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2011 World Series of Poker Main Event Down to the Final Three

There is always an incredible amount of excitement surrounding the World Series of Poker Main Event, but it is never bigger than early November when the Final Table is set to kick off.  There were nine players who started the day on Sunday, and they played down to three.  Those three will now play until there is only one champion on Tuesday.  The action kicked off at 3:30pm EST, with a fifteen minute delay for the broadcast on ESPN.

The final nine players featured some names that were well-known, and a few that fans had to learn about.  The final nine players looked like this (in order of chip stack to start the day)- Martin Staszko, Eoghan O’Dea, Matt Giannetti, Phil Collins, Ben Lamb, Badih Bounahra, Pius Heinz, Anton Makiievskyi, and Sam Holden.  Each player who finished higher than 8th place was awarded a $1 million payday at least, but the real push was for the $8.7 million first place prize.

The first elimination took quite a while, as all of the players were a bit tight with their chips and wanted to feel out their opponents.  Eventually, it was Sam Holden (who started as the short stack), who ran his A-J into the A-K of Ben Lamb sending him home in 9th.  After that, the eliminations came steadily in around 30-45 minute increments, with Makiievskyi going home as his K-Q couldn’t hold off the pocket 9′s of Pius Heinz.  Heinz began running hot at this point, and was looking good in terms of his chip stack.  It wasn’t long after that elimination though Bounahra’s A-5 pre-flop shove was way behind the A-9 of Staszko.

We were then down to six players before O’Dea made a huge call against Ben Lamb, and had A-9, against the Q-8 of Lamb.  Unfortunately for O’Dea; it just didn’t hold, and Lamb hit an 8 on the river to leave O’Dea with just over 2 big blinds.  He was indeed the next player gone, as he shoved his final chips in to no avail.

Just before we got to the dinner break, we saw one more elimination in the well-known Phil Collins.  Collins pushed his A-7 suited against the 9′s of Heinz, and had both a straight and flush draw after the turn, but was not able to hit anything in the end.  Collins was the 5th place finisher, and we only had one more elimination before they called the day.

One last thing to note before the final elimination, was how much of a turn around that Heinz had.  After the dinner break, he actually won another big pot and had over 100 million chips at this point.  The final knockout came when Matt Giannetti pushed his last 12 million, and showed A-3, but was up against the pocket Kings of Lamb.  The flop gave Lamb quad Kings, and sent Giannetti to the rail.

ESPN to Air WSOP Final Table (Nearly ) Live

Leading cable sports network ESPN has just announced that they will be changing the way they will broadcast this year’s WSOP Main Event Final Table in November. Instead of broadcasting a recorded version of the events multi-million dollar conclusion after it’s already taken place, the cable network and its online affiliates announced they will be broadcasting the final table live…or nearly live.

What that means is the stations (and online affiliates) will be showing the WSOP main event final table from day 3 through day 8 with only a 15 minute delay. The action takes place on November 6 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas Nevada. The competition will proceed until the 9-player final table has been dwindled down to the top three competitors. This will be broadcast on ESPN2. Then, the conclusion will take place on November 8 and be broadcast on ESPN.

Providing the play-by-play will be Lon McEachern and David Tuchman while Norman Chad and the team from ESPN Inside Deal will cover the breaks. There will also be a group of professional poker players present to provide commentary on the goings-on. Although most of these pro player names are still to be announced, one confirmed commentator will be “The Magician” Antonio Esfandiari, there for the final two days of the event. Esfandiari was the winner of last year’s World Poker Tour Five Diamond World Poker Classic.

The first prize for the winner of this year’s World Series of Poker championship is approximately $8.7 million.

WSOP November Nine Schedule Tweaked

The World Series of Poker Main Event is one of the most watched and followed televised poker tournaments out there today.  It draws in between 6,000 and 7,000 players consistently, and features the “November Nine” which is the final table of the event.  The idea behind this is that the final nine players are set in July, but have around a four month break until the play continues in front of a massive live crowd and huge television audience on ESPN and ESPN2.  The final table schedule was set and ready to go, but Caesars Interactive Entertainment, who owns the World Series of Poker, recently decided to make a change to the format.

The idea behind the change is that it will help improve the TV coverage for ESPN and ESPN2.  The November Nine was set to kick off on November 5th, and go through November 7th, but it has been changed to kick off on the 6th of November at 11:30am PDT.  One other thing that changed in the format is that it was originally planned for players to take a day off from the action and for play to continue with two players in heads up play.  The new plan is that there will still be a break in the action for a day, but it will then feature the final three players taking the stage at 5:00pm.

The televised coverage of the event will work very similar to how the live action worked during the Main Event, in which there was a small delay in the action.  The November Nine will feature a fifteen minute delay, and players will also get to see the players’ hole cards, and hear the commentary as well.

The final table coverage will most likely feature some big names in poker, just as the Main Event did.  The coverage of the 2011 Main Event drew in some commentary from players like Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, and Olivier Busquet, who all chimed in to give some analysis after they were no longer in the action.

The 2011 November Nine should draw an incredible amount of interest this year, as it features some of the young up and coming players in poker; as well as a wide range of players who have different styles of play.

ESPN Knows Poker

With the April 15th indictment of the big online poker rooms like Full Tilt Poker, Poker Stars, and Absolute Poker, there was a major concern that the 2011 World Series of Poker would take a dip in terms of it’s entrants, as well as it’s fans watching.  This turned out to not be the case at all, on either fronts.

The 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event drew in a crowd of 6,865 players, and had an incredible number of fans watching the live action daily, all the way down to the November Nine.  There were 10 programs for the Main Event that aired on ESPN2, and had around 415,000 people watching each episode.  To top that off though, the primetime coverage of the event drew in 646,000 viewers, and there was also the live action streamed on ESPN3 online daily as well.

According to the senior director of programming and acquisitions of ESPN, Doug White, the show also did incredibly well in the early morning hours of 1am to 5am, boosting numbers around 136% overall.  Another great addition to the show was the professional poker player guest commentators, such as Phil Hellmuth, Antonio Esfandiari, Olivier Busquet, and Johnny Chan.  One of these players was constantly there to give analysis, predictions, and opinions on how hands were played, and how they would have played them.

The Main Event was even discussed on the biggest show on ESPN, Sports Center.  It’s incredibly impressive that after all that the United States has been through in terms of the ups and downs of online poker, that they were able to bring in not only the large number of players; but also the large number of fans as well.  While the future of online poker is still up in the air, one thing that seems to not be is the big time events like the World Series of Poker.  The 2011 World Series even broke records for largest total prize pool, as well as most entrants across all of the events.

Final Table Set at 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event

Final Table Set at 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event

“November Nine” Features Players from Seven Nations

ESPN’s WSOP Coverage Continues on Tuesday Nights through November 8, 2011

The 42^nd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em Championship – commonly referred to as the Main Event – is down to its final nine players. The “November Nine” – a diverse and international group – is all that remains of the massive field of 6,865 players who entered the iconic tournament seeking poker’s most coveted title and a top prize of more than $8.7 million.

The final nine players represent seven countries – the most ever in WSOP and tournament poker history; Ukraine, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic, Belize, Great Britain and the United States. The players will return to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in November to vie for poker’s ultimate trophy – a WSOP gold bracelet – and the lion’s share of the Main Event’s $64,531,000 total prize pool. The winner will receive a first-place prize of $8,711,956, with the other eight players sharing another $19 million-plus.

The November Nine and their respective chip counts are as follows:

     1.    Martin Staszko – 40,175,000

Staszko, of Trinec, Czech Republic, is a 35-year-old poker professional. He is the first Czech ever to make a WSOP Main Event final table. In addition to poker, he plays competitive chess and tennis for pleasure. He said it would be “unbelievable” to be the first person to bring a Main Event gold bracelet back to the Czech Republic.

     2.    Eoghan O’Dea – 33,925,000

O’Dea, of Dublin, Ireland, is a 26-year-old student. The son of Donnacha O’Dea – widely regarded as the greatest Irish poker player of all time – Eoghan is becoming quite the poker force himself. He now has a total of five WSOP cashes, four of which he earned this year. The father-and-son tandem now has a total of three WSOP Main Event final tables, with Donnacha having finished sixth in 1983 and ninth in 1991.  It is the first time in WSOP history a father and son has made it to the Main Event final table.

     3.    Matt Giannetti – 24,750,000

Giannetti is a 26-year-old, self-taught poker professional from Las Vegas. Prior to launching his poker career, Giannetti graduated from the University of Texas.

     4.    Phil Collins – 23,875,000

Collins, 26, of Las Vegas, Nevada, is a professional poker player. His considerable entourage at the Main Event spurred on the former University of South Carolina student by loudly singing lyrics by the famous musician with whom their friend shares his name. Collins’ chip count kept him near the top of the leader board for much of the past few days, leading to numerous amateur renditions of “In the Air Tonight” echoing throughout the tournament room.

     5.    Ben Lamb – 20,875,000

Lamb, 26, is enjoying a career year at the WSOP, leading the race in Player of the Year points by a healthy margin. In addition to making the Main Event final table, Lamb’s other accomplishments at this year’s WSOP include a gold bracelet win, a second-place finish and eighth- and twelfth-place tournament finishes. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, native now boasts a total of 12 WSOP “in-the-money” finishes that have paid more than $2.1 million in total prize money (excluding the minimal ninth-place money he is guaranteed for making the November Nine).

     6.    Badih Bounahra – 19,700,000

Bounahra is the oldest member of the November Nine. At 49, the resident of Belize City, Belize, has been playing poker for about six years. Away from the felt, Bounahra says he enjoys fishing and sleep.

     7.    Pius Heinz – 16,425,000

Heinz is a 22-year-old student and poker professional from Cologne, Germany. He is the first German ever to make it to a WSOP Main Event final table, a feat he accomplished after a promising seventh-place finish in a previous WSOP event.

