2,998 Players Show-Up for Day 1A of WSOP Event #4
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A small section of the 2,998 poker players paying the $1,000 buy-in to play Day 1A of event #4 at the 2009 World Series of Poker
2,998 poker players entered Event #4, $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em, at the 2009 World Series of Poker with Saturday's 1A group down to 375 at quitting time. Few of poker's elite made the Day 1 cut. Sunday is already a sell-out unless the WSOP staff can locate more tables; but, no matter, this will be the largest field ever for a non-Main Event poker tournament.
Hurry on down to the Rio Las Vegas and watch poker history in the making where everyday brings enough drama for a lifetime and there's plenty of stress, too.
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Annie Duke playing deep into event #3, $1,500 buy-in Omaha Hi/Lo
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$40,000 buy-in Event #2 chip leader, Isaac Haxton, takes almost $6 million in play money to the final table today
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Tony G lets you in on the poker action at chipmeup auctions
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Another view of the 2009 WSOP tournament floor in the Amazon Room at the Rio Resort Las Vegas
Another Day, Another Record Set at the 2009 WSOP
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What can you do with a poker room this big? Fill it with a record setting 918 Omaha Poker Players
Friday's Event #3 of the 2009 World Series of Poker set a new record for being the largest Omaha Hi/Lo tournament in history. A prize pool of $1,253,070 was gathered from the 918 players paying the $1,500 buy-in for the event.
The previous record was the 2008 $1,500 buy-in Omaha Hi/Lo event which attracted 833 entrants seeking a piece of the $1,137,045 prize pool. Defending 2008 champion, Thang Luu, finished Day #1 as the chip leader with 73,600 in play money.
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Thang Luu, 2008 WSOP $1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo champion, defends his title by going straight to the top of Day #1's Chip Leader Board
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Professional poker player and TV star, Annie Duke, was in the record setting crowd
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All the way from Italy, Max Pescatori, is an Omaha H/L specialist seeking another gold WSOP bracelet to add to his collection of coveted gold jewelry
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The smartest man in poker, Andy Bloch, surveys the table action
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WSOP gold bracelet holder, Minneapolis Jim Meehan, appears from another era of poker's rich history
The Thrill of Victory at the 2009 WSOP Event #1
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Andrew Cohen reacts to the river that sealed his quest of a WSOP gold bracelet
Andrew Cohen, an employee of the N9NE Steakhouse at the Palms Las Vegas, took down the first gold WSOP bracelet of the 2009 tournament. Two days of marathon play reduced the field of 866 to this moment when Cohen's pocket sixes held up and he was the champion. Andrew Cohen received $83,778 in cash, a Corum watch and the gold WSOP bracelet, the greatest prize in all of poker.
Casey Kuhn finished second for $51,778 and Grant Yasui completed the top three to receive $33,923. Stephanie Donahue of the Normandie Casino in LA was the last women to be eliminated.
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Andrew Cohen wins 2009 WSOP Event #1
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Stephanie Donahue was the last woman eliminated in 19th place for $2,475, cashing in her first time to play in any WSOP event
2009 WSOP $40K Event #2 Sets Prize Pool Record!
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Chris Moneymaker, 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion, End of Day #1 - 2nd of 89 players, 805,000 in chips
2009 World Series of Poker Event #2, $40,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em attracted a poker pro rich field of 201 players and collected a WSOP record $7,718,400. The largest prize pool ever for a non-Main Event. The winner of the event will collect $1,718,000 in cash, a Corum watch and the coveted gold WSOP bracelet.
Day #1 saw the field reduced to 89 players including 4 former WSOP Main Event Champions. The top 27 finishers will receive cash. Bruno Fitoussi finished Day #1 as the chip leader with $812, 500.
