Big-Time Poker Tournaments Usher in 2002

The beginning of the year is setting the stage for big-time poker tournaments. Last year, the Reno Hilton made a bold move by hosting a huge tournament, the inaugural World Poker Challenge, which was a tremendous success.

February saw Commerce Casino's L.A. Poker Classic up a full 35 percent, as was Jack Binion's World Poker Open in April. And, as usual, the World Series of Poker at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas produced monster numbers, with more than $6 million in prize money in the final event alone.

This year promises more of the same. The World Poker Challenge in Reno and the World Poker Open in Tunica are going face to face in January. I have had countless requests for information pertaining to which one will get the most players. Based on hotel bookings at both sites, I am predicting here and now that each will do as well as it did last year. That would be unbelievable.

Commerce Casino will shatter all previous records in February with its new hotel, two $1 million-guaranteed tournaments, and three $250,000-guaranteed events. It will host the first-ever $1 million-guaranteed limit hold'em tournament, and deserves special accolades for making it available to lower-limit players. Commerce Casino has awarded free $1,500 buy-ins to about 125 players who have received "bad beats." What a great promotion.

In March, Card Player Cruises will host a limit hold'em tournament that will guarantee $1 million to the winner, and Ladbrokes Casino in London will host the Poker Million, which will guarantee £1 million (about $1,450,000) to the winner.

Now, all of this is amazing. Even more amazing is that I predict that the total of all of these tournaments' prize money will still be less than that of the World Series.

2002 will be a giant year for tournament poker.