2005 is a milestone year for the World Series of Poker (WSOP), which is moving casinos for the first time since the championship's inception. Since the first WSOP convened in 1970, the competition has been held at Las Vegas's historic Binion's Horseshoe Casino, which since being bought out last year, has been trimmed down to just "Binion's."

As a result of the WSOP's monumental growth, the championship was forced to move to a larger venue, Harrah's Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino. The crowds at Binion's last year were overwhelming, and this year's turnout is expected to be several times that of last year. Thus, the WSOP opted for the Rio's 60,000-sq. ft. convention center. For the sake of tradition, however, the World Series will return to Binion's for the final event's last two days.

With the 36th World Series of Poker is just days away, anticipation is mounting for the world championship, which expects to draw 6,600 players, each vying for their piece of the $60 million prize pool. The WSOP will run between June 2nd and July 15th, hosting over 40 events in total. The last nine days of the WSOP will be devoted to the final world championship event.

Source: Poker777 Staff

Wednesday, 1 June 2005