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What a final table!

Monday, June 16, 2008

Johnny ChanThe final table of the 2008 WSOP's 28th event is playing down right now, after starting with a star-studded final nine players.

Noted online player, Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond currently has the chip lead , ahead of David Benyamine, Adam Hourani and Johnny Chan.

Already eliminated today are Kirill Gerasimov, John Juanda, Daniel Negreanu, Phill Hellmuth and Brian "tsarrast" Rast.

How's that for an intimidating lineup to get through for a bracelet? If OMGClayAiken can hold on, he'll have one hell of a story for the grandkids after beating the likes of Chan, Hellmuth and Negreanu at the one table!


Posted at 11:12 PM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


Poker pros big golf bets

Friday, June 13, 2008

Daniel Negreanu and Patrik Antonius played in a high stakes gold match this week. Check out the video below. Their swings aren't that great, but they sure know how to bet!


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WPT looking for new home

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

WPTIt had been reported on a few blogs around the interwebs that the World Poker Tour's deal with GSN (Game Show Network) may not be renewed after it's contract term ended on Saturday.

It seems that the rumours were correct, with the WPT today releasing a statement announcing they are exploring new network options.

GSN's CEO, David Goldhill, had this to say;

"The World Poker Tour has been a great partner and the show continues to perform strongly on our network. We are continuing discussions with WPTE regarding how we may be able to work together – including perhaps broadcasting parts of Season VII."

The show was actually GSN's HIGHEST rating program. But the network has had a change of management and the new team is not as interested in poker, also cancelling the popular 'High Stakes Poker'.

Apparently the WPT has entered discussions with several broadcast networks. The next network they run with will be their third, after the travel channel and now GSN.

WPT CEO and founder Steve Lipscomb said, "We have enjoyed watching the show and our numbers grow on GSN. Our hope is that we can find ways to collaborate with the network long into the future."

"This may allow us the first opportunity to explore diversifying content on multiple networks like most sports leagues. We have already begun those discussions and look forward to making another season of the best and most widely distributed poker programming in the world to our dedicated viewers and fans."

Season seven is scheduled to get underway with the Bellagio Cup, running July 11-17, 2008 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

Let's hope they get a TV deal, because it would be a shame to lose this program, which has become a poker institution. And they haven't even had a chance to turn a profit yet!


Posted at 2:28 AM Permalink | 1 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP Event #11 recap

Here's the recap of WSOP event #11 - the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout., won by Phillip Tom.

  • The $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em Shootout attracted 360 entrants. The total prize pool amounted to $1,692,000. The top 36 places (which included all players who progressed to the second round) each collected prize money.

  • A "Shootout" means the objective is to win all the chips at a table in order to advance to the next round. On Day One, the tournament began with 360 players competing in what amounted to a ten-handed Sit & Go. One player from each table (the winner) progressed to play in the second round. On Day Two, those 36 winners were divided into six tables, each playing a six-handed Sit & Go. The six winners from this round progressed to Day Three to take a seat at the final table – which was played six-handed. Essentially, the winner of the tournament was required to win three consecutive Sit & Go rounds.

  • A Shootout emphasizes short-handed poker skills. This generally requires competitors to play cards out of the standard range of starting-hand requirements. It also makes post-flop skill paramount to victory. In a sense, each round is a "final table" for all the competitors since the objective is to accumulate chips and eliminate opponents.

  • The tournament was played over three days. On Day Three, the final table was dealt out on the ESPN stage, also known as the "feature table." The secondary final table, located adjacent to the main stage area, featured the conclusion of Event #12 in an intentional scheduling overlap. This year, most days at the WSOP will include two final tables.

  • This was the first all North American final table of the 2008 WSOP. There were five Americans and one Canadian amongst the final six players. All other 11 events so far this year included a multinational final table composition.

  • All players started with an equal number of chips at the beginning of each round. Hence, there was no "chip leader" at the start of the final table.

  • The winner was Phillip Tom, from Las Vegas, NV. He is a 55-year-old financial advisor and investor. He plays poker very seriously, but would still be categorized as an amateur player.

  • Through the conclusion of Event #11, nine professionals have won WSOP gold bracelets versus two amateurs.

  • Tom was born in 1953. As a good luck charm, Tom uses a Benjamin Franklin silver half dollar as a card protector, appropriately minted in 1953.

  • Tom lives next door to the former owners of Binion's Horseshoe, which owned the WSOP through 2003. Oscar Goodman, Mayor of Las Vegas, also lives a few houses away.

  • Tom collected $477,990 for first place. He also earned his first WSOP gold bracelet. This was Tom's first-ever final table at the World Series.

  • The second-place finisher was Greg Mueller, from Vancouver, BC (Canada) who is beginning to feel the effects of going deep in many tournaments without a major win.

    "If they gave away gold bracelets for finishing high but not winning, I'd be Erik Seidel",     the good-natured former pro hockey player remarked afterward.

  • Mueller could be proud of his performance. Lesser players would have certainly busted out earlier. He also remarked: "Overall, I was very happy with the way I played. All day, I really did not get too many hands. I thought I played good. But I just didn't close the deal."

  • Another quote from Mueller: "There's only so much you can do without cards, especially when playing short-handed. If you can't show a hand at some point people are just going to call you down. It's frustrating because I really want to win that gold bracelet... yeah, the money is important but the gold bracelet really matters most to me."

  • Final Table play began at 2 pm and ended at 9:40 pm. A total of 176 were dealt.

  • There were a number of notable finishes in this tournament. Places 7-36 were essentially equal in stature, since all players in those places on the official money list performed equally - winning the first round, but losing in the second.

  • Bill Edler won this event last year. He entered this year's tournament but did not cash.

  • Eight-time gold bracelet winner Erik Seidel finished in-the-money. This was his 47th career WSOP cash. He now ranks seventh on the all-time list in that category.

  • Three-time gold bracelet winner John Juanda finished in-the-money. This marked his 40th career WSOP cash. He is now tied for 12th place on the all-time list with Thor Hansen.

  • Other former gold bracelet winners who cashed included Eric Froehlich, Burt Boutin, and Maciek Gracz. Another milestone was cross by Gracz in this event as he now has over $3 million in lifetime poker tournament winnings.

  • Through the first 11 events of the 2008 WSOP only one player currently has four cashes. He is Nikolay Evdakov, from Moscow, Russia. One player, Matthew Graham, from New Orleans, LA has cashed three times. There are 74 players with two cashes each.
Thanks once again to Nolan Dalla at the World Series of Poker for the great updates.


Posted at 1:57 AM Permalink | 1 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP Event #10 recap

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Here's the recap of WSOP event #10 - $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better, won by Farzad Rouhani.
  • The $2,500 buy-in Half Omaha High-Low Split / Half Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split event attracted 388 players, creating a prize pool totaling $892,400.

  • This tournament debuted at last year's WSOP and attracted 327 players. Hence, the turnout was 16 percent higher this year.

