Following last year's massive drop in attendance, the 2008 World Series of Poker has witnessed a surge once again, continuing the trend that was in force prior to passage of an online poker prohibition in October 2006.

The top prize at the main event of the World Series of Poker will be $9.12 million this year, and 666 players will get some piece of a $64.3 million prize pool, tournament officials said Sunday.

More than one-third of the tournament's entrants entered the no-limit Texas hold 'em tournament Sunday, the last day players were able to register. The 2,461 players pushed the total field to 6,844 players.

Despite the increase over last year, these numbers are far fewer than the 2006 record of 8,773 players. That year, Jamie Gold won $12 million. Each year prior to 2006, the increase in attendance had been dramatic.

The World Series of Poker Commissioner, Jeffrey Pollack, attempted to offer some rationale that does not reflect the reality prior to passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act.

"It's inevitable when you play on the global stage that we're on ... that you're going to be subject to different fluctuations at different times," Pollack said. "The fact that we broke all of the records we set last year is terrific, but there may be years where we're up, years where we're down. Bottom line is that we're here for the long term, and we're not going anywhere, and I don't know many poker properties that can say that."

Ace King courtesy of our friends at www.Gambling911.com. America's Top Gaming News Site.