The first day of the 2009 WSOP Main Event got off to a rocky start when 500 players were shut out of the tournament and did not get to play.  The final number of players for this 2009 Main Event totaled 6,494 players, which means that the last player standing will collect over 8.5 million dollars as the winner of the 2009 WSOP. This is several million less than Jamie Gold’s record 12 million dollar win a couple of years ago.  It is also the second year that the final table will be delayed a couple of months before it is played.  The players who make the final table will be winners of at least one million dollars. Many stated they will probably stay fresh with some of the best online poker rooms.

Without a doubt the high interest in this tournament is still there and the shut out of 500 players who wanted to play is a sign that this tournament needs to be organized better and the rules for getting to play stiffened so that this is not repeated in future years.  A cut off date for registration would be the simplest way to begin to correct this problem in the future.

The players who did get to play are gambling in shifts again as there is not one facility that can hold all of the players at one time.  It will be interesting to see if the eventual winner is determined by skill or by an amazing rush of super hands that just defies all odds of a rush ending after one day.   In Gold’s big win, his rush was non-stop as the good hands just kept coming for the entire tournament.

Repeat winners of the WSOP are also a long shot bet at best, as the number of players makes this less likely each year.  WSOP’s attraction is still a force in the poker world, as the popularity of poker is not subsiding since Chris Moneymaker won the tournament when completely unknown.

For those players that got into the tournament via a satellite tournament and can now parlay that rather small investment into potential millions, hope is rampant.  The only factor that needs to break their way is a run of winning the race hands

The big name pros have one advantage in this tournament; they know how to build a stack for latter days in the tournament.   Over sized stacks are a huge advantage when a player is seated at a table with a group of small stacks that can be bullied and eliminated if a mistake is made.  The realization for many is it takes only one serious mistake or bad beat to end the dreams of making and then winning at the final table.  As always luck or skill or both will decide the last player standing.

If your looking to get into the action next year, check out the best online casino bonuses so you can practice your skills and get a jump on the competition for the 2010 Main Event.