  • These two games tend to attract more experienced players who appreciate the nuances of limit poker. The average age of players in the tournament was a bit higher than usual, reflected in the composition of the finale table which had four players aged 44+.

  • The tournament was played over three days. Day Three featured final table play, which took place adjacent to the ESPN stage. Given the presence of a few poker celebrities, a standing-room only crowd circled the table.

  • When the final table began, Farzad Rouhani was the chip leader. He earned what amounted to a wire-to-wire victory.

  • The winner was Farzad "Freddy" Rouhani, from Germantown, MD. He is a 44-year-old professional poker player.

  • Rouhani was born in Iran. He arrived in the U.S. in 1985 to attend college. In fact, he planned to attend medical school. "I came to the U.S. 23 years ago to become a doctor," Rouhani said in a post-tournament interview. "But instead, I became a pro poker player. Go figure."

  • Rouhani plays mostly in Atlantic City. He once frequented local poker games in the suburban Washington, DC area, where he now lives. But the stakes proved too low for the more serious Rouhani.

  • Winning a WSOP gold bracelet obviously meant something special to the new champion. While playing, Rouhani wore another bracelet on his left wrist – which was presented to him for winning a tournament at the Jack Binion World Poker Open back in 2003. "I must admit that I really do need the money," Rouhani said. "Everyone needs the money. But this gold bracelet to me means a whole lot more. It is the thing that everyone in poker dreams of."

  • Rouhani earned a well-deserved victory. He collected $232,911 for first place. He also earned his first WSOP gold bracelet. Rouhani came very close to winning a few years ago when he took second place in a No-Limit Hold'em event. To date, Rouhani now has eight WSOP cashes, two final table appearances, and more than $800,000 in career winnings at the WSOP.

  • Given that high-low split games tend to be somewhat monotonous, the final table was expected to run long. However, the finale concluded in about 6 hours, due largely to Rouhani's dominant stack size throughout, making it the quickest of ten final tables thus far at the 2008 WSOP.

  • The final hand came at 9:10 pm PST. Rouhani was dealt 9-8-3-2. The final board showed 7-3-3-A-3, giving the new champion quad-threes with an eight-low. After exposing his four-of-a-kind, the often demonstrative poker pro jokingly remarked, "If I knew they would show my hand to the audience, I would play better cards than (9-8-3-2). "

  • The runner up was Tom Chambers, from Chicago, IL. The former teacher and basketball coach now has four career cashes at the WSOP.

  • Widely-respected poker pro "Miami John" Cernuto finished third. The former air-traffic controller has won three WSOP gold bracelets. But his bid for his first victory since 2002 fell short.

  • This marked the 17th career WSOP cash for the fourth-place finisher, Rich Zhu.

  • While the final table was being played, poker jester Gavin Smith waddled over to the table cheer on his friend and protégé, Greg Pappas. Since Pappas wears full head of very long white hair, Smith nicknamed him "Big White." Meanwhile, longtime poker veteran and ex-horseracing trainer Jim Bucci was standing at tableside and remarked that favorite Big Brown had just lost the Belmont Stakes moments earlier. Smith couldn't resist writing a mock headline and shouted out for everyone to hear: "On the Day Big Brown Chokes in the Big Race, Big White Gets the Bracelet." It proved to be a premature assumption. Pappas, a.k.a. "Big White" ended up fifth.

  • Sixth-place finisher John Racener won the WSOP Circuit championship event at Harrahs Atlantic City last year.

  • Michael "the Grinder" Mizrachi has enjoyed astounding success in poker tournaments in recent years. His career winnings total more than $6 million. But for all his accolades elsewhere, Mizrachi has not fared particularly well at the WSOP. This was his first-ever final table appearance. Unfortunately, he went out in eighth place.

  • Several former WSOP gold bracelet winners cashed in this tournament. The included Hoyt Corkins (14th), Jeffrey Lisandro (19th), Tony Ma (20th), Allen Cunningham (22nd), Gary Benson (23rd), Barbara Enright (26th), Berry Johnston (30th), and Scott Clements (39th).

  • Eccentric sports bettor and poker convert Alan Boston took 37th place. Boston is widely acknowledged as one of the best college basketball handicappers in the world.

  • Last year's champion was Tom Schneider, who went on to win the 2007 WSOP "Player of the Year" race. Schneider was unable to defend his crown in this event as he was still alive in another tournament at the time, the Mixed Games championship, which played its Day Two when this tournament began.


Posted at 9:48 PM Permalink | 1 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP Event #8 recap

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Here's the recap of WSOP event #8 - $10,000 World Championship Mixed Event, won by Anthony Rivera.

  • "Mixed Games" is a new event on this year's WSOP schedule. This is the first time in history that a major poker tournament has included eight poker games.

    These games include:
    1. No-Limit Hold'em
    2. Pot-Limit Omaha
    3. Triple-Draw Lowball
    4. Limit Hold'em
    5. Omaha High-Low Split
    6. Razz
    7. Seven-Card Stud
    8. Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better

    Games are played on a rotation basis. Games change every eight hands.

  • The $10,000 buy-in tournament attracted a stellar field of superstars and arguably the toughest field in poker history for an event of this size, other than the $50,000 buy-in HORSE competition. No less than 76 of the 192 entrants were former WSOP gold bracelet winners. The total prize pool amounted to $1,804,800. The top 24 players collected prize money.

  • Despite the astral field of poker celebrities, some top players pointed out that the composition of the tournament is not quite as formidable as one might believe. Three players (Sammy Farha, George Abdullah, and Amnon Filippi) argued that younger players in this event did not play "limit" and "high-low" split games as well as some of the more experienced players. Of course, two of those three were standing on the rail at the time, watching and pointing to at least of couple of finalists who allegedly "don't have a clue."

  • While all 55 WSOP tournaments on the 2008 schedule are categorized as "gold bracelet" events, this is also known as a "world championship" event. This means the winner of this event is the Mixed Games world champion. Beginning this year, all $10,000+ buy-in tournaments are designated as official world championships. This means a total of ten WSOP tournaments are world championships. This includes eight gold bracelet tournaments with $10,000 buy-ins, the $50,000 buy-in HORSE event, and the Main Event.

  • Four former WSOP gold bracelet winners appeared at the final table of eight players (Sammy Farha, Eli Elezra, James Mackey, and Jeff Madsen). When play commenced on Day Three, the chip leader was Matthew Glantz, a top high-stakes cash game pro who plays mostly in Atlantic City.

  • The tournament was played over three days. Day Three featured final table play, which took place adjacent to the ESPN stage. Given the magnetic field of finalists, a standing-room only crowd circled the table. In fact, the turnout (and one presumes -- interest) for this finale was significantly higher than for the conclusion for Event #7, which was played at the so-called "feature" table.

  • The winner was Anthony Rivera. He is a 22-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas. Rivera is originally from St. Louis, MO. He attended the University of Missouri, but decided to suspend his education and move to Las Vegas to play poker.

