Believe it or not, the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) is just around the corner. In fact, the schedule for the 2010 WSOP has been released and contains several interesting changes made that should benefit both pro and amateur players looking to get their share of WSOP glory.

More $1,000 Events
In addition to the customary $1,000 Seniors and Ladies events, this year there will be six $1,000 No Limit Hold’em events. Last year’s $1,000 “Stimulus Event” drew such a positive reaction from players that Harrah’s decided to keep this level of buy-in for the WSOP. It’s hard for many people to come up with the $1,500 or more that most WSOP events require, and by cutting the price down by one-third, the door is opened for many more players. (If $1,000 is still too much for you, there are single table satellites at the WSOP for these events that start at $125.) As can be expected, the fields will be huge for these events.

$50,000 Event Gets Face Lift
Many poker sites have some version of a mixed game that includes No Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. For the first time in World Series of Poker history, the WSOP has decided to change the $50,000 HORSE Event to a $50,000 Players Championship and switch the format to 8-Game. The format for this event will be HORSE, plus No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha and 2-7 Triple Draw Low-ball.

New $25,000 Event
For those wanting an event with a prize larger than $10,000 but not as massive as $50,000, there is now the $25,000 Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em event. Six-handed events have become popular online, as they require greater skill to play. This event is expected to have a lot of online stars take part and should prove to be action-packed.

Re-buys are absent yet again from this year’s schedule and the November Nine will make a return for the third year in a row. For a complete breakdown of the schedule, head over to the WSOP website.

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Bob Stupak, the infamous Las Vegas entrepreneur and poker player, lost his battle  at age 67 with leukemia on September, 25, 2009. He was well-known not only for his ambitious 1,149-foot-tall Stratosphere Tower, but also for his charm and mischievousness.

According to Las Vegas mayor, Oscar Goodman, “Bob was an impresario, a ringmaster in the mold of the promoters who made Las Vegas the great town that it is. His ingenuity got him into trouble sometimes, but that happens to folks who try to grab the brass ring. I’ll miss his impishness.”

He was renowned for that “impishness,” which manifested itself in many forms. Just one example of many was the time he slapped a TV reporter who asked him if he was drunk while interviewing him about his failed run for Las Vegas mayor in 1987.

Stupak also raised eyebrows when he proposed the Stratosphere, which opened in 1996, went bankrupt and was sold soon after. As he put it, “They thought I was a complete, oh, for lack of a better word, fruitcake — and maybe they were right.”

“He had a really big idea with the Stratosphere, but it was a little before its time. Love him or not, he wasn’t afraid of anyone or anything,” said former Las Vegas mayor Jan Jones.

But Stupak backed up his bravado with some real poker skills. And he had the hardware to prove it: he entered World Series of Poker (WSOP) history when he won a bracelet in 1989 for a deuce-to-seven lowball event. His skills got him a place at the table on the Game Show Network’s High Stakes Poker, which put him back in the limelight after some time away to take care of his failing health.

But Stupak wasn’t all flash; he had a soft and charitable side too. In the mid-1990s he offered $100,000 for information to help solve the case of a Las Vegas child who had been shot to death on Halloween. He also gave money to homeless organizations and personally fed meals to thousands of homeless people. While his charitable acts served to balance out his wilder side, it also made him even more of an enigma.

But he knew his reputation well. As he said, ”The last thing I’ve ever been all my life is normal. I’ve accomplished what I have by being nothing close to normal.”

Stupak requested that his body be cremated and that there not be a funeral. His family has asked that anyone who wants to honor his memory send contributions to the Stupak Community Center:

The Stupak Trust
300 South Fourth St., Suite 701
Las Vegas, NV 89101