Ten handed final table of the 2010 WSOP Main Event click for gallery image
Where can you find more than 70,000 poker hopefuls vying for part of the almost $200 million in prize money? That place would be the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, home of the famous WSOP Poker Tournament. It all begins on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, when the 42nd Annual World Series of Poker kicks off the 2011 big poker show with two events, the $500 buy-in Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em event #1 and event #2, the $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em Championship. Around the clock action will continue for the next 51 days as 57 coveted gold WSOP Champion bracelets are awarded to event winners and nine lucky players remain in the hunt for one of the most elusive treasures in all of sports, the WSOP Main Event Championship bracelet.
Will all of the recent controversy, accusations, rumors, and arrests that have enveloped online poker have an effect on the 2011 WSOP? The obvious answer is yes, it’s unavoidable. After all, didn’t the WSOP and poker in general get a quantum boost in popularity when poker could be played on your computer and watched on TV in the comfort and privacy of your home?
I don’t expect the fallout from the demise of US online poker to have a major effect on the WSOP. We’ll probably see smaller fields in the $25,000 and $50,000 buy-in championship events as sponser money evaporates. Maybe some of the $10,000 buy-in championships will be slightly off last year’s totals The remainder of the events will probably see no change and very well could see larger fields as a result of the improving economy. The WSOP’s strong branding will rule the day.
New this year is the addition of three heads-up rematches based on previous matches between two players. Match #1 will be a replay of the 2003 WSOP Main Event between Chris Moneymaker and Sam Farha, #2 pits Johnny Chan and Phil Hellmuth from the 1989 WSOP Main Event and match #3 will feature a fan’s choice contest. Rematches will air on ESPN on July 26, 2011.
WSOP 2011 will closely follow the rules, regulations and format of the highly successful 2010 poker show. Special WSOP room rates at Harrah’s properties are available with this room reservation link. Complete details, event schedules, and event pre-registration available with this link, 2011 World Series of Poker.
Make this the year you watch poker history in the making, live and up close; better yet, become a part of poker’s rich history and play in the events. Winning a WSOP event is a life changing experience and I’ll be there photographing your claim to poker fame. Flipchip Gallery photos from the 2010 WSOP available with this link.