The ending of the World Series of Poker at the Rio Resort and Casino in Las Vegas marks the end of a whirlwind of poker action not only at the casino but all over the strip casinos and even downtown where Binion's held a packed "mini" series with all the games that were being played up the highway.

For most players, they walked away with nothing but a story (*raises hand*) for a few those hands grasped a shiny bracelet marking that person as the champion of a certain poker discipline and probably a few bucks richer for the effort. But gone is the Milwaukee Best Light Poker Kitchen and hot models displaying the beer's logo on their large and firm... uniforms.

No more chips are being run to table 204 or a call for a seat to the $175 Sit n' Go tourney that would award some lammers for future tournaments or give a little cash to those that were strapped for it.

Dr. Pauly once again covered the World Series with own brand of gonzo reporting besides the live tournament reporting done via PokerNews.com's website. He gives a farewell to the 2007 WSOP post that wraps up all the feelings he and many poker players went through during the 55 different events in his special brand of writing:

When I visited Australia earlier in the year, for the first time since the UIGEA rippled through the American poker scene, I saw a glimmer of hope for the future of poker. The entire poker room (aptly called the Las Vegas Room) at the Crown Casino in Melbourne was packed with players. They were not just Australians and Kiwis but plenty of players from surrounding Asian-Pacific countries. That's when I knew that poker took a big hit in America, but overseas they were on a cusp of a poker gold rush.

When I flew out to Monte Carlo to cover the European Poker Tour Grand Finale I was more than impressed with the set up. Their media room was five times the size of the one at the Rio for less media reps. The participation numbers had been way up across the board during the third season of the EPT. And even when France cock-blocked one of their events, two other countries stepped up and wanted to add stops on the EPT.

Poker had also been popular in the UK, Ireland, and France for a few decades and over the last few years it has been rapidly sweeping through parts of Europe such as Germany, Italy, Russia, and the various Scandinavian countries like a viral phenomena. Depending on who you talk to, the Swedes will boast that per capita, they are the best poker players in the world. The Fins, Danes, and Norwegians will tell you otherwise. Right now in Norway, there are 16-year olds with bankrolls approaching seven figures. Not only are they're routinely crushing the competition, but after they felt you a couple of times in ring games, they cash out. They're not hitting and running or ratholing your money. They simply have to go to sleep and wake up to go to school the next day. What happens when they turn 21 and come to Las Vegas for the first time?

When it came to betting on main event players, I leaned towards the Scandis. Over the last few years, a Swedish player went deep at the WSOP. I expected unknown Scandi wearing capri pants and $600 designer sunglasses would amass a monster stack late in the tournament. That ended up being Philip Hilm from Denmark. I wasn't the only one thought Hilm had a great shot at winning the WSOP main event. Oddsmakers had him the favorite on their board. He had all the chips at the time and his playing style was difficult to adjust to. The reputations that Scandis have are that they are wild, erratic, constantly switching gears, and unable to read. They love playing big pots and will shove all in on any street and at any moment. However, what makes Hilm such a tough competitor also ended up being his down fall. He's the type of player would would see a flop with 8d-5d out of position after a player raised in front of him. And he's also the type of player who would try to semi-bluff his opponent off a pot with bottom pair and a weak flush draw... (continued at the Tao)