Well, you're certainly in a position to know a hell of a lot more about the subject than I do and I would not argue the facts with you.

In my response to Aaron, I cited an article in PokerPages.com that measures total tournament dollars being spent (in LIVE tournaments worldwide). The amount is up 46% year to date, with a 444% increase this August vs last August. Worldwide, then, there is no disputing that overall play is up considerably.

http://www.pokerpages.com/ppii/

Granted, this might not be the case in Las Vegas, but it's hard to imagine that with more than double the tables the overall play is down compared to last year. Maybe it's just possible that the play is moving from ring games toward tournament play. I was in the Caesars poker room last week, and there were maybe 6 or 7 tables being used for money games and 40-50 being used for tournaments (which, of course, cleared right out when they were over).