Is it entertainment? is it a sport? In either case it fits well here in the 'Chan.  For those who don't know (who could possibly NOT?) the World Series of Poker is underway, and since I doubt you all care as much as I do (which is to check on it daily, following it religiously) I'm going to give you an update on all the shenanigans and goings on...

 

Without spoiling the main event, since I guess some of you might want to watch that on television and not have it ruined. 

 

Anyway before I get into it I'll first mention something else that's coming up that perhaps some of the 'Chan or...well, the rest of ya'll might want to get into.

 

At Pokerstars.com, starting September 3rd and running through September 21st, spanning 45 individual poker events (tournaments), will be hosting (I believe) the 8th Annual World Championship of Online Poker, or the WCOOP. 

 

http://www.pokerstars.com/wcoop/schedule/?utm_id=5

 

That right there is your list of events.  I am commited to playing

 

Event 3/ Razz (which I'm assuming is a Limit event but I'm down either way)

Event 5/ 8 Game (10 minute levels)

Event 21/ Fixed Limit Omaha Hi/Lo

Event 25/ Horse

Event 32/ 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo

Event 35/ Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo

Event 40/ No limit Omaha Hi/Lo (10 minute levels)

 

The great thing about them is you can get in relatively cheap.  the two cheapest are Event 5 (the 8 game) and Event 6 (a No limit Hold-em event), the entry fee for both being $109

 

So, if anyone wants to play some poker I say you should.  I'm guessing most people would be down for playing the Hold-em events, and I'd even be willing to play one if we could get some DMers to sign up (though I'm not a big fan of the game) maybe even rock 'Chan chat to support (or make fun of) each other during the event.  definately have some type of Last longest side bet going on. *g*

 

Now, on to the World Series of Poker.

 

A first time event at this years World Series of Poker was the $40,000 buy in No Limit Hold-em event, It was Event #2 (event #1 being a casino staff only event) and the first of what can be classified the Big Four (or Grand Slam) of the WSOP (World Series of Poker).  201 brave souls ponied up the dough to play in this event, and of those the only players of note to make the Final Table were Ted Forrest (famous for being one of the Primary players to mentioned in the book Suicide King) who finished 9th, and Greg "fossil man" Raymer (who actually won the Main Event a few years back) who finished 3rd.  The winner of the event, and taking down almost 1.9 million dollars was Vitaly Lunkin.

 

Bracelets went out to relative unkowns for the most part, but every once in a while a famous face took down the event title.  Event #8, a 2-7 single draw lowball (no-limit) event, went to the one and only Phil Ivey (who was rewarded $96,367 for roughing up this 147 player field).  Phil Ivey also won Event #25, an Omaha/7 Card Stud Hi/Lo 8 or better event.  This time besting 375 other players (including Carlos Mortensen and Dutch Boyd at the final table) to take home $220,538.  This is the first time Ivey has won multiple bracelets since he won 3 in 2002.  He now stands at 7 for his career, ranking him amongst the top ten World Series players Evah.  Ivey also cashed this year in three other events taking 18th in event #13 (a No Limit hold-em event), 44 in Event #30(A pot limit Omaha event), and 8th in event #41 (A No Limit Holdem shootout).  He is currently placed in 3rd for WSOP player of the year, though he is mathmatically eliminated from winning (even if he wins the Main Event).

 

Other big poker names to win bracelets?  Nick Schulman won the $10000 No Limit 2-7 triple draw event(#23) taking home 279,742.  JC Tran won the $2500  Pot Limit Omaha event (#30) grabbing $235,685.  Brandon Cantu won the $1500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo event (#48) to take his first ever bracelet and $228,867.  Greg 'FBT' Mueller won two events.  The $10000 Limit Holdem event (#33) for $460841, and the $1500 Limit Holdem Shootout (#50) for $194,909. 

 

I mentioned one event that's part of the Grand Slam of the WSOP, so you might be asking about the other two, though you're probably not.  Even so...

 

$10000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Holdem Event #29.  256 players started this 1v1 single elimination tournament chasing the $625,000 prize.  But by the time the Sweet 16 rolled around we had a group of virtual unkowns, except two.  The Mad Genius of Poker Mike Caro, who failed to make the elite 8.  And Two Time, Two Time, Two Time World Champ Johnny Chan, who made it one round farther than Caro but failed to crack the Final Four.  The Winner of the event...Leo Wolpert.

 

Also the $50000 World Championship HORSE Event #49, considered by many pros to be the Main Event due to it's High dollar buy in and required mastery of five of Pokers most played games H(Limit Holdem)O(Limit Omaha Hi/Lo)R(Limit Razz)S(Limit 7 Card Stud)E(Limit 7 Card Stud Eight or Better).  The games alternating with each level.  95 of the world's top pro's registered and the final table ran out thusly...

