Memorial Day, The WSOP And Other Thoughts

It is Memorial Day, a day which, as a former Marine, means quite a bit to me. Since our involvement in Iraq (among other battles), the true meaning of Memorial Day has become very relevant to those who haven't served in the armed forces. A heartfelt "Semper Fidelis" to my brethren serving now, past and future, as to all of the men and women who have served in the other branches.

At the end of this week, the World Series will kick off once again. It will be very interesting to see just what will happen. The Mirage Poker Showdown for the WPT last week "only" drew 309 players to the felt, perhaps because of the preparations that players need to make to be able to put their complete concentration on the six weeks of the WSOP. I think this week's WPT Mandalay Bay Poker Championship will be interesting to watch as well, as far as their numbers go.

The first week of the WSOP will be critical to getting a read on what will happen for the entirety of the event. Last year, it was not uncommon for the $1500 and $2000 events to pull in over 2,000 players. Will those events pull in the same numbers this year, or will the after effects of the UIGEA crush American participation and give rise to a significant number of foreign players making their mark? And just how much did online poker add to the astronomical fields of the events for the past couple of years? Many questions out there...we should have a read on it within the first week of the event.

Add in the tournaments at the Bellagio (the Bellagio Cup III, a new WPT event), the Venetian (the second Venetian Deep Stacks event), and even Binion's (the First Annual Binion's Poker Championship) and there is plenty of poker action in Las Vegas, regardless of your bankroll or possibilities. I would expect to see many professionals, semi-pros and even those taking their first shots at the tournament experience to be criss-crossing Vegas like Christmas shoppers looking for the best deals during the holidays!

Oddly enough, I am having a time of it with bringing my poker game back to playing online after the Hold 'Em Radio weekend in Las Vegas. It is tough to play .25/.50 NL online after playing higher levels live, albeit Limit poker. But it is one critical point that many players can forget sometimes...you have to play within the bankroll that you have. Sometimes, though, it's just not as enjoyable and definitely not as profitable! Enough bitching...I'm playing well and not losing, so that should be a good thing.

My WSOP search continues and perhaps I will have some good news to report on that front soon. If not, well, I'll have to sit out the Big Dance this year. There are worse things that can happen in life...

EB