The 2006 World Series of Poker saw a
record number of almost 9,000 registered players enter its event in
Las Vegas. Because of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act
the 2007 WSOP main event is expected to be much smaller. It is expected
to be much smaller because Harrah's has announced that it will not
accept third party registrations.
What this means for the WSOP is that more than half
of its registrants who come from tournaments won throughout the year
at online poker rooms will not be accepted into the 2007 WSOP. The
$10,000 buy-in is simply too much money for the regular poker player
to be able to afford on their own.
Because of the extreme uncertainty of how many players
will actually be in next year's event it is a very attractive event
for sportsbooks to put odds on. Paddypower.com was the first to put
odds on how many people will register for the 2007 World Series of
Poker tournament. They have 33-1 odds on there being the same amount
of registrants as there was in 2006 and 20-1 odds that there will
be less than 2000 players.
The 2007 World Series of Poker will begin on June 1,
2007. The event will take place in Las Vegas at the Rio All Suites
Hotel and Casino.