PokerString.com

The average poker player plays the game because it’s usually enjoyable, interesting, and highly social. The vast majority of players, even those who attend the WSOP, are not professionals. They know upon arrival, they’re the underdogs. That said, I believe what makes playing in the WSOP special is the fierce competition, the potential for fame and glory, and certainly life-altering prize money. But more than anything else, it is about being part of the experience. In what other competition do 90 percent of the participants leave and end up losing up to $10,000 in a single tournament, yet they almost always vow to come back and try again next year?
Think about it. Would anyone in any other activity say they enjoyed an experience that left them ten-grand poorer? Can you picture walking up to a blackjack table, losing $10,000 and then saying – I can’t wait to go back? Imagine walking into a retail store, forking over $10,000 and then leaving out the door with absolutely nothing. Most people would depart with regret and anger. Yet in the decade I have been working the WSOP, I have never once heard a player say he or she regretted playing and sworn not to return to the WSOP the following year. This alone says something about what is really important at the WSOP. It’s not the money. It’s the experience.

Nolan Dalla – 02/2010 – in WSOP News