The 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is underway from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Thousands of the world’s top pros and aspiring amateurs will descend upon the Amazon Room to battle in the 57 bracelet events that comprise this year’s festivities. There’s even a special WSOP Champions Invitational featuring past Main Event winners and a $5,000 buy-in Ante Up for Africa charity tournament that will bring out Hollywood’s elite. Immersed in this poker phenomenon is PocketFivesLive.com, which brings WSOP coverage of online poker players right to your desktop. This week, the PocketFives.com Podcast sponsored by the USA-friendly site Carbon Poker welcomes PocketFivesLive.com Tournament Reporter Court Harrington (pictured at right) who will be flanked by four other staff at the Rio.
I’ve had the privilege of working with Harrington since 2006. The North Carolina product is now one of the premier names in the world of live poker and will even host his own radio show during the WSOP on PokerRoad. On what the face of PocketFivesLive.com foresees in this year’s WSOP coverage, he told the Podcast. “For me, every year we get a little bit better at it. Last year was the first time we brought in a team that was large enough to come anywhere close to managing the World Series. This year, we have two members of last year’s team back with us. We’re also bringing on two new people who look like they’ll be great.” Brett Collson and Jessica Welman (pictured at left) will return from 2008, while Rich Ryan and Rachel Crader will join the staff this year. All four are top-tier reporters and we’re proud to have them.Registration for coverage is now open on PocketFivesLive.com. We’ll follow your progress free of charge, providing friends, family, and the entire online poker community with a way to keep tabs on how you’re doing. Sign up for any event you’re playing in and one of our crack team of reporters will stop by your table. Harrington explained what you can do to help: “For us, the main challenge is identifying players. Make sure you come up to us and introduce yourself. We’ll be meeting a lot of people in a very short period of time. Come up, make yourself known, and don’t be shy talking about hands and interesting stories from the tables.”
Each year, the facilities available for players have seen improvements. From food to bathrooms, the amenities that players can take advantage of have evolved along with the tournament series itself. This year will see the introduction of PokerPalooza, which replaces the Gaming Life Expo and is designed with a carnival flavor in mind (it’s still only open to guests age 21 and up). On what Harrington has experienced thus far inside the hallowed walls of the Rio, he told the PocketFives.com Podcast sponsored by Carbon Poker, “Every year, they get better and better. In 2006, I was playing a few events and it didn’t really go that smoothly. In 2007, it was better and last year, it was markedly better. The lines were down and they were able to handle large amounts of people. They had satellites working smoothly. The first real test will come with the $1,000 tournament, where they’re expecting huge numbers.” The $1,000 buy-in Stimulus Special begins on Saturday, May 30th and runs for four days.With gaming revenue numbers in Las Vegas down sharply, many have speculated as to what the attendance at this year’s Main Event will be. Some see it dropping back to the 2007 tally of 6,358, while others expect something closer to last year’s total of 6,844. I’ve even heard numbers tossed around as low as 6,000. Harrington gave us his prognostication: “Most people think it’ll be around where it was last year. I don’t see anything to indicate that it would be less.”
So what can you expect when you head out to the Rio, whether it is for the start of the Main Event on July 3rd or a preliminary tournament? Harrington gives us the inside scoop on what makes the WSOP so special: “There is an excitement about it that just isn’t there with anything else. The tournaments in tropical locations are fun for a totally different set of reasons, but from a poker perspective, there’s nothing like the WSOP in Las Vegas. It’s something that’s not matched by anything in the poker world.” Remember to sign up for coverage now on PocketFivesLive.com and say hi if you see Court, Jessica, Brett, Rich (pictured at left), or Rachel roving the Amazon Room.Check out the rest of this week’s PocketFives.com Podcast.
The PocketFives.com Podcast is proudly presented by Carbon Poker. A site on the Merge Gaming Network that happily accepts players from the United States, Carbon Poker will once again hold a $5,000 Rake Chase in June. The first 50 players to rake $250 get $30. The first 20 players to rake $750 get $100. The first four players to rake $1,500 get $250. The crowning jewel goes to the first player to rake $2,500, who gets $500. Players can claim one prize in the promotion, making it worth up to $500! Sign up for Carbon Poker.
Canada
United Kingdom
Costa Rica
Australia
Mexico
Denmark
Russian Federation
Sweden
Brazil
Germany
