Poker Vince Home Page

August 2008

Let me start this blog by apologizing for missing a couple of months
with this writing. This year’s World Series of Poker was a long,
long one.

I have been playing in the World Series since 1988. The first five or
so years that amounted to playing the Ace-to-Five event only. In
those first few years, I would usually be in Vegas for no more than
two or three days. Then, in 1992, that all changed as, by that
time, I was playing almost all the games they offered at the
Series.

I think from 1992 til the present I have probably averaged about
eight to ten tournaments at the Series. This year, I played my
maximum ten tournaments which included my thirteenth main
event. Unfortunately I must report I only had one cash which was
a 16th in the High Low Stud for $6,300. So, as you might guess, I
had a losing Series. What you might find a little strange is that I
spent almost five full weeks in Vegas never coming home once
during that time. How that came about was that I played the first
event (the one with 3,900 players) and, somewhere in that first
few days, I developed a terrible cough and I lost my voice. As
every day went by, I thought I would be getting better but it
basically never happened. So, I really was doing more sitting
around hoping to feel better than playing poker.

The Series was, as it has been for the last three or four years, a
mad house. Although some players might like the “new series,” I
still would opt for the good ole days--smaller fields, more intimacy,
and a hell of a lot more perks. But that line of thought is beating
on a dead horse. Things will probably never be the same as
before. In fact, outside of the Wildhorse Resort and Casino’s
Round-Up tournament there is not a tournament that has not cut
back on perks and increased the juice and rake. I guess in our
capitalist economy, whatever a business can get away with
charging is what they will charge. With all due respect to Jesse
Jones, the last feeble attempt at a player’s organization has turned
out to be an utter failure.   I am embarrassed for those who were
involved.

So, having said that, don’t look for anyone to come along and do
anything for the players. I guess the natural come back is, “If you
don’t like what is happening, don’t play.” Well, funny as it may
sound, I do believe we are seeing some of the numbers drop.
Maybe not at the World Series, but in just about all the other
tournaments. The World Series had, I think the number was,
about 30 percent participation from non-Americans. This obviously
skews the numbers. This means that the Series may actually be
losing us Americans, but gaining huge numbers from overseas. So,
I don’t see the WSof P in any jeopardy in the near future, but all
the rest of the tournaments is another thing.

One thing is for absolute sure, the more money lost to the greedy
Casinos means less money to be distributed to the players. At
some point many of the losing players will not be able to play any
longer. With those players lost, the competition will be increased
and winning players will be winning less, and so on and so forth.

It will be interesting to see how the whole thing plays out. It
makes me feel even older than I am to think I that I may wake up
some day and see that Poker has come full circle. The good part of
that is, maybe then the Casinos will be giving more perks and
gouging us less with juice and rake.

For What it’s Worth ...

      Vince

"Pizza, Pasta and Poker" by Vince Burgio
ThePokerForum.com's choice for
"Best Poker Book of 2006"
Click Here to Order