Texas Hold'em Poker Guide

The World Series of Poker, known as the WSOP, is an annual poker tournament held in Las Vegas. The WSOP is one of the most prestigious poker events in the world, giving away millions of dollars in prizes and as well as the tournament's largest prize-a gold WSOP bracelet given away to the main event champion each year.

The World Series of Poker began in 1970, when six of the best poker players in the world competed at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas. Over the next few decades the tournament grew to a peak of 8,773 participants in the Main Event alone, and thousands of others in the other series events. Today the World Series of Poker hosts its events in the Rio Hotel and Casino, just off the Vegas Strip. The tournament takes place each year during the months of June and July and is made up of a number of different tournament games.

Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hold'em and Seven Card Stud are the most played games in the series. However, Five Card Stud was recently added and other poker games pop in and out from year to year. In the past, the tournament has included H.O.R.S.E., S.H.O.E., Chinese Poker and many other poker variations. The schedule includes invitation only events, charity events, satellite tournaments and special events. The schedule each year is posted on the World Series of Poker website.

At the end of the series each year is the Main Event-a World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament. This event spans over several days in which thousands of players are cut down to one final table and the winner takes home millions, as well as the WSOP gold bracelet.

Players who want to participate in the World Series of Poker face a steep buy-in price, with the Main Event buy-in being $10,000. There are a number of satellite tournaments throughout the year, however, that have much lower buy-ins and the prize is entry into WSOP tournament games. If you get in to the World Series of Poker then you can join poker greats like Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Stu Ungar and Johnny Chan and win some of the best cash and prizes in the world of poker.