Bodog Poker to Launch Mini-SOP Online Tournament Series This Summer

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Team Bodog player, David Williams, at the 2007 WSOP

In honor of the most famous poker tournament in the world, The World Series of Poker, Bodog is commencing with an online poker tournament series that will run from May 30-July 3 with each tournament held on the same date as its counterpart in Las Vegas but with buy-ins equal to just 1% of the actual buy-in of the WSOP Event.

Bodog will be running a Tournament Leader Board throughout the series that will be used to decide who will compete in the final, 27-player tournament. The top 4 players on the TLB will instantly qualify, while places 5 through 100 on the leader board will vie for one of 18 seats awarded in a Semifinal qualifier held two days before the final. The last 5 places will be picked from a random "wild card" drawing of players who have entered in at least three of the Mini-SOP events.

After the series' 25 events have wrapped up, Bodog will host one last tournament on July 10 that will grant three seats to the 2009 WSOP Main Event, which makes Bodog the very first online poker site to give away seats to next summer's WSOP Main Event.

For this year's WSOP Main Event, Bodog is still guaranteeing at least six $12,000 Main Event Prize Packages each week. 2008 WSOP online poker satellites start for only $1 and winners of a $12,000 Main Event Prize Package receive the $10,000 buy-in to the main event, $2,000 for travel expenses, and tons of Team Bodog gear.

World Series Bits

bits I've been collecting some bits and pieces about the World Series of Poker that begins next week. Time to pass them on to you.

Want to know where the professionals will be playing; I mean other than the ones who play every event, every day and sometimes two at a time. Here is the list of "Championship" events on the 2008 WSOP schedule:

* $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold’em, May 30-June 1
* $10,000 World Championship Mixed Event, June 4-6
* $10,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud, June 7-9
* $10,000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em, June 13-15
* $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em, June 15-17
* $10,000 World Championship Omaha 8 or better, June 19-21
* $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E., June 25-29
* $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha June 29-July 1
* $10,000 World Championship No-Limit Hold’em, July 3-14 and Nov. 9-10

Big lines for registration has been a problem in past years, so they have had a pre-reg. window open at the Rio for over a week and there is the online registration on the WSOP website. The problem with the online registration is that they cut it off two weeks before the event. So the really big $1,500 Event #2 has been unavailable for online registration for over a week now. It would seem in a world of nanoseconds and micro-processing that the online registration could remain open a lot closer to the actual event, maybe 48 hours but two weeks?

If you want to register online, here is the link.

The most popular non-main event tournaments are the $1,500 No Limit events. This year there will be seven of those:

Saturday May 31st (4 day event)
Saturday June 14th (3 day event)
Tuesday June 17th (3 day event)
Thursday June 19th (3 day event)
Saturday June 21st (3 day event)
Saturday June 28th (3 day event)
Monday June 30th (3 day event)

... and the Main Event $10,000 No Limit Hold'em will have four starting days to choose from, each with a maximum of 3,000 players:

Day 1A: Thursday July 3rd (moves on to Day 2A on July 8th)
Day 1B: Friday July 4th (moves on to Day 2A on July 8th)
Day 1C: Saturday July 5th (moves on to Day 2B on July 9th)
Day 1D: Sunday July 6th (moves on to Day 2B on July 9th)
Day 3: Thursday July 10th (entire remaining field plays)

The Main Event Final Table will play:
From nine players down to 2 on November 9th @ 10 AM.
Heads Up play on November 10th @ 10PM.

Finally, Short-Stack Shamus makes a good point when he notes that the World Series of Poker (Europe) will play before the WSOP final table. He wonders if the "Final Nine" might not go over to London to play the WSOPE as a promotion for the WSOP final table. Harrah's/Caesars are you listening?

Memorable WSOP Main Event Winning Hands

10-2 Has anyone ever won the World Series of Poker main event with pocket aces?

No. Well as far as we know because what Johnny Moss won with was not saved for posterity. But for the 35 winners we do know about, no one has won with pocket rockets.

Has anyone ever lost the WSOP main event with pocket aces?

Yes,in fact it has happened twice.

