WSOP

LAS VEGAS _ The Rio during the World Series of Poker is like the world's largest card convention.

Hundreds of players pack the enormous card room. The clatter of chips creates constant background noise. Famous players stroll in and out.

Down the hall, each major poker site has rented a room to show off their software and try to attract new players. At PokerStars' room, I ate a brownie and lunch. At Full Tilt's, I identified the eyes of four pros to win a shirt. In Doyle's Room, I registered to win a large cash prize. Ultimate Bet player Antonio Esfandiari gave Drew an autograph.

"A-K Sucks!" Esfandiari wrote in Drew's autograph book.

Out in the hall, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson chatted with some girls in knee-high socks.

I heard the cash games were very juicy. I can only imagine all these tourney specialists and satellite qualifiers sitting in ring games. Yum.

And this was weeks before the main event was scheduled to start. I heard some people say the World Series hadn't even picked up yet!

It's the biggest poker event of the year, with larger fields even than in the last few years. The poker boom is still going strong, and there's no better place to get a feel for the action than at the Rio.