1. Poker Mecca
Center of the Poker Universe
Poker Stars Come Out and Play
Close your eyes and listen. First you will hear the monolithic hum of hundreds of
simultaneous conversations. But at the center of that, clearly audible to anyone who
listens closely, is another sound: thousands of poker chips clicking together. There’s
serenity in that sound, like the gentle chirping of crickets on a summer night, a serenity
that is instantly shattered the moment you open your eyes.
The Amazon Room at the Rio Hotel and Casino is abuzz with the 2007 World
Series of Poker. Low hanging lights descend from the tall ceiling, casting light on the
bustle below. Rows and rows of felt-covered tables are packed tightly together, allowing
270 to fit into the room. At each table sits a dealer and from eight to 10 players, most of
whom are tinkering with their chips.
A crowd of people slowly mills around in the less-than-generous spaces between
the rows of tables. Around certain tables, groups of spectators stop to watch their favorite
player for a while. Without the benefit of television to see what cards are being played,
most move on after a few minutes to see what other poker stars they can spot.
This is the 38th
annual World Series of Poker, and with the game at a peak in
popularity, the energy in the room is palpable. The World Series is comprised of 55
separate tournaments where the best and the richest come to test their skills. From June 1
to July 17 it is the center of the poker universe.
The Pros’ Tournament
The first day of the World Championship H.O.R.S.E. tournament, with its $50,000 entry
fee, is particularly exciting because all the big names in the game have come out to play.
The Main Event, which begins Friday, gets all the press and entrants (last year a
record 8,773 participants ponied up the $10,000 entry fee), but H.O.R.S.E. is the pros’
tournament. The price tag has a way of keeping lesser players away, as does the format.
H.O.R.S.E. stands for hold ’em, Omaha high-low, razz, seven-card stud and eight or
better stud, with each of the five types of poker being played on a rotating basis.

2. A throng of spectators surrounds the roped-off area where the tournament is being
played out. Even with the thin barrier in place, there isn’t another sporting or gaming
event where you’ll find the stars and fans in such close proximity. There isn’t a single
table that doesn’t have a recognizable face from the poker world sitting at it; many have
more than one.
Phil Hellmuth, also known as “Poker Brat” for his unsportsmanlike outbursts, sits
quietly cloaked completely in black, his collar turned up, baseball cap pulled down and
impenetrable sunglasses obscuring his eyes.
Another Phil, Phil Ivey, sits at a different table, his eyes constantly darting around
sizing up the competition. He looks a little like a deer nervously drinking from a
crocodile-infested watering hole on lion-populated plains. But it is a deceptive look, as he
is usually the predator at any poker table.
Mike “the Mouth” Matusow is being uncommonly quiet, slouching at another
table looking slovenly in a wrinkled T-shirt, baseball cap and dirty sweats with his belly
hanging out. Annie Duke, the best known woman in the game, has the appearance of a
queen holding court at her table.
The king of poker, Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson, is looking a little frail at the
age of 73. At one point it looks as though he may have dozed off, his eyes closed, head
and large cowboy hat tilted to one side. But after seemingly sleeping for 30 seconds,
Brunson opens his eyes and alertly plays a hand. He was probably just conserving energy
for the five-day event.
The gregarious Daniel Negreanu is a huge fan favorite, as one man in the crowd
points out to his buddy, “My girlfriend has such a crush on that guy.” Negreanu sits at a
table chatting with fellow pro Eric Lindgren.
2004 Main Event champion Greg Raymer and two-time bracelet winner Jennifer
Harman are a stark contrast in appearance seated next to each other. Raymer, with his
Santa Claus belly and red, plump face looks like he could make a snack out of the prettily
petite Harman.
The Main Event is the big TV show—Texas hold ’em is easier to follow than the
other forms of poker—but the large number of entrants tends to water down the field.

3. With a mere 148 entrants, the H.O.R.S.E. tournament is strictly for the big guns, and you
can’t throw a poker chip without hitting one.
Poker Boom
As the contrast between Raymer and Harman illustrates, poker is a game for anyone. The
cards don’t care what size, shape or sex you are, they get dealt out randomly regardless.
To do well, all you need is a head for the game. Lacking that, blind luck can even win
you a hand from time to time, which is another appealing facet of the game for many.
There’s no question poker is a game of skill; otherwise the pros wouldn’t be able
to make a steady living. Betting strategies and knowing when to hold ’em or fold ’em are
very important. But the fact that luck is also an integral part of the game evens the
playing field somewhat for the average Joe. After being knocked out of the Main Event
one year, Hellmuth noted that he’d win all the time if luck wasn’t involved. Although
that’s obviously an exaggeration, his point is well taken.
Inclusiveness and luck, however, have always been a part of poker. What explains
its recent boom in popularity and the excitement around this year’s World Series of
Poker?
Some people point to the Moneymaker effect. Chris Moneymaker, an amateur
player and accountant from Tennessee, won the 2003 Main Event and $2.5 million. In
turn, his victory gave thousands of small-time poker players hope that they could
duplicate his feat. The odds are against it of course, but the average, slightly overweight
30-something still has a lot better chance of playing in the WSOP than making the Major
Leagues and playing in the baseball World Series.
There’s no doubt Moneymaker’s victory has had some influence, but television
coverage and the invention of the “pocket cam” are what have really pushed poker into
the American mainstream. The “pocket cam,” is a camera in the side of the table that
allows television spectators to see what cards every player is holding. If Moneymaker had
come second to professional player Sammy Farha, ESPN’s taped coverage of the event
would have likely garnered the same amount of interest as it did with the opposite result.
It wasn’t until 2005 – the year after Raymer won and ESPN flooded poker fans
with repeats of events from 2004 – that the WSOP became so big it had to be moved out

4. of its old haunts at Binion’s Horseshoe to the Rio’s Amazon Room. The event did grow
substantially in 2004, the year after Moneymaker won, but it was still small compared to
what it is today.
To find the WSOP in 2005 you had to know exactly where it was being played,
which was on the second story of the Horseshoe, through some nondescript hallways, and
in a relatively minor backroom with a small and only mildly-curious crowd.
This year there’s no mistaking where it’s all going down. Big billboards on The
Strip point you toward the Rio, and once there, a trail of 2007 WSOP banners leads you
to the action. In the Amazon Room there’s no denying the lively atmosphere, and looking
around at all the tables, knowing that hundreds and thousands of dollars are being won
and lost at each one, it’s enough to make even a casual player want to buy-in, take a seat
and test his skill … or luck.