In 1979, Bobby Hoff had AA and lost to Hal Fowler's 7s6d.
In 2001, Dewey Tomko had AA and lost to Carlos Mortensen with KcQc.

Other notable final hands:

Greg Raymer (2004) and Jerry Yang (2007) both had pocket 8s on the final hand.

In both 1976 and 1977, Doyle Brunson's winning hand was 10-2.

Dan Harrington (1995) and Huck Seed (1996) won back-to-back with 9d8d.

In 1999, Noel Furlong held 55 and Alan Goehring had 66 but the fives won.

Bobby Baldwin (1978) and Tom McEvoy (1983) both won with pocket queens.

Sailor Roberts (1975) and Phil Hellmuth (1989) held 99 on their final hand.

And the worst starting hand to ever win?

Well we know a lot of the "final" hands involve big stacks calling with any two but that being acknowledged-in 1992, Hamid Dastmalchi held 8h4s and won the first prize of a million dollars.

Mermoralble WSOP Main Event Winning Hands

10-2 Has anyone ever won the World Series of Poker main event with pocket aces?

No. Well as far as we know because what Johnny Moss won with was not saved for posterity. But for the 35 winners we do know about, no one has won with pocket rockets.

Has anyone ever lost the WSOP main event with pocket aces?

Yes,in fact it has happened twice.

In 1979, Bobby Hoff had AA and lost to Hal Fowler's 7s6d.
In 2001, Dewey Tomko had AA and lost to Carlos Mortensen with KcQc.

Other notable final hands:

Greg Raymer (2004) and Jerry Yang (2007) both had pocket 8s on the final hand.

In both 1976 and 1977, Doyle Brunson's winning hand was 10-2.

Dan Harrington (1995) and Huck Seed (1996) won back-to-back with 9d8d.

In 1999, Noel Furlong held 55 and Alan Goehring had 66 but the fives won.

Bobby Baldwin (1978) and Tom McEvoy (1983) both won with pocket queens.

Sailor Roberts (1975) and Phil Hellmuth (1989) held 99 on their final hand.

And the worst starting hand to ever win?

Well we know a lot of the "final" hands involve big stacks calling with any two but that being acknowledged-in 1992, Hamid Dastmalchi held 8h4s and won the first prize of a million dollars.

Frequent Flyer Poker Tournament

Lots of talk on the internet forums about when poker "jumped the shark". I think I have another nomination for that moment. In August at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, you can enter a tournament with frequent flyer miles. Yes, Continental Airlines will hold a tournament with an entry of 50,000 frequent flyer miles. The winner will receive 21 Million miles.

I leave the frequent details to the press flyer:

To mark the 21st birthday of its OnePass® frequent flyer program, Continental Airlines announced that it has invited its top customers to participate in a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament where they will bet frequent flyer miles to gamble on the chance to win the tournament's grand prize, 21 million OnePass miles. The four day event begins on Aug. 6, 2008, and will take place at the legendary Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The entry fee to participate in the tournament is 50,000 OnePass miles and registration is limited. Participants must book the event package with the Golden Nugget Casino.

What would the Fonz say?

2008 WSOP in Nine Days

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

Day 1A of the 2007 WSOP Main Event

Nine days until we hear the "Shuffle Up and Deal" command signaling the official opening of the 2008 WSOP on May 29th the the Rio Resort in Las Vegas. If you're poker junkie that can't get enough of the big time tournament poker or maybe you need a quick shot of last year's World Series of Poker to get the adrenalin flowing early, then keep reading.

Treat yourself to a re-read of last year's 2007 WSOP Main Event as seen through the eyes of Tao of Poker's Dr. Pauly. Read Dr. Pauly's daily recaps direct from the 2007 WSOP tournament floor (use the link above the green title bar to go to the next post). Flipchip photos add a colorful visual experience. If you've got some real time on your hands here's a free pass to the Flipchip 2007 WSOP Photo album. For those poker players that are having fits of anxiety over the imminence of the of the Big Poker Show there is still more, the entire archived month of June 2007 is 2007 WSOP.