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Huckleberry Seed, 1996 WSOP Main Event Champion, End of Day #1 - 37th of 89 players, 274,000 in chips
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Doyle Brunson, 1976 & 1997 WSOP Main Event Champion, End of Day #1 - 42nd of 89 players, 244,000 in chips
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Greg Raymer, 2004 WSOP Main Event Champion, End of Day #1 - 47th of 89 players, 213,000 in chips
WSOP 40k Buy In
Today was the first day of the much anticipated 40k buy in at the 2009 World Series of Poker. There were many questions as to who would show up and how many players would be able to afford the steep buy in. Even in the time of a recession, there were over 200 players who registered for the event. It was no surprise that this tournament would be attended by high profile players like Phil Hellmuth, Chris “Jesus†Ferguson, Annie Duke, and Johnny Chan (just to name a few). It was a surprise that there were lesser known players that decided to take their stab at this event as well. This proves that there is a market for people that are willing to pay the high price tag for the chance to play an exclusive event with the world’s top pros.
There were several tough tables of world champions sitting together sharing stories, chips, and knockouts. One table featured Phil Ivey, Scotty Nguyen, David “The Dragon†Pham, Phil “Poker Brat†Hellmuth, and a few other pros. On a few occasions Ivey was able to detect weak bets from other players and by coming over the top he got them to lay down their cards. In true Mike “The Mouth†fashion, Matusow was ranting about Peter Eastgate’s fold on High Stakes Poker with trip threes. Even though Mike hasn’t played many hands, he is still holding steady on his chips. Justin Bonomo is continuing his sick run this year, and has over 500k in chips while the average is 170k. Other noteworthy players like Howard Leaderer, Johnny Chan, Barry Greenstein, and Chris Ferguson have been eliminated and will have to wait until next year to see if they have a chance to claim the title for this historic event.
WSOP Commissioner Jeffery Pollack seemed to be pretty happy with the amount of players that attended this event which means that a similar event might be added as a permanent fixture to the WSOP schedule.
Phil Hellmuth’s Publishing Company
After hosting the start to the first event of the 2009 World Series of Poker on Wednesday, May 27th, Phil Hellmuth gave a special press conference to announce the release of the first book to be produced under his brand new publishing company, Phil’s House Publishing. “Deal Me Inâ€, by Stephen John and Marvin Karlins, is a collection of “heartbreaking and inspiring stories†from 20 of the world’s greatest poker players.
Outside of publishing the book, Hellmuth played a large role in recruiting big time poker pros to participate in the project. “I knew that once I had Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, Erik Seidel, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Ivey, then everybody else would want to be in the book,†said Hellmuth. “These chapters are just so wildly diverse. Phil Ivey’s story, where he has so much discipline, and control, and money management -- you just don’t expect that looking at the Ivey of today.... Doyle Brunson talking about people getting shot [at his table].... [And] Layne Flack’s [emotional] story made me cry.â€
Deal Me In is currently available at Hellmuth’s personal PokerBrat.com website, where it will be sold exclusively until September when the book will be opened up to other distributors. The first printing of the book will include approx. 20,000 copies that’ll be ready to ship by June 22nd.
2009 WSOP Event #1 Kicked Off Famous Poker Tournament
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This is my poker face
It's officially open, the 2009 World Series of Poker got under way at Noon Wednesday as 860 entrants filled up more than half the seats in the cavernous Amazon Room at the Rio Resort Las Vegas for the year's first WSOP event. The Casino Employee tournament started by Benny Binion to show appreciation to the people that make Las Vegas the greatest vacation destination on the planet. The A few photos from the start of the 2009 WSOP Event #1.
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Eye Level, Event #1, Level #1, Hour #1, 2009 WSOP
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Build a WSOP poker room and they will come
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A small part of the 860 players in the Casino Employees Event #1
WSOP Adds Dream Team Poker Event
The second annual Dream Team Poker Event was held a Caesars Palace earlier this year, and it was such a success that the WSOP has added it to the schedule of 2009 events. The event will be held on July 12-13 after the Main Event recesses for the summer. Although this event will not have a bracelet prize as the other events do, it is expected to have a record breaking turnout.
"After seeing the terrific response to the recent Dream Team Poker tournaments in Las Vegas, we thought a team-based event would be a fun addition to the end of the WSOP," said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP commissioner.
