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The World Series of Poker Main Event is underway, where players are already analyzing the action and dreaming of winning poker’s most prestigious tournament. First place for the WSOP Championship is 9.12 million with a field of 6,844 and a total prize pool of 64.3 million.

“It’s inevitable when you play on the global stage that we’re on...that you’re going to be subject to different fluctuations at different times.” said Jeffrey Pollack, World Series of Poker commissioner. “The fact that we broke all of the records we set last year is terrific, but there may be years where we’re up, years where we’re down. Bottom line is that we’re here for the long term and we’re not going anywhere, and I don’t know many poker properties that can say that.”

This year’s WSOP has definitely been the year of the pro, with most of the bracelets going to poker professionals, which is leading many to believe the Main Event might follow suit.

“It’s the year of the pro, and just got a feeling,” said Mike “The Mouth” Matusow, poker professional and three-time bracelet winner. “I just got a gut feeling. Who knows, it could be nine stiffs at the table, but I think you’re going to see something different this year.”

Joe Hachem, 2005 Main Event winner, believes the year of the pro is upon us at the WSOP because professionals have studied and learned how to beat the amateurs the big event attracts.

“Pros have gotten used to playing with these guys who were kind of freaking them out at first because they weren’t quite sure how to deal with them,” Hachem said.

The Main Event this year is a little different than usual. For one the final table won’t be played until November, which cause a lot of controversy, but the entire structure is built for a slow tournament.

“It’s geared so that if a player plays correctly, and makes the right decisions at the right time and catches the right cards, well then obviously they can make it far in the tournament,” Effel said. “Nobody wants a crap shoot. Every player that walks through the door and buys into the tournament has an opportunity to be the best – just the same, equal chance as everyone else.”

Written by Michael

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