WSOP Prepares for Record Setting Tournament

10,000 Expected at World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker has announced that they are expecting a record breaking 10,000 participants in the 2007 championship poker tournament. This would represent a 14% increase over last year's participating in the poker tournament, and would provide a first place prize that far exceeds last year's $12 Million poker tournament.

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) began in 1969 as an invitation only tournament that was held in Reno, Nevada. Evolving the WSOP into a series of tournaments rather than a single game was inspired when the poker tournament came under the control of Benny Binion, owner of Binions Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas.

Binion, along with his sons Jack and Ted, managed and cultivated the poker tournaments that made up the World Series of Poker, as well as the game of poker in general, until 2004. At that time, Harrahs Entertainment, the world's largest gambling corporation, acquired Binions Horseshoe and the rights to the World Series of Poker. Main event games were moved to the Rio Hotel Casino, one of Harrahs' properties in Las Vegas, although the final table remained at it's traditional home at the Horseshoe.

The popularity of the World Series of Poker continues to grow each year since Harrahs acquired the property. The renewed success of the WSOP is due, in part, to the widespread popularity of internet poker rooms. Online poker sites contribute more than half the entries to the poker tournament, which carries a $10,000 entry fee.

The popularity of the World Series of Poker continues to increase each year, with last year's tournament hosting a record setting 8,773 players that generated a first place prize of over $12 Million dollars. It seems that the 2007 WSOP will continue this growth trend and again be the largest professional poker tournament in history. Jeffrey Pollack, the Commissioner of the World Series of Poker, has stated that the tournament is preparing to host as many as 10,000 poker players in this year's poker tournament.