WSOP giving the average Joe a chance

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- With the economy suffering, event planners for the World Series of Poker devised the tournament's own version of a stimulus package.

Sunday was the second opening day of a $1,000 buy-in, no-limit hold'em event. Buy-ins for world championship events are set at $10,000. Other events have buy-ins ranging from $1,500 to $5,000. Officials wanted to give the average player a chance to participate.

When the entries were tallied, 6,012 players paid $1,000 for a seat in poker room inside the Rio Pavilion.

"If we had a three-day opening, we could have had 9,000 players," said World Series of Poker spokesman Seth Palansky.

When the final table takes place Wednesday, all nine players will earn six-figure jackpots. The event's winner will take home $771,338 while the runner-up collects $473,283.

"No a bad return for a $1,000 investment," commented one poker player.