     8.    Anton Makiievskyi – 13,825,000

Makiievskyi, of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine, is a 21-year-old aspiring poker pro. When he isn’t competing on the felt, he enjoys cycling and anything pertaining to music, particularly teaching himself guitar and drums.  This year marked his first trip to the WSOP in Las Vegas.  Makiievskyi hopes to become the fifth Ukrainian to win a gold bracelet at the 2011 WSOP.

     9.    Sam Holden – 12,375,000

Holden, a 22-year-old professional poker player from Sussex, Great Britain, will enter the final table as the short stack. This first-time WSOP participant will need to pick his spots carefully in November if he is to bring poker’s most prestigious title back to England.

John Hewitt, 23, finished in 10^th place, just one spot away from the November Nine. Hewitt is originally from Chicago but now resides in San Jose, Costa Rica. The former student demonstrated an aggressive style of play during the Main Event, at one point even holding the chip lead. In the end, it was not enough to make the final table.

In addition to the first-place prize of $8,711,956, prize money for the remaining eight spots is as follows*:

2^nd place: $5,430,928

3^rd place: $4,019,635

4^th place: $3,011,665

5^th place: $2,268,909

6^th place: $1,720,396

7^th place: $1,313,851

8^th place: $1,009,910

9^th place: $782,115

When play resumes in November, the players will pick up with 34 minutes and 57 seconds remaining in Level 36. The antes will be $50,000 and blinds will stand at $250,000 and $500,000.

The 2011 Main Event has received unprecedented nearly-live coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com. Comprehensive WSOP television coverage will begin airing Tuesday, July 26 at 9 p.m. Eastern on ESPN. Coverage will continue in two-hour blocks each Tuesday at 9 p.m. for 16 weeks, culminating with Main Event Final Table coverage on Nov. 8, 2011.

The 2011 Main Event capped the largest-ever WSOP, both in terms of total participation and prize pool. A total of 75,672 players from 105 countries entered the 58 events on this summer’s WSOP schedule, generating a total prize pool of $191,999,010.

The 2011 Main Event was the third-largest in the tournament’s illustrious history, drawing 6,865 players from 85 nations. Only the 2006 Main Event (8,773 participants) and the 2010 Main Event (7,319 participants) were larger.

*The final nine players each received ninth-place prize money upon reaching the final table; the remainder of the prize pool will be placed in an interest-bearing account to be added to the prize pool on a percentage basis for the final eight finishers.

ABOUT THE WSOP

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet – globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2011, the event attracted 75,672 entrants from more than 100 different countries to the Rio in Las Vegas and awarded more than $191 million in prize money. In addition the WSOP has formed groundbreaking alliances in broadcasting, digital media and corporate sponsorships, while successfully expanding the brand internationally with the advent of the World Series of Poker Europe.

Ben Lamb Is On A Roll After Day 2B at the WSOP Main Event

The 2011 World Series of Poker has narrowed the field down to where everyone still playing is sitting in the same room at the same time.  Day 2B is in the books and Ben Lamb was the leader.  He ended Day 2B with 551,600 chips, which is good enough to give him the overall lead heading into Day 3.  He was followed close by Kevin Saul with 542,200 chips though.  Those are the only two players over the 500k mark in chips.  Out of all the big named players out there, probably the biggest name near the top of the leader board is Patrik Antonius, who has 361k in chips, and is in 12th place currently.

Lamb has played incredible during this World Series, with a 12th place finish in the $10k Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Championship, an 8th place finish in the $50k Player’s Championship, a 2nd place finish in the $3k Pot-Limit Omaha event, and he also won his first gold bracelet in the $10k Pot-Limit Omaha Championship.  He’s sitting in second place in the Player of the Year race behind Phil Hellmuth, and is in a great spot to make a push in the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event.

Day 2B began with 2,490 players and ended with 1,043 who are advancing on to Day 3.  This sets the total for Day 3 to have 1,866 players who are still alive and pushing for the gold bracelet.  693 players will be paid, meaning that they still need to eliminate nearly two-thirds of the field in order to get into the money.  While a large number of players from the field are shooting for their first gold bracelet, there are seven former Main Event winners who are still alive heading into Day 3, Joe Cada, Robert Varkonyi, Carlos Mortensen, Huck Seed, Phil Hellmuth, Berry Johnston, and Tom McEvoy.  Jamie Gold and Joe Hachem were both still alive heading into Day 2B, but were eliminated before the end of the day.

Day 2A Ends 819 Players Moving On

On Monday, there were 2,031 players who had made it past Days 1A and 1C to come together to play Day 2A.  Play featured quite a few big names out of the 2,031 players, and also featured some big eliminations out of those names.  At the end of the day it was Aleksandr Mozhnyakov who was at the top of the leader board with 478,600 chips.  There were a total of 3 other players who finished the day with over 400k in chips, Tuan Vo (434,500), Guillaume Darcourt (410,500), and Stephane Albertini (400,100).  All four of these players are of course in a great spot heading into Day 3.

Out of the other big names remaining, Day 1A leader Fred Berger began Day 2A with a little more than 209k in chips, and ended the day with 205,400.  A few other notable names with pretty good sized stacks are Shaun Deeb (294,700), Sebastian Ruthenberg (289,400), and Seinfeld actor Jason Alexander (167,000).  Other players such as Daniel Negreanu (114,100), Annette Obrestad (90,500), Shannon Shorr (110,500), Sorel Mizzi (108,400), Ted Forrest (112,600), Adam Junglen (131,600), and Lee Childs (110,300) were all still alive at the end of the day, and sitting in fairly good position to make a push in Day 3.  Brad Garrett from the hit TV show “Everybody Loves Raymond” also made it through to Day 3, with 67,000 chips.

While big names and former Main Event champions Dan Harrington, Jonathan Duhamel, Johnny Chan, and Scotty Nguyen were eliminated; Jamie Gold and Robert Varkonyi both moved on.  The big story of the day though was 11 time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth.

Hellmuth didn’t show up for over an hour when Mike Matusow noticed, and sent security to find him.  Hellmuth was in his hotel room, and had forgotten that he was supposed to play on Monday in Day 2A and not Tuesday Day 2B.  He started the day with 11,800 in chips, but by the time he showed up he had been blinded down to 6,975 chips and had quite a bit of work to do.  Hellmuth was indeed able to come back though, and ended the day with a solid 64,900 chips.  While this won’t put him in the drivers seat by any means for the remainder of the event, he is definitely still alive.  819 players have moved on from Day 2A to Day 3, and will now be met up by the players who make it through Day 2B.

42nd Annual World Series of Poker® Sets All-Time Records

Total Prize Money and Participation Establish New High Marks

Total Participation Finishes Over 75,000 Entrants for First-Time Ever

The 42nd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) Presented by Jack Links Beef Jerky at the Rio-All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas established a host of new records as poker enthusiasts from more than 100 nations traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the game’s grandest spectacle.  The WSOP remained the industry standard-bearer, with a record 75,672 entries in 58 events creating the largest prize pool in WSOP history: $191,999,010.

The new all-time high in entrants surpassed by 3.7 percent the previous record of 72,966 set last year; this year’s record prize pool eclipsed the previous high of $187,109,850 set in 2010 by 2.6 percent.

For the seventh consecutive year, the WSOP generated a total prize pool well in excess of $100 million.

In the 42-year history of the WSOP, the prestigious tournament has now awarded more than $1.4 billion in prize money.  (Actual figure is: $1,420,374,131)

Legions of amateur players competed alongside legendary poker pros, Hollywood A-listers and international sports figures to establish the new milestones.  Among the notable non-poker playing names competing during this year’s WSOP included Jason Alexander, Nelly, Ray Romano, Shannon Elizabeth, Jennifer Tilly, Shane Warne, Paul Pierce, Shawn Marion, Petter Northug, David Lee, Phil Kessel, Jeff Fenech, Patrick Bruel and Brad Garrett.

The youngest player in this year’s WSOP was Logan Deen, from Cocoa, Florida who played Day 1-B of the Main Event, the day of his 21st birthday – and he did survive the day. The oldest player to participate in this year’s WSOP was 91-year-old Ellen Deeb, who played Day 1-C of the Main Event, but unfortunately Ellen didn’t make it through. It didn’t stop her from pulling out $10,000 cash from her purse to try and re-enter the tournament (not allowed), but she’ll have to wait to 2012 to play again.

“This summer underscores the appeal of the game and the power of this event.  We’re so thankful for all those who came from around the world to demonstrate that poker continues to grow,” said World Series of Poker Executive Director Ty Stewart. “All across the board at the 2011 WSOP, from our signature gold bracelet events to cash games to satellites and daily tournaments, records were made to be broken.”

Many within the poker community speculated that participation in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold’em World Championship – commonly referred to as the Main Event – would suffer this year, however it remained right in line with where it has averaged the last five years (6,753).

The 2011 WSOP Main Event attracted its third-largest field ever, with 6,865 participants. As a result, the prize pool for the 2011 Main Event alone stands at $64,531,000 million, with the winner’s share amounting to $8,711,956.

In addition to overall participation and prize money, the 2011 WSOP established new records for:

Most million-dollar tournaments: Forty-six of 58 events in this year’s WSOP boasted a prize pool of $1 million or more, up from 44 events set last year.

Largest Seniors event in history: Event #30 attracted 3,752 players, eclipsing by 19 percent the previous record of 3,142 set last year. Year-over-year event prize money was up nearly 15 percent from last year, jumping from $2,827,800 to $3,376,800.

Biggest single day attendance ever: 3,752 players in Event #30 ($1,000 buy-in).

Biggest single day attendance ever for $1,500 buy-in event: 3,389 players in Event #56

Most consecutive years with multiple event winner: Brian Rast’s two victories stretched the multi-event winner record to 12 consecutive years.

