Prologue
In 1978, the year I first visited Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker, Bobby "the Owl" Baldwin beat a record field of forty two players to the title of world champion and a handsome first prize of $270,000. A decade later, in 1988, the first time I played in the main event myself, there were all of 167 starters and the title was worth $700,000. By 2005, when I take part again at the beginning of this book, the field has risen to nearly six thousand. The first prize is $7.5 million and all nine players who reach the final table become dollar millionaires.
By the book's end and the 2006 World Series there are 8,773 starters, myself again included, vying for a first prize of $12 million the richest, by some distance, in all sport. The 2006 prize pool of more than $150 million made the thirty seventh World Series of Poker, staged over seven wee ...
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