World Series of Poker
Encyclopedia
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a world-renowned series of poker tournament
s held annually in Las Vegas
and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment
. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion
invited seven of the best-known poker players (supposedly the seven best in the US) to the Horseshoe Casino
for a single tournament, with a set start and stop time, and a winner determined by secret ballot.
The winner of each event receives a World Series of Poker bracelet
and a monetary prize based on the number of entrants and buy-in amounts. Over the years the tournament has grown, both in the number of events and the number of participants. Each year the WSOP culminates with the $10,000 no-limit hold'em "Main Event", which since 2004 has attracted entrants numbering in the thousands. The victor receives a multi-million dollar
prize and a bracelet, which has become the most coveted award a poker player can win. The winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker.
Starting in 2011, the WSOP consists of 58 events, with most major poker variants featured, though in recent years over half of the events have been variants of Texas hold 'em
. Events traditionally take place during one day or over several consecutive days during the series in June and July. However, starting in 2008, the Main Event final table
has been delayed until November.
The 2011 World Series of Poker
was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino
in Las Vegas. It started on May 31 and ran through July 19, with the final table of the Main Event returning in November. Pius Heinz
became the first German to win the main event, taking home US$8.72 million.
The biggest event of the year in the WSOP is known as the Main Event. In 2011, 6,865 players from around the world participated in the WSOP Main Event, which started on July 7th in the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. The entry fee was $10,000. After eight days and more than half a million hands, the final nine players were reached.
Since 1971, all WSOP events have been tournaments with cash prizes. In 1973
a five-card stud event was added. Since then, new events have been added and removed. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP; later on, the winners of pre-1976 events were retroactively given bracelets.
The tournament grew slowly for over a decade, reaching 52 participants in 1982. In the early 1980s, satellite tournament
s were introduced, allowing people to win their way into the various events. By 1987, there were over 2,100 entrants in the entire series.
At the 2006 World Series of Poker
, there were 45 events, covering the majority of poker variants. Participation in the Main Event peaked that year, with 8,773 players competing.
Currently, Texas hold 'em, Omaha hold 'em
and Seven-card stud
and their lowball variants
are played. H.O.R.S.E.
has been played in the past and returned in 2006. Also, S.H.O.E.
has been played in the past, and returned in 2007. Other events played in the past include Chinese poker
, Five card stud, and many others. Like most tournaments, the sponsoring casino takes an entry fee (a percentage between 6% and 10%, depending on the buy-in) and distributes the rest, hence the prize money increasing with more players. In the 2005 Main Event, US$52,818,610 in prize money was distributed among 560 players, with US$7.5 million as the first prize. The 2006 Main Event, won by Jamie Gold
, is the largest single poker tournament in history; Gold pocketed US$12 million for his victory. In July 2010, it was announced that the winner of the 2010 Main Event would receive just under US$9 million.
On June 2, 2011, the World Series of Poker and Cirque du Soleil
founder Guy Laliberté
announced plans for an officially sanctioned special fundraising event, officially known as The Big One for One Drop, on June 1, 2012 with a record US$1 million entry fee. 11% of the money would go to Laliberté's charity, the One Drop Foundation
. At the time of the announcement, 15 of the maximum 48 seats had been taken. Among those who have committed to the event are Johnny Chan
, Daniel Negreanu
and billionaire businessman Phil Ruffin
. If at least 29 players sign up, the first prize will exceed the record amount won by Jamie Gold. In addition, a WSOP bracelet will be awarded.
there were 4,780 entrants in the various events, but in 2005, the number rose to over 23,000 players. In the main event alone, the number of participants grew from 839 in 2003
to 8,773 in 2006. Phil Helmuth has won the most bracelets with 11 followed by Doyle Brunson
and Johnny Chan
with ten bracelets each. Crandell Addington
is the only player to place in the top ten of the World Series of Poker Main Event eight times, albeit in earlier years with small fields compared to modern times. Four players have won the main event multiple times: Johnny Moss
(1970
, 1971
, and 1974
), Doyle Brunson
(1976
and 1977
), Stu Ungar
(1980
, 1981
, and 1997
) and Johnny Chan
(1987
and 1988
). Bracelet winners who first achieved fame in other fields include French actor/singer Patrick Bruel
(in 1998
), Danish soccer player Jan Vang Sørensen (in 2002
) and American actress Jennifer Tilly
(in 2005
). In recent years, there have been non-bracelet events at the WSOP
; two of the most notable are the "World Series of Rock Paper Scissors" and "Ante Up for Africa."
The idea of a World Series of Poker began in 1969 with an event called the Texas Gambling Reunion. It was an invitational event sponsored by Tom Moore of San Antonio, Texas, and held at the Holiday Hotel and Casino in Reno
. This inaugural event was won by Crandell Addington
. The set of tournaments that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) would evolve into was the brainchild of Las Vegas
casino owner and poker player Benny Binion
. In 1970, the first WSOP at Binion's Horseshoe
took place as a series of cash games that included five-card stud
, deuce to seven low-ball draw
, razz
, seven-card stud
, and Texas hold 'em
. The format for the Main Event as a freeze-out Texas hold 'em game came the next year. The winner in 1970, Johnny Moss
, was elected by his peers as the first World Champion of Poker and received a silver cup as a prize.
purchased Binion's Horseshoe, retained the rights to the Horseshoe and World Series of Poker brands, sold the hotel and casino to MTR Gaming Group
, and announced that the 2005 Series events would be held at the Harrah's-owned Rio
Hotel and Casino, located just off the Las Vegas Strip
. The final two days of the main event in 2005 were held downtown at what is now the MTR-operated "Binion's" in celebration of the centennial of the founding of Las Vegas. It also added a made-for-television $2 million "freeroll" invitational Tournament of Champions
(TOC) event first won by Annie Duke
as a "winner-take-all" event.
