Playing in the 2007 WSOP - Online Casino satellites

The 38th annual World Series of Poker (World Championship of poker) is set to begin this June in Las Vegas. This year's event promises something for everyone as there are over fifty-five different tournaments offering a chance at a coveted bracelet. Just imagine. You could be sporting the bling bling of a WSOP championship bracelet. What other sporting event opens its doors to anyone. Imagine Joe Blow playing in the Super Bowl. Do you think Mary K. Plain can actually step up to the plate at the World Series. She'd strike out in a second. The World Series of Poker, perhaps alongside a few blackjack tournaments, is the only world class sporting event that opens its doors to anyone, and almost anyone has a legitimate chance for success.

There are three ways to enter the World Series of Poker. A player can buy-in directly, win a seat through a satellite tournament, or win a seat for free through a freeroll or sponsorship. Buy-ins are the most direct and easiest way to get a seat at the WSOP. However, many average players can not afford to buy-in to an event directly, especially the main event, which cost ten thousand dollars. Many players earn their buy-in through winning a satellite tournament and most of them win their seats in online casinos.

Over the course of the last three years, the online poker boom has fueled the frenzy that the WSOP has become. In 2003, Chris Moneymaker won the main event after paying only $27 to enter an online casino tournament. This accomplishment spread across the world as more and more players began to try to win a WSOP seat through online tournaments. In 2004, again the main event winner, Greg Raymer, won entry into the main event through an online satellite tournament. This accomplishment sent the numbers through the roof, and as a result, the 2006 Main Event attracted almost nine thousand entrants. With recent anti-gaming legislation passed in the United States, the WSOP has pledged not to allow US players entry into the series through an online tournament. It's not yet clear as to how this will be enforced, but it seems that there are still many internet poker rooms that are US friendly. One thing is for sure, if online qualifying tournaments were eradicated, the WSOP Main Event numbers will surely go down. Will the 2007 main event draw more or less players than in 2006? The WSOP organizers pledge that there will be even more players in this year's main event. Only time will tell.