If it is anything like the previous Dream Team Poker events there will be some star studded teams exchanging banter and handing out bad beats. Jamie Gold will be running from his table to Ashley Nataupsky’s table to give her advice and team support on a big hand she is involved in. Beth Shak will be bantering to Phil Hellmuth’s wife about him while they are in the middle of a hand together. Jamie Gold will talk himself into calling Joe Sebok with the worst hand and then come out on top to take the chip lead. All this poker drama will unfold at the tables as teams ban together to take the event title. The excitement is never ending and it adds a whole new feel to tournament poker.
The event is based on a three person team. The entry is $560 per person or $1,680 per team. There will be a Dream Team booth set up at the WSOP for those that want to sign up or have questions about the event.
2009 World Series of Poker is Open for Business!
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There's a new banner above the door this year - Peter Eastgate
A few photos direct from the tournament floor of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) located at the Rio Resort Las Vegas. They were taken shortly after Midnight this morning. The satellites are in full swing with players filling seats in hopes of winning their entry into the fifty-plus events. There's a satellite to fit every budget so get to the big poker show at the Rio and stake your claim.
Event #1 gets under way today at Noon and entry is limited to casino employees. This tournament has become a long term tradition originally staged by the Godfather of the WSOP, Benny Binion.
Stop by daily for updates illustrated with plenty of Flipchip photos of the biggest poker show on the planet.
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Early Wednesday morning crowd play satellites for the 2009 WSOP
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Main WSOP Poker Room stands ready for the onslaught of events
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The final table waits under the cover to award millions in cash
Table covers for the 2009 WSOP
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Table #250 hides in a back corner
Playing the WSOP on a Budget
The World Series of Poker is right around the corner and thousands of people will flock to Las Vegas for their chance to compete for event titles. For those that are coming to Vegas with a small bankroll it is essential to be smart about investments. Chris Furgason advises players not to spend more than 3% of their bankroll on any tournament. Using this model, if your bankroll is $10,000 then you should be maxing out at $300 tournaments. To buy straight into a WSOP $1,500 event you should have a bankroll that exceeds $50,000. Even with a $100,000 bankroll you could only afford to play in one $3,000 event or two $1,500 events before swaying away from this model. However, there are ways to compensate for a meager bankroll and still get a shot at playing during the series.
Satellites
The WSOP runs single table satellites around the clock. The buy-ins range depending on the event you are trying to get into and how many winners are paid. Typically there are one or two winners per satellite. These single table satellites are a great value for the money, as you only have to beat out a few people in order to get a seat into the event you want to play. With the tournament chips you win from these satellites you can buy into tournaments, other satellites, or you can sell them to other players.
There are also mega satellites which range from $330 to $1060 which are multi table satellites into the bigger events. Nightly $300 tournaments at 7 p.m. and $200 tournaments at 11 p.m. give players a chance to play tournaments more affordably as well.
Other Options
The WSOP provides a lot of hype, and poker players around the world are excited to take part in the experience. However, poker explodes everywhere in Las Vegas during the World Series. The Venetian holds a DeepStack tournament which offers low buy-ins, large fields, and great structure. Caesar’s Palace also has their Mega Stack series which is similar to the Venetian DeepStack. Binion’s and the Orleans also have affordable tournaments which get substantial turnouts for minimal buy-ins. These should be tournaments on every poker players agenda who is on a bankroll budget and is planning on being in Vegas during the series.
The Basics
Saving money on the basics like food and hotels can allow you to invest your money where it counts. Most hotels with poker rooms offer poker room rates which allow their guests to stay for a discount if they log in hours in their poker room. Each hotel has different criteria for their poker room rates, so call the hotel individually to find out their offers.
Unless you are a superhuman poker grinder, while you are in Las Vegas you will probably want to take a night to relax, drink, and see the sites. Drinks can be expensive if you aren’t gambling, but downtown Las Vegas is a great place to drink for cheap and still be entertained. Fremont Street has outside entertainment of bands, artists, and other street acts. It is located right next to Binion’s and the Golden Nugget which have their own poker rooms. It also has some of the cheapest drinks and food on the strip (no guarantee on the taste).
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