Poker and the Summer in Las Vegas

[Content Disclosure: 100% Poker; 17% Bitchin'; 13% Whinin'; 4% Commentary on the State of the Species]

As May rolls around and summer looms just around the corner, I paused to ponder just how cloudy and unclear one's future can be when contracts, attorneys, ill-trained managers cum poker players are allowed to run large businesses. I also note that a lot of this mindless paperwork comes from our every growing litigious society and because no one trusts anyone else to actually do what they said they would do, when they said they would do it for the compensation agreed upon. Then there is the ever present "that depends what the meaning of is is" mentality. Coupled with the recurring reminders that not every member of the human species is as evolved from our simpian cousins as we think we are. Reversion is an annoying trait and alpha males are the worst offenders.

OK, now that the mumbling lament is over, here is what summer 2007 in Las Vegas holds poker-wise.

The World Series, of course, dominates the poker scene each and every year. Seven weeks and fifty-five bracelet events will keep everyone on their toes and there will be several procedural and media screw-ups over the summer. The whole media covering the WSOP plans, rules and guidelines are still not fully in place less than four weeks before the first event; so expect disruption, complaints and confusion. All of which will be torturously played out in dozens of witty and whiney blogs.

The WSOP itself is still undergoing growing pains or perhaps better evolutionary emergence. The Harrah's/WSOP team are always looking better ways to present the Series. This means that they are always balancing the wants, needs and desires of the players and the often competing financial goals of Harrah's Entertainment Inc. Then, each year, they present their new and improved vision of the WSOP to 50,000 players over 7 weeks and inevitably they do not please all of the players all of the time.

With this year's Series being bigger in number of events, number of tables, number of total players, number of media credentials, etc. etc. There will be new problems and new successes and all of it will be reported, deported, inverted, rejected, inspected and detected ad nauseum. I will be joining the chorus at the Series in a yet unknown media capacity.

Prior to June 1st, the first official day of the 2007 WSOP, there are two Season Six WPT events here in Las Vegas. The Mirage Poker Showdown begins in a week, personally one of my least favorite poker tournaments but that is another story. Following Mirage is the Mandalay Bay Championship tournament, which overlaps the first two days of the Series.

Lots of poker coming up here, who knows exactly what cards will be in the air? There are more than 52, you know!