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One of the reasons people watch the World Series of Poker is to see how their favorite pros perform. Others want to see if an unknown amateur can achieve instant poker fame. More than a few try to imagine being the unknown amateur. Here’s what you can expect from the pros and amateurs at the 2008 WSOP:



An Amateur Will Win the 2008 WSOP Main Event



The odds are against the pros. Even if they are better players than the amateurs, of whom many will have qualified through poker sites, the sheer numbers suggest that it is statistically unlikely that a pro will clasp on the championship bracelet.



Amateurs tend to clash early, building up big chip stacks that are tough to overcome. Even a pro making the final table will probably be facing a group of amateurs all looking to put a bad beat on a pro. The last time a known pro won the main event was seven years ago when Carlos Mortensen took home the 2001 title. Of his successors, Varkonyi, Moneymaker, Raymer, Hachem, Gold and Yang, only Raymer and Hachem have become part of the ranks of professionals.



A Pro Will Win the $50,000 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. Championship



The odds shift much more in the pros favor during the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship. The high buy-in means fewer amateurs in the competition. Furthermore, the games, including Texas Holdem, are played fixed limit, which means a bad player isn’t going to be able to bludgeon all the pros with an enormous chip stack earned through repeated all-ins. It’s also unlikely that an amateur is going to be skilled enough at every game to make it through to the end.



Pros and Amateurs Will Share the Other Bracelets



Expect amateurs to grab many Hold’em titles, while events like Deuce to Seven lowball and the professionals will probably take down pot limit Omaha.