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 World Series of Poker from 1969 to 2006 and growing.
The first World Series Poker event was held in 1969 at the Holiday Hotel in Reno Nevada by Tom Moore of San Antonio. This was the birth of the World Series Poker events we know of today. This first event was by invitation only. So you can imagine this event was nothing like today’s events drawing thousands of entrants. Crandall Addington was the first to win the World Series Poker and 8 more thereafter making him the only poker player to win the main event 8 times a feat no one has yet surpassed. He was inducted in to the poker hall of fame for his achievements in 2005. Now the WSOP or World Series of Poker as we know it today was the idea of Benny Binion who owned Binion’s Horse Shoe in Las Vegas. Binion being a poker player himself as well as a casino owner really started the poker revolution that we enjoy today. Thru his tireless efforts and promotions and thanks to the invention of the lipstick camera so WSOP events could be shown on TV no limit texas holdem has become the game of choice for people all over the world. World series poker events actually consist of many different types of poker not just no limit Holdem, however since the main event of the series is no limit holdem it is the focal point for most players that play the game today. In 1970 the first WSOP took place at Binion’s Horse Shoe this even consisted of five card stud, razz, seven card stud, deuce to seven lowball draw and texas holdem. Since those days the world series poker has evolved in to 45 events in 2006. Cash prizes were added from 1971 on.
The real boom of World Series Poker has really happened when the games became televised in conjunction with Chris Moneymakers win 2003. His story has inspired many more to join in the poker revolution. He spent 39 dollars to buy in to a satellite tournament for a world series seat and won a seat in the world series poker main event. His first live event was the world series poker main even that year and he beat out many a poker star to win first prize which was 2.5 million dollars. Since this event and the popularity of online poker the series has grown in numbers. The main even had 8773 entries in 2006 and this number is projected to grow by next year’s world series. World series event entries have been on the rise ever since Moneymakers win. In 2003 the main event had 839 entries. So you can see the growth in the numbers in the world series main event alone over all 23,000 people played in one of the 45 world series events in 2006.
Most online card rooms will feature world series poker main even satellite tournaments. With tiny buy in’s where you have to play your way thru several stages to buying straight in to a feeder to win a seat for $100 or more depending on the card room. With the Port Authority Act, which passed this year, we will have to see the effects in entries for 2007. Since many a online card room has pulled out of the US market world series satellites and feeders will not be so readily available. I doubt the world series poker events will suffer much.
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