Most consecutive annual WSOPs played: Howard “Tahoe” Andrew of Walnut Creek, Calif., extended his record for most consecutive years played at the WSOP: 38.

Most cashes at WSOP without a win: Tony Cousineau of Daytona Beach, Fla., extended his record as the player with the most cashes – 49 – without a win.

Longest span between Event Cashes: The 35-year span between Artie Cobb’s first cash in this event (1976) and his most recent cash in the same event (2011) represents the longest time span in WSOP history.  He accomplished this in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split (Event #25).

All-time Cashes and Final Tables: Phil Hellmuth added to his record as the individual all-time leader in cashes (84) and final table appearances (43).

A complete list of tournament records set at the 2011 WSOP below:

·         Biggest Heads-Up tournament prize pool in history ($3,040,000) – Event #2
·         Largest live Omaha High-Low Split Tournament in history (925 entries) – Event #3
·         Largest live Six-Handed tournament in poker history (1,920 entries) – Event #10
·         Biggest Deuce-to-Seven tournament prize pool in history ($1,184,400) – Event #16
·         Largest live $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start (3157 entries) – Event #18
·         Largest live $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start (3175 entries) – Event #20
·         Largest consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,332 entries) – Event #18 and Event #20
·         Largest live Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in poker history (1,071 entries) – Event #22
·         Largest Mixed-Game (Eight-Game Mix) in poker history (489 entries) – Event #23
·         Largest Seniors tournament in poker history (3,752 entries) – Event #30
·         Biggest Seniors No-Limit Hold’em championship prize pool in history ($3,376,800) – Event #30
·         Largest single-day live tournament start in poker history (3,752 entries) – Event #30
·         Largest consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,580 entries) – Event #30/Event #32 (broke Event #18/Event #20 record from earlier in 2011 WSOP)
·         Largest four-consecutive days field sizes in poker history (2,500+3,752+2,828+3,144 =12,224 entries) — Events 28, 30, 32, 34, June 16-19, 2011
·         Largest Mixed Pot-Limit tournament in history (606 entries) – Event #39
·         Biggest Pot-Limit Omaha prize pool in live poker history ($3,393,400) – Event #42
·         Largest live $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start (3,389 entries) – Event #56 (broke earlier series record for Event #18)

Day 1A of The 2011 WSOP Main Event Is In The Books

The 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event kicked of on Thursday with its Day 1A.  It featured some big names being eliminated, and some big hands as well.  The name that stood out among the rest after Day 1A was Fred Berger, as he was the chip leader to end the day with 209,500 chips.  The hand that made Berger the undisputed chip leader came late in the day with less than 30 minutes remaining.  Berger was in a big hand with Scott Montgomery, and the money was all in on the river as Berger held J/9 of hearts on an 8c 6h 2h Js Jc board, and Montgomery showed just a pair of eights.  Berger now has a commanding lead going into Day 2A over the rest of Day 1A, with nearly 30k more chips than the second place player.

Day 1A of the Main Event featured 897 players, which is about 20% less than last year.  Day 1A ended with 556 players who are moving on to Day 2.  Some big names such as Johnny Chan, 2011 gold bracelet winner David Diaz, and 2010 Main Event final table participants Soi Nguyen and Filippio Candio made it through Day 1A.  Some big names also were eliminated early though, as the likes of Doyle Brunson, Greg Raymer, Jerry Yang, Matt Affleck, Josh Arieh, and Adam Levy were all eliminated.  Brunson was originally up in the air about participating in the event, but in the end decided to enter the big one.

Jason Alexander was another big time story, as the former Seinfeld star had to compete against what was possibly the toughest tables from Day 1A.  He started out against Annette Obrestad and Billy Baxter, and as that table was broken up early, he sat down with a table that would scare any amateur player.  His next table included Matt Glantz, Barry Shulman, Vanessa Selbst and 1998 WSOP Main Event runner-up Kevin McBride.  Alexander didn’t flinch though, as he finished the day with 63,150 chips, and even pulled off an elimination of Vanessa Selbst.

Day 1B will be played Friday, with Day’s 1C and 1D occurring on Saturday and Sunday.  Monday will then feature the players who advanced from Day’s 1A and 1C to make Day 2A.

More First Time Winners at the 2011 WSOP

While a lot of the attention has been on the bigger names in the 2011 World Series of Poker, such as Phil Hellmuth and John Juanda, there have been some very impressive first time winners of gold bracelets as well.  With the first 12 events being taken down by players who had never won a bracelet before; while Juanda was taking down the $10,000 2-7 No-Limit Draw Lowball Championship, a flurry of first time winners showed up once again.

It started with Event #13 a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Shootout, as Andrew Badecker won his first gold bracelet.  This tournament format is set up so that the winner of each table moves on to the next round, and play another table until there is one winner.  1,440 players started, and every player who made day 2 was in the money.  The final table featured four bracelet winners in Erik Cajelais, Dan Kelly, David Pham, and Vitaly Lunkin, but it was Badecker who outlasted and outplayed all of them to take down the gold bracelet and $369,371.

Event #14 was just another new bracelet winner in Tyler Bonkowski who took down the $3,000 Limit Hold’em event.  The final table featured two fairly big names in Jeff Shulman and Shawn Keller.  Bonkowski started heads up play with a chip lead, but hit a bad stretch and fell to a 2,750,000 to 250,000 chip lead.  But Bonkowski battled back in what was one of the most impressive comebacks in World Series of Poker history, giving him the gold bracelet and $220,817.

Then came the Event #15 winner, a $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em event, which was taken down by  first time winner Brian Rast.  Rast actually admitted that he almost didn’t play in this event, but that Antonio Esfandiari offered to stake him in the event, with a portion of the winnings going to Esfandiari.  It played out to be a good move for both Rast and Esfandiari.  Rast won his first ever World Series of Poker gold bracelet, and $227,232 and Esfandiari won a portion of that for staking Brian Rast.

Since Juanda’s win was in Event #16, this made an incredible run of 15 straight first time bracelet winners, before a player who already owned a gold bracelet took one down.  This should leave the remainder of the events, as well as the big Main Event, anyones game.

2011 World Series of Poker Winners and Losers

As we are just about half-way through the 2011 World Series of Poker, it’s been a story of up and downs so far for a lot of players.  Quite a few players won their first ever gold bracelets, while others have struggled to get any kind of momentum going in the 2011 World Series.  The 2011 WSOP is on pace to break records with the number of players who have shown up for it to this point, seemingly showing that Black Friday hasn’t affected the events at all to this point.  Here are a few of the winners and losers to the halfway point of the 2011 WSOP.

Winners:

John Juanda- He’s been at the top of his game lately.  He’s a fan favorite, and an incredible player as well.  Juanda knocked off Phil Hellmuth to keep him from getting his 12th bracelet in the $10k 2-7 Single Draw Championship to give Juanda a bracelet at this 2011 WSOP.  He also found himself at the final table of the $2,500 8-game event, and has a few other good runs in events as well.  John Juanda has been the hot name so far at the 2011 World Series of Poker.

2011 WSOP Event 23 Recap

Our second mixed game event took place in Event 23: $2,500 Eight Game Mix. This tournament features the most different games to be played in a mixed game event in this year’s World Series of Poker, including Triple-Draw 2-7, Limit Hold’em, Omaha 8/b, Razz, Stud, Stud 8/b, No-Limit Holdem, and Pot Limit Omaha. If you’re able to keep all of these games straight, you have your shot at a bracelet!

489 players were confident in their abilities in this plethora of games, hoping to get their share of the $1.1 million prize pool. 48 players cashed this event, and, after their cooler in event 22, the pros were back in charge. After the money bubble broke, everywhere you looked, a familiar face lurked. Shaun Deeb, Jimmy Fricke, Andy Black, Eugene Katchalov, Eric Baldwin, Dan Kelly, and Eric Froelich were all sprinkled among the money finishers.

John Juanda joined former November Niners John Racener and Eric Buchman at the final table, ensuring that it would be a hard fight for the bracelet. Juanda was looking to earn his 6^th bracelet in this event, having just won his 5^th in event 15. It was not to be, and he exited in 6^th place.

Buchman, who has plenty of final table experience, would fight until he was heads-up with John Monnette. While Monnette may not have had the final table experience of Buchman, he has cashed at the WSOP in almost every variation of poker in play in this event. Monnette also had the advantage of a huge chip lead, which he did not waste. He dispatched Buchman without too much excitement, sending the New Yorker back East with $170k in his pocket. Monnette, meanwhile, would pocket $278,144 and the ever-important WSOP Gold Bracelet.

2011 WSOP Event 22 Recap

The largest PLO field ever assembled at the World Series of Poker gathered for Event 22: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha. 1,071 players came out to play one of the highest variance games in poker, creating a prize pool that almost reached $1.5 million.

The top 117 players would all profit at least $1,200 for their efforts, and the amateurs showed the pros that they know how to play this game. Tommy Vedes, David Chiu, Tom Franklin, and Michael Binger were among the few pros to make money in this tournament.

All together, the 9 men who made the final table combined for exactly one final table at the WSOP. Four of those were experiencing their first cash. There would also be a first time bracelet winner crowned, no matter who won.

When the players go to three handed, only one had cashed before, and he was the one with the final table. However, experience was unable to prevail for David Sands, and he was dispatched in 3^rd place.

Elie Payan and Rafael Kibrit would play heads-up for the bracelet. Neither had been here before. Neither had even cashed the WSOP before. Payan entered heads-up play as a 2-1 chip leader, but gave it away at one point in the match, and Kibrit also claimed that same lead margin. However, he would not be able to hold on, as Payan regained the chip lead and never looked back. Kibrit was sent home in 2^nd place, taking home $180k for his efforts.

Payan was the 2^nd Frenchmen to win at this year’s WSOP, just a few hours after countryman Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier took one home. He also took with him $292,825. Between Elky and Payan, the French are trying to beat out the British as the foreign country to take home the most bracelets. With so many events still to go, it will be a fun race to watch.

