2011 World Series Smashes Records Despite Economic, Legal Woes

Now that we’ve reached the four-month hiatus for the World Series of Poker’s main event, let’s reflect a bit on the game’s grandest spectacle.

From record prize pools to strange happenings, the 2011 WSOP presented quite a show, which won’t officially end until a champion is crowned in November.

Meanwhile, here’s a look at the past six weeks:

— Take that, U.S. Department of Justice!

One of poker’s darkest days, April 15, saw DOJ indictments effectively shut down online poker in the U.S. and freeze an estimated $150 million in players’ cash sitting in poker site accounts.

With so many poker bankrolls locked up and online WSOP qualifying squashed, many predicted doom.

That’s definitely not what happened.

This year’s WSOP drew a record 75,672 entries in 58 tournaments, creating a prize pool of $191,999,010 — the largest in WSOP history. Those are better numbers, by several percentage points, than last year’s record totals.

The significance wasn’t lost on ecstatic World Series officials.

“This summer underscores the appeal of the game and the power of this event,” said WSOP executive director Ty Stewart in a news release. “We’re so thankful for all those who came from around the world to demonstrate that poker continues to grow.”

At least 17 events broke records for largest turnout or biggest prize pool. The robust numbers pushed the total prize money awarded in the WSOP’s 42-year history to $1.4 billion.

— Recession? Jobless rate? Let’s play!

A sketchy U.S. economy and high jobless rate seemed like formidable hurdles for the WSOP’s most-popular tournament, the world championship.

Drawing big fields with half a dozen $1,000 tournaments was one thing, but what about the annual $10,000 main event? Many thought that entries might dip below 5,000 for the first time since 2004.

Again, that’s not what happened.

Thanks to poker’s enduring popularity and to stepped-up satellite action (feeder tournaments) at the Rio, the main event attracted 6,865 entries.

That’s the third highest ever, trailing only the ridiculous 8,773 total at the height of the poker boom in 2006 and last year’s 7,319.

One of the November Nine players will win a top prize of $8.7 million. All but one will become millionaires. None of them will need a job.

— Sir, this is the Ladies Event!

The biggest uproar this year probably came at the Ladies World Championship, where a guy made the final table.

Hostility reached scary levels before his elimination in ninth place by eventual champion Marsha Bladel Wolak of Sarasota, Fla., formerly of Rock Island, Ill. A huge cheer erupted.

A new Nevada law effective next year apparently will allow WSOP officials to legally ban male players from the ladies event.

— Who’s present? Who’s not?

Poker’s acknowledged best player wasn’t dealt a single hand. Phil Ivey boycotted the WSOP to show support for players blocked from their money on Full Tilt Poker, the site Ivey represented until the shutdown.

Also missing in action were most of FTP’s stable of high-visibility sponsored pros. It seemed weird at first, but exciting action quickly diverted attention to the games and some new champions.

Meanwhile, 78-year-old poker legend Doyle Brunson raised a stir by tweeting he wouldn’t play in the main event because he’d lost interest in poker after the online indictments and shutdown.

Friends ultimately persuaded him to play, thus reinstating balance to the poker universe.