WSOP - past, present and future

One of the most highly anticipated and prestigious event in the world of poker is the World Series of Poker (WSOP). People from all over the world vie for the top spot only to be laurelled as the king or the queen of poker. Such is the aura of the great game of WSOP that the participation fees does not dissuade prospective players from contending in this one of the most illustrious and extravagant affair.

It all started in the 1940s when two of the superlative gamblers and poker players, Nick Dandolos and Benny Binion came together to set up a round of marathon poker. Nick challenged the acclaimed champion Johnny Moss. Binion set up the match and play got underway, but not before both the teams agreed on a common agreement to hold it in full public view. Thus, the marathon poker game started in 1949 came to be known as the World Series of Poker. After the arduous competition, as anticipated, Moss came out on top and walked away with total prize money of over 2 million.

Nick the Greek as he was known by most, lost the marathon poker but egressed as one of the greats who introduced the WSOP to the world. Binion did not deter from challenging Moss to another match up 21 years after the first marathon poker. Binion gathered some serious contenders for the crown and held the tournament in Nevada. This time the game was officially crowned as the World Series of Poker and again Moss proved he was still the best and emerged as the unquestioned champion. However, the winner that year was decided on the basis of votes. The following year, 1971 players converged again for the tournament and this time the winner was the one who collected all the chips in the end. No surprise here, Moss again ruled the roost.

The next year, there was a new champion Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston who popularized this tournament largely by appearing in well-liked talk shows of those times. Thus began a new era of poker championships.

Present scenario and the future of WSOP

World Series of poker has managed to allure thousands of players to try their hand in the game of poker. The year 1982 attracted 106 entries to the WSOP tournament and this number spiraled to 5619 in the year 2006. Even with a high entry fee of US $10000, WSOP anticipates to draw around 8000 players this year. The prize involved has been on the higher side from the start, which has served as a major magnet. Nowadays online poker offers great opportunities to players who are highly skilled but cannot afford the entry fees. These online satellites give new lease to amateurs by offering them free spots on winning in one of the most prestigious events of poker world - WSOP. The idea of televising the game has been a breakthrough step in making poker as popular as it is today.