World Series of Poker: Week Four Comparison

ao5Through 47 events here is how the '08 Series is standing up to the '07 Series:

47 Events to Date:

23 events have increased entries
15 events have decreased
8 events were new tournaments or increased buy-ins
1 tie

Here are the week four comparisons:

2008 Event #38
$2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em
Number of Entrants: 605
2007 Entries: 599
(up a few still counts as UP!)

2008 Event #39
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em
Number of Entrants: 2,720
2007 Entries: 2,778
(down a few still counts as DOWN!)

2008 Event #40
$2,500 Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball
Number of Entrants: 238
2007 Entries: 290
(last year this was a $1,000 event with rebuys, not a good comparison)

2008 Event #41
$1,500 Mixed Hold'em
Number of Entrants: 731
2007 Entries: 620
(5 PM event with a nice increase)

2008 Event #42
$1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em
Number of Entrants: 2,217
2007 Entries: 1,882
(many more seniors)

2008 Event #43
$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8 or better
Number of Entrants: 720
2007 Entries: 687
(another increase)

2008 Event #44
$1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/rebuys
Number of Entrants: 879 w/ 2,508
2007 Entries: 1,048 w/ 2,336 rebuys
(many less players, many more rebuys)

2008 Event #45
$50,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Number of Entrants: 148
2007 Entries: 148
(a flat out tie!)

2008 Event #46
$5,000 No Limit Hold'em 6-handed
Number of Entrants: 805
2007 Entries: 728
(11% increase)

2008 Event #47
$1,500 Seven Card Stud 8 or better
Number of Entrants: 544
2007 Entries: 668
($1,000 buy-in in 2007)

Week Three Comparison
Week Two Comparison
Week One Comparison

Bodog WSOP Qualifier VIP Days: The Gun Range

photo courtesy BodogLife.com
Bodog PokerBodog players will warm up at the gun range before turning on each other at the paintball range


Bodog WSOP Qualifier VIP Days: The Gun Range


As you might have read in our previous post about Bodog's WSOP VIP Days, Bodog has something special going on for the winners of their WSOP online satellites.


In the last post we looked at what qualifiers who choose Day 1 could expect at the racetrack. This time we'll be looking at the details of Day 2 - Day of the Gun.


Day 2 takes place on July 5. Qualifiers who select this day will get to let off some steam at the Las Vegas Gun Range before heading over to do battle against each other at an indoor paintball range. Here are the details:


• WSOP qualifiers will get warmed up by shooting 15 rounds with a 9mm handgun. From there they will move on to five rounds with a 12ga shotgun and then let it rip with four different machine guns with a full magazine in each.

• They will get to shoot up a Las Vegas Gun Range shirt and keep it.

• Then they'll compete with other Bodog WSOP qualifiers in a shooting competition with a Desert Eagle.

• Once qualifiers have gotten a taste for shooting it's time to turn the guns on each other at an indoor paintball range!

This Saturday, July 28 is the last chance to get to the WSOP through Bodog and pick your favorite VIP Day. Find out more about Bodog's WSOP online satellites.

World Series of Poker: the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Championship

horse6Day One of the $50,000 Hold'em, Omaha 8, Razz, Stud, Stud 8 tournament is in the books. Event #45 of the 2008 World Series of Poker is the fifty thousand dollar World Championship H.O.R.S.E. tournament, which is perhaps even more anticipated than the main event starting next week. The 50K HORSE is a very unique event at the World Series of Poker, here are some random observations from Day One.

