Thousands of poker players flock to Vegas every year for the prestigious World Series of Poker (WSOP). The total number of players reached 6,494 for last year’s Main Event while the winner Joe Cada took home a bankroll of $8,546,435. It’s not difficult to see the attraction of landing a seat at the final table. However, with buy-ins in the region of $10,000 for the Main Event, and a global credit crunch at our doorsteps, it will be interesting to see how 2010′s WSOP fairs on numbers. Fortunately, the WSOP is littered with willing sponsors and many poker sites cash in by running promotions offering players the chance to win a seat at this glamorous event.

Routes to the WSOP

For the 2010 WSOP, most players landed their seats through online qualifications. Here are a couple of online routes that have been popular with poker players in gaining entry to this year’s competition.

Pacific Poker promo
888/Pacific Poker has provided 88 avenues to the 2010 WSOP. Play to advance of 1 of 41 packages worth $15,000 for the main event, or 1 of 47 suites amounting to $5,000 for event #54. The packages include one entry event, 5-star hotel accommodations, travel and spending money. Winners will also get 888/Pacific Poker merchandise as well as an exclusive invitation to their party of players.

Rake races and status points
In Rake Races, you can scrape the triumphs in the Persistence Pays promotion to earn the most points on your status. For Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube subscribers, Social Success is your ticket to Vegas. Joining in the Cards and Coins promotion will help you garner more points to increase your status. Beat out the 888/ Pacific Poker celebrities or be the champion in any of the tournaments in Bounty Hunter. In Tourney Lovers, you are advised to get into those tournaments having the largest buy-ins to win your package. And lastly, increase your status points to the fullest in the One for the Ladies.

Party Poker
Party Poker provides a package value of $14,000 beginning with FREEROLLS. On Fridays at 18.00 ET and Sundays at 15.35 ET Party Poker runs their cash satellite qualifiers. Buying-in directly for $700 + $50 is also one way. You can also go through one out of 20 players joining per satellite to garner the $14,000 package. You can proceed completely free-of-charge by creating an account in PokerWorks to get a $50 bonus for free and $25 instantly with NO REQUIRED DEPOSIT!

Betfair Poker
In Betfair Poker, participate into the cash games that can compensate you with $14,000. Gamble to garner 450,000 Betfair Points before month of May ends or earn 325,000-449,999 points to advance to the $7,000 side event package. If you have earned 100,000+ points, though you fail to reached your desired mark, you can still succeed on your second chance entry in a FREEROLL, where 1 out of 20 players can win a $14,000 package.

Full Tilt
Full Tilt has been offering numerous ways to qualify for the 2010 WSOP including qualifier tournaments with a range of buy-ins to suit all players, namely their $1 Main Event Seat tournaments to their massive 150 Seat Main Event Guarantee. What’s even better is if you qualify for your 2010 Main Event seat with Full Tilt Poker and manage to cash in during the tournament, you’ll get a free seat at the 2011 Main Event. If you’re really good and go on to win the 2010 Main Event Full Tilt will give you $10,000,000 on top of your first-place prize money with their $10 Million Main Event Mania promotion.

WSOP Tournament of Champions: Sponsor exemptions

Controversially WSOP.com is making one seat available to U.K. residents for the star-studded Tournament of Champions. The possible line-up, released as top-20 vote-getters by Harrah’s in April, includes the following all-mighty powers in poker: Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, T.J. Cloutier, Allen Cunningham, Antonio Esfandiari, Sam Farha, Chris Ferguson, Barry Greenstein, Joe Hachem, Jennifer Harman, Dan Harrington, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Howard Lederer, Daniel Negreanu, Scotty Nguyen, Greg Raymer, Huck Seed, and Erik Seidel.

WSOP.com has been holding daily $1 satellites, with the winners of each moving on to the final. Whoever wins the final will get to go to Las Vegas to compete in the Tournament of Champions and lay claim to one of the sponsor exemptions. The airfare and hotel accommodation are included in this package. The Tournament of Champions kicks off on June 27th from the Rio in Las Vegas with its final table being held on July 4th.