Poker Articles

Still the Greatest
By Mike Paulle

Every year, it seems, we have new pretenders vying for the crown. But the players aren't confused. This year as in every year, the world's poker players will flock to the greatest poker tournament ever conceived, The World Series of Poker.

Record numbers are expected in the first World Series of the 21st Century. (Or is it the last World Series of the 20th Century? I can never remember.) Anyway, more players than ever will vote with their feet and wallets for their favorite poker tournament.

This year there will, undoubtedly, be well over the 4,101 entries of the previous record in 1998. The total prize pool record, of that same year, is sure to be smashed. And most exciting of all, for the first time, more than $1,000,000 is expected to be awarded the new World Champion on May 18th, 2000.

The real king of poker tournaments is back in Las Vegas. It's time to win some BIG money, a World Series bracelet or two, have some fun and get famous.

With the explosion of satellites for the World Series, the numbers have only one way to go, UP. More cardrooms around the world, and even private home games, are sending their lucky winners to Las Vegas to try and win the BIG ONE.

With an entire area cleared just for satellites, the single and multi-tables will be humming for nearly a month before the Championship Final begins on May 15th. If 450 players enter the $10,000 No Limit Final, first prize will be a whopping $1,500,000. Heck, a player might never get busted again winning that kind of money. Well...

Actually, long before we get to the Championship Final there will be one of the most competitive events of the tournament. This year the first event will be the Dealer's Championship. You can imagine how loose that's going to be! Spectators beware of flying chips! Since this is the first time the World Series has held this event, it's difficult to estimate how many dealers from around the world will attend. But a guess is that first place will pay over $25,000. It will be interesting to see what the winner TOKES.

For this event, the money will be great. But the pride of carrying the Dealer Champion title around for a year will be awesome.

Also added back to the WSOP schedule this year, by popular demand, are the Deuce To Seven and Ace To Five events.

And, as usual, the Europeans will turn out in droves for all the Pot Limit events that they have been dominating for the last few years. Maybe we will get a chance to root for an Englishman, Poker Pages founder and President Mark Napolitano, who along with his wife Tina have done such a fabulous job getting this site up and running so quickly.

The World Series will be almost half over when I write to you again. That will be a good place to take a breath and see how far we've come.

Good luck and I hope to see you at the Final Table.

But if you can't get to the Series this year, Poker Pages will be running my daily reports for the greatest poker tournament of the year, The World Series of Poker.