A $10,000 buy-in separates card players who do from those who dream as the No Limit Texas Hold 'Em World Championships, the 36th World Series of Poker's main event, gets started this week at the Rio. It'll end July 16 at Binion's, the birthplace of this legendary tournament, as nine competitors take to the felt to battle it out to the last hand for $7.4 million.
The stakes are far lower at the World Series of Poker store, where novices and professionals alike can find a little something special to take away from the gaming experience.
The store makes no claims about teaching you to become a better player, but it does carry lots of playing cards, chip sets and how-to books from top players, along with some of the necessary props.
Hats and visors help hide your face when you look at your cards or sneak a peek at your rival players.
Ever see a great poker player in tight clothes? Breathing and muscle movements can reveal a lot about your hand, but heavy jackets block body language.
Ladies who play serious poker tend to give it that old razzle-dazzle with rhinestones, real gems and other sparklies, so the store carries hats and vests to accommodate. Brilliant, shiny stuff tends to catch the eye and can throw off an attempt to read a poker face.
Sunglasses are also on hand, to prevent rivals from seeing the whites of your eyes. In the modern poker room, the wackier the frame, the better. Who will forget last year's grand champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer or his eye-ball hologram specs? The store sells the same ones, and ones with images of a peace-signing, haloed Jesus Christ or smiling, sunshine faces.
The shop also carries a strong selection of casual shirts, including unique baby T-shirts for women that look like the ace of spades and ace of hearts. But, you have to know when to hold 'em, and know when to fold 'em.
Other World Series of Poker events include the launch of a new product line at the Playboy Concept Boutique in the Forum Shops, with Playboy poker tables, chips and gaming accessories for sale, and live interviews of poker celebs by Wayne Allyn Root on the main stage at the Rio.
Anne Kellogg is a native Las Vegan with a thing for purchasing stuff. E-mail her at
[email protected].