Don't forget to check out the World Series of Poker 2007 Information page. You'll find the WSOP info or links to the info generally needed to settle most WSOP "facts" arguments and the mandatory "I'm right" wagers.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
South African Raymond Rahme at the 2007 championship final table. He finished 3rd for $3,048,025

World Series of Poker Betting Lines

OK, I admit it, I like to gamble, to bet, to wager. My sports betting habits are however a bit strange. I am bored by whether the Tigers will defeat the Falcons or if the Bruins can beat the spread against United.

I like prop bets! And when those aren't available I really like nonsense bets against the odds, like the lines on various aspects of the World Series of Poker that came out today. Here are a few of my favorites:

Number of Entrants in the Main Event:

Under 2000 33 - 1
2000-2499 250 - 1
2500-2999 200 - 1
3000-3499 125 - 1
3500-3999 80 - 1
4000-4499 40 - 1
4500-4999 25 - 1
5000-5499 11 - 1
5500-5999 6 - 1
6000-6499 5 - 1
6500-6999 7 - 2
7000-7499 4 - 1
7500-7999 5 - 1
8000-8499 13 - 2
8500-8999 9 - 1
9000+ 7 - 2

I gotta go with the favorite here, right around 6700.
The under 2,000 number must be in case of terrorist attack.
The over 9,000 folks have been drinking heavily.

To Make the Final Table of the Main Event:

Just my personal favorites here and a few "Necessary Notables".

Carlos Mortensen 100 - 1
Daniel Negreanu 100 - 1
Gus Hansen 100 - 1
Phil Hellmuth 100 - 1
Phil Ivey 100 - 1
Chris Ferguson 125 - 1
Gavin Smith 125 - 1
Huck Seed 125 - 1
Johnny Chan 125 - 1
Robert Williamson III 125 - 1
Scotty Nguyen 125 - 1
Andy Black 125 - 1
Kirk Morrisson 150 - 1
Tony G 150 - 1
Andy Bloch 150 - 1
Dan Harrington 150 - 1
Doyle Brunson 150 - 1
Joseph Hachem 150 - 1
Lee Watkinson 150 - 1
Greg Raymer 150 - 1
Mike Matusow 200 - 1
Jimmy Fricke 200 - 1
Alexander Kravchenko 200 - 1
Jamie Gold 200 - 1
Chris Moneymaker 200 - 1
Thor Hansen 200 - 1
Dewey Tomko 250 - 1
Raymond Rahme 250 - 1
Liz Lieu 300 - 1
Jennifer Tilly 300 - 1
Jerry Yang 300 - 1
Kristy Gazes 400 - 1
Cyndy Violette 400 - 1

(see the full list here)

Female to make the Final Table?

YES 9-1
NO 1-33

NBC National Heads-Up Championship Finale Sunday Noon

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship trophy

Get ready for three hours of great TV poker featuring four of the the world's best poker professionals. It's the 2008 NBC's National Heads-Up Poker Championship on NBC TV today at Noon. Better check listings in your area, here in Las Vegas it starts at 3 PM. Four poker super stars remain from the elite field of 64 players invited to do battle for the prestigious 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.

Andy Bloch, Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey, and Huck Seed make up today's final field of four. There are 14 WSOP gold bracelets and 2 WSOP Main Event Champions among this very talented quad of poker players. Today's 3 hour show is the final installment of the heads-up mini-series for 2008 and a champion will be crowned.

A mini-gallery of previously unpublished Flipchip photos from the 2008 National Heads-Up Poker Champiopnship after the jump.

We begin with an introduction of the four pros remaining in the hunt for heads-up gold. Once again for the third time in four years, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, is one of the four finalist. Today's semi-final match pits Jesus, 2000 WSOP World Champion, against Phil Ivey, holder of 5 WSOP bracelets and 1996 WSOP World Champion, Huck Seed, goes heads-up with Andy Bloch. Bloch was runner-up to Chip Reese in the 2006 WSOP inaugural $50K H.O.R.S.E. event.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

Phil Ivey

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2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Chris Ferguson

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2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Andy Bloch

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2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Huck Seed

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2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch will play the best of three matches for the championship

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Chris Ferguson and Andy Bloch playing the final match for the championship

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Andy Bloch's poker lessons and golf clinic

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Chris "Jesus" Ferguson wins the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship
Jesus is surrounded by Romans bearing gifts

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner