Their rational side warns them not to think too much about what could happen.

They understand the long odds against them. Outwardly, they just hope to enjoy the experience.

But amateur entrants in the $10,000-a-seat Main Event at the World Series of Poker can be forgiven for indulging in an occasional dream of a deep run at the world’s most famous poker tournament.

With a bit of discipline and help from the card gods, they could come home from Las Vegas with tens of thousands — or hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions — of dollars.

“You have to think that way, or you won’t even go out,” said Tracy Belcastro, 61, of Bridgeville, who won one of eight Main Event seats awarded through satellite tournaments at The Meadows in Washington County. Five players won seats through tournaments at Mountaineer Casino in West Virginia. Wheeling Island awarded seats as well.

It’s impossible to predict how many Western Pennsylvanians will wind up in the Main Event, which is so large that it has four Day Ones. The No Limit Texas Hold ‘Em tournament starts July 7 at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The final table of nine players will be set July 19; they will return in November to determine the champion.

Although all seats from local satellite tournaments have been awarded, many players may still try to qualify at satellite tournaments in Vegas or post the entry fee themselves.

Belcastro said he set a modest first goal: getting to the second day of the tournament.

“If you get through the first day, you get a rhythm going,” he said. “If I could cash at the World Series, it would be a miracle.”

Richard Lornier, 85, of Carnegie, who also qualified through a Meadows tournament, plans to enjoy a family vacation that includes playing in the Main Event.

“I wasn’t going to go if I had to go by myself, but my family said they wanted to go, so it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” he said in a previous story.

Plum native Dax Mellon, 31, now of Brunswick, Ohio, won his seat through a satellite at Mountaineer.

“I have the mentality that if I take the time and money to go out there, I can win,” he said.

His “more realistic” goal is to win enough to buy a car to replace a 1994 Dodge Intrepid with 218,000 miles.

Mellon gets advice from close friend and poker pro Josh Brikis of Murrysville, who finished 55th at last year’s Main Event, winning $138,285.

The World Series is much more than the Main Event, which gets most of the media coverage. This year’s Series, which started May 31, has 58 tournaments in a variety of games. Buy-ins range from $1,000 to $50,000.

In tournament poker, only about the top 10 percent of finishers win money. Prizes are based on the number of entrants and the buy-in.

Brikis said he probably will play in more than 20 WSOP events this year; so far, he has “cashed” in three for a total of $38,421. He offered advice to players heading to the World Series for the first time.

“The WSOP is a real grind every summer,” he wrote in an e-mail. “It’s just really important to get rest at night, not party and be ready to play long hours every day.”

More than 70 Western Pennsylvania residents have played in the first 40 WSOP tournaments. Luke Staudenmaier of Imperial has participated in 17 and cashed in two for a total $15,711. At least 10 other Western Pennsylvania players have cashed in one event each.

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