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It's The WORLD Series of Poker

At times it's easy to miss the overlook the word "World" in "World Series of Poker". The event has always been held in Las Vegas, and a great majority of the Main Event champions were either born in the U.S. or were transplants from distant shores. Before the Main Event the Star-Spangled Banner was sung, and before the Senior's Event started "Oklahoma Johnny" Hale asked the players to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I'm happy (and a bit relieved) to report that no one booed.

But the days of the America-centric World Series of Poker are coming to an end. Come September 6^th the first WSOP bracelets will be awarded outside the United States, when the World Series of Poker Europe begins in London. There will be three events held across the pond—a £2,500 H.O.R.S.E. event, a £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha tournament, and a £10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold'em event. And yes, those buy-ins are in pounds, not dollars, so consult the exchange rates before making the withdrawal from your bankroll.

With poker's legal status in the United States a matter of contention, Europe is commanding a larger and larger share of the market. Not that the Continent is a totally poker-friendly place, oddly, the French seem to be taking the same tack as the more fervid anti-gambling crusaders in the U.S., and the new British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has proven to be an opponent of gambling reform. The state of online gaming remains in flux.

But having spent nearly two months at the World Series, I can say that this is truly a global issue, and that poker is a global phenomenon. Just look at the makeup of the Main Event's final table—there were players hailing from Canada, Vietnam, England, Denmark, Laos, South Africa, Russia, and the United States. One of the big stories of the Main Event was the ultra-hyper aggressive play of Italian superstar Dario Minieri. Katja Thater of Germany became the first woman since Annie Duke in 2004 to win a World Series bracelet. Two famous Las Vegas transplants won bracelets—Eli Elezra, who is from Israel, and Freddy Deeb, raised in Lebanon. And Costa Rica's Humberto Brenes was one of the big stories early on as he made three final tables over the course of a week.

If American hegemony over poker is coming to an end, that's actually a good thing, because terrible poker players can be found all over the world. But there is one aspect of U.S. chauvinism that still holds sway, one that became an issue a few times at this year's World Series. And that is the practice of "English only" at the tables. It's easy to understand why this rule is in place—most players, dealers and floorpersons only speak English, and if two players at the table start speaking Spanish (or Swedish, Vietnamese, etc) those players could connive or collude and give themselves an advantage.

Fair enough. But I saw two instances at the World Series where this rule was taken too far. In the first, a player from Spain who didn't speak a word of English was threatened with a 10-minute penalty if he didn't remain silent during play. He apparently had a question about a ruling a dealer made and, unable to ask in English, raised the question to a player at his table who spoke Spanish. Even though the would-be interpreter obviously didn't know the Spanish player, he was only allowed to translate when the dealer was shuffling the cards. Beyond that, the gentleman from Spain had to remain silent. It is to his credit that he managed to cash in the Main Event.

The other story didn't have such a happy ending. Another player from Spain moved all-in and was called by a female player from Germany. She won the hand, and after the dealer counted the chips she pushed his entire stack her way. He looked incredulous. "I'm out?" he said, shaking his head. Unfortunately, that was all the English he spoke. It turned out that the dealer did not properly count down the chips as the two players exchanged raises and re-raises, and there was some question as to whether she really had him covered or not. The chips were now all mixed together and it was nearly impossible to determine who was in the right.

A Spanish-speaking member of the media stepped in to help, and was brusquely told by a floorman, "You're not an interpreter."When the seriousness of the situation became apparent the generous reporter was asked to step in and help, but by this time untangling the thread was even more difficult. In the end it was determined that the Spanish player had indeed been eliminated, but the situation might have been handled faster had he been allowed to make his case from the start in his native tongue.

So if you play a lot of poker, and English is the only language you speak, don't get too comfortable. More and more tournaments are going to be staged beyond our shores. More and more top-flight players are from other nations. You would do well to broaden your horizons and learn to say "Ship it!" in as many different languages as you can manage.