This one we punted in the direction of WSOP bracelet winner, Kill Phil author, and now GamblingWithAnEdge.com poker contributor, Blair Rodman, who's been around the scene here for more decades than he cares to recall. Here's what he had to say:
The WSOP, in the old days, was populated by gamblers of every ilk. I used to think that a good chunk of the underground gambling money, from bookies, golf hustlers, underground poker, casino-game owners, and the like, was in that room at Binion's during the WSOP. Even though it was only three weeks long, the tournaments were one-day, later (grudgingly*) expanded to two-day affairs, which left plenty of time for other, extra-curricular activities. (*The only one who took the tournaments really seriously back then was Phil Hellmuth. He was a visionary in that regard!)
The Jacks -- Binion and McClelland -- wanted players out of the tournaments as quickly as possible and into side games, or out in the gambling pits, which were packed: Binion's was known as the best craps house in town, and during the WSOP the action was out of control. Golf hustlers found plenty of action, too -- since the WSOP back then was held in the spring, the weather on Las Vegas' courses was perfect for golf. The bars and restaurants were full at night, and almost everybody, players and employees alike, knew each other. We all reveled in the experience, not knowing it wouldn’t last that way forever.
One notorious incident that springs to mind took place in 1995, when the legend of Archie Karas was created before our eyes with the culmination of his incredible run on Binion's crap tables. It's a legendary true Vegas tale that's been recounted more than once in this column, under various guises, but for those not familiar with the story, Archie came to town with just 50 bucks to his name, borrowed $10k from a player he knew, and proceeded to go on one of gambling's most famous runs, including beating a well-known casino exec. and poker player for $1 million shooting pool in a dive-y hall on the east side of town.
Karas then hit the WSOP, where he beat some of the best players of the time in high-stakes heads up razz matches. When that action dried up, he hit the crap tables, running his bankroll up to some $17 million. At one point, he had every 5k chip from Binion's in his safe deposit box at the casino. I'm a craps buff, and I spent hours watching the Archie show -- watching pit bosses squirm was awesome! Alas, this would prove to be the high point in the career of a man who claims (not without reason) to have gambled more in his lifetime that any other person. Having built his bankroll up from $50 to $40 million, he lost it all back almost as quickly and has largely faded from the scene. The story became even more ignominious in 2013, when Archie Karas was arrested for marking cards at California's Barona casino and sentenced to three years probation.
Fast-forwarding to 2016, today the WSOP is all about poker. Scheduled now for the hottest weeks of the Vegas summer, the golf action has pretty much dried up. The pit action is significant, but nothing like it was back in the old days. Poker rules the day. And not just at the Rio. There are tournaments all over town: Aria, Venetian, Planet Hollywood, Golden Nugget, Binion's, Bellagio, and others put on major tournaments, including some very high buy-in events.
Still not all poker players play tournaments. Many players come to town just for the cash games, and virtually every poker room in town gets a boost from the WSOP. Gigantic games run steadily in Bobby’s Room at Bellagio and the Ivey Room at Aria (the high stakes rooms named for Bobby Baldwin and Phil Ivey, respectively), while the WSOP organizers are now endeavoring to keep as much of the "off piste" action as they can on property with 24-hour cash games, single-table satellites, mega-satellites, and daily Deepstack tournaments also hosted in the Rio's Pavilion Ballroom, for example.
With so much going on, choosing what and where to play is tough and the WSOP events are merely an afterthought to many players. As one myself, and a Vegas resident, I just wish all the action could be spread a little more evenly throughout the year!