2011 WSOP Event 21 Recap

Event 21: $10,000 Seven Card Stud is the fifth championship of this year’s World Series of Poker. 126 players paid the $10k entry fee for their shot at being called the Seven Card Stud World Champion. That, and their share of the $1.2 million prize pool.

Only 16 players made the money in this tournament, and those that did could make a “Who’s Who” list in the poker world. Matt Hawrilenko, Jason Mercier, Sorel Mizzi, Men ‘The Master’ Nguyen, and Nick Schulman all finished in the money without making the final table, at least doubling their initial buy-in.

With those players being sent to the rail before the final table was formed, some great tournaments had to put themselves into position to win. These included Chad Brown, Alexander Kostritsyn, and John ‘World’ Hennigan all played to win the title. However, they would come up short; a Frenchman would eventually take it home.

A heads-up battle would take place between Steve Landfish and Bertrand ‘Elky’ Grospellier that showed the prowess of each individual. The swings back and forth were dramatic, with each player holding most of the chips in play at one point or another. At the end of the crazy contest, though, Landfish was sent home with $200k in his pocket, his prize for finishing second.

The man known as Elky would claim his first WSOP bracelet, creating yet another Triple Crown winner this year (also, Jake Cody). The Frenchman took the bracelet and $331,639 back to Team PokerStars. Is Team France making a run at Team UK?

2011 World Series of Poker Sees Bigger Fields and Increased Prize Pools

When Black Friday occured back on Friday April 15th, 2011, it put left the future entrants to the World Series of Poker up in the air.  It was possible that players wouldn’t be able to maintain the bankrolls to play in the 2011 World Series, and also that we would lose players from the online tournaments that give tickets to World Series of Poker events.  Some poker pro’s have their money still frozen online, while others have gone overseas to play online to make money.  While it was obvious it would take some time into the World Series to see how this affected the field sizes, the first 23 events have given a strong indication that Black Friday hasn’t hit the 2011 WSOP quite as hard as expected.

Only six of the first 23 events have seen a decrease in participation, and some events have even grown by as much as 25 percent from last year.  Events 18 and 20 at the 2011 WSOP broke records as a matter of fact.  The records for largest single-day $1,500 event and largest single-day $1,000 event were broken, both in the same weekend.  The $10,000 2-7 Lowball event was the event that grew by the most at a 25% increase from last year.  While these events have done well overall, it’s the Main Event that most fans and players are interested in seeing the outcome of.

It’s tough to tell what’s caused the jump in numbers at the 2011 World Series of Poker, it could be that a lot of online players are needing to play these tournaments in order to continue to build their bankroll, or even just more people are interested in playing poker.  If the first two weeks of play were any indication though, the World Series of Poker will be just fine, and the future could still be bright for poker in the United States.

2011 WSOP Event 20 Recap

Yet another Stimulus Special event was played for Event 20: $1,000 No Limit Hold’em. 3,175 people showed up at the Rio, all on June 12^th, to begin their march for the bracelet. 324 of these players cashed this event, almost as many as played Event 19 altogether!

A min-cash was just shy of $2,000, effectively doubling your entry fee. Gavin Smith, Hoyt Corkins, John Phan, and Lex Veldhuis represented the pros in this event, toeing their way through this massive field to make some money.

Frequently, these $1,000 buyins become the story of the amateurs. Almost everyone at the final table experienced their first WSOP cash at this event. There was a total of one bracelet between the nine of them (which went with 9^th place finisher James Schaaf).

One player at the final table, though, has had his share of World Series success. Jason Somerville was at his fifth WSOP final table. His previous 4 finishes were each 2^nd – 5^th. Before this event, his winnings at the WSOP were just over $1 million.

It came as no surprise that Somerville got heads-up against Yashar Darian. Darian had a few previous cashes, all last year, and all at $1,000 or $1,500 events. However, before this event, he had failed to crack the top 200. The heads-up play did not last long, however. They got it all-in on the very first hand of heads-up, putting almost all of the chips in play into the pot. The chips were counted down, and Somerville had Darian outchipped. When the cards were turned over, Darian knew he was doomed: Somerville had the aces. Somerville was able to fade the board and dispatch the New Jersey native, sending him home with $300k.

Somerville, however, rounded out his final table experience with his win, beating the largest single day starting field in WSOP history. He collected his first bracelet and $493,091. He had a very supportive rail, including good friend Daniel Negreanu, and parlayed that into an astounding victory.

2011 WSOP Event 19 Recap

Event 19: $2,500 Limit Hold’em  Six Handed of this year’s World Series of Poker brought out 354 entrants to try their hand at winning a WSOP bracelet. These entrants all paid their $2,500, creating a $800k prize pool for the players to compete for. Unlike most tournaments where tables seat 9 players, only 6 players are seated at each table.

354 entrants meant that only the top 36 finishers were paid, and a few top pros were able to sneak into cashing. Justin Bonomo, David Chiu (who has cashed in every WSOP since 1998), Sam Grizzle, and Matt Matros all finished in the money. Barely missing the final table was Richard ‘nutsinho’ Lyndaker, an online nosebleed regular who finished in 7^th place.

The final table was made up of players mostly unknown on the tournament circuit. For two of them, Samuel Golbluff and Kim Nguyen, this would be their first cash at the WSOP. Not bad for your first cash to be a final table.

The other players have had their share of success at the WSOP. While none had any titles, each had over $100k in earnings prior to this event. Darren Woods, who’s cashes at the WSOP had all come in $10k championships, would battle Nguyen heads-up for the title.

Nguyen, who was looking to become the first woman to win an open event at the WSOP since Vanessa Selbst in 2008, found herself right where Maria Ho was earlier this year. Sadly, her finish mirrored that of Ho. Woods took the chip lead early and ran with it, slowly chipping away at Nguyen’s stack until he eliminated her in 2^nd place, sending her home with just shy of $132k in her first WSOP cash. Meanwhile, Woods collected his first WSOP bracelet and the $213,431.

2011 WSOP Event 17 Recap

The first mixed games tournament was played in Event 17: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. This tournament features 5 games: Hold’em, Omaha Hi-lo 8/b, Razz, 7 Card Stud, and 7 Card Stud Hi-Lo 8/b, all of which are played with a fixed limit.

963 players came out to play, a stunning number for a mixed games event. Very rarely does a non-hold’em event of the same buyin bring more entrants than hold’em one, but it did this year, with this event bringing significantly more than Event 17: $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em.

Considering the number of entrants in this event, the pros did not comprise a high percentage of those in the money. However, they were still out in force, with their skill taking over in a mixed game format. David Chiu, Cyndy Violette, and Eli Elezra were among those who cashed, at least doubling their entry.

While these players did not make the final table, two players who are having a phenomenal World Series did. Victor Ramdin and David ‘Bakes’ Baker both have 3 cashes this WSOP, with Baker getting back-to-back final tables this event. While they are both doing very well so far, neither were able to turn that into a win this event, bowing out in 9^th and 7^th respectively.

Michael Chow, Aaron Steury, and Adam Friedman entered the final 9 as the three chip leaders, with significant distance between them and the rest of the field. They cruised until just those three remained. Friedman busted in third to Chow. However, Steury still had a massive 4-1 chip lead. This proved too much for Chow, who took home $178k for his 2^nd place finish.

For his win, Steury, a Ft. Wayne, Indiana native, pocketed $289,283 for his victory. He also walked out of the Rio with a shiny bracelet on his wrist, signifying him as a World Series of Poker Champion.

2011 WSOP Event 18 Recap

Yet another of the $1.5k donkaments took place in Event 18: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em. 3,157 entrants came to Vegas this weekend to try their hand at winning a bracelet and a big payday by playing poker for a few days, trying to get their share of the $4.3 million prize pool.

A field this massive makes it difficult for pros to navigate. However, since this event paid an incredible 324 players, many were able to cash this event. Costa Rican Godfather of Poker Humberto Brenes, Erick ‘E-Dog’ Lindgren, Dwyte Pilgrim, and Prahlad Friedman were among the many that finished in the money.

The big story in this event is that it was a FOUR day event. Originally scheduled to be played over three days, this tournament was pushed to a 4^th after 6 players remained after the ten level rule was implemented on day three. While a couple of other tournaments also stretched into day 4, none did so with as many as 6 players still remaining.

When the players returned for day 4, 6 remained, with 25 year-old Foster Hays leading the way. He worked to ensure his victory, eliminating four of the other five competitors. His heads-up battle, however, was one that really tested his mettle.

Hays entered heads-up as the massive chip leader, but Casey Helton would not simply be overlooked. Helton battled back, and even held the chip lead at some points in the heads-up match. The final hand shows how close the match was: it took the tournament staff 3 counts to make sure Hays actually had Helton covered. He did, and Helton was sent home $450k richer. Meanwhile, Hays put on a new bracelet and added $735,400 to his bankroll.

2011 WSOP Event 16 Recap

Event 16 of this year’s WSOP has turned into the big story so far. While not much was expected out of the 10k 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship (No Limit) in the way of stories, this tournament changed those expectations incredibly.

Only 126 players were signed up to play this event, creating a $1.2 million prize pool. However, this tournament is not about overcoming a large field to win a bracelet, but who you have to overcome. Frequently, these tournaments are referred to as a pro’s opportunity to buy a bracelet, but after the field that turned out to play this tournament, that may be a hasty argument.

The final table: Phil Hellmuth, Richard Ashby, John Juanda, Steve Sung, Nick Schulman, David ‘Bakes’ Baker, and Hasan Habib (Joe Cassidy and Greg Raymer busted in 8^th and 9^th respectively). If you were going to try to “buy a bracelet” in this event, you would have to overcome these men to do so. All of the men at the final table each had a WSOP bracelet.

