DON McDERMOTT / PVT The last three World Series of Poker winners -- Chris Moneymaker (2003), Greg Raymer (2004) and Joseph Hachem (2005, above) are among the entries for the 2006 tournament, which begins at noon today in a Rio Casino-Hotel convention center. Greg Raymer Chris Moneymaker DON McDERMOTT / PVT Also among the entries are 2005 Tournament of Champions winner Mike Matusow, above, and Ted Forrest, below, who won the NBC Heads-Up title last spring. Advertisement

LAS VEGAS -- In preliminary World Series of Poker tournaments this season, the winners have included Phil Hellmuth, who earned a record-tying 10th bracelet for his victory in the $1,000 with rebuys no-limit event.

Does that success elevate Hellmuth - the 1989 WSOP champion when he was only 24 years old - to the role of favorite in the Main Event? It's possible, but at a minimum, he will be a 6,100-to-1 choice to accomplish that feat.

As of Sunday, there were 6,100 registered entries for the championship tournament, which starts at noon today in a Rio Casino-Hotel convention center. The over-under for entries is 8,500, which would crush the previous record of 5,619, established in 2005. The tournament runs through Aug. 10.

Hellmuth earned $631,863 for his win in the rebuys event, which attracted 754 players, who made 1,691 rebuys to boost the prize pool to $2,340,238.

Consider this: Daniel Negreanu, one of the most talented no-limit poker players on the planet, made 48 rebuys - and was not among the 73 players who cashed out when the tournament ended Tuesday.

Jan Helppi of Helsinki, Finland, earned $331,144 as the runnerup to Hellmuth, who joined Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan as a 10-time WSOP bracelet winner. Daryn Fericano, one of thousands of unknown players who have competed in World Series events this summer, was third, pocketing $187,219.

The most recent World Series champions - Joseph Hachem (2005), Greg Raymer (2004), and Chris Moneymaker (2003) - are entered, as are 2005 WSOP Tournament of Champions winner Mike Matusow and the 2006 NBC Heads-Up tournament winner Ted Forrest.

Raymer, if he continues playing with the control and patience he displayed in winning in 2004 and finishing 25th in 2005, is an odds-on choice to be in contention. In 2004, the Connecticut Yankee outplayed more than 2,500 rivals to claim the title, and in 2005, Raymer outlasted all but 24 of the record 5,619 players who were in the chase for a $7.5 million payoff grabbed by the Australian, Hachem.

Dutch Boyd and Sam Farha, their fame generated by their emotional, as well as talented performances in the 2003 World Series, have won preliminary events this season. Allen Cunningham, David Williams, Lee Watkinson and Jason Lester, who are respected poker players, have had their expertise "advertised", in a sense, by numerous televised final-table appearances.

Chip Reese has been one of poker's legends for almost four decades, but his knowledge of all games, his intuitive instincts - and stamina - were overpowering as he won the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E tournament, a win that was rewarded with a $1.78 million payoff.

Jeff Madsen, a 21-year-old college student, and William Chen, a veteran player, each won two preliminary titles. For Madsen, the pay days totaled $1.34 million, while Chen's cash earnings were $785,000.

A player to watch, too, is Juan Carlos Mortenson, who has cashed in four tournaments this season. Jeff Cabanillas won the $5,000 buy-in no-limit title, beating 621 rivals to earn $818, 546.

Other megabuck payoffs went to Brandon Cantu ($757,839, for winning a $1,500 no-limit game that drew 2,776 players); Mark Vos ($803,274, for beating 1,918 rivals in a $2,000 event), Max Pescatori ($682,389) and Cunningham ($625,830, in a multiple-rebuy tournament).

Registration for the championship event will close at the conclusion of the first level of play Monday. Day One will actually be played today, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday - with the field divided into four equal groups.

Day Two will be contested Tuesday and Wednesday, with a day off scheduled Thursday. The tournament resumes Aug. 5 and will continue through Aug. 10, when the champion - and possible recipient of a $10 million payoff - is crowned.