  • Rivera began playing poker about three years ago on the computer. He turned 21 just prior to last year's WSOP and played in a few events. However, this marked his first time to cash at the World Series. He really made this one count as $483,688 was paid as the top prize.

  • Rivera has become a solid high-stakes player who frequents $200-400, $300-600 limit (and higher) tables in Las Vegas. He remarked afterward: "This was a very tough field. But it did not intimidate me. I am used to playing with many of these players. I know many of them pretty well. I know I can play all the games well enough to win."

  • The champ wore his lucky t-shirt, which read "Friends Don't Let Friends Play No-Limit." Rivera also pointed out that, for him, it was kind of social statement. While many poker players have concentrated their efforts on No-Limit Hold'em, Rivera has focused his poker development on a much more diverse collection of games. Fittingly, the hard work paid off and he became the first-ever "Mixed Games World Champion."

  • He said: "I really do not have a 'best' game. I do not really play No-Limit, that much. I prefer the other games. I think I can play all the games well."

  • Rivera pointed out that David Oppenheim was his most intimidating opponent throughout the tournament. He stated that Oppenheim got unlucky and busted out. "I was glad to see him go," Rivera said later.

  • The final table began at 3 pm and ended at 10:30 pm.

  • The runner up was James Mackey, who won last year's $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em championship. At the time, he was the third youngest gold bracelet winner in WSOP history. He came up just short of victory on this occasion.

  • Matt Glantz took third place. This was his sixth time to cash at the WSOP. He was the runner up last year in the $3,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em event.

  • Eli Elezra busted out in fifth place. This marked his 15th career WSOP cash. Last year, the Israeli-born poker pro won the Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split championship.

  • Dashing and debonair Sammy Farha went out in sixth place. The two-time former gold bracelet winner is perhaps best remembered by casual poker fans for his second-place finish to Chris Moneymaker in the 2003 Main Event.

  • Jeff Madsen catapulted to superstardom at the 2006 WSOP, where he earned two gold bracelets and very nearly picked up two more, with duel third-place finishes. He obliterated the record for "youngest player ever to win two WSOP victories," achieving the feat at 21 years and 20 days. Madsen sought to add to his WSOP jewelry chest in this event, but ended up as the seventh-place finisher.

  • Several former WSOP gold bracelet winners cashed in this tournament. They included Gus Hansen (10th), Tom Schneider (12th), Johnny Chan (13th), Lee Watkinson (14th), and Doyle Brunson (21st).

  • Given that ten-time gold bracelet winners Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan were both still alive in the tournament with three tables to go, a buzz began to circulate around the Rio that this tournament might be memorable for its historic implications. However, both former two-time world champions were eliminated late on Day Two.

  • So far, this can be defined as the year when poker pros have rebounded to their former glory, after years of seeing poker rocked to its foundations with so many amateur victories. Bona fide poker pros have now won 7 of the 8 events which have concluded at this year's WSOP.


Posted at 10:46 PM Permalink | 1 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP Event #7 recap

Here's the recap of WSOP event #7 - $2000 No-Limit Hold'em, won by Matt Keikoan.
  • The $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em championship attracted 1,592 entrants. This was an increase over last year's tournament size, which had 1,531 entries. The total prize pool amounted to $2,897,440. The top 153 finishers collected prize money.

  • The tournament was played over three days. On Day Three, the final table was dealt out on the ESPN stage, also known as the "feature table." The so-called "secondary" final table, located adjacent to the main stage area, featured the conclusion of Event #8 in a scheduling overlap. This year, most days at the WSOP will include two final tables.

  • This was the first WSOP event of the year to be featured by Bluff Media on the ESPN360 website. Viewers around the world can log on at www.espn360.com and watch final tables live. Bluff will feature 23 more WSOP events to be held over the next month. The broadcasts begin daily at 2 pm PST. Note: On some days, events will begin later due to unforeseen tournament length times on the previous day.

  • This was only the fifth WSOP event in history ever to be carried in a live broadcast format. The last three Main Events were featured on Pay-Per-View.

  • The World Series of Poker consistently draws the most diverse fields in the game, attracting players from all over the world. This event included players who cashed from Australia, Canada, Indonesia, England, Romania, Norway, Scotland, Holland, and Russia, and the United States. Furthermore, players cashed from 34 different U.S. states.

  • Five different nations were represented at the final table – including Canada, England, Indonesia, Romania, and the United States.

  • When the final table began, Theo Tran was the chip leader. In fact, he possessed nearly twice as many chips as the player in second place. Despite this, Tran ended up as the fourth-place finisher. Tran has developed a well-deserved reputation as a fearless No-Limit player. He dominated play during much of the tournament. However, Tran steamed off his entire stack late at the final table when he went to the felt in less than a dozen hands after having nearly 60 percent of the total chips in play.

  • The $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em champion is Matt Keikoan. He is a 40-year-old professional poker player from San Rafael, CA. Keikoan worked as a "poker prop" for about eight years before phasing gradually into the life of a working poker pro. Keikoan started out playing at Casino San Pablo in the San Francisco Bay area.

  • While working as a poker prop, some of Keikoan's regular co-workers included Bill Edler, Erick Lindgren, Bill Gazes, Matt Lefkowitz, and others. The poor tourists in that joint must have gotten skinned alive.

  • Matt Keikoan is the brother of poker pro Todd Keikoan, who lives in Las Vegas.

  • Keikoan attended San Francisco State University, but did not graduate. His father was interviewed following his son's victory and commented: "We were thoroughly pissed off because he left college and wanted to become a professional poker player. But, it turned out well."

  • Keikoan collected $550,529 for first place. He also earned his first WSOP gold bracelet. To date, Keikoan now has seven World Series cashes. This was his first WSOP final table appearance. However, he has finished high in several other major events.

  • Keikoan finished 63rd in the 2007 Main Event. That cash was worth $154,194.

  • Keikoan was cheered on by several poker pros, including Gavin Smith and Erick Lindgren. While Keikoan was celebrating victory, Lindgren remarked that he has been playing golf with the new champ for several years. "When we used to play golf, we would play for all the money in our pockets until the sun went down. Sometimes, we would be hitting golf balls when it was dark," Lindgren said. "Now, we can play a little higher."

  • Bad Beat Story of the Year: This one is worth telling (and listening to). Down to three tables and 24 players on Day Two, Theo Tran was heads-up in a pot with Scott Montgomery. Tran was dealt A-A against Montgomery's 5-5. Incredibly, Montgomery flopped quad-fives, yet still ended up losing the hand. The flop came 5-5-4 with two spades. The turn brought the deuce of spades. The river delivered the three-of-spades, giving Tran a straight flush (A-2-3-4-5) with the ace-of-spades in his hand. Perhaps most incredible of all – Montgomery did not go broke on the hand. Tran bet the river for a modest number of chips, and Montgomery could only make the call (instead of raising), despite having four-of-a-kind.

  • After multiple final tables which lasted past midnight, this finale concluded in a lightning-fast 6 hours and 20 minutes. This was the shortest final table of year, thus far.

