Tag: world series of poker

2011 WSOP: Week One

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WSOPThe 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 6 Recap

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WSOPEvent 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 11th 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 3rd 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.

42nd Annual World Series of Poker Begins

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WSOPThe 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.

Free WSOP with Bodog Poker

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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.

41st Annual World Series of Poker 2010 Recap

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WSOPWe 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.