High Stakes Action Poised to Move to Live Play

People most often think of the World Series of Poker as a place where a tournament player can rise from obscurity to win a coveted bracelet and untold fortunes. But for many poker professionals, it represents a time in Las Vegas where the cash games are at their best.

With the Series just days away, this year looks to be no different, as Las Vegas casinos busily prepare themselves for the oncoming masses, especially at the Rio.

The Rio poker room is normally a small room that boasts fewer than a dozen tables, but it is moved to the Amazon Room in the convention center when the WSOP settles in, occupying more than 50 of the 200 or so tables during its peak times.

The room will offer up pretty much any game and limit imaginable, as long as there is enough interest, according to Rio Cardroom Manager Joe Parks. “If there are enough players to start a game, we’ll spread anything the players want. We go as low as $2-$5 no-limit and as high as they’re willing to play for.”

While the Wynn, Venetian, and Bellagio will continue to provide a multitude of various games and stakes, it is the Rio that truly shines when the sweltering summer months roll around. The moment a tournament table is broken, it is quickly transformed and then occupied by eager vultures hoping to pick off wounded and disgruntled tournament players looking to recoup their buy-ins.

While many elite cash-game specialists are eager for the Series to begin, some players, like online superstar Tom “durrrr” Dwan may just be looking for a change of scenery. Dwan has been in the center of the cash game world for quite some time now, taking on Patrik Antonious in an online challenge, winning and losing seven figures to Gus Hansen over the past month, and even playing an obscure $3,000-$9,000 blinds pot-limit Omaha game with Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies.

There’s no telling what games will be moved to the live arena and which will stay online, but the Series has a history of stirring up action. The WSOP was originally created for the purpose of cash games, as an exclusive convention of the world’s best players. The focus has been overwhelmingly placed on the tournaments since then, thanks to non-stop ESPN coverage of the main event.

However, with shows like GSN’s High Stakes Poker and popular cash game segments on NBC’s Poker After Dark, the casual poker fan has been increasingly exposed to another side of the poker world. It’s that same side which looks forward to the WSOP every year not because of the seemingly endless tournaments options, but because of the seemingly endless tournament players unfortunate enough to wander into a side game.

*Stephen A. Murphy contributed to this article.

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