  • The second-place finisher was Shannon Shorr, from Las Vegas. He was fourth in the 2006 WSOP "Player of the Year" race.

  • A 26-year-old student, Mihai Manole from Bucharest, Romania took sixth place. This marked the highest WSOP finish in history for a Romanian national.

  • Swedish-born Chris Bjorin, who now lives in London, finished in fifth place. This marked Bjorin's 39th career WSOP in-the-money finish.

  • Tournament pro J.C. Tran finished seventh. Tran, from Sacramento, CA has a number of major poker titles to his credit. However, he has yet to win a WSOP gold bracelet. Tran rightly deserves a place on the "Best to Not Win" list.

  • Three former WSOP gold bracelet winners cashed in this event including Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf (15th place). This was Woolf's second cash this year. Others were "Minneapolis Jim" Meehan (81st) and Thomas "Thunder" Keller (83rd).


Posted at 10:40 PM Permalink | 1 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP Event #6 recap

Here's the recap of WSOP event #6 - The $1500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, won by Thang Luu.

  • Another WSOP record has been shattered. This was the largest Omaha High-Low Split tournament in poker history. This year's $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split championship attracted 833 players, which created a prize pool totaling $1,137,045. The previous record turnout was for last year's $1,500 buy-in tournament, which attracted 690 players. This marked a 17 percent increase over last year's number.

  • This was the first of three Omaha High-Low Split events on the 2008 WSOP schedule. On June 8th, a $2,000 buy-in event is offered. The $10,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split world championship will take place on June 19th.

  • Omaha High-Low Split has been offered at the WSOP every year since 1990. Omaha (high) was first seen at the WSOP back in 1983. The game phased its way onto the annual schedule as draw poker and lowball began to fade in popularity. All WSOP Omaha events played between 1983 and 1989 were Limit (high) and Pot-Limit. Now, Pot-Limit Omaha and Omaha High-Low Split are the most popular forms of this poker game. Omaha High tournaments are now rare. It was last played at the WSOP in 2003.

  • Omaha High-Low Split is also called "Omaha Eight-or-Better." This means the low hand must be an "eight or better" qualifier to split half of the pot.

  • This was the second non-ESPN final table of the 2008 WSOP. The final table was played adjacent to the main stage, which featured Event #5, the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em with Re-Buys event in what was an overlapping time slot. While the crowd was not as large for this finale, several players brought friends and relatives which created a more intimate atmosphere.

  • The winner was Thang Luu. He is a 33-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, NV. Luu was born in Vietnam. He arrived in the United States at the age of 17. Prior to becoming a poker pro, Luu worked as a table games dealer in Las Vegas. He is single, and is also known as "Tiger Luu."

  • This victory was especially gratifying to Luu since he finished second in the $2,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split event at last year's WSOP (to Frankie O'Dell). Despite the $147,726 payout, Luu was determined to get back to the final table and achieve victory.

  • Luu was the chip leader when play at the final table began. A few rivals got close in chips at various times, but Luu achieved a wire-to-wire win.

  • Luu is primarily a cash game player. He plays regularly in the $80-160 limit range at various casinos in Las Vegas. Luu doesn't play tournament poker very often, but does try to play in most major Omaha High-Low Split tournaments, which he enjoys. He says his favorite poker game is Badugi.

  • Luu collected $243,342. This was his first WSOP gold bracelet. Luu has now has four career cashes at the World Series. He states that he intends to return to Vietnam and take a few months of vacation, where he will visit members of his family.

  • Following his win, Luu was interviewed at tableside. He had the following comments:

    "I like to play every hand. I don't miss any hands, especially when I am playing heads up. I might check in a few spots. But I play every hand (and try to keep my opponent guessing)."

    "Winning a World Series of Poker title is very special. You know, now they look at your differently. Everyone knows who you are."

    "This is just the start. I have to play again Sunday (in the next Omaha High-Low Split event). I am running pretty good in Omaha right now."

  • Pro's versus Amateurs: Through Event #6 at this year's World Series, poker professionals have won 4 gold bracelets. Amateurs have won 1 victory. One event was still undecided at press time.

  • The tournament was played over three days. The final table clocked in at slightly over seven hours. It began at 4 pm and ended at 11:35 pm.

  • The runner up was Spencer Lawrence, from London, England.

  • George Guzman took third place. Last year, he placed 36th in this event.

  • James Pritchard finished in fourth place. Now 23-years-old, Pritchard played college football for four years at the University of Tennessee-Martin.

  • The sixth place finisher was Greg Jamison. This was his second consecutive year to make it to the final table in this event. Last year, he took fifth place.

  • Scott Clements has become one of poker's most promising young stars. The 26-year-old poker pro from Mt. Vernon, WA has won two WSOP gold bracelets and one WSOP Circuit gold ring. However, he could do no better than ninth place in this event.

  • Several former gold bracelet winners cashed in this tournament. They included Mark Gregorich (10th place), Denis Ethier (24th), Linda Johnson (25th), Perry Friedman (46th), and Robert Mizrachi (61st).

  • Mark Gregorich is widely-respected as one of Omaha High-Low Split's best players. The Las Vegas poker pro plays in both tournaments and cash games, and specializes in Omaha. This was his sixth time to cash in an Omaha event at the WSOP.

  • Linda Johnson, who cashed 25th, is the former owner of Card Player magazine. She was inducted into the Women in Poker Hall of Fame as part of its inaugural class earlier this year.

  • Allyn Shulman took 26th place. She is a former prosecutor who has since become one of the poker industry's leading legal consultants on Internet gambling.

  • Last year's winner was Alex Kravechnko. He did not enter this year's tournament.


Posted at 10:32 PM Permalink | 1 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP Event #5 recap

Here's the recap of WSOP of event #5 - The $1000 NL Hold'em with Rebuys, won by Michael Banducci.
  • This year's $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em with Re-Buys championship attracted 766 entries. Another 2,258 re-buys created a prize pool totaling $2,894,094.

  • A "Re-Buy" poker tournament means players are permitted to buy back into the tournament multiple times, provided they have equal or less chips than their starting stack. In this tournament, players started play with 2,000 in chips. Hence, any player with a chip count of 2,000 or less was allowed to re-buy. The re-buy period ends after the first two levels, or in this case the first two hours.

  • Re-buy tournaments are particularly popular with players who have deeper pockets. Since they can simply re-buy if they go bust, play tends to be wild and aggressive during the initial two levels.

  • The player with the most re-buys in this tournament was Suk Sung, who reloaded 23 times. This means Sung invested $23,000 for this event. Note: The record for most re-buys was set by Daniel Negreanu back in 2006 when he reloaded an astounding 46 times, plus two reported add-ons. Negreanu was downright stingy this year, by comparison. He re-bought a considerably more modest 12 times this year.