All the stars seemed to be aligning for Phil Hellmuth, who entered the final table as the chip leader. Hellmuth, who was going for his record 12^th World Series of Poker bracelet, was trying to earn his first non-Hold’em bracelet. He kept this momentum up, getting heads-up versus John Juanda with a nearly 3-1 chip lead.

Juanda exactly isn’t a slouch, though. Having 4 WSOP bracelets and finishing 4^th in this very event in the past two years, Juanda has been called the best 2-7 Lowball player in the world. He lived up to this title against Hellmuth. In a heads-up match that lasted over 4 hours, Juanda slowly picked at Hellmuth’s stack, quietly and methodically, until he sent the 11-time champion to the rail. Hellmuth, while more than disappointed to not have earned the bracelet, still took home $226k. Juanda earned his 5^th bracelet and $367,170 for his win, along with the joy of denying the Poker Brat number 12.

2011 WSOP Event 15 Recap

Yet another Hold’em tournament was found in Event 15: $1,500 Pot Limit Hold’em. Unlike No Limit, players in this event are only allowed to bet or raise the value of the pot rather than the entirety of their stack.

765 players registered to play this event, creating a prize pool just over $1 million. All came out with the hope of earning a bracelet by paying one of the smallest buyins in this year’s WSOP. Only one, however, would make true on that wish.

A min-cash would almost double your entry fee, and many well known pros made at least the nearly 3k. John Dolan, Alessio Isaia (with his 3^rd cash this WSOP), Hoyt Corkins, and Christian Harder all went deep in this event and made some good profit on their $1,500. However, all would exit the tournament before the final table was formed, either to enter another tournament or watch disappointedly from the rail.

Ted Lawson, Ali Eslami (also cashing for his 3^rd time this event), and Allen ‘Chainsaw’ Kessler made this final table very difficult to overcome. While Lawson and Eslami bowed out early, Kessler had his sights strongly set on the bracelet.

To win the bracelet, Kessler would have to overcome lesser-known pro Brian Rast. Rast, who was staked by ‘The Magician’ Antonio Esfandiari, proved too much for the Chainsaw and ended up taking the bracelet and the $227,232 that went along with it. Kessler would have to be satisfied with the 2^nd place prize of $120k and the hope of winning his first bracelet some other time.

2011 WSOP Event 14 Recap

Another Limit Hold’em tournament was played for Event 14: $3,000 LHE. While being a Hold’em tournament, its limit nature only brought out 337 players to vie for the bracelet, creating a prize pool just shy of $1 million.

Such a small field means that fewer players make the cash, and this event only paid the top 36 finishers. Barely making into the money by finishing in 36^th was WSOP bracelet winner David ‘Bakes’ Baker, who was eventually joined in cashing by Marco Traniello (best known as Jen Harman’s husband), Sorel Mizzi, and Victor Ramdin (who celebrated back to back cashes).

The final table brought some TV time to players that had not received much in the past. In fact, former November Niner Jeff Shulman was the only player to have received much, and his run was cut short as he was the first elimination from the final table.

Brandon Demes entered the final table and allowed those chips to carry him into heads-up play against Tyler Bonkowski. However, Bonkowski was too much for him, and sent him to the rail to collect his $136k second place prize.

Bonkowski, who had a handful of cashes in last year’s WSOP, gets his first this year this win. He also collects a new piece of jewelry and $220,817 to parlay into another WSOP victory.

2011 WSOP Event 13 Recap

Event 13 of this year’s World Series of Poker, a $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Shootout tournament, had a capped number of entrants at 2,000. This cap never quite came into play, with 1,440 players showing up to play, creating a nearly $2 million prize pool.

How a shootout works: each player is assigned a table, as usual, to begin the tournament. However, as players bust, the tables are not balanced; rather, each plays down to a winner, much like a sit-n-go. Once someone wins the table, they wait until all tables are finished. Once they are, the winners of the individual tables are reseated again with the other winners, and the same thing happens until we are down to 9 or fewer winners. Once that happens, the final table is formed, and the winner of this table is the winner of the tournament.

Considering this is not a traditional tournament structure, the 1,440 entrants is still quite impressive. Many of these players are those we have seen on TV before: former November Niner Filippo Candio, former actress Jen Tilly, WSOP champion Greg Raymer, and Pokerstars spokesman Daniel Negreanu all finished in the money, making at least almost $5k for their efforts.

The final table was stacked with talent. Former bracelet winners David ‘the Dragon’ Pham, Vitaly Lunkin, Dan ‘djk123’ Kelly, and Erik Cajelais were all vying to add another to their trophy case. However, none of these were ever really in contention, with Cajelais outlasting the rest, but still finishing in 5^th.

Eventual winner Andrew Badecker made sure to put himself in the best place to win this tournament very early, entering the final table as the chip leader. Throughout the entirety of the final table, he rarely lost the lead, and when he did, he reclaimed it quickly. Eventually, he busted Robbie Verspui, who took home $228k for his second place finish. Badecker, along with the bracelet, also took $369,371 home for his win.

2011 WSOP Event 12 Recap

Event 12: $1,500 Triple Chance No Limit Hold’em of the 2011 World Series of Poker brought a new spin on a typical NLHE tournament. In this tournament, players started with 1,500 in chips and had two rebuy chips, which each allowed them to acquire 1,500 more chips at any time they want.

This event brought 1,340 entrants to the felt, creating a $1.8 million prize pool, paying 144 players a minimum $2,800. Respected poker writer David Sklansky, as well as Isaac Haxton, Ted Forrest, and Cliff ‘JohnnyBax’ Josephy all finished in the money, earning some money for their efforts.

Very few stars highlighted the final table, but one headliner stood out: Bill ‘the SuperComputer’ Chen. Chen, already the owner of two WSOP bracelets, really wanted to add a third to the mantle. However, he would come up short, exiting the final table in 4^th place, taking home a cool $100k.

The eventual winner of the event was David Diaz. Diaz, making his second final table in this event, also claimed his first bracelet with the win. He also pocketed $352,808 for his efforts, a great payday for just a few days’ worth of work.

2011 WSOP Event 11 Recap

Yet another Championship event was held in Event 11: Omaha Hi-Low Split – 8 or better. 202 players ponied up the $10,000 entry fee for their shot at winning a WSOP bracelet and, of course, the first place prize of $465,216.

Of the 202 entrants, many were well known names and faces. Jason Mercier, Shaun and Freddy Deeb, and a man putting together a hot 2011 WSOP run in Alessio Isaia all finished in the money in the event, making just north of $16,000.

The final table also featured some impressive players, including Josh Arieh, Richard Ashby, Steve Billirakis, and George Lind III. Arieh, Ashby, and Billirakis were all trying to add another bracelet to their shelves. Lind, while not having a bracelet of his own, has had his share of success in the past, including being the first Supernova Elite in 2008.

Lind had the best shot of the group, going heads-up against Viacheslav Zhukov. Sadly, the Gilbert, Arizona native came up short on his closest bid for a bracelet, and had to settle for his quarter million second place prize.

Zhukov, well noted for his quiet demeanor, won his first bracelet in this event, and will try to parlay this win into further finishes to come.

2011 WSOP Event 10 Recap

If you were looking to bet on someone to win Event 10: $1,500 No Limit Hold’em – Six Handed, you should have been checking to make sure Jeffrey Papola was in the field. Last year, Papola went heads-up for the bracelet not once in a 6-max event, but twice. While he took the consolation prize home in his first attempt, he walked out of the Rio after his second with a new piece of jewelry.

This event brought out 1,920 entries (including Papola) creating a prize pool of almost $2.6 million. This was a 3 day event, and players who made it just a bit into day two almost doubled their money. Only 15 players returned on the final day, all having locked up $20k and playing for the championship.

Who was surprised when, late in day 2, Papola began to make his presence known in the tourney? Not this guy. When chips were bagged for the night, Papola had more than anyone else in the room, one of two players over 1 million in chips.

Papola made a valiant run, but exited the Rio after busting out in third place. Eddie Blumenthal was left to battle Geffrey Klein. Blumenthal had the advantage of having 10x the chips of his opponent but could not put him away. In an Epic comeback Klein battled his way back to capture his first bracelet and $544,388.

2011 WSOP Event 8 Recap

Yet another of the 1k donkaments took over the Rio with Event 8: $1,000 No Limit Hold’em. Having two starting days, an astounding 4,178 players showed up to try their shot at one of the cheapest bracelet event at this year’s WSOP. This created a massive $3.7 million prize pool to compete for.

Most of the field had been eliminated by the time day 2 rolled around, with the fields combining and the remaining 623 players trying to position themselves for a win. It wasn’t long before the money bubble burst, with the top 423 players guaranteed $1,800.

Attempting the whole shot win was Jon ‘PearlJammer’ Turner. Turner led day 1b, day 2, and was one of the final three at the end of day 3. However, he came up short from the bracelet, exiting in third place.

Going into heads-up play, Sadan Turker and Sean Getzwiller found themselves almost equal in chips. Before the first hand was dealt, they requested a break. The tournament director denied their request, so they began “talking” at the table. Upon being informed this also was not allowed, both players simply got up, walked out of the room, and continued their discussion. While I was not privy to their conversation, I would expect that a chop was agreed upon.

While we may not know (though I will be sure to update if this ever comes to light), what we do know is that Getzwiller won the tournament, taking home (at least part of) $611,185 and a shiny gold bracelet.

I expect we will hear more in the days to come about chops in WSOP events.

GoDaddy Named Official Sponsor of the 2011 WSOP

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) today announced GoDaddy.com as a new premier sponsor of the 42nd Annual World Series of Poker. GoDaddy.com, the world’s largest Web hosting provider and domain name registrar, will be visible throughout the 2011 WSOP, both with on-site branding and television integration as the primary sponsor below the flop.

