World Series of Poker Kicks Off

The World Series of Poker is scheduled to start Tuesday with the first of 58 events, awarding gold bracelets, millions of dollars in prize money and fame to winners in the game's biggest showcase.

The recent shut down of several major poker websites have left many players dejected, so it has yet to be seen how the Vegas event will pan out. Las Vegas has suffered over the past years with the recession wiping out a lot of household entertainment budgets, as well as a significant decrease in International visitors.

Just ten years ago, the World Series of Poker was flush with online poker room sponsorships, and Series visitors would be spoiled with lavish parties. With the poker room shutdown, many pro poker players also found their sponsorships cut off.

The series culminates in July with the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event, which ends in November after a break to give the top nine players several months to think about how to finish their run.