Competitor Numbers Up at WSOP

Some 34 of the 57 events at the 2010 World Series of Poker have now been completed, and several more former WSOP bracelet winners have saluted again.

Sam Farha, David Warga, Matt Keikoan and Luis Velador were among the big names to repeat performances from yesteryear during this last week of competition at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

But the biggest prize for the week was the $667,433 won by relative unknown Jeffrey Papola when he ousted seven-time bracelet winner Men Nguyen on the final hand of the $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed event.

Nguyen was searching for his second bracelet this year after beating out 149 other competitors for the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship a couple of weeks ago.

On the Losing End

Someone has to lost, too. Surprisingly, this year it's Doyle Brunson, a 10 time winner since 1976.

"I played the worst poker of my life yesterday in the Omaha 8 or Better," Brunson said. Doyle's tweets have not been much more uplifted either.

However, Brunson, behind his DoylesRoom poker site, has seen some success with his Brunson10, a group of poker pros he is sponsoring doing quite well. The Brunsons include Zachary Clark, Amit Makhija, Dani Stern, Chris Moorman, Alex Kamberis and Steve Gross.

Winner is Poker

In good news from Vegas, there were almost 35,000 entries in the first 33 tournament at the WSOP, an average of around 1000 competitors for each event and constituting an increase of almost 100 players for each event when compared to last year.

This year's WSOP continues until July 5, when nine players will win the chance to compete in the Main Event final in November this year.

It's a poker festival any way you look at it.