Today, several thoughts about the World Series of Poker. The main event is still going on at the Rio (this is Day 1-C, of all things), and will be for quite some time. There will be well over 8,000 entrants this year (I would have lost a bet on that big time), and that’s just the final.

Overall, the WSOP transferred over $150,000,000 in prize money from entrants to winners., while boosting the formerly moribund Las Vegas summer poker economy enormously. It used be very quiet here this time of year, and now we are waiting hours for a seat in some of the larger cardrooms. The action has been well worth it.

The logistics are astonishing, with a 200+ table room set up at the Rio, hundreds of dealers (not of very even quality, unfortunately), and new tournaments, second-day tournaments, single table satellites, super-satellites, a final table or two and live cash games going on at the same time.

Harrah’s is doing many things since cashing in on its purchase of the WSOP brand, including selling a title sponsorship to a beer (technically, we are attending “The World Series for Poker presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light”), negotiating exclusive media rights, and I understand broadcasting the final table live on PPV. I have a press pass, but I may still watch it on TV for a better seat than I can ever get there.

There is now a WSOP commissioner, Jeffery Pollack, who comes directly from NASCAR and the NBA. He is trying to bring that sort of marketing and appeal to the WSOP, and is making inroads. A player council has been created that makes suggestions to management and it typically listened to. The $50,000 buy-in HORSE championship, improved break strategies and restrooms better and more accessible (and a bit less unreasonably prices) food available are significant improvements.

I attended a press conference and media tournament. Billy Baxter and T J Cloutier were inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame (Harrah’s is trying to maintain the long traditions of the WSOP in many ways, including this one). A WSOP-set movie opening in September (“Lucky You”) was previewed, and we got to meet the director and Drew Barrymore, who stars (Robert Duvall is featured). Aside from a silly “I bet my mother’s ring against your watch” scene, they attempted authentic poker, and the primary plot (finally!) did not revolve around cheating. Several prominent poker players appear, including Jennifer Harman playing someone else briefly and someone else playing Jennifer Harman (in effect).

In the media event, each table got a celebrity. Near my table were ones with James Garner, Shannon Elizabeth, Cindy Margolis and Jennifer Tilly. In a sort of bad beat, we got an Elvis impersonator. However, it was lot better than porn star Ron Jeremy, IMO.

The structure was a joke, and I lost fast. It was fun, though.

The 2005 World Poker Player Conference DVD has finally been published and is being sold at the Lifestyles Convention at the WSOP. It will be available on-line shortly and I will post a link. In addition to me, speaking on “How to Make One Big Bet per Hour,” speakers include Mike Caro, Lee Jones (a terrific seminar on his heads-up Sit and Go strategy), Mark Seif, Kenna James, Clonie Gowen, and Mark Gregorich.

I suspect there will a package price for the 2004 and 2005 sets together, if you don'’t have the 2004 set. My seminar in 2004 was entirely different, so the material does not repeat. I get no compensation from the sales of these, but they are excellent at around $40 per year.

BARGE has been moved from the Union Plaza to Caesars Palace. The dates remian the same (August 14-19), as does the overal tournament schedule. if you like great poker and great fun, please join us. More info and registration here

By my count, this will be my fifty-second essay, making a full year of posts on my website. I want to thank those of you who have been with me through this year. There is some pretty cool poker stuff in the essays, so if you are new and have some time, you may want to read a few.

I got this flattering mail message this week:

Just saw you on a World Poker Conference DVD, really enjoyed your presentations. Checked out your site here, excellent job.

It seems to me at your level, it would be hard to find a game.

There are plenty of reasons, but it is an interesting question so I decided to deal with it here.

· First, I am far from the only good player in the room. Every table has some good players. I may be a bit more recognizable than some (though about half of each table does not recognize me), but at the limits I play, you can find several proven winners at every table. If you want to play, you have to accept that as fact.

· Poker has a huge luck factor, and on any given hand or session, anyone can be beat. True expert skills, such as recognizing danger and folding to avoid it are almost impossible to spot. Limit poker is designed to have a very high variance, so the skill edge, even if players understand it, does not look like much while playing.

· At a full game, you can generally avoid a specific player or two unless you have an excellent hand. I have played for hours at a table with some experts and perhaps engaged them in one or two pots.

· Some people seek out pros. Recently I was playing at a table with Roy Cooke. One of the other players announced he had selected that table specifically to play with Roy. Clearly, profit was not his motive.

· When I was working on my game and moving up, I also tried to occasionally find a game at the limit I was playing that had some higher limit and tougher opponents. I wanted to see how they played, and I needed to learn how to play with and beat them if I ever wanted to move up myself. I called it “Poker R&D” and I was willing to make the investment. Sooner or later I will do a column on this concept.

· Finally, a very few players do request a table change when I sit down. And I request a table change if I don’t like the line-up as well. Friday night I changed tables twice to get to the game I thought gave me the best chance of winning.