Starting in 2005, the WSOP began a tournament "circuit" at Harrah's-owned properties in the United States where, in addition to the $10,000 buy-in tournament at each site, qualifying players became eligible for a revamped Tournament of Champions. The 2005 TOC, made up of the top twenty qualifying players at each circuit event, along with the final table from the 2005 Main Event and the winners of nine or more bracelets (Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth) would participate in the revamped TOC at Caesar's Palace
. Mike Matusow
won the first prize of $1 million (US), and all the players at the final table were guaranteed a minimum of $25,000 for the eighth and ninth place finishers. During a break in the final table of the 2005 Main Event on July 16, Harrah's announced that eleven properties — including the recently added Bally's and Caesar's properties — would host 2005–06 WSOP Circuit events that started on August 11 in Tunica
, Mississippi
. One event that was scheduled for Biloxi
, Mississippi, was canceled after the Grand Casino Biloxi
, which was scheduled to host the event, suffered major damage from Hurricane Katrina
. The Rio also hosted the 2006 World Series of Poker
, which began on June 25 with satellite events and formally began the day after with the annual Casino Employee event, won in 2006 by Chris Gros
. 2006 featured the Tournament of Champions on June 25 and 26, won by Mike Sexton
. Various events led up to the main event, which was held from July 28 until August 10. The first prize of $12 million was awarded to Jamie Gold
.
Since 1972, the Main Event of the WSOP has been the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'Em (NLHE) tournament (in 1971
the buy-in was $5,000 and the inaugural 1970
event was an invitational with winner determined by a vote). Winners of the event not only get the largest prize of the tournament and a gold bracelet, but additionally their picture is placed in the Gallery of Champions at Binion's. The winner of the Main Event has traditionally been given the unofficial title of World Champion. However, some believe that no-limit hold 'em is not the optimal structure for determining a champion poker player. In 2002, Daniel Negreanu
argued that the Main Event should switch to pot-limit hold 'em, believing that pot-limit required a more complete set of poker skills than no-limit, although he admitted that such a change would likely never be made. However, many of the game's top professionals, including Negreanu, have since stated that the recently-added $50,000 H.O.R.S.E./Poker Player's Championship
event is the one which ultimately decides the world's best player. The $50,000 buy-in, being five times larger than the buy-in for the Main Event, has thus far tended to deter amateurs from playing in this event, and the variety of games played require a broader knowledge of poker. The first $50,000 event, conducted as a H.O.R.S.E. tournament, was won by Chip Reese
in 2006
. In 2010
, the $50,000 event changed from H.O.R.S.E. to an "8-game" format, adding no-limit hold 'em, pot-limit Omaha, and 2–7 triple draw to the mix, and was rechristened The Poker Player's Championship
, with Michael Mizrachi
winning the first edition of the revamped event. Since Reese's death in December 2007, the winner of this event receives the David 'Chip' Reese Memorial Trophy in addition to the bracelet and the prize money.
There have been many memorable moments during the main events, including Jack Straus
's 1982
comeback win after discovering he had one $500 chip left when he thought he was out of the tournament. The end of the 1988 main event was featured in the movie Rounders. Chris Moneymaker
and Greg Raymer
, the winners in 2003
and 2004
, both qualified for the main event through satellite tournaments at the PokerStars
online card room. Jerry Yang
, the winner in 2007
, had only been playing poker for two years prior to his victory. He won his seat at a $225 satellite tournament
at Pechanga Resort & Casino, in California. With passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 online poker sites have been barred from purchasing entrance directly for their users. The 2009 final table lasted for 364 hands, including 88 hands of heads up play.
and Johnny Moss
are the only players to have won the Main Event three times. However, Moss' first victory came in a different format, as he was elected winner by vote of his fellow players at the conclusion of what was then a timed event. Moss (if the first time win by vote is counted), Ungar, Doyle Brunson
, and Johnny Chan
are the only people who have won the Main Event in consecutive years. Johnny Chan's second victory in 1988 was featured in the 1998 film Rounders.
Phil Hellmuth
holds multiple WSOP records: most bracelets (11), most WSOP cashes (78), and most WSOP final tables (42). The 2009 Main Event bracelet winner, Joe Cada
, is the youngest person to win the Main Event.
. In September 2007, the first WSOP championship events outside of Las Vegas, complete with bracelets
, were held. The inaugural WSOPE consisted of three events held in London
from September 6–17, 2007. The main event, a GBP
10,000 buy-in no-limit hold 'em tournament, was won by Norwegian
online prodigy Annette Obrestad
on the day before her 19th birthday. This made her the youngest person ever to win a WSOP bracelet, a record that cannot be broken in the Las Vegas WSOP under current laws because the minimum legal age for casino gaming in Nevada
is 21. Obrestad could play in the WSOPE because the minimum age for casino gaming in the United Kingdom
is 18. While no definitive plans have been announced, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack
has indicated that in the next one to three years that other venues may start holding WSOP events. Two locations that have been mentioned as possible expansion sites are Egypt and South Africa.
The WSOPE moved from London to Cannes
, France
in 2011. At that time, the buy-ins and payouts changed from being fixed in pounds to euro
s.
's "Milwaukee's Best" brand of beers, Pepsi's SoBe
Adrenaline Rush energy drink (sponsors of the 2005 TOC), Helene Curtis' Degree brand of anti-perspirant/deodorant, United States Playing Card's Bicycle Pro Cards
, Bluff Magazine
, GlaxoSmithKline/Bayer's Levitra
erectile dysfunction
medicine, and The Hershey Company
. Licensees include Glu Mobile, Activision
(video games for different platforms such as Nintendo
's GameCube, Microsoft
's Xbox
, Sony
's PlayStation 2
, and PC, featuring computer-generated versions of stars like Ferguson), and products made by different companies ranging from chip sets, playing cards, hand-held games, and clothing like caps and shirts. The official playing cards and chips are manufactured by Excalibur Electronics
, Inc. which is based out of Miami, Florida
and has been the main chip licensee since 2005. The fees and licenses bring in more than a million dollars to Harrah's.
. CBS
began covering the World Series in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, the event was again broadcast as specials. In the late 1980s, the World Series returned to television as ESPN
took over broadcasting. Initially, coverage consisted of just a single one-hour taped-delay broadcast of the main event.
currently airs many of the old broadcasts from the mid 1990s and beyond. Since no "pocket cam" existed, very few hole cards were actually shown to television viewers. Generally, ESPN used poker-playing actors such as Dick Van Patten
, Vince Van Patten
, and Gabe Kaplan
, with either the tournament director
(usually Jim Albrecht
) or a poker professional like Phil Hellmuth
joining the team. Unlike today's coverage, ESPN featured no pre-taped interviews or profiles on the players. In addition, the commentators were generally on the casino floor itself.
