Not The Only Game To Hold Their World Series This Month

This post was written by Daniel Smith, a fellow baseball fan and poker
player.

The baseball playoffs are currently in full swing and soon we will get a better idea of who will square off in the World Series. Right now it is too early to say for certain who will face off in the World Series, but you can never rule out the Yankees and there is a good chance that San Francisco could make a return trip to the fall classic. (Sean's Note: I think we're going to see a Cardinals-Tigers World Series, but I've clearly been wrong in my predictions in the past.)

However, there is another world series that is going to wrap up later this month and it will award more prize money than any other sports championship, including a Floyd Meyweather fight. What I am referring to is the World Series of Poker.

The WSOP Main Event final table is scheduled to kick off on October 29th as the final nine players battle for a first place prize of over $8 Million and the title of poker's world champion.

The World Series of Poker has crowned the world champion of the game of poker since 1970 and in that time many of the game's greatest have taken center stage at the event. However, in the last 10 years, the game has really exploded thanks largely in part to televised poker and ESPN.

In 1970, the world champion was determined by popular vote and then starting in 1971 a tournament was played to determine the champion. Back then, only seven players participated. Over the years the event grew to where it had a few hundred players in 2003 when Chris Moneymaker turned a $29 satellite online into a $10,000 Main Event seat and then into $2 Million.

Now, the Main Event draws thousands of players each year looking to take home the top prize in poker. Unlike baseball, the game of poker does not require that you have major league talent or frankly any talent at all. If you can come up with the money, you can play.

No other professional game allows players to compete on the same field as the top stars in the game. Joe Nobody (Sean's note: or Richie Incognito) can potentially knock out Phil Hellmuth and go on to win a world title. If Joe Nobody tried to walk onto a major league team, security would be escorting him out.

The World Series of Poker may not have the same history as baseball's World Series, but it is still as prestigious to any serious poker player. If you have never watched the WSOP or televised poker you can watch it later this month on ESPN. Maybe then you will discover why the game has become one of the fastest growing games in the world.