In a conference call on Tuesday featuring executives from the World Series of Poker (WSOP), it was revealed that total bookings and pre-registrations for this year’s festivities are up. This year, 61 bracelet events will play out starting on May 27th from the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Last year, a variety of records were set despite the uncertainty surrounding Black Friday. This year, the WSOP promises to be even bigger and brighter.

WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewartcommented during the call that the poker gods were smiling: “This game is stronger than we all hoped, it’s become global, and it’s here to stay… It appears poker’s darkest days are behind us. There’s a new dawn and a new day. We excited about a second poker boom and will have a strong part of that.”

Players will receive Total Rewards credits this year in lieu of $10 food vouchers, which they then can use for any number of perks. According to Stewart, many WSOP entrants stand to benefit from the change: “This is not about cutting costs. When you multiply the Total Rewards credits by the total number of entrants at each level, it’s actually a loss for Caesars. It’s about recognizing poker players alongside other casino players… No one should feel coerced into three squares at the poker kitchen.”

The number of pre-registrations is up, as is the number of poker tables in action this year. Nearly 500 tables will be utilized at the Rio, which WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel noted would be a record: “This year, you’ll see the addition of the Brasilia Room, where we’ll house 92 additional tables that will be dedicated to bracelet events… We’ll be approaching 500 tables on property, the largest ever placed in one venue for a poker event. We’re prepared for a huge and great WSOP.”

Nearly 100 cash game tables will be up and running. Grinders seated at them could be privileged to catch a glimpse of the handful of players entering the new Big One for One Drop tournament, which has a $1 million buy-in. The capacity of the event is 48, and, at the time of the WSOP conference call on Tuesday, nearly 40 players had entered.

“We have required advanced deposits,” Stewart said of the One Drop event. “I actually believe the event will hit the cap at this point. With the 30-some commitments we have, approaching 40, and with a recognition of who is in the field, there’s a lot of activity of players trying to find their way in. I think 48 entrants is a realistic number.” The tournament is a bracelet event, begins on June 30th, and will air live on ESPN.

Also discussed on Tuesday’s call was the annual Ladies Event, which regularly attracts males to its ranks. In the past, Caesars has not turned away male entrants, but will the policy be the same this year? WSOP officials told callers, “We never want men playing in the Ladies Event. It’s designed for the ladies only… If men want to enter, they can try to enter. At the end of the day, we will have to let them in.”

Finally, ESPN will not televise the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship as part of its 2012 coverage. Consequently, the tournament will feature an all HORSE final table instead of the made-for-TV No Limit Hold’em finale. Could the tournament be on the way out, however?

“When we decided to put Chip Reese’s name on the trophy, we created a commitment that it’ll be around for years to come,” Stewart explained about the HORSE Championship. “Are we disappointed it’s not on ESPN this year? We are, but we don’t control everything about the programming decision. We’ll make sure we do a good job of covering the event on ESPN.com. Being that it’s a true test of skill, particularly in Mixed Games, I can’t believe that a one-year pause in TV coverage, which has happened before, will lead to any significant decline in that event.”

Visit WSOP.com for more information and be sure to check out the 2012 WSOP schedule.