  • This was the fourth WSOP event of the year to be televised by ESPN. The final table was played on the ESPN main stage, surrounded by the Milwaukee's Best Light All-In Lounge. Seating for all WSOP final tables remains free and open to the public.

  • The winner is Michael Banducci, from Traverse City, MI. He is a 23-year-old professional poker player. Banducci was born in Toronto, Ontario (Canada).

  • Banducci symbolizes the new breed of poker player who has learned the game by playing on his computer. He first saw poker on television about five years ago. He never dreamed he would win a gold bracelet. He stated that his early goal was simply to get to the WSOP and someday play in a tournament. Now, he has much more lofty ambitions – including winning another event.

  • Banducci made one re-buy plus a double add-on. Hence, he invested $4,000 in this tournament and collected $636,736.

  • The new champion attended Hope College in Michigan. He worked a variety of summer jobs. He started playing poker at a local casino and mostly played $4-8 limit until graduating to higher levels of play.

  • Pro's versus Amateurs: Through Event #6 at this year's World Series, poker professionals have won 5 gold bracelets. Amateurs have won 1 gold bracelet.

  • Banducci made some interesting observations in a post-tournament interview with the WSOP Public Relations Team:

    "The amount of time it takes to become a good player is reduced by playing (on the computer). We play so many hands. We talk to our friends (about the hands). You learn so fast. I think younger players understand the fundamentals much better. Older players probably know about the real-life aspects of the game. But the future of poker (success) depends on understanding the fundamentals."

    "I can't imagine ever stopping doing what I am doing. I really enjoy it. Only now, I view it more as a business. I put in a set number of hours per week. At one time I was really passionate about poker. But I think I have become more disciplined about what I do. "

  • There were 184 hands played at the final table. The final hand came when Jeff Williams was down by about a 3 to 1 margin and called Mike Banducci's all-in re-raise with A-5. Banducci held the dominant hand with A-J. The final board showed K-J-10-3, giving Banducci a pair of jacks and the title.

  • The runner up was Jeff Williams. He is 22-years-old. If ever there was a player to watch in the future it is this wunderkind from Atlanta, GA. At the age of 19, Williams won the European Poker Tour championship, held in Monte Carlo.

  • The presence of many Internet poker players at the final table attracted arguably the largest and most boisterous gallery of supporters. Each player seemed to have a specific cheering section of twentysomethings. This added to the drama and excitement of the finale.

  • Michael Binger took seventh place. Binger is perhaps best remembered for his third place finish and $4 million cash in the 2006 Main Event. He also tied a WSOP record last year for the most cashes in a single year, with eight.

  • Steve Gross took ended up as the eighth-place finisher. Just two weeks ago, Gross graduated from college.

  • Several former WSOP gold bracelet winners cashed in this event, including Phi Nguyen (10th), Daniel Negreanu (22nd), Nenad Medic (24th), John Juanda (27th), Lee Watkinson (51st), Mark Vos (55th), and Billy Baxter (59th). Medic won his first gold bracelet just a few days ago in the Pot-Limit Hold'em World Championship.

  • The 31st-place finisher, Alex Jacob, won the United States Poker Championship in 2006.

  • The tournament was played over three days. The first day included ten levels and was played from 12 noon until 12:45 am. Day Two was played from 2 pm until 1 am. The final table of nine players was played on Day Three and started at 3:30 pm and ended at 2 am.

  • Last year's champion in this event was Michael Graves, from Springfield, AR. He did not register to play in this event.

  • This will be the last tournament taped for broadcast by ESPN until the $50,000 HORSE championship, which starts on June 25th. In the meantime, Bluff Media and ESPN 360 will be carrying live video of many final tables over the next three weeks, which can be seen on the Internet.

  • The broadcast of this event will air on ESPN on August 12, 2008.


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WSOP Event #4 recap

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Here's the recap of WSOP of event #4 straight from the floor at the Rio in Las Vegas. Isn't it great to see E-Dog Lindgren finally get a bracelet!
  • This marked the second consecutive year that the WSOP has offered a $5,000 buy-in "Mixed Hold'em" tournament on the schedule. Mixed hold'em means that two games are played - Limit Hold'em and No-Limit Hold'em. The games alternate as each game is played for 30 minutes per (one-hour) level.

  • The World Series of Poker is truly global. Of the 36 players who finished in-the-money, five different nations were represented - including Canada, England, Ireland, Monaco, and the United States.

  • This was the third WSOP event of the year to be televised by ESPN. The final table was played on the ESPN main stage, surrounded by the Milwaukee's Best Light All-In Lounge. Daily seating for WSOP final tables remains free and open to the public. Most final tables begin in the afternoon.

  • Once again, this final table attracted a standing-room only crowd of spectators. David Rheem and Erick Lindgren brought the largest and most vocal cheering sections. Nevertheless, a few bona fide superstars ensured that the outcome of this finale would attract widespread interest.

  • Of the nine finalists, only two players were previous gold bracelet winners, Howard Lederer (with two previous wins) and David Williams (with one win).

  • The chip leader when final table play began was David Rheem. He started with about 26 percent of the total chips in play. Rheem ended up going out fifth.

  • The winner was Erick Lindgren. He is a 31-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, NV. Lindgren was born in Burley, CA, which is a small town in the Sierra Nevada mountain range.

  • First place paid $374,505.

  • Lindgren rarely had the chip lead at the final table until the final moments. He was in second or third place most of the way. But he ultimately prevailed over tough competition.

  • Lindgren made a straight (ace-to-five) as his winning hand. He had A-2 and called rival Justin Bonomo all-in bet on the turn when the cards showed 10-5-3-4. Bonomo had 5-4, good for two pair. But Lindgren scooped the final pot of the night with his wheel.

  • Justin Bonomo, a.k.a. "ZeeJustin" ended up as the second-place. Although disappointed, Bonomo expressed his admiration for Lindgren and understood what the victory meant to his final adversary. In a touching moment that showed real class, Bonomo's parents went over to Lindgren immediately after his victory and expressed their congratulations.

  • Lindgren's win wrote the closing chapter of one of poker's great human interest stories, particularly amongst poker aficionados. One of the most popular touring pros, Lindgren had been snake bitten at the WSOP for years. He has won just about everything in poker except a WSOP gold bracelet. Lindgren was often mentioned up this point on the very short list of "best poker players never to have won at the WSOP." His name will now be removed from that list, and be placed on countless others.

  • With his sixth place finish in this event, Howard Lederer currently ranks 20th on the all-time number of cashes list in WSOP history, with 35. His cash in this event also pushes him over the $4 million mark in lifetime tournament winnings (for all major events). Lederer is widely-known at "The Professor." He won the $5,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low event in 2000. The following year, he won the $5,000 buy-in Deuce-to-Seven Lowball championship. He also finished fifth in the 1987 WSOP Main Event. Much of his recent time has been spent fighting for the rights of poker players and lobbying government officials to accept poker as a game of skill.

  • David Williams finished in seventh place. In 2004, he burst upon the poker scene as the runner up in the WSOP Main Event to Greg "Fossilman" Raymer. Williams went on to win a gold bracelet in the $1,500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud event in 2006.