9th-Gus Hanson (Actually the final table only had 8 players due to the Stud played but Gus is the MAN so I threw him in here anyway)

 

 

8th-Erik Seidel

7th-Chau Giang

6th-Ville Wahlbeck

5th-Huck Seed

4th-Vitaly Lunkin

3rd-Erik Sagstrom

2nd-John Hanson

1st-David Bach (Taking home nearly 1.3 Million dollars)

 

Finnland's own Ville Wahlbeck has actually cashed in 6 events so far this World Series, including a bracelet in the $10000 World Championship mixed event.  He is presently 2nd overall in the WSOP Player of the Year standings and the only man capable of taking the POY away from our current leader...

 

Jeff Lissandro.  Not just one of the more well known pro's, he's a guy who wears a Fedora almost everywhere he goes, a man after my own heart.  Lissandro has cashed in 6 events as well, winning 3 of them.  $1500 Seven Card Stud (Event #15), $2500 Seven Card Razz (Event #44), $10000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo (Event #37).  He's having the tourney of his life and is up about $800,000 for this years WSOP.

 

So, was your favorite player not named in my recap?  They still might be doing okay I suppose, here's a list of 10 other pros and how they're doing this year...

 

Daniel Negreanu, ranked 9th in the POY has cashed in 8 seperate events (more than any other player this year), but failed to make a real impact in any of them. 

 

Phil Hellmuth made his typical HUGE entrance to the WSOP Main Event this year, arriving dressed as Ceaser with a 50 person retinue following him into the event, all of them toga'd out.  As for the actual play at the tables, The Greatest Holdem Player alive has cashed in 5 events, though never placing higher than 14th.

 

Texas Dolly Doyle Brunson, the Godfather of poker has cashed in only 2 events, though he did finish 7th overall in the $10000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event

 

Chris "Jesus" Ferguson has cashed in 2 events this year, finishing 5th in the Ante up for Africa Charity event.

 

Scotty Nguyen Baby! has cashed in only one event...Sorry Baby!

 

Berry Greenstien, the Robin Hood of Poker (because he donates all of his tournament winnings to Charity) and the foremost advocate for the legalization of Poker in the USA has cashed in 7 events this year, including a 5th and a 9th place finish. 

 

Mike 'The Mouth' Matusow has only cashed in one event this year, finishing 23rd in an Omaha Hi/Lo event.

 

E-Dog Erick Lindgren has cashed 4 times, though he has yet to crack the top 20 this year.

 

David Williams, former runner up to Greg Raymer and all around damn fine poker player (He went on to win a Bracelet the year following his deep Main Event run) has cashed in 2 events.  Finishing 4th in the Limit Holdem Shootout.

 

And those Main Event Champs from years gone by? How have they faired...

 

2008 World Champ Peter Eastgate:  0 Cashes

2007 World Champ Jerry Yang:  0 Cashes

2006 World Champ Jamie Gold:  0 Cashes

2005 World Champ Joseph Hashem:  0 Cashes

2004 World Champ Greg Raymer:  1 Cash (Finished 3rd in the $40000 No Limit Event #2)

2003 World Champ Chris Moneymaker:  0 Cashes

 

So yeah, here's hoping the World Champion of poker this year can actually play, and doesn't ride a string of luck all the way to the title like the last few gents have.  Though I'll concede Raymer and Hashem are both established pros who've done well in other events, and Peter Eastgate is still a too soon to tell kind of guy.

 

So speaking of that Main Event, I'll give some news without spoilers.  The Main Event has grown so much since Chris Moneymaker took the title down that they now play four seperate Day 1's because the field simply wouldn't all fit into one Casino.  Players are given the option of which day they'll begin their tournament on, which I'll get to later.  This year we actually have a change in the WSOP tournament structure, as the starting stack for each player has risen from 20,000 in chips to 30,000 in chips.  This was to give the players a little more flexability and also (in my opinion) to give the pro's a bit more of an edge and try to pull even more luck out of the event.  Anyway Day 1a saw 1,116 players, including Rapper Nelly, Brad Garret (of Everybody Loves Raymond fame), and Jason Alexander (COSTANZA!!!), oh yeah and pros Johnny Chan and Allan Cunningham.  Day 1b was held on the fourth of July, which caused a dip in the number of entrants (mostly just dirty foriegners  ;)) totalling 873.  Some notables from day 1b were Greg Raymer, Jesus Ferguson, and Mike Matusow.  Day 1c had a much larger turnout 1,696 players, including Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negraenu, Annie Duke, Jeff Lissandro, and Howard Lederer. 

 

Day 1d actually brough controversy, as it filled up. So many people chose to play day 1d that 500 players were actually turned away ($10000 in hand) and told that their money was no good.  A seating compacity of 2,809 was reached very early in the morning, and after that folk were refused the right to play (including T.J. Cloutier, one of the world's foremost pros).  Most of those people complained n' stuff, but they should have played day 1a or 1b, then they wouldn't have that problem.  Notables who actually did make it to the poker tables were as follows... Phil Ivey, Scott Fischman, David Williams, Chad Brown, Ray Romano (everbody loves Raymond), and Marlon Wayons (MO MONEY MO MONEY MO MONEY).

 

Players left from 1a and 1b played round 2a on Tuesday, And Yesterday 1c and 1d's leaving combined to for about 3000 players making day 2b the most filled out day of tournament play we've seen.  Today players are having a media day, but on Friday play will resume for day 3, which will see all the remaining players in one room.  They will continue to play (about 8 more days) until we are down to a field of 9 (Final Table) at which point they send everyone home until November when they come back and fight it out for around 8 million dollars.  A lot of big names are still in, and a lot of big names are out, but like I said I won't spoil it if you want to enjoy the action for yourselves when ESPN shows it on TV.  Some of the notable players who will be on TV (by virtue of playing at the ESPN feature tables on just the four day 1s) are Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negraenu, Mike Matusow, Erick Lindgren, Peter Eastgate, Doyle Brunson, Eli Elezra, and Greg FBT Mueller.  So the first 4 hours of ESPN TV will have heavy doses of all 8 of those gentlemen, which should be exciting to watch.

 

A note on Featured tables, the table seating is all drawn at random, and then ESPN goes in and decides which two (they have a featured and a secondary featured) tables they want moved into their special ESPN TV zone and then all the players at whatever table ESPN decides on move to those special tables. Which is why you get Hellmuth, Matusow, Negraunu, and Lingren on TV instead of having to watch 9 guys who drove in from Iowa.  Interesting note Phil Ivey's table on day 1 was actually chosen to be a featured table by ESPN but Mr. Ivey requested that he not be put on television and so they chose another table instead.  This promptly pissed off every other player at his table, because just being featured on an ESPN table brings you around $10000 in endorsement money, which would basically pay for your sign up fee.  Ivey was so concerned about upsetting them that he proceeded to eat lunch, right at the table, and of course asked the camera men to leave his table while he was eating, though he gracefully said they could return once his dinner was over.  Ahhh, Phil Ivey.

 

JD,

'Chan's poker guy.

I read the ESPN poker blog... and another poker blog every day at noon to catch up on the events. 

 

Phil Ivey is my favorite poker player by far. 

 

If you are waiting for the last day to register then you deserve to be left out.  I hope they don't discover that some pros that registered late made it in over some other people though.

 

Hellmuth - I can't deny he is a good poker player.  I just dislike him so very much.  I read about his entrance and for anyone else it would be funny... for him it made me dislike him even more.  My favorite part of the WSOP is when he goes home.  I might just be jealous of his 11 bracelets...

 

I haven't touched cards in some time.  I feel very rusty.  I keep trying to put together a local game but I don't have the friends to get something together.  And playing online has always been a disaster... but I am looking into the WCOOP tonight when I get home. 

 

 

We've been watching the World Series of Poker Championships .... I only watched until they got to the Final Table. Interesting stuff.

 

I'm not sure I'm patient enough for Poker although I do appreciate a good game.

Holy sh!t Justen.....you did your poker history homework.  I think you're as addicted to poker as I am to hockey.  Damn.

 

Personally, I view poker as entertainment.  I pretty much suck at it, because I never bet properly.

 

But I think Jesus is my favorite player, but anybody who wears a Fedora is cool with me.  Is it red by any chance?  If so, what's the chance of somebody getting him to start talking about control art restriction levels at the table?  8)

 

Here is Jeff.

 

 

Oh Ivey is making me so proud.  My hero!

My favorite player is Daniel Negranu (SP?)

 

I love to play and watch poker.

 

I also think I am pretty good at it.

 

As far as sport or entertainment, I would say sport.

I don't dislike Danny N and think he has some very good poker smarts... but damn he talks too much.

I love Phil Hellmuth.  I enjoy his tirades and really enjoy watching him play.  I will say for the recornd his table antics (as far as treating his fellow players like sh*t) are limited to the WSOP and Big poker tourneys, he doesn't curse during regular ring games, and if you catch him in your local casino you're far more likely to get an autograph or a brief conversation from him than almost any other pro.  I think the reason for his outbursts is mostly his passion for the game (think John McEnroe, but more prickish), and I can respect that.  He loves the WSOP, takes it very seriously, and I'm sure it can be frustrating getting your Aces cracked by someone holding 47 offsuit just because they wanted to take a pot off Phil Hellmuth.  But yeah, I'll stop defending him, He's a dick, but he's my guy.

 

I like Ivey as well, and Negreanu.  Negreanu does talk quite a bit but it's usually good natured and funny, plus it gives you a lot of insight into what he's thinking, the way he verbally breaks down a hand, figuring out exactly what two cards his opponent is holding is impressive.  Ivey's just so good at poker it's a lovely thing to behold, add in the Ivey stare and the fact that from time to time he gets a little bit peckish too.  I think it was last year when he asked that one guy why he was standing up when he was in the lead in the hand...amusing. 

 

JD,

Creamy

I love playing poker. I usually just play with family or friends, and we never play for 'real' money, but I feel like I'm fairly good at reading the people at the table and playing off of that.

 

I don't actually really follow it on TV, but when I do watch it (which hasn't been in years probably), I always like watching that really old guy with the cowboy hat that was always playing in the no limit games. He was cool.

Another player I really like is Scotty Ngyuen baby, and I can't forget and Annie Duke.