ESPN's coverage in 2002 was typical of their coverage in the 1990s (recorded in video, little or no post-production commentary or player profiles, no card cams). However, the final table broadcast was expanded over two one-hour episodes. The 2002 WSOP
was the first with the "sneak peek" (later called the pocket cam, or hole cam
).
In 2003, ESPN expanded their coverage to new heights with their coverage of the WSOP. They included coverage of the entire tournament, with a "Featured Table". At this table, the viewers could see the player's hole cards and subsequent strategy. The action was also broadcast as if live, though on tape-delay. 2003 was the first year that the broadcast covered action preceding the final table. Since then, ESPN has greatly expanded its coverage to include many of the preliminary events of the WSOP, especially Texas Hold 'Em. Also, their coverage of the main event now typically includes at least one hour program on each day. For the first two years of its existence, ESPN was broadcasting one hour programs of the "circuit" events that the WSOP has at various Harrah's-owned casinos, but ESPN did not renew these events. ESPN's coverage now includes many of the trappings of sports coverage, such as lighter segments (called "The Nuts") and interviews. ESPN's coverage has been largely driven by Matt Maranz, Executive Producer for the WSOP telecasts. Maranz leads 441 Productions, which produces the telecast under contract to ESPN's unit ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE). Maranz has significant sports production experience, having previously worked on ESPN's football pre-game show, and has also produced taped segments for NBC's Olympic
coverage.
Coverage would increase in 2004 and 2005 to include preliminary events from the WSOP, in addition to the "Main Event". ESPN has expanded poker to all-new levels, especially with their coverage of the 2006 WSOP, including providing the entire final table of the 2006 Main Event via pay-per-view airing. In 2008, ESPN experimented with the idea of a delayed final table
. This idea presented greater sponsorship opportunities and notoriety, culminating in a recap of the Main Event and the conclusion of the 2008 Main Event final table. In 2009, ESPN announced they would again move the final table to November 2009. The WSOP also decided there would be no rebuy events in 2009. The decision was reached because of complaints that rebuy events provided an unfair advantage to professionals with no limitation on how much money they can spend for an event. There were 57 bracelet events this year. The 2010 WSOP had the same number of bracelet events as in 2009, again with no rebuy events.
The 2011 WSOP, this year with 58 bracelet events and no rebuy events, featured unprecedented "nearly live" coverage, with broadcasts being delayed by much smaller amounts of time while still satisfying Nevada Gaming Commission
regulators. Harrah's Entertainment, via WSOP.com, streamed final-table coverage of all bracelet events on a 5-minute delay, although without pocket cams. The ESPN family of networks aired 36 hours of Main Event coverage leading up to the November Nine on a 30-minute delay, showing the hole cards of all players who voluntarily entered the pot once the hand ended. The Main Event final table was broadcast on a 15-minute delay with the same policy regarding hole cards. The first day of the final table was aired on ESPN2 and the final day on ESPN, with both days also streamed on ESPN3 and WSOP.com.
, was released for several consoles and the computer. A sequel called World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
came out in 2006. In 2007, World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets
was released. WSOP video poker machines now appear at some Harrah's casinos; the machines are standard video poker machines, but have a bonus feature which allows a player to play a modified game of Texas Hold 'em against the machine.
, Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
, Greg Raymer
, Scott Fischman
, Mark Kroon, Mark Seif
, Alex Outhred, and former FBI
interrogator Joe Navarro
. Initial academies were launched in Tunica, Mississippi
, Indiana
, and Las Vegas
.
arm of 888 Holdings, to provide its online gaming services. The offering went live in the UK later that year, allowing UK users to play for real money. Due to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, the offering is not available in the United States.
issued Game Number 739: World Series of Poker $5 Scratchers(sm) with a $50,000.00 top prize. Played on two tables, the game includes a 2nd Chance Drawing for non-winning tickets to win one of two Grand Prize Trip Packages that includes a seat at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event or one of eight WSOP Poker Party Prize Packs. Overall odds are 1:3.79 (non-winning tickets must be submitted within the state of Arizona
).
Poker tournament
A poker tournament is a tournament where players compete by playing poker. It can feature as few as two players playing on a single table , and as many as tens of thousands of players playing on thousands of tables...
s held annually in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment
Harrah's Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...
. It dates its origins to 1970, when Benny Binion
Benny Binion
Lester Ben "Benny" Binion was a well-known American casino owner, mobster, poker enthusiast, and convicted felon.-Early history:...
invited seven of the best-known poker players (supposedly the seven best in the US) to the Horseshoe Casino
Binion's Horseshoe
Binion's Horseshoe, also known as the Horseshoe Casino or simply The Horseshoe, was a hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on what is now the Fremont Street Experience. The casino was named for its founder, Benny Binion and had 366 rooms, three restaurants and a rooftop pool.The...
for a single tournament, with a set start and stop time, and a winner determined by secret ballot.
The winner of each event receives a World Series of Poker bracelet
World Series of Poker bracelet
The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...
and a monetary prize based on the number of entrants and buy-in amounts. Over the years the tournament has grown, both in the number of events and the number of participants. Each year the WSOP culminates with the $10,000 no-limit hold'em "Main Event", which since 2004 has attracted entrants numbering in the thousands. The victor receives a multi-million dollar
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
prize and a bracelet, which has become the most coveted award a poker player can win. The winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker.
Starting in 2011, the WSOP consists of 58 events, with most major poker variants featured, though in recent years over half of the events have been variants of Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
. Events traditionally take place during one day or over several consecutive days during the series in June and July. However, starting in 2008, the Main Event final table
November Nine
The November Nine is the name used to refer to the final nine contestants, or final table, at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker since 2008. The winner of the WSOP Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker....
has been delayed until November.