  • Three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Chau Giang just missed making it to the final table. He finished 11th.

  • Former gold bracelet winner Barry Shulman finished in 33rd place. Shulman is the owner of Card Player magazine and Shulman Media.

  • Other well-known poker celebrities who performed well and cashed in this event included Andy Bloch (who finished second in Event #1) taking 16th, Phil "Unabomber" Laak taking 24th, and Mori Eskandani, taking 32nd.

  • Mori Eskandani is the Executive Producer of the popular television program "Poker After Dark."

  • One of the more humorous moments of this year's World Series occurred at this final table when 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, Jr. tromped across the stage to greet a few of the players. When the tournament announcer Robbie Thompson acknowledged Hellmuth and delivered what would normally be an applause line, the crowd sat silently. Then, a few of the more boisterous onlookers began booing and the entire audience joined in. Hellmuth, shocked by the crowd's reaction shouted out, "tough crowd!"

  • Through the conclusion of this event (#4) eight players have cashed twice at this year's WSOP. They include Andy Bloch, Phil Laak, Patrik Antonius, David Bach, Nikolay Evdakov, Raphael Zimmerman, Matthew Graham, and Kanzuki Ikeuchi.

  • Last year, this tournament was won by Steve Billirakis. At age 21 years and 11 days, Billirakis set a new record as the youngest gold bracelet winner in WSOP history (which has since been broken). Billirakis played in this event but did not cash.

  • About half an hour prior to Lindgren's win, touring pro David Singer won his first WSOP gold bracelet at final table held on an adjacent stage. This proved to be a real day of deliverance for two longtime poker stars, who had been denied poker's ultimate prize for too long.

  • ESPN will air the broadcast of this event on August 5, 2008.


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WSOP Event #3 recap

Here's the recap of WSOP of event #3 straight from the floor at the Rio in Las Vegas.
  • This was the second Pot-Limit Hold'em tournament on the 2008 WSOP schedule. The first tournament which was held four days ago generated the largest Pot-Limit Hold'em prize pool in poker history. This tournament had a $1,500 buy-in with 714 entries, which created a prize pool totaling $973,245.

  • This was the first non-ESPN final table of the 2008 WSOP. The final table was played adjacent to the main stage, which featured Event #4, the $5,000 buy-in Mixed Hold'em event in what was an overlapping time slot. While the crowd was not as large for this finale, several players had their own cheering sections, full of friends and relatives.

  • The World Series of Poker has become an international attraction. Of the 72 players who finished in-the-money, six different nations were represented - including England, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, and the United States.

  • Jacobo Fernandez enjoyed the chip lead when final table play began. He had about a quarter of the total chips in play. He held the chip lead until play became heads up against David Singer. After a four hour battle which took out seven players, Fernandez and Singer battled for nearly five hours before the winner was determined.

  • The $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold'em champion is David Singer, from Las Vegas, NV. He is originally from Brooklyn, NY. Singer was a formally an attorney who worked for a non-profit environmental firm. He has been a professional poker player since 2001.

  • This marked Singer's 18th time to cash at the WSOP. He is the only player to have made it to the final table of the $50,000 HORSE event both years it's been played. Oddly enough, while Singer has nearly $4 million in career tournament earnings, he had never finished higher than fourth prior to this victory.

  • Singer's wife is expecting the couple's first child very soon. In fact, the child is due at any moment. Incredibly, Singer stated that he would depart the poker tournament - no matter what the situation - in order to be at his wife's side when she gave birth. "The moment she goes into labor, I am quitting the tournament," he said on the night before the final table was to be played. "I don't care even if I am playing heads-up for the (gold bracelet)."

  • Singer was playing heads-up against a very tough opponent named Jacobo Fernandez. The final hand of the tournament pitted Singer's queen-four against Fernandez' seven-three. It proved to be a very exciting last hand for players and spectators alike, as the turn showed 7-5-3-6. Singer held the made straight against Fernandez' two pair. Singer put his opponent to the test with an all-in move and Fernandez reluctantly called with his sevens and threes. A blank on the river sealed Singer's victory.

  • Through this event, poker professionals have now won 2 gold bracelets, versus amateurs, who have won 1.

  • The second-place finisher was Jacobo Fernandez, who put up a valiant fight. He held onto the chip lead a majority of the time, but could never manage to close out the win. Fernandez is from the Dominican Republic. He now lives in Hollywood, FL.

  • Gregory Alston finished in third place. Two years ago, he made a final table appearance in this event as well, finishing ninth. This was Alston's 11th career WSOP cash.Joe Tehan took sixth place. He has as strong a tournament record as anyone over the last three years, with 39 major cashes and over $2.2 million in tournament earnings.

  • Seventh-place finisher Al "Sugar Bear" Barbieri has been a fixture at the WSOP for more than a decade. The Philadelphia native proudly calls himself a protégé of three-time gold bracelet winner John Bonetti, who has been suffering health problems in recent months.

  • Doug Carli, a.k.a. "Rico" is the unofficial World Series of Poker Circuit's Most Valuable Player. He finished 12th in this event. Carli has enjoyed astounding success over the last four years at the 12 annual Circuit events. He has nearly twice as many cashes (33) and final table appearances (19) as the player in second place.

  • Former gold bracelet winner Harry Thomas (1985 Seven-Card Stud) took 24th place.

  • Four-time WSOP gold bracelet winner and 1983 world champion Tom McEvoy finished in 25th place. That put McEvoy across the $2 million mark for lifetime tournament earnings (for all major events).

  • Lou "The Big Easy" Esposito, the champion of last year's Bayou Poker Challenge at Harrahs New Orleans, took 45th place.

  • The tournament was played over three days. The final table of nine players was played on Day Three and started at 2 pm and ended at 10:00 pm.

  • Last year, this tournament was won by Michael Spegal. He entered this year, but did not cash.


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Congrats Casper!

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Casper HansenThe World Series is taking up all the news space at the moment, but we wanted to congratulate Casper Hansen on winning the WPT Spanish Championship recently.

As it is not a televised event for the World Poker Tour television show, it has not received much press.

I had the pleasure of spending a fun night in Vegas with Casper and some of his Danish friends from Poker Nordica a few years back and it's good to see him come through for a big win of $US 655,720. Those poker playing Danes are nice people - and it's good to see nice people do well!

Congrats Casper

Ed


Posted at 9:28 PM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP Event #2 recap

As promised, here is the rundown of event #2 straight from the floor at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.
  • This tournament was truly history-making. With 3,929 total entries, it was the largest poker tournament in the 39-year history of the WSOP - amongst all non-Main Events. Only the 2005, 2006, and 2007 Main Events attracted more participants. Hence, this tournament currently ranks as the fourth-largest tournament in poker history.

