BY TOM SOMACH

If someone is given just one chance out of 500 to accomplish a particular goal, most would agree it’s a longshot.

But in the crazy world of professional poker, 500-1 odds on accomplishing a goal means you’re favored to do it over everyone else.

In conjunction this week with the start of the 47-day 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, USA Today sports handicapper Danny Sheridan has released his odds to win the WSOP main event, a $10,000 buy-in, no-limit, Texas hold ‘em tournament that will begin next month.

Sheridan, a veteran oddsmaker who normally handicaps college and pro football and basketball, as well as other sports, for the American daily newspaper USA Today (www.usatoday.com), has installed Phil Ivey as the odds-on favorite to win the ‘07 WSOP main event, at a whopping 500-1 odds.

The odds may be long, but considering almost 9,000 people vied for the main event title last year and more could vie this year, the odds are actually pretty short.

After Ivey, who is considered the top black poker player in the world, the person next most likely to win the main event, according to Sheridan, is Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, the former self-confessed “professional student” who toiled in college for more than 10 years, earning numerous degrees.

Ferguson, whose nickname comes from the fact that his moustache, beard and long hair make him resemble Jesus Christ, is listed at 550-1.

Next on Sheridan’s odds list is Romanian-Canadian Daniel Negreanu, who frequently wears an NHL replica jersey when he plays tournament poker.

He is listed at 600-1.

After that trio, Sheridan deems a sextet of players all at 700-1 odds to win the WSOP big bash: Johnny “The Orient Express” Chan, Gus Hansen, Howard “The Professor” Lederer, Dan Harrington, Scotty Nguyen, Erik Seidel and Dave “Devilfish Ulliott.

Coming in next, at 750-1 odds, is Phil “Poker Brat” Hellmuth Jr.

At 800-1 odds each is the quintet of Eric Lindgren, John Juanda, Phil “Unabomber” Laak, Michael Mizrachi and T.J. Cloutier.

Coming in next, at 850-1 odds apiece, is the quartet of Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, Antonio Esfandiari, Marcel Luske and Ram Vaswani.

At 1,000-1 odds each is the pair of Andy Black and David Pham.

Finally, at 1,200-1 odds apiece to win the 2007 WSOP main event championship are Chris Moneymaker and Phil Gordon.

Noticeably missing from Sheridan’s list of favorites are some notables who have as much chance as anyone to win: Doyle “Texas Dolly” Brunson, who’s won it twice, Jamie Gold, who was last year’s winner, and Joe Hachem, who won the year before.

So what’s a bettor to do?

Sheridan’s odds are just for entertainment purposes, as neither he nor USA Today books bets.

However, many offshore Internet sportsbooks are booking wagers on the WSOP, and their odds are generally similar to what Sheridan has espoused.

If you’re looking to wager on the WSOP, a good bet would be to put, say, $10 apiece, or whatever your budget can afford, on each of 10 top players.

You’d have $100 worth of action, 10 horses in the race, and as good a chance as any to win.

And if you do win, your payoff would be at least $5,000 ($10 at minimum 500-1 odds), and less the $100 initial investment you’d have a profit of at least $4,900 should one of your picks win the gold bracelet.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)