The 2011 World Series of Poker
2011 World Series of Poker
The 2011 World Series of Poker was the 42nd annual World Series of Poker . The WSOP is the most prestigious poker tournament in the world with the winner of the Main Event considered to be the World Champion. It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada between May...
was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino
Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino
The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino is located off the Las Vegas Strip in the unincorporated area of Paradise, Nevada, USA. It is better known as The Rio and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Inc. The Rio was the first all suite resort in the Las Vegas area...
in Las Vegas. It started on May 31 and ran through July 19, with the final table of the Main Event returning in November. Pius Heinz
Pius Heinz
Pius Heinz is a German poker professional from Cologne, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2011 World Series of Poker. He is the first German player to capture the Main Event bracelet....
became the first German to win the main event, taking home US$8.72 million.
The biggest event of the year in the WSOP is known as the Main Event. In 2011, 6,865 players from around the world participated in the WSOP Main Event, which started on July 7th in the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino. The entry fee was $10,000. After eight days and more than half a million hands, the final nine players were reached.
Format
1973 World Series of Poker
The 1973 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. This year marked the first year a single player won more than one preliminary World Series of Poker event.-Preliminary events:-Final table:...
a five-card stud event was added. Since then, new events have been added and removed. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP; later on, the winners of pre-1976 events were retroactively given bracelets.
The tournament grew slowly for over a decade, reaching 52 participants in 1982. In the early 1980s, satellite tournament
Satellite tournament
A satellite tournament is either a minor tournament or event on a competitive sporting tour or one of a group of such tournaments that form a series played in the same country or region.-Poker:...
s were introduced, allowing people to win their way into the various events. By 1987, there were over 2,100 entrants in the entire series.
At the 2006 World Series of Poker
2006 World Series of Poker
The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...
, there were 45 events, covering the majority of poker variants. Participation in the Main Event peaked that year, with 8,773 players competing.
Currently, Texas hold 'em, Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em
Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards...
and Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
and their lowball variants
Lowball (poker)
Some forms of poker, often called lowball, sometimes called low poker, reward poor poker hands . There are four common variations on this idea, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether or not straights and flushes are used. The methods are:* Ace-to-five low:...
are played. H.O.R.S.E.
HORSE
H.O.R.S.E. is a form of poker commonly played at the high stakes tables of casinos. It consists of rounds of play cycling among:*Texas Hold 'em,*Omaha eight or better,*Razz,*Seven card Stud, and...
has been played in the past and returned in 2006. Also, S.H.O.E.
HOSE
HOSE is a term used for playing a mixed game of poker consisting of four different poker games.* H stands for Hold'em* O for Omaha Eight or Better* S for 7 Card Stud* E for 7 Card Stud Eight or Better...
has been played in the past, and returned in 2007. Other events played in the past include Chinese poker
Chinese poker
Chinese poker, also Pusoy , is a card game that has been played in the Asian community for many years...
, Five card stud, and many others. Like most tournaments, the sponsoring casino takes an entry fee (a percentage between 6% and 10%, depending on the buy-in) and distributes the rest, hence the prize money increasing with more players. In the 2005 Main Event, US$52,818,610 in prize money was distributed among 560 players, with US$7.5 million as the first prize. The 2006 Main Event, won by Jamie Gold
Jamie Gold
Jamie M. Gold is an American television producer, a talent agent, and poker player, based in Malibu, California. He is known for winning the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and currently divides his time between his activities as president of production for the entertainment company,...
, is the largest single poker tournament in history; Gold pocketed US$12 million for his victory. In July 2010, it was announced that the winner of the 2010 Main Event would receive just under US$9 million.
On June 2, 2011, the World Series of Poker and Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil
Cirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
founder Guy Laliberté
Guy Laliberté
Guy Laliberté, OC, CQ is a Canadian entrepreneur, philanthropist, poker player, space tourist and the current CEO of Cirque du Soleil...
announced plans for an officially sanctioned special fundraising event, officially known as The Big One for One Drop, on June 1, 2012 with a record US$1 million entry fee. 11% of the money would go to Laliberté's charity, the One Drop Foundation
One Drop Foundation
The ONE DROP Foundation—an initiative of Guy Laliberté, Founder of Cirque du Soleil®—is a non-governmental organization established on October 29, 2007, in Montreal, Canada...
. At the time of the announcement, 15 of the maximum 48 seats had been taken. Among those who have committed to the event are Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan (poker player)
Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
, Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big...
and billionaire businessman Phil Ruffin
Phil Ruffin
Phillip G. Ruffin is an American businessman. His business interests lie largely in casinos, greyhound racing tracks, oil production, convenience stores, and real estate. Ruffin lives in Las Vegas, Nevada....
. If at least 29 players sign up, the first prize will exceed the record amount won by Jamie Gold. In addition, a WSOP bracelet will be awarded.
Highlights
The number of participants in the WSOP grew every year from 2000 until 2006. Following 2006, new online gambling legislation restricted the number of online qualifiers to the event. 2007 was the first dip in numbers in this century while in 2008 more people participated than the previous year. In 20002000 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 512 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.Ferguson had a 10 to 1 chip lead when starting his heads-up vs Cloutier. After a see-saw battle, Ferguson decided to call Cloutier's AQ all-in with his own A9...
there were 4,780 entrants in the various events, but in 2005, the number rose to over 23,000 players. In the main event alone, the number of participants grew from 839 in 2003
2003 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...
to 8,773 in 2006. Phil Helmuth has won the most bracelets with 11 followed by Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson
Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to...
and Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan (poker player)
Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
with ten bracelets each. Crandell Addington
Crandell Addington
Crandell Addington is an entrepreneur and poker player who is best known as one of the founders of the World Series of Poker, and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.- Poker :...
is the only player to place in the top ten of the World Series of Poker Main Event eight times, albeit in earlier years with small fields compared to modern times. Four players have won the main event multiple times: Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in...
(1970
1970 World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker was first held in 1970. Unlike the WSOP events that followed it, which are decided using a freeze-out tournament, the 1970 champion was decided by voting...
, 1971
1971 World Series of Poker
The 1971 World Series of Poker was a series of poker tournaments held at Binion's Horseshoe during May 1–15, 1971. This was only the second installment of the World Series of Poker, but unlike at the 1970 event, freezeout tournaments were played to decide the winner of the main title. The...
, and 1974
1974 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:...
), Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson
Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to...
(1976
1976 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:...
and 1977
1977 World Series of Poker
The 1977 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Final table:...
), Stu Ungar
Stu Ungar
Stuart Errol "Stu" Ungar was a professional poker and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin rummy player of all time....
(1980
1980 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 73 entrants to the main event, with each paying an entry fee of $10,000. This would be Ungar's first of three wins.-Final table:...
, 1981
1981 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 75 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. The final hand saw Green with 10 9 and Ungar with A Q, and the board was 7 8 4 4 Q. -Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
, and 1997
1997 World Series of Poker
The 1997 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. Most notably, it was the only WSOP where the final table of the main event took place outdoors, at the Fremont Street Experience, just outside of Binions...
) and Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan (poker player)
Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
(1987
1987 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 152 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....
and 1988
1988 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....
). Bracelet winners who first achieved fame in other fields include French actor/singer Patrick Bruel
Patrick Bruel
Patrick Bruel is a French singer, actor, and professional poker player of Algerian Jewish descent.-Biography:...
(in 1998
1998 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
), Danish soccer player Jan Vang Sørensen (in 2002
2002 World Series of Poker
The 2002 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams were installed to allow broadcasters to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event...
) and American actress Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
(in 2005
2005 World Series of Poker
The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
). In recent years, there have been non-bracelet events at the WSOP
Non-bracelet events at the WSOP
The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered to be the most coveted prize a poker player can win, but in most years there have been competitive events that did not award a bracelet to the winner...
; two of the most notable are the "World Series of Rock Paper Scissors" and "Ante Up for Africa."
History
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
. This inaugural event was won by Crandell Addington
Crandell Addington
Crandell Addington is an entrepreneur and poker player who is best known as one of the founders of the World Series of Poker, and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.- Poker :...
. The set of tournaments that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) would evolve into was the brainchild of Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
casino owner and poker player Benny Binion
Benny Binion
Lester Ben "Benny" Binion was a well-known American casino owner, mobster, poker enthusiast, and convicted felon.-Early history:...
. In 1970, the first WSOP at Binion's Horseshoe
Binion's Horseshoe
Binion's Horseshoe, also known as the Horseshoe Casino or simply The Horseshoe, was a hotel and casino located in downtown Las Vegas, Nevada on what is now the Fremont Street Experience. The casino was named for its founder, Benny Binion and had 366 rooms, three restaurants and a rooftop pool.The...
took place as a series of cash games that included five-card stud
Five-card stud
Five-card stud is the earliest form of the card game stud poker, originating during the American Civil War, but is less commonly played today than many other more popular poker games. It is still a popular game in parts of the world, especially in Finland where a specific variant of five-card stud...
, deuce to seven low-ball draw
Lowball (poker)
Some forms of poker, often called lowball, sometimes called low poker, reward poor poker hands . There are four common variations on this idea, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether or not straights and flushes are used. The methods are:* Ace-to-five low:...
, razz
Razz (poker)
Razz is a form of stud poker that is normally played for ace-to-five low . The object of Razz is to make the lowest possible five-card hand from the seven cards you are dealt. In Razz, straights and flushes do not count against the player for low, and the ace usually plays low...
, seven-card stud
Seven-card stud
Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may...
, and Texas hold 'em
Texas hold 'em
Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...
. The format for the Main Event as a freeze-out Texas hold 'em game came the next year. The winner in 1970, Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in...
, was elected by his peers as the first World Champion of Poker and received a silver cup as a prize.
Acquisition by Harrah's
In 2004, Harrah's EntertainmentHarrah's Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...
purchased Binion's Horseshoe, retained the rights to the Horseshoe and World Series of Poker brands, sold the hotel and casino to MTR Gaming Group
MTR Gaming Group
MTR Gaming Group Inc. is a hospitality company based in Chester, West Virginia. The company holds, mostly through several subsidiaries, hotels, casinos and sports facilities...
, and announced that the 2005 Series events would be held at the Harrah's-owned Rio
Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino
The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino is located off the Las Vegas Strip in the unincorporated area of Paradise, Nevada, USA. It is better known as The Rio and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Inc. The Rio was the first all suite resort in the Las Vegas area...
Hotel and Casino, located just off the Las Vegas Strip
Las Vegas Strip
The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...
. The final two days of the main event in 2005 were held downtown at what is now the MTR-operated "Binion's" in celebration of the centennial of the founding of Las Vegas. It also added a made-for-television $2 million "freeroll" invitational Tournament of Champions
World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions
The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions is an invitational freeroll poker event. Wins in this event do not count as official WSOP bracelets, but the winner receives a large trophy in the shape of the official World Series of Poker logo. In 2010, the WSOP Tournament of Champions returned...
(TOC) event first won by Annie Duke
Annie Duke
Annie Duke is a professional poker player and author who won a bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Event and was the winner of the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, where she earned the Winner-Take-All prize of $2,000,000...
as a "winner-take-all" event.
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
. Mike Matusow
Mike Matusow
Michael Matusow is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. Matusow's nickname of "The Mouth" reflects his reputation for trash-talking at the poker table...
won the first prize of $1 million (US), and all the players at the final table were guaranteed a minimum of $25,000 for the eighth and ninth place finishers. During a break in the final table of the 2005 Main Event on July 16, Harrah's announced that eleven properties — including the recently added Bally's and Caesar's properties — would host 2005–06 WSOP Circuit events that started on August 11 in Tunica
Tunica Resorts, Mississippi
Tunica Resorts is an unincorporated community located in northern Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, north of the county seat of Tunica. The community was originally named Robinsonville, but the name was changed in 2003. Locals still refer to the town by this name. The community is situated...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
. One event that was scheduled for Biloxi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, Mississippi, was canceled after the Grand Casino Biloxi
Grand Casino Biloxi
Grand Biloxi Casino Hotel and Spa is the name of a gambling establishment in Biloxi, Mississippi. It is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment.This facility replaces the former Grand Casino Biloxi, which was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina...
, which was scheduled to host the event, suffered major damage from Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. The Rio also hosted the 2006 World Series of Poker
2006 World Series of Poker
The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...
