World Series of Poker, big in record numbers

When poker patriarch Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson played in the first World Series of Poker in 1970, five players joined him for the tournament. This year Brunson was one of 8,773 players in the WSOP's main event, the last of 46 tournaments played over seven weeks at the Rio Suites Hotel & Casino.

Back then, a vote among the players decided the winner. No cash exchanged hands. "When the tournament was over, we gave the cup to the winner and then had a few drinks and started playing poker again" poker legend Doyle "Texas Dolly" Brunson said.

"Those were the days. Boy, have times changed." Brunson said. No longer shunned to the dark, back rooms of casinos, poker is sizzling in the mainstream, having ridden twin tidal waves of exposure to the masses -"the Internet and television.

"We haven't seen anything yet," Brunson says. "I don't know where it's going to stop. I think in the next 10 years, they might have 50,000 players for the main event." Brunson joked the WSOP might need a stadium instead of a massive ballroom such as the Amazon Room used this year. About the size of two football fields, it was barely large enough to contain this year's tournament.

This year, the WSOP is on track to smash every tournament record for entrants and prize money. For instance, the women's no-limit hold'em event attracted 1,128 players -"nearly double the number who played in last year's Ladies Event. Tournament No. 17 -"a no-limit Texas Hold'em event with a $1,000 buy-in -"had 2,891 players, the second-largest live poker tournament in history.