With the World Series of Poker (WSOP) just months away from the cards being in the air, that can only mean one thing: more televised poker crack to keep you up at ungodly hours of the night is soon to follow.

The WSOP Tournament of Champions is making its triumphant return in 2010. The last time this poker invitational came to fruition was in 2006, when Mike Sexton beat out the highly touted field of 27 pros and took home the $1 million first prize. It is run by the fans, with 20 of the 27 players gaining entry by votes online at WSOP.com. Only players who have won bracelets are eligible for nominations. The final seven spots are reserved for the previous tournament winners (Annie Duke, Sexton, Mike Matusow), reigning WSOP and WSOPE event winners (Joe Cada, Barry Shulman), as well as two entries for qualifiers at Harrah’s’ discretion, most likely to be played out in the form of an internet tourney.

Now this is not to be confused with the inaugural 2010 Player’s Championship, which kicks the series off on May 28th. The Player’s Championship is an eight-game mixed event which replaces the $50k H.O.R.S.E. tourney in an effort to label the best all-around poker player in the world. Along with winning the coveted Chip Reese Memorial Trophy, the champion will also score enough money to buy a third world country, pave it over, and turn it into the next Six Flags.

ESPN received an overwhelming response from players and viewers last year when the $50k H.O.R.S.E. championship was ditched from their WSOP coverage due to the final table taking its course naturally across the tourney’s game types, instead of being forced into a no-limit hold’em game to appease an incapable, marketable audience while they hock down Planter’s Peanuts and Milwaukee’s Best Light as they wear their Degree deodorant in their WSOP visor. This decision lead to a drastic decrease in player turnout, with entries plummeting down 148 to 95 from 2008. To regain prestige, the event was renamed and offered with the renowned and unmatched variety of eight-game poker, which includes all the game variants of H.O.R.S.E. (limit hold’em, Omaha eight-or-better, razz, stud, stud eight-or-better) as well as no-limit hold’em, pot-limit Omaha, and 2-7 triple draw. A tourney formerly known as the Cadillac of poker has now become the Rolls-Royce.

“I had been campaigning for the 50k event to be eight-game instead of H.O.R.S.E. since its inception, but I was outvoted until this year,” said Barry Greenstein when recently asked about the event. “If we are really going to talk about the winner as if he is a great all around player, then we need all the most popular games to be included.”

Word to your mother, Barry. It is also interesting to note that all rebuy events have been removed from this year’s WSOP schedule in place of larger buy-in style tourneys dubbed the “Championship” of their respective poker game type. Officials and top pros felt that rebuys allowed players to essentially buy bracelets and afforded the players financially capable of spending the most money during the rebuy periods better chances of walking away a champion, in lieu of beating out  a level playing field. On the reverse side of this coin, larger buy-in events bring drastically smaller fields, allowing the more accomplished players to essentially buy their bracelets. Ray – 1, tourney officials – 0.

For a full look at the 2010 schedule, click here.