It's mainly professionals who comprise the 143 starting players in
one of the high points of the World Series of Poker that started this
week - Event 20 - the $50 000 buy-in, H.O.R.S.E. tournament.
If you're wondering what that equine acronym is all about, here's
the interpretation:
"H": Hold'em
"O": Omaha Hi/Lo
"R": Razz
"S": Seven-Card Stud
"E": Eight or Better (Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo)
It's arguably the most star-studded poker tournament in the history
of the game. Anyone capable of fronting up the $50 000 can enter,
but the huge buy-in - it's 5x bigger than any previous event and the
largest in World Series history, tends to restrict it to the elite
group of poker pros who can afford to risk that sort of cash against
a field of the world's best. Every table has big names around it,
and the audience is studded with others.
"We pack a full sports season into 48 days," said WSOP Commissioner
Jeffrey Pollack. "There's a beginning, an end, now there's a
middle, and that's typically an all-star for other leagues."
At Wednesday's start the tables had names like Barry Greenstein, Chris
"Jesus" Ferguson, Andy Bloch and David Grey all sitting
at the same table. Elsewhere in the room Phil Ivey was seated with
John Juanda and Greg "Fossilman" Raymer at one table, while
Eli Elezra, Jennifer Harman, Phil Hellmuth and Steve Zolotow were
at another.
HORSE works likes this: All games are limit varieties, and at the
end of a set period of time, the game progresses to the next in line.
When the "E" (Eight or Better Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo) is
completed, the cycle goes back to the start with "H" - the
Hold Em game.
Stakes are raised each time through the cycle.
The rewards are significant; the first place prize is around $1.8
million. Second place will take home over $1 million, and 16 players
will be in the bubble, with finishers 14-16 earning $137 280 each.
"When I got here last year, I heard from a lot of top players
that there was some interest in an event that would have a little
greater sense of exclusivity," Pollack said. "This tournament
is our answer to that request. I would have been pleased if we had
75 players turn out, so we're thrilled."
Look for players like Carlos Mortensen and Mike Matusow to add some
fireworks to proceedings during the three-day event, with the first
two days spent whittling the field down to that aggressive nine on
the final table. ESPN, will be taping the finals, concentrating on
the No Limit Texas Hold'em play.