, which began on June 25 with satellite events and formally began the day after with the annual Casino Employee event, won in 2006 by Chris Gros
Chris Gros
Chris Gros, a poker dealer Caesars Casino in Las Vegas, won a World Series of Poker bracelet at the 2006 $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em tournament....
. 2006 featured the Tournament of Champions on June 25 and 26, won by Mike Sexton
Mike Sexton
Michael Richard Sexton is an American professional poker player and commentator. He is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
. Various events led up to the main event, which was held from July 28 until August 10. The first prize of $12 million was awarded to Jamie Gold
Jamie Gold
Jamie M. Gold is an American television producer, a talent agent, and poker player, based in Malibu, California. He is known for winning the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and currently divides his time between his activities as president of production for the entertainment company,...
.
Main Event
Since 1972, the Main Event of the WSOP has been the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'Em (NLHE) tournament (in 1971
1971 World Series of Poker
The 1971 World Series of Poker was a series of poker tournaments held at Binion's Horseshoe during May 1–15, 1971. This was only the second installment of the World Series of Poker, but unlike at the 1970 event, freezeout tournaments were played to decide the winner of the main title. The...
the buy-in was $5,000 and the inaugural 1970
1970 World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker was first held in 1970. Unlike the WSOP events that followed it, which are decided using a freeze-out tournament, the 1970 champion was decided by voting...
event was an invitational with winner determined by a vote). Winners of the event not only get the largest prize of the tournament and a gold bracelet, but additionally their picture is placed in the Gallery of Champions at Binion's. The winner of the Main Event has traditionally been given the unofficial title of World Champion. However, some believe that no-limit hold 'em is not the optimal structure for determining a champion poker player. In 2002, Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu
Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big...
argued that the Main Event should switch to pot-limit hold 'em, believing that pot-limit required a more complete set of poker skills than no-limit, although he admitted that such a change would likely never be made. However, many of the game's top professionals, including Negreanu, have since stated that the recently-added $50,000 H.O.R.S.E./Poker Player's Championship
The Poker Player's Championship
The Poker Player's Championship is a $50,000 buy-in event at the World Series of Poker . Added in 2010, it replaced the former $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship as the highest-stakes mixed games event. As of 2011, it is the highest-buy-in poker tournament featured at the WSOP...
event is the one which ultimately decides the world's best player. The $50,000 buy-in, being five times larger than the buy-in for the Main Event, has thus far tended to deter amateurs from playing in this event, and the variety of games played require a broader knowledge of poker. The first $50,000 event, conducted as a H.O.R.S.E. tournament, was won by Chip Reese
Chip Reese
David Edward Reese , more commonly known as Chip Reese, was an American professional poker player and gambler from Centerville, Ohio...
in 2006
2006 World Series of Poker
The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...
. In 2010
2010 World Series of Poker
The 2010 World Series of Poker was the 41st annual World Series of Poker , held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 28 to July 17. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship that began on July 5...
, the $50,000 event changed from H.O.R.S.E. to an "8-game" format, adding no-limit hold 'em, pot-limit Omaha, and 2–7 triple draw to the mix, and was rechristened The Poker Player's Championship
The Poker Player's Championship
The Poker Player's Championship is a $50,000 buy-in event at the World Series of Poker . Added in 2010, it replaced the former $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship as the highest-stakes mixed games event. As of 2011, it is the highest-buy-in poker tournament featured at the WSOP...
, with Michael Mizrachi
Michael Mizrachi
Michael David Mizrachi is an American professional poker player who won the 2010 World Series of Poker $50,000 Players Championship.. Mizrachi also has two World Poker Tour Titles, and finished 5th in the Main Event of the 2010 World Series of Poker.-Personal life:Mizrachi was born in Miami,...
winning the first edition of the revamped event. Since Reese's death in December 2007, the winner of this event receives the David 'Chip' Reese Memorial Trophy in addition to the bracelet and the prize money.
Jack Straus
Jack Straus was an American professional poker player. He is best known for winning the poker world championship in 1982....
's 1982
1982 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 104 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Jack Straus beat Dewey Tomko to win. -Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
comeback win after discovering he had one $500 chip left when he thought he was out of the tournament. The end of the 1988 main event was featured in the movie Rounders. Chris Moneymaker
Chris Moneymaker
Christopher Bryan Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker . His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site...
and Greg Raymer
Greg Raymer
Gregory Raymer nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event.-Early life:...
, the winners in 2003
2003 World Series of Poker
-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...
and 2004
2004 World Series of Poker
The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January...
, both qualified for the main event through satellite tournaments at the PokerStars
PokerStars
PokerStars is the largest online poker cardroom in the world. PokerStars' satellite tournaments produced the 2003 World Series of Poker champion, Chris Moneymaker. 1983 champion Tom McEvoy, 2005 champion Joe Hachem, 2009 champion Joe Cada and 2010 champion Jonathan Duhamel and others also represent...
online card room. Jerry Yang
Jerry Yang (poker player)
Xao "Jerry" Yang is an ethnic Hmong poker player from Temecula, California and the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event champion.Yang started playing poker in 2005. An amateur player at the time, Yang entered the 2007 World Series of Poker after winning a $225 satellite at the Pechanga Resort...
, the winner in 2007
2007 World Series of Poker
The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...
, had only been playing poker for two years prior to his victory. He won his seat at a $225 satellite tournament
Satellite tournament
A satellite tournament is either a minor tournament or event on a competitive sporting tour or one of a group of such tournaments that form a series played in the same country or region.-Poker:...
at Pechanga Resort & Casino, in California. With passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 online poker sites have been barred from purchasing entrance directly for their users. The 2009 final table lasted for 364 hands, including 88 hands of heads up play.