For those unfamiliar with poker, all community cards dealt on a poker table are positioned in the middle of the felt. GoDaddy.com has secured primary positioning just below these cards throughout all tournament action on televised tables, which is highly visible in all broadcasts of poker.

“When you talk about GoDaddy.com, you are talking about some of the best marketers in the world, who are thoughtful about their platforms and selective in their promotional partnerships,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “We know GoDaddy.com has a fun and edgy style and we welcome them into the greatest poker spectacle on the planet, which shares its personality.”

Go Daddy CEO & Founder Bob Parsons is the architect of the company’s incredibly effective advertising campaigns when he’s not out shooting elephants. “We like this poker sponsorship because so many of the fans are passionate, loyal and interested in the Internet,” Parsons said. “We’re all in, baby!”

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the longest-running, largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world, dating back 41 years to 1970, and having paid more than $1.2 billion in total prize money to date. In 2011, the WSOP will feature 58 different poker events over 50 consecutive days. It began May 31 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and runs through July 19, 2011.

About The World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest, richest and most prestigious gaming event in the world awarding millions of dollars in prize money and the prestigious gold bracelet, globally recognized as the sport’s top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s longest running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970. In 2010, the event attracted 72,966 entrants from 117 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and awarded over $187 million in prize money.

2011 WSOP: Week One

The first week of this year’s World Series of Poker has been both exciting and eventful. So far, 8 different bracelets have been awarded, with 6 of them being awarded to residents of the United States and the other two going to Brits from across the pond.

This year’s WSOP really has been an international affair. While the United States has won a majority of the bracelets, players from all over the world are playing. Players from over a dozen different countries have walked away with cash. Event 8: 1k NLH featured players from an astounding fifty different countries!

Numbers overall are up this year, too. Due to the events on Black Friday, most of the poker world expected the Rio to be a ghost town this June and July. However, throughout this first week, the opposite is the case. According to @WSOPRGUY, overall entrants are up 2.5% and prize pools are up 5.6% thus far. While it is still early, this is a good sign with 6 weeks still to go.

While, on paper, this year’s WSOP appears a success, many sources at the Rio have all commented on the same thing: the atmosphere. Most years, players are excited and hungry for yet another opportunity at poker stardom. This year, there is no excitement in the air. All of the players seem bitter and resentful, and understandably so. All are out here trying to get a big break, to take one last chance at making poker a career. Sadly, there can only be so many winners.

Good luck to everyone. Make a run, go deep, and take it down.

2011 WSOP Event 9 Recap

Event 9: $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball is both our first draw and lowball tournament of this year’s Series. As could be expected with a Draw game, not many entrants registered, but 275 signing up to play is still a respectable number.

These players came out with the hope of besting a small field in order to obtain the bracelet, considering the $370,000 prize pool is the smallest of this year’s World Series thus far. 28 players cashed this event, all of who at least doubled their initial entry.

The story of the tournament is how incredibly tough the final table was. Resident pros Chris Bjorin, Thomas Fuller, Josh Brikis, ever popular Jason Mercier, and ESPN Poker Commentator Bernard Lee all put themselves in position to win as the tournament field was whittled down. Bjorin and Mercier were both trying to add another bracelet to their mantle, while the rest of them were trying to capture their first elusive. Brikis may have had the most drive, having had his opportunity to play heads-up for a bracelet in 2009, but coming up short.

Bjorin had his shot to add have another bracelet clasped around his wrist, going heads-up against Matt Perrins for the title. Perrins, however, proved too much, and prevailed in this battle between young and old. With this victory, Perrins claims the bracelet and the $102,105 for first prize.

Congratz Matt! Way to overcome a stacked final table.

2011 WSOP Event 7 Recap

We have our first of the 10k championships in Event 7: $10,000 Pot Limit Hold’em. Being one of the championships (that isn’t the Main Event), this event brought out only the really good or really rich. Only 249 players registered to play this event, down a hair from last year’s number of 268. This created a prize pool of almost $2.4 million to be split among the top 27 finishers.

As could be expected, most those who finished in the money have their share of past WSOP success, including Nenad Medic, Jen Tilly, Mike ‘the Mouth’ Matusow, and Chris Moorman. Simply making the cash doubled your buyin, with a min-cash being right at $20k.

One player who just missed out on turning a profit from this tournament was Daniel Negreanu. Having once called PLHE one of the hardest games in poker, Negreanu showed just how hard it is by busting out on the bubble in 28^th place.

The final table was not as jam-packed with big names as one may have expected for a 10k Championship, with Eric Cloutier and Sam Stein about the most well-known there. However, that in no way reflects the quality of play of the table, as the battle for the bracelet was hotly contested. Prevailing in this battle was Amir Lehavot. Along with the bracelet, Lehavot took home $573,456 in prize money. Not a bad return on a $10k investment, eh?

2011 WSOP Event 6 Recap

Event 6 of this year’s World Series of Poker, $1,500 Limit Hold’em, is our first LHE event this year. Limit events rarely bring out large fields, but with it still being a Hold’em tournament, 675 players registered to play.

A very interesting story developed in what would have otherwise been an event that flew under the radar. On the final day of play, defending champion Matt Matros was still in the field when the final 15 players came back. If winning a WSOP bracelet is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for most people, what would winning the same one twice in a row be?

Sadly, though, he was not able to successfully do so. Exiting in 11^th place, Matros, a published poker author, went to the cage, picked up his $12k, and went to find another game to play. There’s always next year, right?

With a prize pool set at just above $900,000, almost $3,000 went to anyone who finished among the final 63. With it being a limit event, many of those who turned a profit are unknown to the mainstream poker media. However, many popular pros still represented, including Dutch Boyd, JJ Liu, and a man with a shot at winning his 3^rd WSOP bracelet, Scott Clements.

None of them had enough, however, to overtake eventual champion Harrison Wilder. Taking home the bracelet and $205,065, Wilder made sure not to be one of those unknown names any longer. With many limit events still on the schedule this year, I would not be surprised to be writing about him again over the next couple months.

2011 WSOP Event 5 Recap

This year’s first event without community cards being dealt, Event #5: $1,500 Seven Card Stud, brought a slew of top name pros. Non-Hold’em events traditionally have fewer players than the NLHE games, a point that held true in this event, with only 357 runners registering to play.

Your recreational players don’t tend to play stud events, so it is no surprise that those who cashed this event are mostly household names. Scott Seiver, Chad Brown, Shaun Deeb, and Ylon Schwartz all cashed, only to fall short of final table appearances. They all made at least the min-cash of $2,600 for finishing among the top forty finishers.

The final table also featured many players that have been featured on ESPN in the past, including Ali Eslami, November Niner Eric Buchman, and the eventual champion, who has also been on quite a tear the past year, Eugene Katchalov.

Katchalov went into heads-up play against Alessio Isaia at a 5-1 chip disadvantage. Isaia, who was at his third WSOP final table (with both of the others also coming from Stud events), looked as though he would simply waltz to his first WSOP bracelet.

However, Katchalov had his own agenda, wanting a new piece of jewelry. An early double up helped tremendously, and, after that, the PCA High-Roller champion kept marching until he had every chip in the tournament stacked in front of him. Winning the event earned him $122,909, a mere pittance when compared to the $1.5 million he won earlier this year.

Congratulations Eugene on getting your name off the infamous “best players without a bracelet” list!

2011 WSOP Event 4 Recap

The first No Limit Hold’em tournament at this year’s WSOP that Joe Everyman could enter, costing just $5,000 to enter, brought 865 players to the Rio for their chance at winning a WSOP event. Creating a $4 million prize pool to be distributed among 81 players, these $5k NLHE events are well-known to be among the hardest to beat in Vegas. Not as cheap as the $1,000 “Stimulus Surplus” events, nor as prestigious as the $10k championships, the number of players willing to play these events range within those who look at poker as more of a profession than a hobby.

As could be expected, the field was loaded with well-known pros. Scott Montgomery, Kevin Saul, John Dolan, and Carlos Mortensen, along with many others, all finished in the money, making at least $10k for their efforts. However, the story of this event is not about these men in the field. No, when we talk about Event 4 of this year’s WSOP, we will be talking about one person: Maria Ho.

On day 2, Maria was the last woman remaining in the tournament (something she has done before at the World Series, with her 38^th place finish at 2007’s Main Event). She carried this all the way to heads-up play against Allen Bari, who has an impressive poker resume of his own. If she wanted to win, she had a steep mountain to climb, for Bari held almost 80% of the chips in play when play between the two began.

She came out firing, with an early double up to close the distance, leaving Bari with just a 2-1 chip advantage. Alas, it just wasn’t enough, and Bari dispatched of Ho shortly thereafter, winning the bracelet, $874,116, and the pride of knowing he topped one of the best fields of the World Series.

Million Dollar Tournament at 2012 WSOP

During a break of the $25,000 NLHE Heads-Up Championship, Guy Laliberte and Phil Ruffin, in partnership with Caesars Entertainment, announced that the 2012 WSOP will have a special, marquis event: a $1,000,000 buyin tournament.

This event, which will be a bracelet event in next year’s series, is by far the largest poker tournament to be held in a major casino, taking the title away from the $250,000 Super High Roller Event at this year’s Aussie Millions. However, other than the differences in the buyins, these tournaments have some very distinct differences.

The $1 million tournament will have a much deeper payout structure, paying out 20% of the field. Also, this tournament will take place over the course of three days. So far, 15 players have signed on to play this event, including nosebleed players Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan, Gus Hansen, and Patrick Antonius, frequent Big Game competitors Daniel Negreanu and Johnny Chan, and the famous Texas billionaire, making his first trip to the WSOP, Andy Beal.

What is most special about this tournament is what happens to the tournament fees. Usually, a poker room will withhold 10% of the prizepool as a fee for the event. For this event, however, no fee will be taken for the casino. Instead, for each million, $111,111 will be taken out of the prize pool for the One Drop Charity Foundation. This foundation’s goal is to provide access to clean water and sanitation to everybody in the world. Laliberte, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Foundation, founded the organization in 2007 and has been working towards the goals of the organization since.

