2005 World Series of Poker Preview

By Paul McGuire

The 35th World Series of Poker is expected to be a record-breaking year. The 2005 WSOP will draw the largest audience watching from the sidelines, along with the most participants competing for the biggest prize pool in history. This year the entrants to the main event will be capped at 6,600 with the first day broken down into three groups of 2,200 players. The WSOP tournaments have been moved from Binion’s to the Rio Casino, which has better facilities to accommodate the huge crowds. The final table will still be played at The Horseshoe to keep the tradition going.

There are plenty of questions that will be answered in the next six weeks. Will Greg Raymer be the first player to repeat since Johnny Chan? Or will he be knocked out on the first day like the previous two champions? Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Hellmuth are all tied for the most WSoP bracelets with nine each. They are all trying to make history, so which one of them will become the first player to win ten bracelets? Will Dan Harrington make his third straight final table, which is a near impossible task? Will another internet amateur win this year or will a seasoned professional like Chip Reese or Daniel Negreanu win? And could this be the year that T.J. Cloutier wins his first ever WSOP Championship?

There have been two books which magnificently captured the World Series of Poker: Positively Fifth Street by James McManus and The Biggest Game in Town by A. Alvarez. They both eloquently described the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas with the largest poker tournament in the world acting as the main character. Both books are a must read for you WSOP junkies.

In personal news, I’m moving to Las Vegas to cover the entire World Series of Poker. I originally thought my poker skills would be good enough to get me into the "big one." No such luck. Where my talent is lacking in poker skills, I certainly make up for it in my writing ability. The only way I’ll get into this year’s WSOP is with my press badge. Yes, I was tapped by the poker gods to cover the largest poker tournament... ever. I will be able to play in the "Media Charity Event" which takes place before the start of the main event. Unfortunately, that's the closest I'll get to actually playing in the World Series of Poker. I will be providing updates and an interview or two for Professional-Poker.com, so please come back frequently to see what's been going on in Las Vegas during the 2005 World Series of Poker.