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The Magic of the World Series

With July and August being the two months on the poker calender where we all go bonkers, it wouldn't be right to allow the six weeks to pass without saying a few words on what has evolved into one of the World's biggest annual events.

Debuting in 1970, the popularity of the World Series up to the Millennium showed only gradual signs of progression, with relatively few newcomers joining the likes of Brunson, Slim, and Moss, and co as they locked horns in the Horseshoe Casino. However, since 2003 and the explosion of online and televised poker, the WSOP has transformed into a worldwide cultural phenomenon, attracting competitors from a whole range of different backgrounds.

Men and women, the young and old, amateurs and veterans, the rich and poor, the able-bodied and the disabled - the WSOP truly brings together a large number of different social segments, making the game/sport one of the the most accessible on the planet.

But what is it that attracts the 8,000 plus poker enthusiasts?

In 2003, a 27 year-old accountant from Tennessee, aptly named Chris Moneymaker, won a WSOP Main Event seat worth $10,000 for just $40. Over the duration of the competition, Moneymaker sat with and eliminated poker legends such as Johnny Chan and Phil Ivey, enjoyed the poker experience of a lifetime amid a press frenzy, and outplayed many opponents including an infamous final table bluff on Sam Farha, before finally turning his $40 investment into an incredible $2,500,000 for his 1st place finish - at the time, the biggest prize figure ever won in a poker tournament.

This is what we all dream of, but for Moneymaker, it became a reality. We'd all love to score the winning goal in the F.A. Cup Final, sink the winning putt at the Ryder Cup, or lift the Wimbledon trophy - but what are the odds of that happening? In the world of poker however, although the odds are slim, anybody, whatever your shape, colour, or size, can win that highly desired bracelet. Anyone can turn that golden ticket into a 7 figure sum, and that fact is what draws so many people to Vegas every year.

And, of course, Moneymaker wasn't the only one to achieve such a feat. Both Greg Raymer and Joe Hachem showed that Moneymaker's win wasn't necessarily a fluke and that you didn't have to be a 'name' player to take the lion's share of the spoils. With the cards on your side, it truly is anyone's game.

This is the magic of the World Series. Like the minnows reaching the latter stages of the F.A Cup, the Main Event is one of those weeks where we all get a tingle down our spine and realise that anything is possible when it comes to poker.

So, to all those attending this year's WSOP, good luck and enjoy yourself - you may not get a second chance.

The cameras, the stars, the thousands of people, the rustling of chips, the shuffling of cards, the hysteria, the adrenalin, the excitement - I could go on all night...

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