Jeff Haney runs down the list of Las Vegas poker players making hay at the 2006 Tournament of Champions at Caesars Palace

Wednesday, May 10, 2006 | 7:29 a.m.

The World Series of Poker's circuit tournaments take place at Harrah's properties throughout the nation, and attract poker pros from all over the world, but the one currently winding down at Caesars Palace has had a distinct Las Vegas flavor.

A field of 209 players on Monday started the circuit tournament's main event, a $10,000 buy in no-limit Texas hold 'em contest, competing for a first-place prize of $648,320. The winner will also qualify to play in the 2006 Tournament of Champions, in which 27 players vie for $2 million in prize money.

Twenty-seven players were expected to begin play today at Caesars, with the final table set for Thursday.

The final tables, and championship seats, of the event's preliminary tournaments were heavy with Las Vegas-area players. Among the highlights:

Also, well-known poker pro David Williams won the top prize of $91,250 in the $5,000 buy-in "HOSE," or mixed-games, event.

This year's remaining circuit tournament stops are scheduled for Harrah's New Orleans (May 18-28) and Harrah's Lake Tahoe (June 6-16).

Longtime Las Vegan Tom McEvoy, the 1983 World Series main-event champion, returns to the scene of that triumph this week as the host of the new American Poker Player Championship at Binion's downtown.

"I intend to be a very visible presence," said McEvoy, who will share hosting duties with former women's champion Susie Isaacs. "I'll be a playing host - not every single event, but I will be playing in a lot of them."

The event, which marks Binion's return to the major tournament scene after the World Series' departure for the Rio, includes 29 tournaments running from today through May 24. As most of the tournaments carry buy-ins of about $500 or less, the event should appeal to "mid-bankroll-type players," McEvoy said.

"We want to do right by the players, give them a good value for their dollar," McEvoy said.

The event's featured tournament is a $5,000 buy-in no-limit Texas hold 'em contest that begins May 22. It will be filmed for a television deal to be announced.

McEvoy expects the main event to draw at least 150 players, though he is hoping for a turnout of 200 to 250.

"Anything that's televised, especially events that are $5,000 or higher (to enter), will draw a crowd," said McEvoy, a prolific poker author whose titles include "Championship Omaha" (with T.J. Cloutier) and "Championship No-Limit and Pot-Limit Hold 'em" (also with Cloutier). "Some (higher-level pros) will come in and play only the championship event in a lot of these tournaments."

The World Series' new, eagerly awaited mixed-games tournament, previously scheduled to begin July 25, will instead be held July 12-14 to provide enhanced television coverage of the event, according to Harrah's officials.

The "HORSE" tournament - so called because it features Texas hold 'em, Omaha high-low, razz, 7-card stud and 7-card high-low (also known as eight or better, or E in the acronym) - will carry a buy-in of $50,000, the largest in World Series history.

The World Series' deuce-to-7 lowball draw tournament, a $5,000 buy-in event, is now scheduled for July 25-26.

The World Series, which consists of 45 individual tournaments this year including the $10,000 buy-in championship event, is scheduled for June 25 to Aug. 10 at the Rio.

This year's main event will seat up to 2,000 entrants each day from July 28 to 31 in anticipation of a record field. Last year, 5,619 players competed in the championship event.

No sanctioned wagering takes place on the size of the field. An unofficial, "underground" line has the over/under at 7,500 players this year.