Records falling as players seek fortune, fame

LAS VEGAS - The lure of untold riches has attracted record numbers to the World Series of Poker.

The first three events drew records in entries (5,110), prize pools ($5,847,870) and payouts (to 477 players). The tournament is being played in the convention center at the Rio Casino-Hotel on Flamingo, a couple blocks off the Strip.

The tournament runs through Aug. 10, with the $10,000 championship event starting July 28. The over-under number for number of entries for that tournament is 8,000, and officials are already prepared for that many. Day One will actually be played over four days, and Day Two will be contested over two days.

An early indicator of how big the championship event could be appeared in the $1,500 no-limit Texas hold'em tournament that started Tuesday and finished Thursday. A total of 2,776 players, including 500 alternates, entered, generating a prize pool of $3,789,240.

The winner was Brandon Cantu, who earned $757,839; second was Mark Ky, who pocketed $416,816. Juan Carlos Mortensen, a former WSOP champion, was ninth with $71,617.

In the $1,500 pot-limit hold'em tournament, 1,102 players paid $1,504,230 into the prize pool. Winning, and earning $345,984, was Rafe Furst. Rocky Enciso received $180,508 for second, with John Juanda cracking the top 10. He earned $37,606.

Even casino employees, who played in the first event of the tournament 10 days ago, got into the record-setting act. A field of 1,232 players paid $500 each to compete; winning was Chris Gros, who walked off with $127,496 in prize money.

Scheduled to start today is a $1,500 seven-card stud tournament, but a week from today is the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E event. That's Omaha High, razz, hold-em and Omaha high-low split. About 200 players are expected to compete in that three-day event.

courtesy of pokergazette

News Added: 06 July, 2006

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