  • Exactly 148 players started last year's $50K H.O.R.S.E. and the same number of runners turned out this year. The over/unders bets year-to-year were a push. Although the betting lines this year were for many more players, I pushed my year over year bet but cleaned up on the pros who were so sure the numbers would reach 175 or even 200, silly rabbits.
  • Only eight players busted on Day One and I would venture to wager all of these eight got bad beat more than once. The event is simply too deep stacked with 100,000 starting chips for any professional to play loose. Phil Hellmuth is out, so are David Williams and Amnon Filippi. Three players managed to double their stacks to over 200,000 but remember this is a five day event for a reason.
  • One entire quarter of the main tournament room is being used for the eighteen tables of the H.O.R.S.E. event. There is a lot of rail space for spectators and at least three meters between each table. Lots of room for players to wander about and chat; plenty of room for media. The accommodations for this event are superior to any tournament I have ever covered.
  • Payouts will be similar to last year, with the top sixteen being paid. I find it very interesting that the top professionals playing this event consider a "deep run" in this event to be not just "in the money" but making it to the last four tables or the top 32. A clear recognition by the players of how truly elite this field is.
  • The early buzz on media row was about the number of new faces we collectively did not recognize and the players who are playing the $50K H.O.R.S.E. for the first time and those players who played last year but are taking a fifty thousand dollar pass this year. Missing from the field '08 over '07:

    • Gavin Smith
    Josh Arieh
    Mark Vos
    Darrell Dicken
    Tuan Le
    Kirk Morrison
    John Phan
    Carlos Mortensen
    Erik Seidel (he has an Omaha final table today)

    and the ladies contingent is way down this year, missing from last year:
    Kristy Gazes
    Jerri Thomas
    Maureen Feduniak
    Cyndy Violette

  • And finally, here are the top sixteen from last year:

    • 1. Freddy Deeb
    2. Bruno Fitoussi
    3. John Hanson
    4. Amnon Filippi
    5. Kenny Tran
    6. David Singer
    7. Barry Greenstein
    8. Thor Hansen
    9. Gabe Kaplan
    10. Dewey Tomko
    11. Mark Gregorich
    12. Stephen Wolff
    13. Tim Phan
    14. Greg Raymer
    15. Chris Reslock
    16. Mike Matusow

    WSOP Stats Through Event #11

    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    Michael Mizrachi Michael Mizrachi has played in 30 events

    Just got these official numbers from the 2008 World Series of Poker through Event #41.

    Most Events Entered Through #41

    1. Sirous Jamshidi 33
    2. Michael Mizrachi 30
    3. Anthony Cousineau 29
    4. Thomas Mccormick 28
    5. David Williams 28
    6. Justin Bonomo 28
    7. Amnon Filippi 27
    8. Michael Binger 27
    9. Jan Von Halle 26
    11. Phillip Ivey 26
    13. Roy Winston 26
    10. Men Nguyen 25
    12. Roland Isra 25
    13. Nikolay Evdakov 25
    14. John Juanda 25


    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    Chau Giang
    Chau Giang has six cashes

    Most Cashes Through Event # 41:

    1. Nikolay Evdakov 6 ($168,015)
    2. Chau Giang 6 ($109,233)
    3. Alex Jacob 6 ($73,803)
    4. Rolf Slotboom 6 ($45,929)
    5. Roland Isra 6 ($28,973)

    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    David Benyamine David Benyamine has collected almost a million dollars

    Most Money Earned Through Event #41:

    1. David Benyamine $941,652 - 4 cashes
    2. Grant Hinkle $831,462 - 1
    3. Phil Galfond $817,781 - 1
    4. Nenad Medic $810,608 - 2
    5. Scott Seiver $785,393 - 4
    6. Duncan Bell $682,729 - 2
    7. Mike Matusow $675,919 - 2
    8. Chris Ferguson $674,563 - 4
    9. Michael Banducci $664,997 - 3
    10. Jacobo Fernandez $648,421 - 5
    11. David Woo $637,976 - 2
    12. Vitaly Lunkin $628,417 - 1
    13. Jesper Hougaard $621,805 - 3
    14. John Phan $586,700 - 2
    15. Andy Bloch $585,620 - 3


    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    Minh Ly
    Minh Ly has two final tables appearances

    Most Final Table Appearances Through Event #41:

    Jacobo Fernandez 3
    Chris Bjorin 2
    Andy Bloch 2
    Alex Bolotin 2
    Scott Clements 2
    Fu Wong 2
    Minh Ly 2
    Daniel Negreanu 2
    David Singer 2
    J.C. Tran 2
    Theo Tran 2
    Christopher Bell 2
    David Benyamine 2
    Al Barbieri 2
    Greg Jamison 2
    Kyle Kloeckner 2
    Marcel Luske 2
    Chris Ferguson 2

    Dan Lacourse Wins 2008 WSOP Event #42

    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    Dan Lacourse Dan Lacourse, 2008 WSOP $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em World Champion


    What better way to end the 2008 WSOP Seniors World Championship than with trips? Dan Lacourse called Dale Eberle all-in with a 7-9 off-suit and calmly watched the flop of 9-9-K, no diamonds, mostly avoid Eberle's K-4 of diamonds. The turn was a deuce and retired fireman Eberle was down to needing a King to stay alive. Instead of the needed paint the river was an 8 giving Lacourse the trips and the championship.

    Dan Lacourse takes home his first WSOP gold bracelet and $368,832 in cash. Dale Eberle goes back into retirement with $131,194. Marc Fluss received $156,424 for hanging in to finish in third place.

    Champion Dan Lacourse's said he will probably be the only player in his friend's game back home with a WSOP gold bracelet. Congratulations to Dan Lacourse for becoming the 2008 WSOP Senior's World Champion.


    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    Dan Lacourse
    Poker Legend Johnny Moss looks down from above as Jeffrey Pollack and Oklahoma Johnny present Dan Lacourse the gold bracelet for the 2008 WSOP Seniors World Championship

    Bodog WSOP Qualifier VIP Days: The Race Track

    photo courtesy of Bodog Poker
    race_car_is.jpg WSOP qualifiers will be tearing up the track in high performance Corvettes


    Players who qualify for the WSOP through Bodog this year will be getting the VIP treatment. Among the usual perks that come with qualifying for the WSOP through Bodog (great swag, professional Team Bodog Handlers, Bodog Girls, Bodog Party, etc.) winners of their online WSOP satellites this year will also get to choose from one of three special VIP Days. The choices are between:

    Day 1 - Racing cars at a professional racetrack.

    Day 2 - Shooting at a gun range and facing off against fellow WSOP qualifiers at an indoor paintball range.

    Day 3 - A Helicopter ride to the Grand Canyon and a buzz of the Vegas Strip at night.

    For now we'll just focus on Day 1.

    Day 1 takes place on July 4. Qualifiers who select this day will get to celebrate Independence Day with the thrill of driving race cars at the Racetrack Club House of Spring Mountain Motorsports. Here are the details:

    • Each qualifier will compete against each other as they drive automatic Corvettes. A race course is set up each participant will get at least three runs on the course.

    • Hot Laps with a pro-driver involves riding with a professional driver in a 505 horsepower ZO-6 Corvette and going three laps on a 2.2 mile road racing circuit.

    • Go- karts. These karts are high performance racing karts capable of speeds of 80MPH! They are driven on a 1.2 mile road racing circuit.

    • Lunch in the Members Clubhouse. A real first class facility with pool, poker table and pool table.

    There is still time to get to the WSOP through Bodog and pick your favorite VIP Day. Bodog's last chance to qualify is on Saturday, July 28. Find out more about Bodog's WSOP online satellites.

    World Series of Poker: the Most Entertaining Day of the Year

    horseFor poker fans on site and the media, today is the best day of the World Series of Poker. I wonder about the thoughts behind today's schedule as far as player comfort but the who cares today will be fun.

    At noon there is the second of the $1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/ rebuys event. As you probably know the professionals play these rebuy events very differently than the amateurs. The pros will show up with the cash for 20 or more rebuys and they play the early rounds to get money out on the table. Building a big stack can only be accomplished at an "action table", so the pros create action. In the early rebuy rounds you will see two things over and over: first, there will be lots of all-ins pre-flop and even more players pushing on the flop; second, you will see a lot of shell-shocked amateurs with one or two rebuys in their pocket being run down by the pros ready to indiscriminately gamble it up.

