In 2003 Chris Moneymaker won the World Series of Poker. Most people who know poker would credit Moneymaker’s win as the start of the poker boom. The number of entrants in the World Series of Poker increased in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The year 2007 saw the number of entrants decline. Many players and commentators attributed the decline in entrants to the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act. The law made it more difficult for people to get money to online poker rooms, potentially making it more difficult for people to play online poker satellites for the main event. Will the 2008 World Series of Poker have more entrants than 2007?

I am willing to bet no. There are a number of reasons for this belief. I do not think a 2,400 person drop in entrants between 2007 and 2008 can solely be blamed on the UIGEA. I just do not believe that 2,400 people were going to win seats to the WSOP by playing online poker. While I do not believe the UIGEA can account for all of the loss, I am sure it had some collateral impact. The UIGEA is still in effect and probably will not be altered in any form before the WSOP starts. Combine the UIGEA with economics and the WSOP will probably have fewer entrants.

This past year has seen the United States get smacked by a number of economic factors. Gas prices have continued to climb. Airlines are increasing ticket prices. Since travel is becoming more expensive even the hospitality industry has had to cut back to maintain profit margins. The Las Vegas hotels are less likely to offer discounts and deals. Economically this means it will simply be more expensive for someone to travel to Las Vegas. Combine the cost of travel with the fact that the economy right now just is not very good. The stock market is not as stable, the subprime mortgage crisis has reached every corner of the country, and the strength of the dollar is at a low.

If the World Series of Poker wants to make up for the loss of players from the United States they would do well to try and bring in Europeans. Based on the strength of the Euro versus the dollar, it makes sense for Europeans to travel to the United States. The relative cost of everything is much lower for a European and poker is booming in Europe. As things stand, I would be shocked if more people played this year’s WSOP as opposed to 2007 when 6,358 people played.