With a total of 45 events, the World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the longest, largest and most prestigious event of its kind. Because of its unprecedented growth, it moved from its longtime home in downtown Las Vegas to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino just off the Las Vegas Strip, where the tournament is hosted in a 60,000-square-foot gaming area equipped with over 200 poker tables.
Robert Williamson, a player who who has made multiple World Series of Poker final tables in the last five years and has won a gold bracelet in Pot-Limit Omaha says that though he has been playing tournament poker for a long time, he has never seen anything like the WSOP. He also emphasizes that he just cannot believe that the prize money has exceeded the staggering figure of $100 million.
The World Series of Poker is owned and operated by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., which purchased the tournament early last year and provides nearly 4 million square feet of casino space, more than 40,000 hotel rooms and nearly 100,000 employees. All but the final two days of the World Series of Poker will be played at Harrah's Rio casino. The tournament's final days will be played at Binion's in downtown Las Vegas, which hosted the World Series of Poker for its first 35 years.