Main Event results
| Year | Winner | Winning hand |
Prize (for first place) | Entrants | Runner-Up | Losing hand |
Prizepool (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 1970 World Series of Poker The World Series of Poker was first held in 1970. Unlike the WSOP events that followed it, which are decided using a freeze-out tournament, the 1970 champion was decided by voting... |
Johnny Moss Johnny Moss Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in... |
N/A | N/A | 7 | N/A | N/A | |
| 1971 1971 World Series of Poker The 1971 World Series of Poker was a series of poker tournaments held at Binion's Horseshoe during May 1–15, 1971. This was only the second installment of the World Series of Poker, but unlike at the 1970 event, freezeout tournaments were played to decide the winner of the main title. The... |
Johnny Moss Johnny Moss Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in... |
?? | 30,000 | 6 | Walter "Puggy" Pearson Puggy Pearson Walter Clyde Pearson was an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1973 World Series of Poker World Champion.-Early years:... |
?? | |
| 1972 1972 World Series of Poker The 1972 World Series of Poker was a series of poker tournaments held during early May 1972 at the Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was the third annual installment of the World Series of Poker, and also the second one to feature the freezeout structure... |
Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston, Jr. Amarillo Slim Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. , known as Amarillo Slim, is an American professional gambler known for his poker skills and proposition bets... |
80,000 | 8 | Walter "Puggy" Pearson Puggy Pearson Walter Clyde Pearson was an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1973 World Series of Poker World Champion.-Early years:... |
6 6 | ||
| 1973 1973 World Series of Poker The 1973 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. This year marked the first year a single player won more than one preliminary World Series of Poker event.-Preliminary events:-Final table:... |
Walter "Puggy" Pearson Puggy Pearson Walter Clyde Pearson was an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1973 World Series of Poker World Champion.-Early years:... |
130,000 | 13 | Johnny Moss Johnny Moss Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in... |
|||
| 1974 1974 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:... |
Johnny Moss Johnny Moss Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in... |
160,000 | 16 | Crandall Addington | |||
| 1975 1975 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 21 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. First Main Event to award winner with a gold bracelet.-Final table:... |
Brian "Sailor" Roberts Sailor Roberts Bryan W. "Sailor" Roberts was an American professional poker player.Before becoming a poker professional Roberts was a rounder and traveled the country looking for games along with other legends such as Doyle Brunson and Amarillo Slim... |
210,000 | 21 | Bob Hooks | |||
| 1976 1976 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:... |
Doyle Brunson Doyle Brunson Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to... |
220,000 | 22 | Jesse Alto Jesse Alto Jesse Michael Alto , was an American poker player, best known for his numerous main event final table appearances at the World Series of Poker.Alto was a fixture at the World Series of Poker in the 1970s and 1980s... |
|||
| 1977 1977 World Series of Poker The 1977 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Final table:... |
Doyle Brunson Doyle Brunson Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to... |
340,000 | 34 | Gary Berland Gary Berland Gary "Bones" Berland was an American professional poker player who won five World Series of Poker bracelets.-Early Life:... |
|||
| 1978 1978 World Series of Poker The 1978 World Series of Poker was held in May 1978 at Binion's Horseshoe. and was the first WSOP that wasn't a winner-take-all prize.Instead the tournament had a progressive prize structure, as follows 50% for the Winner then 20% for second, 15% for third, 10% for fourth and 5% for fifth... |
Bobby Baldwin Bobby Baldwin Bobby Baldwin is a professional poker player, off-road racer and casino executive. As a poker player, Baldwin is best known as the 1978 world champion, becoming the youngest main event champion at that time.... |
210,000 | 42 | Crandall Addington | |||
| 1979 1979 World Series of Poker The 1979 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 54 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Fowler was the first amateur to win the WSOP... |
Hal Fowler Hal Fowler Harold Arthur "Hal" Fowler was an American poker player known for winning the 1979 World Series of Poker Main Event. He is considered the first amateur poker player to become poker's World Champion.... |
270,000 | 54 | Bobby Hoff Bobby Hoff Bobby "The Wizard" Hoff is an American professional poker player, based in Long Beach, California. According to Hoff, his nickname "The Wizard" refers to his ability to make mountains of chips disappear.-Early years:... |
|||
| 1980 1980 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 73 entrants to the main event, with each paying an entry fee of $10,000. This would be Ungar's first of three wins.-Final table:... |
Stu Ungar Stu Ungar Stuart Errol "Stu" Ungar was a professional poker and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin rummy player of all time.... |
385,000 | 73 | Doyle Brunson | |||
| 1981 1981 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 75 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. The final hand saw Green with 10 9 and Ungar with A Q, and the board was 7 8 4 4 Q. -Final table:-Other High Finishes:... |
Stu Ungar Stu Ungar Stuart Errol "Stu" Ungar was a professional poker and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin rummy player of all time.... |
375,000 | 75 | Perry Green | |||
| 1982 1982 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 104 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Jack Straus beat Dewey Tomko to win. -Final table:-Other High Finishes:... |
Jack Straus Jack Straus Jack Straus was an American professional poker player. He is best known for winning the poker world championship in 1982.... |
520,000 | 104 | Dewey Tomko Dewey Tomko Duane "Dewey" Tomko is an American former kindergarten teacher turned professional poker player, based in Winter Haven, Florida.... |
|||
| 1983 1983 World Series of Poker The 1983 World Series of Poker was held May 9th to May 12th, 1983 at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 108 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Doyle Brunson fell just short in his attempt to win the main event for a third time when he... |
Tom McEvoy Tom McEvoy Thomas K. McEvoy is a professional poker player and author. He is best known for his win in the 1983 World Series of Poker main event.-Early life:... |
540,000 | 108 | Rod Peate Rod Peate Rod Peate is a poker player from Downey, CaliforniaIn the 1983 World Series of Poker, Peate finished runner-up to Tom McEvoy in the Main Event. Since then, Peate has cashed in the Main Event four times: 1987, 1990, 1997, and 1998.... |
|||
| 1984 1984 World Series of Poker The 1984 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Final table:... |
Jack Keller | 660,000 | 132 | Byron Wolford Byron Wolford Byron Wolford , also known as Cowboy Wolford, was an accomplished rodeo cowboy and professional poker player, who was the winner of a World Series of Poker bracelet in 1991 and runner-up of the 1984 WSOP Main Event.... |
|||
| 1985 1985 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 141 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.... |
Bill Smith | 700,000 | 140 | T. J. Cloutier T. J. Cloutier Thomas James "T.J." Cloutier is a professional poker player from Richardson, Texas. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006.-Early years:... |
|||
| 1986 1986 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 141 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.... |