This tournament is bound to be the highlight of next year’s WSOP, and will be the buzz of much of this year’s series. It will be exciting to see how many players decide to play the event between now and then, who comes out of the woodwork, and who backs who for the tournament.

2011 WSOP Event 3 Recap

In the first non-Hold’em event of this year’s WSOP, a $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo Split-8 or better tournament, we saw the largest field in an Omaha tournament ever assembled. 925 players showed up to play, greater than 100 players more than showed up for this event last year. This created a massive $1.2 million prizepool for the prize pool, one of the largest we will probably see in the non-Hold’em events this summer. 90 players earned cash in this tournament, the most players ever paid out in an Omaha 8/b tournament.

A min-cash netted the players just less than $3,000, as former November Niner Jeff Shulman found out. Other top pros, including Ted Lawson, Barry Greenstein, Erik Seidel (wait, he didn’t win?), Allen Cunningham, and Lex Veldhuis also profited from this tournament, but failed to make their way to the ever-important final table.

The final table was both entertaining and hard fought, with all players vying for the bracelet. Russian Vladimir Shchemelev, who put together a very hot run early in last year’s WSOP, was there, as was Costa Rican poker godfather Humberto Brenes, bringing his shark along with him. However, neither of them earned the bracelet this time, busting out in 8^th and 6^th place respectively.

The heads-up battle would be between two virtual unknowns in the poker world, Kostas ‘Gus’ Kalathakis and Francesco ‘Cheeck’ Barbaro. They were fighting for the ever-important bracelet and $262,283.

Honestly, and no offense to Gus, it wasn’t much of a fight. They entered heads-up play with Cheech 4,100,000 chips to Gus’s 150,000. However, they got it all in the middle in just the second hand of heads-up play, and Kalathakis doubled up to 300,000, trying to put a run together. His run, sadly, would not last much longer, as Barbaro’s commanding lead proved insurmountable, sending Gus home with a $161,675 consolation prize.

This tournament marks Barbaro’s first bracelet at the World Series. Who knows, will he find another along the way?

2011 WSOP Event 2 Recap

Bringing out one of the best fields we will see in this year’s WSOP, the $25,000 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Championship was bound to be hotly contested throughout the event. In a tournament that pitted distinguished pros against one another in match after match, including Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan, Vanessa Rousso, Daniel Negreanu, Gus Hansen, among many other popular players, we knew this bracelet would be one to cherish.

These events are not only about the bracelets, though. In an event that brought out only 128 players willing to pay the steep $25k, the prize pool swelled quickly. Min-Cashing in 16^th place still earned you just north of $67,000. The winner, however, would take home a much better boost to the bankroll, netting $851,192, more than 25% of the $3 million prizepool.

By the time the event reached the quarter finals, many top names made their way to the rail, but all of those left had a poker pedigree that could not be argued with. Eric Froelich, Gus Hansen, Yevgeniy Timoshenko, and Jake Cody all have had their share of success on the felt, all of whom have had major tournament victories in the past. These semifinal matchups, with Froelich playing Timoshenko and Cody trying to take down the Great Dane (who won a similar event in Europe last year), were hotly contested, though both Timoshenko and Cody seemed in control of their respective matches the whole time. Eventually, Cody sent Hansen on his merry way (to one of the high-stakes cash games, no doubt) and Timoshenko outlasted E-Fro on his way to the finals.

Timoshenko blazed out to an early lead and seemed ready to steamroll Cody. However, Cody battled back, both by making pro-caliber plays and, as is necessary to win a tournament, hitting some cards at the right time. Eventually, Cody prevailed, winning his first WSOP bracelet and the first place cash prize.

It is still early in this year’s WSOP, but Cody put himself in a good position to make a run for Player of the Year. A couple more deep runs and he may sneak his way into a household name. One thing is true: he now has the bankroll to do so.

2011 WSOP Event #3 Info

The first non-Hold’em event of this year’s WSOP, a $1,500 Omaha 8 or Better tournament, kicked off 2 days ago, with 925 players forking over the cash for their shot at a WSOP bracelet.

This year, despite all predictions to the contrary, has broken all previous attendance records, with 925 players registered and playing, over 100 more than last year, and barely breaking the 2009 record of 918. Still, an impressive turnout in light of the recent online developments.

Just over 200 players returned yesterday for a day 2 to battle for their share of the $1.2 million prize pool created in this event. The winner of the event will get a lion’s share of the profits, at $262,283, as well as the coveted bracelet, with anyone making the top three taking home six figures.

Some big names in the poker world still remain in contention, including Sorel Mizzi, Barry Greenstein, and Humberto Brenes. However, leading the way is Francesco Barbaro, trying to seal his chances at the cash and bracelet.

2011 WSOP Event #2 Info

The largest Heads-Up event in WSOP history, this $25,000 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Championship has brought out some of the best and brightest in the poker world. With 128 entrants showing up, making a nice, round bracket, the prize pool is just over $3 million.

Paying just 16 players, a min-cash in this event takes home just north of $67,000. Not bad for a couple of days work left.

Nosebleed Heads-Up player Tom ‘durrrr’ Dwan went deep in this event, and with the final sixteen left, had to appear as a favorite. However, he could not outfox the Great Dane, Gus Hansen, in the round of 16, and now can only watch from the rail.

Eric Froelich and Yevgeniy Timoshenko will face off to win their half of the bracket, playing the winner of Jake Cody and Gus Hansen in the final. The losers in the semifinals will each take home almost $284,000, with the runner up $525,000 and the winner gets the bracelet and a nice $851,192.

The semifinals and finals will be played later today, with a champion having the bracelet on their wrist to go out on the town this weekend. Stay tuned for updates!

2011 WSOP Event #1 Info

Event #1 of the 2011 World Series of Poker is, as it has been tradition for a while now, the $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em event. This year saw a record 850 employees register and play this lead-off event, creating a prizepool of $382,500.

Those who made the final table were guaranteed almost $5,000, ten times their initial buyin.

The winner,  Sean Drake, however, has received some possible life changing money for one who works the grind in a casino, taking home $82,292. A great win for one who is used to seeing winners (and far more losers) while he works his shift at the casino.

World Series of Poker adding $1 Million Buyin Event for 2012

The World Series of Poker will hold a poker tournament next year with a $1 million buyin. This event is for the really high rollers.

Roughly 15 players already have confirmed that they will play in the no-limit Texas Holdem event starting July 1 next year. Some of the players include Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte, Treasure Island hotel-casino owner Phil Ruffin, and poker professionals Tom Dwan, Daniel Negreanu and Johnny Chan.

11 percent of the buy in will go to the charity, One Drop, a non-governmental organization in Montreal that helps people access water in Third World countries. The WSOP will not charge it’s normal tournament fees for the event. Organizers hope to raise $5 million for the charity.

42nd Annual World Series of Poker Begins

The 42nd annual World Series of Poker officially begins today May 31, 2011 running through July 7 when the November Nine will be set to square off at the final table of the WSOP main event in November. This year’s series marks the most gold bracelet tournament events of any year in WSOP history, with 58 events in all. The grand prize for the 42nd annual WSOP main event is once again somewhere around $9 million.

The 2011 WSOP starts with a casino employees event for the staff at Rio’s Hotel and Casino, where for the 7th time in a row the WSOP festivities will be held, and their compatriots from other casinos near and far. The first open event is actually the second event of the series, also taking place Tuesday, May 31, the $25,000 Heads-Up No Limit Hold’em Championship.

The series schedule also features championships in Omaha, Seven Card Stud, Limit Hold’em, Hi-Low, H.O.R.S.E. and more. Speaking of poker varieties, another sure-to-be-exciting event on the 2011 WSOP schedule is #55 taking place July 2, the $50,000 Poker Player’s Championship, a mixed event comprised of 8 games.

Most of the major poker sites (and many of the minor ones) are now holding satellite tournaments into the 2011 WSOP main event. Some sites are even holding satellites into other events of series as well. Buy-ins for 2011 WSOP events range from $500 to $50,000 with live single table and mega satellite tournaments running daily at the Rio during the event. Also happening at the Rio in league with the 2011 WSOP are 24-hour cash games.

WSOP to Stream 55 Final Tables in 2011

After announcing last week that they are more than doubling the television coverage of the 42nd Annual World Series of Poker® on ESPN, the WSOP has announced that poker lovers around the world will be able to watch the final table action of 55 gold bracelet events live (on a five-minute delay) via the Internet.  WSOP.com will be the exclusive home to the streaming, which will include two-camera coverage and audio via the tournament’s final table announcer.

This is the first time in the history of the WSOP that all 58 gold bracelet events will receive some sort of video coverage.  (ESPN3 is streaming the $25K Heads Up, $50K Poker Players Championship and the Main Event).

The WSOP.com coverage will not involve any hole card coverage.  It will be delayed 5 minutes per gaming regulations, and be commentary-free (outside the announcer providing betting action).  In essence, the coverage will allow those unable to witness the action in person, the ability to watch the event in similar fashion to spectators on-site.

“We are proud to provide video of the culminating action to a worldwide audience in real time,” said WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart. “This online initiative will complement our spectacular television package on ESPN and deliver even more of this year’s WSOP to fans who want the most immediate coverage possible.”

On most days, two final tables will be streamed.  The typical start times for these will be 2:30 or 3:00 PM Pacific time.  The streams will last until the event concludes, and no video will be shown during the standard breaks in action.  Beginning June 1 and running through July 7, there will be at least one stream a day except for June 2, June 7 and July 4-6, where no final tables are scheduled to be contested.  All times and dates are subject to change without notice.

