How many cars will be given away this year? In 2005 Party Poker flipped for a Porsche Boxster, what’ll it be this year?
I did notice the booth for VegasPoker247.net (this is not a gambling site, that would be the .com version). They are giving away a year’s lease on a Pontiac sports car. All you have to do is stop by their booth in the main corridor just outside the WSOP tournament room and register, pick up your free poker tournament schedule and play record then go to the site after the August 10th drawing and check if your registration number matches. If so then claim your car. At the end of the year’s lease you will play in a heads up match to see if you will keep it for another year.