    This is a fun two hours of rebuy poker madness, well maybe not so much fun for those spendthrift rookies with only a single rebuy. And today's event will be even more wild since about 150 or so of the top players will be throwing even more chips around because if they can't build a monster stack than they would rather bust out early because they have another appointment later this afternoon.

    You see at 5 PM today, the premiere event of the World Series of Poker is schedule. With apologies to the crusty, olde Main Event; the real superstar of the show is the five day $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament that begins later today. Last year 148 runners put up the $50K to prove who was the best in the world or at least the best for those five days. Freddy Deeb took down the prize last year. The speculation is rampant around how many players will put up the big buy-in this year but you can be sure of a spectacle well worth watching.

    ESPN is back after four weeks to capture all the familiar faces for the big H.O.R.S.E. event, if you are anywhere near Las Vegas, this is the day to be at the Rio. Rebuy mania at noon and the big event scheduled at five, which means probably six or so; you can't rush the run for the newly created Chip Reese trophy.

    Frank Gary Wins 2008 WSOP Event #41

    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    Frank Gary Frank Gary, 2008 WSOP $1,500 Mixed Hold'em Champion


    $1,500 Mixed Hold'em attracted a field of 731 entrants all hoping to collect the coveted WSOP gold. When the final river card hit the board it was Frank Gary that claimed the bracelet and the #219,508 that goes along with the jewelry. Jonathan Tamayo received #140,093 for his three days of work at the card mines located inside the Rio All-Suite Resort in Las Vegas. Third place money of $84,814 was doled out to Nick Binger for outlasting all but two players.

    Congratulations to Frank Gary for securing a year's worth of WSOP poker bragging rights after winning event #41 and his first gold bracelet.

    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    Jonathan Tamayo Jonathan Tamayo played hard and finished second

    John Phan Wins 2008 WSOP Event #40 and Second Bracelet

    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    John Phan John Phan, 2008 WSOP $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Champion


    John Phan survived the field of 238 playes to take down the gold bracelet and $151,896 in cash in the $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw event #40. This is his second win of the 2008 WSOP making him the only double bracelet winner to date. The field included some past champions with six time bracelet winner Billy Baxter going out on the final table bubble. Prolific author and two-plus-two originator David Slansky lasted into a final table seat only to go out in the six spot for $20,528.

    Shun Uchida finished second collecting $95,795 after he was eliminated by John Phan. Gioi Luong rounded out the top three for $61,583 in cash. Although 2-7 triple draw has not proven to be one of the more popular forms of poker it definitely involves a multiplicity of strategies to consistantly win. Billy Baxter is considered to be one of the all-time greats of the game.

    Congratulations to John Phan for winning the 2008 WSOP 2-7 triple draw event and his second 2008 WSOP bracelet.


    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    John Phan
    John Phan shows off 2008 WSOP bracelet #2

    David Woo Wins 2008 WSOP Event #39

    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    David Woo David Woo, 2008 WSOP $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Champion


    David Woo came to the final table in the middle of the pack then built on hios stacks until he was atop the leader board. He never relinquished the chip lead and continued to build his chip advantage until the final river card of the final hand gave him the win, the cash and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet. David is from South Korea and now makes his home in Atlantic Georgia. He has had three previous cashes in the WSOP during his four years of playing in the tournament with his best being a fifth place finish in a 2007 $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event.

    David Woo takes away the coveted WSOP gold bracelet and $631,656 in cash for his win. Matt Wood received $389,844 for his second place effort while Eric Beren collects $278,460 for hanging on to third place. All of the top three receive a nice return for the $1,500 investment they placed only three days ago.

    Congratulations to David Woo for topping the field of 2720 players to take the gold.


    photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com
    David Woo
    David Woo studies his opponent Matt Wood before making the final call

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