ESPN to Expand WSOP 2011 Coverage

Earlier this week ESPN television announced this week that it will be expanding its coverage of the 2011 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas by more than double. For the 6-day period of July 14 – 19 the station will be running constant coverage of the main event, including showing players’ hole cards unedited with only a 30-minute delay. In all they’ll be adding over 34 more hours of coverage to their WSOP 2011 broadcast.

The 2011 WSOP coverage will air on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com in high definition, broadcast right from the Rio All-Star Hotel & Casino where the action will be taking place.

For the first time ESPN will be showing all hands completely unedited, every day of the main event. They’ll be alternating between 2 featured tables where all the action will be show, including hole cards after the flop. Play by play will be provided by David Tuchman and Lon McEachern with an assortment of poker pros stepping in to offer analysis along the way.

Starting Thursday, June 2, ESPN3.com will also be streaming live (or with a 5-minute delay, really) the latest WSOP Grudge Matches, rejoining heads-up opponents from previous WSOP Main Events for a rematch. Slated for this round include Chris Moneymaker against Sammy Farha and Phil Hellmuth against Johnny Chan. Fans will vote on the third re-matchup. Hole cards will not be shown in the Grudge Matches. Following these WSOP Grudge Matches will be the $25K Heads-Up Championship on June 3 and the $50K Poker Players Championship on June 6.

Free WSOP with Bodog Poker

Bodog Poker wants to give new depositing players a chance to play in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event for free. All new depositors for April will receive entry into four special freerolls that will award ten tickets to $37 WSOP satellite tournaments. Even if you have had the software, but have yet to deposit, you can qualify for this promotion. The freeroll tournaments will run on April 16,23,30 and May 7 2011. New depositors could be well on their way to a WSOP Main Event seat for free!

If an April new depositor buys into at least $100 worth of WSOP qualifiers will qualify for a June 26, 2011 freeroll that will award threeBodog Swag Bags that Bodog WSOP players receive in Vegas. Additionally, if you buy into $500 worth of Bodog WSOP qualifiers (still April first time depositors), you will receive a ticket to a freeroll on June 25, 2011 that will award a Las Vegas trip. The trip looks like it will be totally set up and bought by Bodog with no cash value.

This is a good deal for players who may have been considering an initial Bodog Poker deposit.

Bodog Poker Kicks Off WSOP Qualifying

Bodog Poker Kicks Off WSOP Qualifying  

Win your chance to play for the biggest prize in the world
The world’s largest betting brand, Bodog, has kicked off its series of 2011 World Series of Poker qualifying tournaments. Texas Hold’Em poker players are invited to enter multiple tournaments with the potential of securing a seat to the main WSOP event beginning July 7 in Las Vegas.

For as little as $1, players can enter Bodog poker qualifying tournaments to be in with a chance of heading to Las Vegas, playing poker in the $9,000,000 Main Event and, of course, attending the legendary Bodog parties.

“ Bodog has a long history of sending player to the WSOP and we would love another of our players to take a bracelet in 2011,” says Bodog Poker Manager Nicholas Sims. “Most poker players dream of ending up in Vegas partying, with a WSOP bracelet, not to mention the millions of dollars that can be won at WSOP.”

If you’re thinking it can’t be you, think again. Every Bodog poker player participating in a qualifying tournament has a 1 in 25 chance of winning a WSOP seat. But that’s not all, all players also benefit from Bodog’s personalized, comfortable poker playing experience.

All poker players are invited to visit Bodog Poker to enter all WSOP qualifying tournaments.

Full Tilt Poker Launches 2011 WSOP Qualifiers

FullTiltPoker has launched a wide range of online qualifier tournaments offering $12K prize packages to the 2011 World Series of Poker* Main Event – including eligibility for the $10 Million Main Event Mania bonus.

Winners of FullTiltPoker’s $12K Main Event Prize Packages receive more than just their buy-in to poker’s most prestigious event. They also receive $2,000 in spending money and gain access to the exclusive Pro’s Choice suite, where they will get the opportunity to meet members of Team Full Tilt Poker and other FullTiltPoker pros.

In addition, any player who wins their 2011 Main Event seat at FullTiltPoker is eligible for the following benefits:

- A massive $10 Million Main Event Mania bonus if they go on to win the Main Event
- A free seat at the 2012 WSOP* Main Event if they finish in the money at this year’s Main Event
- Five days free accommodation at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas during the Main Event

Players can chose from a diverse range of WSOP* Qualifier Tournaments running now through June 27th. Options include ‘The $1 Main Event Seat’, up to ‘$1K Thursday Direct Qualifiers’. Players can also take part in the popular ‘Steps to the Main Event’, which starts at just $3.30.

This year’s WSOP* Main Event kicks off on July 7th in Las Vegas, and Prize Package winners will strive for a repeat of last year’s success, when seven of the nine players at the Main Event final table were sponsored by FullTiltPoker.

*World Series of Poker and WSOP are trademarks of Harrah’s License Company, LLC (“Harrahs”). Harrah’s does not sponsor or endorse, and is not associated or affiliated with FullTiltPoker.com or its products, services, promotions or tournaments.

World Series of Poker Europe Moving to France

Just like the WSOP moved from Binion’s to the Rio, the WSOPE will find itself a new home in 2011. This year’s World Series of Poker Europe will be moving from London, the city it has called home since its inception in 2007, to Cannes, France. The event will be held October 7-21 at Le Casino Barrière de Cannes Croisette.

In some ways, this is quite surprising, given the strict nature that the French government has treated poker, especially when compared to the lax view of the government in the United Kingdom towards poker.

There are seven events reportedly planned for the event:
· NLHE 6-Max €1,500
· NLHE €1,000
· PLO 6-Max €5.000
· € 3,000 NLHE Shootout
· PLO 6-Max €1,500
· Main Event €10,400
· Split € 10,400 (seat 9, then 6, then 2 players)

According to a statement released by WSOP.com: “The World Series of Poker Europe is moving from London to Cannes in 2011 and will be rebranded as World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE®) Presented by BarierePoker.fr. In addition, the Barrière Poker Tour 2011 will include seven stops qualifying for the WSOPE®.”

While the date is still in the distant future, you can still keep your eyes open for online satellites and qualifiers as the time approaches!

41st Annual World Series of Poker 2010 Recap

We here at Holdem Poker Chat will always bring our members interesting news from the poker world. The 41st Annual World Series of Poker® has provided us with many bits of information that we wanted to share with our members. We also want to thank Harrahs Entertainment for sending us their press releases.

There is a global economic slowdown, but the 41st annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) has not been affected at all. On the contrary, the WSOP set a host of new records. Poker players from 117 nations traveled to Las Vegas to compete on the game’s grandest stage. With a record 72,966 entries (a 20% increase from last year) in 57 events creating the largest prize pool in WSOP history: $187,109,850 (a 3.5% increase from last year). In the 41-year history of the WSOP, the prestigious tournament has now awarded more than $1.2 billion in prize money. (Actual figure is: $1,228,375,121).

The youngest player in this year’s WSOP was John May, who played Day 1-D of the Main Event, a day after his 21st birthday. The oldest player to participate in this year’s WSOP (or in any WSOP) 97-year-old Jack Ury, who also played Day 1-D of the Main Event.

In addition to overall participation and prize money, the 2010 WSOP established new records for:

Most million-dollar tournaments: Forty-four of 57 events in this year’s WSOP boasted a prize pool of $1 million or more, up 13 percent from the previous record (39 of 57 tournaments) set last year.

Most consecutive years to cash at WSOP: Berry Johnston’s two in-the-money finishes this year (Events #4 and #45) give the 1986 World Champion cashes for 28 straight years, the most in history. His two cashes this year give him a total of 61 in-the-money finishes at the WSOP, placing him in fourth place all-time. Total WSOP Earnings: $2,075,527

Most consecutive years with multiple event winner: Frank Kassela’s two victories stretched the multi-event winner record to 11 consecutive years. Event #40: Seven Card Razz – $2,500 buy-in & Event #15: Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better World Championship $10,000 buy-in.

Biggest single day attendance ever: 3,097 players in Event #45. $1,500 buy-in

Most consecutive annual WSOPs played: Howard “Tahoe” Andrew of Walnut Creek, Calif., extended his record for most consecutive years played at the WSOP to 37. WSOP Earnings: $162,809

Largest amount of chips in play: This year’s WSOP Main Event featured a total of 219,570,000 million in chips. Because players in this year’s WSOP Main Event received chips valued at three times the buy-in ($30,000), the total chips in play exceeded the amount in the largest tournament ever, the 2006 Main Event, during which players received two-times the buy-in (20,000).

Most cashes at WSOP without a win: Tony Cousineau of Daytona Beach, Fla., extended his record as the player with the most cashes – 46 – without a win. Better luck next year Tony.

Legions of amateur players competed alongside legendary poker pros, to establish the new milestones.

ESPN WSOP 2010 Schedule

ESPN will start airing The 2010 World Series of Poker Tuesday July 27, 2010. Each show will be two hours long and will be on the main ESPN channel. We already missed the preview show, but for most forum players, they do not need an introduction to the players. Each episode will air on Tuesdays. below is the schedule with each show’s focus. As most of you know, there are re-airings on ESPN2 as well. I am not familiar when the reruns will be scheduled and leave that to you to report on if you spot them while channel surfing.

July 20: WSOP Preview Show, 8 p.m.
July 27: Players Championship, 8-10 p.m.
Aug. 3: Tournament of Champions, 8-10 p.m.
Aug. 10-Aug. 24: Main event, 8-10 p.m.
Aug. 31-Nov 9: Main event, 9-11 p.m.

Notice that the last entry will encompass Tuesdays all the way to the WSOP Main Event which is going to be played on November 06, 2010. that last November 09, 2010 Tuesday night will be the final table broadcast. I will be interested to see which poker sites do the heaviest advertising since Pokerstars already sponsors the ESPN web show The Inside Deal.