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The 2016 World Series of Poker rolled in this week with several more players etching their name within the annals of poker history.

None was more deeply engraved than the person who hoisted the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy on Wednesday and his story kicks off this week's Five Thoughts from off and on the WSOP felt.

1. A PRIMARY Ballot Hall of Famer

Brian Rast did greater than just win the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship for a second time on Wednesday night on the World Series of Poker. He practically guaranteed himself first-ballot status for the Poker Hall of Fame.

Thanks to an unorthodox style some have deemed savant-like, many of us have a tricky time understanding how Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi managed to become the one other player to win two $50,000 Poker Players' Championship titles, and almost grab a 3rd by finishing in fourth on Wednesday. And while the Grinder's vast array of accomplishments in poker will likely put him within the Hall as well, Rast's path seems somewhat easier to follow now.

After Wednesday's historic victory, he told the click he'll play any game, for any stakes, against all competition. That's an announcement that practically reads adore it was ripped right out the Poker Hall of Fame's induction criteria.

Rast also said he cares little for what the remainder of the arena thinks of him outside of his professional poker-playing peers, but at this point, one must think it is the same thing. Rast has spent his career proving he's probably the greatest all-around poker players on the planet and will win at the biggest of stages. I BELIEVE the sector has come to grasp that much at least, and it is a simple task the year he turns 40, the Poker Hall of Fame will be certain nobody ever forgets it.

2. Poker's Politically Incorrect

Matt Glantz was pretty quick to throw PokerNews and that i under the bus last week, relating to my thoughts suggesting that members of the poker community who fight for social justice turn down the quantity in their message for fear of individuals tuning it out as an unfair and unwarranted attack that blew a few of his own interactions out of proportion.

I'm unsure what Glantz's motivations were, but when he thought such gross mischaracterizations of the piece would help him curry favor with the group, it sounds as if he was dead wrong.

On America's birthday, after bagging the overnight lead within the $50,000 Poker Players' Championship, Justin Bonomo took to social media, criticizing Glantz's Twitter game. I THINK Bonomo's message was that Glantz's often comedic method to serious issues facing the poker community can also be dismissive and disparaging. It is a valid point. There's a fine line the court jesters of this world ride between being funny and burying a major and valid message under a mountain of jokes, but I FEEL Bonomo is also missing one thing.

Seeing the funny side of a significant issue can often allow people to take a step back from it, see both sides, and look at the whole thing with a newfound objectivity. As opposed to being dismissive, a joke can actually help bring the real nature of a topic into the light, get people interested by it, discussing and debating it, and help the community work towards solutions.

Again, I DO NOT know what Glantz's motivations are for looking to be poker's funny man in relation to the community's most serious issues, but when they're anything comparable to what I've described above, he and poker's most vocal advocates for social justice aren't actually as far apart because it could seem. All they honestly want is to get people talking in regards to the community's most serious social issues and move towards change.

That's a facet we will surely all get behind.

3. With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

The long road to crowning poker's newest world champion begins this weekend when the 2016 WSOP Main Event kicks off.

Reading a statement from the WSOP regarding how big they expect this year's event to be, I USED TO BE reminded of why greater than 6,000 players occur to contest the crown once a year. Most already know that the poker boom, and with it the main uptick in Main Event entries, started with 2003 WSOP Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker. Nevertheless it was greater than just the dream-come-true form of his satellite-to-win story that had people coming to Las Vegas in droves with hopes of changing into the following champ.

It was his work as an envoy for the sport within the ensuing years that helped grow poker into what it's today. Moneymaker accepted the responsibility of being poker's world champion, playing the everyman hero in countless ads, posing for pictures and signing autographs with the fans at every stop at the live tournament circuit, and enjoying a friendly relationship with the poker community and the media that helped grow his legend, and the sport itself, on the same time.

Poker's growth appears to have plateaued somewhat lately, but there's hope for the longer term. A vapid pro with sunglasses and a hoodie for a personality, or an unkempt troll who hides from the spotlight winning the title this year will do little to assist. Since Moneymaker's 2003 win there were several Main Event winners also willing to embrace the responsibility of being an envoy for poker, and here's hoping the trail to crowning a 2016 world champion lands us on someone similar again, for the nice of the game.

4. Anyone Can Win, Even Poker

Regular readers of this column will know I never become bored with banging the drum in terms of the dream-come-true stories in poker. I continue to say that the explanation why thousands occur for the low-end buy-in and gimmick events on the WSOP is that amateur players are constantly showing up on poker's biggest stage and proving that anybody can win. Millions of greenbacks get pumped into the poker economy every summer on account of it, and the industry continues to thrive as a result.

Amateur Hung Le winning the 2016 WSOP Event #54: $888 Crazy Eights No-Limit Hold'em for $888,888 last week was yet one more example. As a WSOP rookie, the 53-year-old nail salon owner was under no impression that his skill level was above the common amateur and he gambled his option to a life-changing amount of cash when he got the opportunity.

Kudos to Le for helping keep the dream, and in turn all the industry, alive.

5. PokerNews Cup Comes Stateside

I could probably write a whole op-ed piece on how great I FEEL the exfoliating oatmeal soap bars are within the rooms on the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. Instead, I'll take care of how awesome it's that PokerNews is partnering with the valuables to bring its PokerNews Cup tournament to North America for the primary time.

The two-day event will begin on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016 as a part of the 14th annual Borgata Poker Open tournament series and it's certain to be a success right out of the gate with PokerNews working closely with BorgataPoker.com to supply a whole schedule of online satellites and promotions getting people within the door.

Borgata has become the middle of the poker Universe at the East Coast and there really isn't a improved venue for the PokerNews Cup to make it's debut stateside.

*Please note that the thoughts and opinions expressed the following article reflect those of the author.

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