World Series of Poker Field Shrinks, Excitement Grows

After the legal change, the WSOP also changed its rules, disallowing third-party registrations by online gambling sites that accept U.S. players.

The explosive growth of the field at the World Series of Poker Main Event ended in the last year, even though poker itself continued to draw many more players. After a 2006 peak of 8773 participants, last year saw a drop to 6358.

After the advent of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act in 2006, online casinos withdrew some of their sponsorships in which the $10,000 buy-in was paid for by the casino. For instance, Chris Moneymaker's famous breakthrough win in 2003 was sponsored by PokerStars.com.

After the legal change, the WSOP also changed its rules, disallowing third-party registrations by online gambling sites that accept U.S. players. Hundreds of players who had won free entries were now left to pay their own way or sit out.

Still, the field this year should approach 7000, competing for a prize slightly larger than the $8.25 million Jerry Wang captured last year. Compare that to a field of 512 as recently as 2000.

Amateurs will outnumber pros by probably better than twenty to one, so the chances are great the amateur streak of winning the championship will extend beyond the current six years; but amateur to pro is such a fine distinction these days, with so many players gaining knowledge and expertise, that to assume an amateur is not in the class of a pro might be a fatal mistake.

Play starts July 3rd at the Rio Casino in Las Vegas for the Main Event, and will conclude in November, when the final table reconvenes to determine the ultimate champion for 2008. The anticipation of the three-plus month break, combined with same-day coverage by ESPN, should result in one of the most exciting tournaments yet.