WSOP Returns to New OrleansFirst Event Attracts a Large Field |
|
Next week, poker pros from around the country will fly into New Orleans to compete in the World Series of Poker Circuit $10,000 event. The series started yesterday (May 18) with a $550 buy-in hold'em tourney that attracted 545 players.
This is not just another tournament series for the people of Harrah's, and that includes the dealers and floor personnel who had their lives knocked off their foundations when Hurricane Katrina hit.
It's another chance to show the world and themselves that New Orleans, though still battered and in the midst of a slow recovery, is ready to receive and entertain tourists. It's also another example of how llife moves forward.
"We really believe that the WSOP will be part of that message to the nation that we're ready to go," says Jim Hoskins, the general manager of Harrah's New Orleans.
Because interest in stories about the resurrection of New Orleans is running high, coverage of the $10,000 buy-in event that starts Thursday, May 25, will probably find its way into sports pages across the country. When Harrah's reopened in February, reporters from as far away as Japan filed stories from the casino. Hoskins was even interviewed on CNN.
Last year, more than 4,000 people played in the inaugural WSOP Circuit event at Harrah's New Orleans. That figure might again be reached this year, only eight months after the hurricane hit, which would be amazing, considering what the city has gone through.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