  • The previous high-mark turnout for a non-Main Event was 3,151 players for Event #49 in 2007 (also a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament). The starting field was so large this year that it was split into two starting days, with separate flights. The first day attracted 2,048 players. The second day attracted 1,881 players. The fields combined on Day Three.

  • According to the official press release, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack had this to say about the record turnout: "This is a great start. The sound of chips chirping throughout the Rio is a welcome return for all of us who love poker." Pollack joined with Tournament Director Jack Effel for the customary "Shuffle Up and Deal" announcement made on Day One. The following day, Pollack was joined by defending world poker champion Jerry Yang on the Milwaukee's Best Light stage, who delivered the most famous words in poker to the record crowd, "Shuffle Up and Deal."

  • The total prize pool amounted to $5,363,085. The top 378 finishers collected prize money. First place paid $831,279.

  • In what must be considered as a near-heroic feat for WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel and his entire staff, the tournament began and resumed play on time each of the four days - despite the record field size.

  • Given the record turnout, long days (and nights) were expected. The longest day proved to be Day Three. Play was expected to reduce the field down to the final nine. But after a brutally long 16-hour day extending until the early morning hour, tournament officials consulted with ESPN and the decision was made to give the players some much-needed rest and bring the remaining 18 survivors back on Day Four, which then played down to the nine finalists. The final table began play at 7:30 pm and concluded at 5:00 am. Hence, the tournament was actually played over five days, instead of four.

  • Clocking in at a total duration of 53.5 hours, this was the fourth-longest tournament in WSOP history.

  • When play was 18-handed, there was some interesting table chatter between two former WSOP gold bracelet winners, Perry Friedman and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. Friedman was discussing the WSOP Main Event and his chances of winning this year. The normally low-key Ferguson couldn't restrain himself. After hearing Friedman chattering about becoming the 2008 world champion, Ferguson quipped, "If he wins, I'll cut off all my hair and shave my head just like Perry." It should be noted that Perry Friedman sports a Mohawk.

  • Players from 12 different nations were represented on the cash list. These countries included players from - Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Russia, Scotland, and the United States.

  • The winner was Grant Hinkle, from Kansas City, MO. He is a 27-year-old marketing manager. Hinkle's birthday is later this week, on June 7th. He is married. Hinkle also enjoys playing basketball and (of course) poker.

  • Hinkle was cheered on by his mother, several friends, and his brother Blair Hinkle, who is a professional poker player. All made an overnight flight to Las Vegas to watch Grant play at the final table.

  • Down to two tables in the tournament, Hinkle had a below average stack. He held an average to slightly higher than average stack during the first half of the finale. Then, he seized the chip lead when play was four-handed. He lost the lead briefly during heads-up play. But he never appeared to be in serious danger of elimination.

  • The winning hand brought an astounding end to a marathon tournament. Holding a 2 to 1 chip lead, Hinkle was dealt 10-4 of diamonds. He tried to push his opponent out of the pot with an all-in pre-flop re-raise. At first glance, it was a case of very bad timing by the chip leader. Akenhead called and showed A-K. The flop brought cheers and screams, depending on one's allegiance. When 10-10-4 flopped, Hinkle's cheering section went bonkers. Another ten on the turn gave Hinkle the biggest pot of the night and his first-ever WSOP gold bracelet.

  • The runner up was James Akenhead, from England. He is part of a London-based poker team called "The Hitsquad." This group consists of six poker pros, including Akenhead, Praz Bansi, Chaz Chattha, Sunny Chattha, Jim Kerrigan, and Karl Mahrenholz. The group filled the stands and made the final table seem like a sporting event, particularly when things went Akenhead's way. He collected $520,219.

  • 2000 World Series of Poker main event champion Chris "Jesus" Ferguson made it to the final table, which ensured a standing-room only crowd shoehorned around the ESPN stage. Ferguson almost did not make it past the second day. His remarkable discipline allowed him to survive a key hand which would likely have eliminated 90 percent of all poker players. Desperately low on chips, Ferguson posted a 9,000 blind and was left with just 7,500 in his stack. The button raised more than enough to put the former champ "all-in." But Ferguson decided to fold his hand. In this case, patience paid off. Two hours later, Ferguson had more than 200,000 in his stack.

  • Ferguson ended up as the third place finisher. Ferguson currently owns five WSOP gold bracelets. He is also the only player to have won three WSOP Circuit championships. His 51st career in-the-money finish in this tournament now ranks fifth on the all-time list. This was Ferguson's 27th final table appearance, which ranks fourth all-time – now one spot ahead of Johnny Chan.

  • A sentimental crowd favorite was Mike Ngo, which finished in fifth place. Now residing in Los Angeles, Ngo lived in New Orleans prior to Hurricane Katrina. He worked in a hospital which was devastated by the storm. After moving to California, he started playing poker and ended up making this final table.

  • The final table Cinderella was 28-year-old Melvin Jones, from Hopkinsville, KY. This was Jones' first time to play in a WSOP tournament. The factory worker who makes cake mixes for a living, said: "This is not a fluke. I did not think that I could play against competition this good, but I had confidence in my play." Jones took seventh place.

  • David "Gunslinger" Bach finished in eighth place. He was runner up in the $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low event last year. Before turning to poker as a career, Bach was a professional bowler.

  • Several former WSOP gold bracelet winners finished in-the-money. They included Andre Boyer (24th), Mark Vos (146th), Gavin Griffin (251st), Chris Bjorin, Todd Brunson (292nd), and Victor Perches (335th).

  • Last year's champion, Ciaran O'Leary entered this event. But he did not cash.

  • The tournament included at least two professional athletes, Jeremy Roenick of the San Jose Sharks (NHL) and Earl Barron of the Miami Heat (NBA).

  • This was the second of six tournaments at this year's WSOP to be filmed for broadcast on ESPN. The show will air July 29th.

  • Through the first two events of the 2008 WSOP, the total prize money awarded to all in-the-money finishers amounts to a whopping $8,671,885. Incredibly, that is more prize money in just the first two events than every tournament played during the first decade of the WSOP (1970-1979) combined.


Posted at 9:20 PM Permalink | 0 comments | Talk on the Poker Forum


WSOP Event #1 recap

Monday, June 02, 2008

By now, we all know that Nenad Medic has won the first event of this year's WSOP. But I bet you didn't know most of the tidbits of information I'm going to post below.

Nolan Dalla, the WSOP's media guy does an AWESOME job of getting info out via email. This blog post is pretty much just his email from today, and it makes a great read if you're into poker and the World Series. I'm going to keep posting Nolan's emails this year so everybody gets to keep up with the series with stories right from the tournament floor.

  • This event attracted one of the most accomplished fields in history. Of the 352 entrants, 84 were former WSOP gold bracelet winners - amounting to about 24 percent of the field. The 84 former winners hold a combined 143 gold bracelets between them - which amounts of about 20 percent of all the gold bracelets won in the 39-year history of the WSOP.

  • All four of the former WSOP "Player of the Year" winners - Daniel Negreanu, Allen Cunningham, Jeff Madsen, and Tom Schneider - entered this event.

