In the weeks leading up to the World Series, I wanted to make a daily schedule for myself that I could keep in my pocket. Instead of just listing the starting days for each event (like the official schedule), it would list every event in action that day, whether it was on Day 1, Day 2, or at a final table.

 

I started adding more and more information. If ESPN was taping the table, that was important, so I’d include that. I should also have a page that lists the times of satellite tournaments,

I spent the first two days out of my element. I don’t mind covering the early days of a tournament, but I’m not used to spending my time managing and training other people -- I prefer to do things myself. I wanted to be out on the floor, taking photos, recording hands, and counting chips. I spent far too much time in front of the computer, entering data and providing guidance to the junior reporters.

 

But today I was right where I belonged -- at the final table. (In the photo above, I was

While I’m best known for my final table coverage, it’s actually the final three tables that I prefer. When you know every single player in the field (even the “unknowns”), and everyone is focused on making it to the final table. There is plenty of post-flop play, and the dramatic hands aren’t races between A-K and pocket jacks.

 

 

It’s important for a tournament

 

After a few hours, Harrah’s acquired some traditional decks and swapped them into play for Event #1, appeasing the disgruntled players. But the casino employees in Event #2 were still using the cards with the flawed design, and it wasn’t clear

Harrah’s faced an apparent no-win situation when they set up the WSOP schedule. While they’ve been criticized for having too many hold’em events (some top pros derisively call it the “World Series of Hold’em”), hold’em is clearly the most popular game right now. So how do you satisfy everyone?

 

There are a lot of things being added to this year's World Series: new events, new sponsors, new chips, and new cards, just to name a few. But something else is notable by its absence — the 2007 Tournament of Champions (TOC).

 

There is no "normal" time of year for the TOC. In its three-year history, it has bounced around the schedule like a second-class sit-com. In fact, almost everything about the TOC has been inconsistent, from the entry requirements to the location to the field size. There

The poker world has been in a state of flux ever since the UIGEA (Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act) was signed into law late last year. The poker boom may or may not be over, but our industry is definitely in a recession. After 36 straight years of growth, everyone expects the WSOP Main Event to have fewer entrants than it did the year before.

 

With only two months before Event #1 begins, I plan to write a series of online articles that analyze some issues facing this year’s World