The first thing you hear when entering the Amazon Room at the Rio Hotel and Casino, home to the 2007 World Series of Poker, is the chip shuffling. Thousands of discs, rattling nervously between the fingers of the best poker players & women poker pros in the world. And then you see the crowds. And then you try to dodge the crowds. Alas, the chip-shuffling continues unabated, snobbishly indifferent to the half-ton behemoth who just stepped on your toe.

Sunday at noon, the WSOP kicked off its most high-profile event of the 2007 competition - Event #39, the $50,000 buy-in HORSE poker tournament.

Only 148 competitors summoned up the courage to pony up the 50 grand. The winner will receive $2,276,832, and considering this particular event comprises a who's-who of the poker world, he or she will deserve every penny of it. Download poker wallpapers.

An example of the talent pool: At one table alone sits Phil Ivey, T.J. Cloutier, Dewey Tomko, David Singer, Todd Brunson and Mike Sexton. Online poker.

The collection of poker royalty has brought out both the media and fans in droves. While the fans have been well-behaved, the same cannot be said for certain members of the media. On more than one occasion photographers were chastised for using flash photography, a big no-no at the WSOP. Play route 66 poker.

Overheard by this blogger by a member of the WSOP security team: "I'm gonna kill that little twat." The future murderer then motioned towards a member of the media who was darting between tables like a slalom skier. In this blogger's opinion, the security was correct to threaten homicide. Play $500 match poker bonus.

Poker News Source: Bodog Poker