  • Eight former WSOP champions played in this event. They included Jamie Gold, Greg Raymer, Chris Moneymaker, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Jim Bechtel, Berry Johnston, Tom McEvoy, and Doyle Brunson.

  • The tournament began with a short opening ceremony, which included a recital of "Viva Las Vegas" by the University of Nevada-Las Vegas marching band. The ceremony also included welcoming remarks by Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Commissioner. Pollack stated that all WSOP gold bracelet winners will be awarded "Diamond Status" at Harrahs Entertainment properties, entitling many special rewards and privileges.

  • The customary "Shuffle Up and Deal" announcement was made by ten-time gold bracelet winner and two-time world champion Doyle Brunson.

  • No question, the World Series of Poker (emphasis added) is truly global. Of the 36 players who finished in-the-money, 11 different nations were represented - including Canada, England, Finland, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Russia, and the United States.

  • Four different nations were represented at the final table - including Canada, Finland, Ireland, and the United States.

  • This was the first WSOP event of the year to be televised by ESPN. The final table was played on the ESPN stage, surrounded by the Milwaukee's Best Light All-In Lounge. Seating for WSOP final tables remains free and open to the public.

  • Prior to the final table start, Mike Sexton made the astute observation that this might have been the only final table in poker history which included five (or more) players who each won a million dollars-plus in a single tournament, not including the WSOP Main Event. Sexton, Bloch, Medic, Antonius, and Liebert have all accomplished that feat.

  • Another interesting side note was that Mike Sexton had more career WSOP final table appearances (20) than the rest of the eight-handed final table combined.

  • Mike Sexton also currently ranks ninth on the all-time number of cashes list in WSOP history, with 45.

  • If the very first hand of the first final table is any indication of what's to come at this year's WSOP, things should be exhilarating. On the first hand of play, Phil "the Unibomber" Laak moved all-in with pocket jacks. High-stakes poker shark and heartthrob Patrik Antonius called his raise and showed pocket kings. A jack on the flop brought wild cheers from the crowd and a dance from Laak. But a king on the river gave Antonius the pot, leaving Laak low on chips. He busted out only a few hands later holding the same dreaded hand – pocket jacks (Nenad Medic's pocket aces won the pot).

  • Laak's final table appearance was short, but highly memorable. Known for his unpredictable antics, Laak brought along a stack of "Post It" notes to the table. When he moved all-in (three times), Laak wrote private notes and then approached ESPN's rolling TV cameras. While his opponent was contemplating a decision, Laak wrote "Please Fold!" and other whimsical comments.

  • Phil Laak was joined by poker aficionado and former Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Tilly, who sat among the capacity crowd.

  • The 2008 Pot-Limit Hold'em world champion is Nenad Medic. He is a 25-year-old professional poker player from Niagara Falls, Ontario (Canada). Medic was born in Serbia. He is single, but has a devoted girlfriend who was following the final table action back in Canada.

  • At a final table filled with thrilling moments, perhaps the most exciting hand took place when play was three-handed. Kathy Liebert moved all-in with her pocket sixes. Andy Bloch moved all-in over the top with his pocket nines. Nenad Medic called with pocket queens. Medic's higher pair held up, and he maintained the chip lead for the remainder of the tournament.

  • The winning hand was Medic's 7h-5h against Bloch's 9h-9d. After the flop came 8h-5s-4h, Medic re-raised all-in with his combination straight and flush draw. Bloch called with his overpair (nines). The Jh on the turn gave Medic his heart flush, which scooped the final pot of the night.

  • Today (June 1st) marked Andy Bloch's 39th birthday. He started play at the final table with the chip lead. It was a mixed blessing for Bloch to win $488,048 in second-place prize money, but not win his most-justified first WSOP gold bracelet. Bloch is perhaps best known in poker for his near heroic second-place finish to poker legend Chip Reese in the 2006 $50,000 buy-in HORSE championship, which included an all-time record eight hours of heads-up play.

  • Afterward, Bloch commented: "Obviously, there are more important things in life than winning poker tournaments. I know its sacrilege for a poker player to say that. But all you can do in poker and life, in general, is do your best, and play your best - and hopefully the best thing will happen. That's all I do when I sit down at a poker table. I try to play my best."

  • When play was at four-handed during a break, Mike Sexton (who was till alive in the tournament) remarked that he thought eventual winner Nenad Medic is "one of the toughest No-Limit Hold'em players (he) has ever seen." Sexton's high praise proved to be well-deserved as Medic ended up as the champion.

  • The seventh place finisher was Patrik Antonius. The Finnish-born poker star, who now lives in Las Vegas, has become one of the top high-stakes players in the world. He regularly plays in (and often dominates) cash games with seven-figure swings. However, Antonius has yet to achieve every poker player's dream - winning a WSOP gold bracelet.

  • James Gorham was the unfortunate bubble victim. He finished in 37th place. Only the top 36 players were paid.

  • Jerri Thomas became the first woman to cash at the 2008 WSOP. The former gold bracelet winner (2000 - Seven-Card Stud) took 27th place, worth $26,470. This marked her 11th career WSOP cash.

  • Not to be outdone, another former WSOP gold bracelet winner Kathy Liebert became the first female to make it to a final table at the 2008 WSOP. She finished in third place and collected $306,064.

  • Former major league baseball star Orel Hershiser played in this event. The former National League MVP and World Series (of baseball) MVP played most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Hershiser has become an avid poker player in recent years.

  • The tournament was played over three days. The first day included ten levels and was played from 12 noon until 12:45 am (352 players played down to 70). Day Two was played from 2 pm until 4:45 am (70 players played down to nine). The final table of nine players was played on Day Three and started at 3 pm and ended at 11:45 pm.

  • While all 55 WSOP tournaments on the 2008 schedule are categorized as "gold bracelet" events, this is also known as a "world championship" event. This means the winner of this event is the "Pot-Limit Hold'em world champion." Beginning this year, all $10,000+ buy-in tournaments are designated as official "world championships." This means a total of ten WSOP tournaments are world championships. This includes eight preliminary tournaments with $10,000 buy-ins, the $50,000 buy-in HORSE event, and the main event.

  • This was the first time that a $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event has ever been included on the WSOP schedule. The previous highest buy-in Pot-Limit Hold'em tournament in history was $5,000. Last year's $5,000 buy-in tournament (Event #13) attracted 398 players. Given the doubling of the entry fee in 2008, there were some concerns about the number of players this event would attract. However, 352 players entered Event #1, creating the largest Pot-Limit Hold'em prize pool in poker history. The total prize pool for this tournament amounted to a record $3,308,800. The top 36 players collected prize money.

  • 2008 Pot-Limit Hold'em world champion Nenad Medic received $794,112. This now stands as a record amount of prize money paid to the winner of a Pot-Limit Hold'em tournament.

  • ESPN will air the telecast of this event on July 22, 2008.

Check back often over the next month for all the latest WSOP news and results.


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