>>>>>FYI
>>>>>The new British Open Champion is the cousin of Joey Harrington of the Atlanta Falcons.
>>>>
>>>>FYI, Sam, he's also the cousin of Dan Harrington, a well-known world class poker player and 1995 World Series of Poker main event champion. Dan tells a *great* story about calling his mother when he won the world championship -- all his mother could talk about was that Padraig had won some small tournament that weekend and couldn't understand why Dan was excited about being a "world champion" at something so insignificant as a card game.
>>>>
>>>>The fact that he also won a million dollars in the process somehow eluded her as well...
>>>
>>>
>>>*g*
>>>I didn't know that. I don't what TV poker tournaments.
>>>And WOW! do those poker pot get that big?
>>>
>>>At least she couldn't threaten to pull him out of school like my mom did when I told her about my all night poker game while in college. :)
>>
>>I knew about Joey, but didn't know about Dan.
>>
>>The million dollars he won is now small potatoes. There are several events there with 1st prize over a million. The main event in 2007 had 6358 entries ($10,000 entry fee) and paid over 8 million to first place.
>
>The main event last year (2006) paid $12 million to the winner (Jamie Gold). This year's entry was down from last year, mostly due to the US government's crackdown on Internet gambling (about half of the entries for the 2006 main event were won online). However, one of the "satellite" bracelet events at this year's WSOP drew the fourth largest crowd in tournament history -- larger than anything except the 2005, 2006 and 2007 main events. Prize pots at most of the major tourneys (WSOP Circuit, WPT, and PPT events) now average well over a million to the winner, and usually pay the top 150 to 250 players (you don't have to win the tourney to make a *nice* payday).
>
>Unlike Mike Beane mentioned, there doesn't seem to be a "slacking off" in the popularity of the game -- in fact, it's still growing at a very strong rate. Most casinos, even the small Native American ones, now have some kind of live poker (WinStar in southern Oklahoma just opened a brand new, smoke free 40 table room that'll probably host a big tourney soon); also, the new PokerPro electronic live poker system is starting to be installed at some of the horse racing tracks nationwide that allow slots (tracks in Delaware and Arkansas have them).
>
>And yes, I play tournament poker -- regularly. And I finish in the money -- not as regularly, but enough. If all goes according to plan, I'll play in the WSOP next year.


I could be wrong. And I wish you the best in your tournaments.