Berry Johnston Berry Johnston Berry Enfield Johnston is an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1986 World Champion, but he has also won four other bracelets at the World Series of Poker in addition to cashes and wins in many other tournaments throughout his career.- Poker career :Johnston won the 1986... |
570,000 | 141 | Mike Harthcock | |||
| 1987 1987 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 152 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.... |
Johnny Chan Johnny Chan (poker player) Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively.... |
625,000 | 152 | Frank Henderson Frank Henderson Frank Henderson is an American professional poker player from Houston, Texas.Henderson was the runner-up to Johnny Chan in the 1987 World Series of Poker $10,000 no limit hold'em main event. He also finished in the money of the same event in 1996.... |
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| 1988 1988 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.... |
Johnny Chan Johnny Chan (poker player) Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively.... |
700,000 | 167 | Erik Seidel Erik Seidel Erik Seidel is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title.In 2010, he was inducted as a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early life:... |
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| 1989 1989 World Series of Poker The 1989 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. The 1989 Main Event was won by 24-year-old Phil Hellmuth, defeating defending champion Johnny Chan, and also breaking the record for the youngest player to win the WSOP Main Event . Had Johnny Chan won, he would have tied Johnny... |
Phil Hellmuth, Jr. Phil Hellmuth Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality... |
755,000 | 178 | Johnny Chan Johnny Chan (poker player) Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively.... |
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| 1990 1990 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 194 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.... |
Mansour Matloubi Mansour Matloubi Mansour Matloubi is an Iranian-British professional poker player.Matloubi won the 1990 Main Event, making him the first non-American to do so. He also made the final table of the 1993 Main Event, finishing in fourth place. He was eliminated by the event winner, Jim Bechtel.As of 2011, his total... |
895,000 | 194 | Hans Lund Hans Lund Hans J. "Tuna" Lund was an American professional poker player, based in Sparks, Nevada, who won two World Series of Poker bracelets, and was the runner-up at the 1990 WSOP Main Event.-Poker Career:... |
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| 1991 1991 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 215 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. This was the first Main Event to offer a top prize of 1 million dollars.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:... |
Brad Daugherty Brad Daugherty (poker player) Brad Daugherty is a professional poker player.Daugherty began playing poker in 1969 on a high school trip. Following high school he worked in the construction industry, but after hearing of large prize money for tournament winnings, in 1978 he moved to Reno, Nevada... |
1,000,000 | 215 | Don Holt Don Holt (poker player) Don Holt is an American poker player. He has won a World Series of Poker bracelet and has cashed in various events at the WSOP including the Main Event.... |
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| 1992 1992 World Series of Poker The 1992 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. Among notable participants was actor Telly Savalas of Kojak fame.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:... |
Hamid Dastmalchi Hamid Dastmalchi Hamid Reza Dastmalchi is an Iranian-American professional poker player.Dastmalchi won the 1992 World Series of Poker main event, which is his largest tournament win at $1 million... |
1,000,000 | 201 | Tom Jacobs | |||
| 1993 1993 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 220 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.... |
Jim Bechtel Jim Bechtel James Gary "Jim" Bechtel is an American cotton farmer and poker player, based in Gilbert, Arizona. He is best known for winning the 1993 Main Event at the World Series of Poker .- Poker career :... |
1,000,000 | 220 | Glenn Cozen Glenn Cozen Glenn Cozen is an American professional poker player from Pasadena, California, who is best known for his second-place finish in the $10,000 buy-in Main Event at the 1993 World Series of Poker.... |
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| 1994 1994 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 268 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Since this was the 25th Anniversary of the event, the winner received $1,000,000, plus his/her weight in silver, in celebration of the WSOP's silver anniversary.-Final table:-Other... |
Russ Hamilton Russ Hamilton Russ Hamilton was the 1994 World Series of Poker main event champion. He defeated Hugh Vincent in heads-up play to win $1 million in first-prize money, as well as his body weight in silver. Following his World Series win, Hamilton served as a consultant for Ultimate Bet, an online poker server... |
1,000,000 | 268 | Hugh Vincent | |||
| 1995 1995 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*... |
Dan Harrington Dan Harrington Dan Harrington is a professional poker player, best known for winning the main event world championship at the 1995 World Series of Poker. He has earned one World Poker Tour title, two WSOP bracelets, and over six million dollars in tournament cashes in his poker career... |
1,000,000 | 273 | Howard Goldfarb Howard Goldfarb Howard Goldfarb is a Canadian poker player, chiefly noted as the runner-up of the 1995 World Series of Poker .At the time he was a 33-year-old land developer and businessman from Toronto. He made his first foray into poker in 1993, when he joined some friends for a game in one of Toronto's private... |
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| 1996 1996 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*... |
Huck Seed Huck Seed Huckleberry Seed is an American professional poker player best known for winning the main event of the 1996 World Series of Poker.-Early Life:... |
1,000,000 | 295 | Bruce Van Horn Bruce Van Horn Dr Bruce Van Horn, M.D. is a pathologist from Ada, Oklahoma with extensive poker tournament experience and success.Bruce is most noted for his 2nd place finish to Huck Seed in the $10,000 main event at the 1996 World Series of Poker, for which he won $580,000.... |
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| 1997 1997 World Series of Poker The 1997 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. Most notably, it was the only WSOP where the final table of the main event took place outdoors, at the Fremont Street Experience, just outside of Binions... |
Stu Ungar Stu Ungar Stuart Errol "Stu" Ungar was a professional poker and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin rummy player of all time.... |
1,000,000 | 312 | John Strzemp John Strzemp John Strzemp, II is a casino executive and poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. He is the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Wynn Resorts... |
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| 1998 1998 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*... |
Scotty Nguyen Scotty Nguyen Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship... |
1,000,000 | 350 | Kevin McBride | |||
| 1999 1999 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*... |
Noel Furlong Noel Furlong J. J. Furlong is an Irish businessman and recreational poker player who won the 1999 World Series of Poker main event.-Early life:Furlong was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland... |
1,000,000 | 393 | Alan Goehring Alan Goehring Alan Goehring is a retired American junk bond analyst and trader from Henderson, Nevada. At the age of 37, he became a professional poker player.... |
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| 2000 2000 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 512 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.Ferguson had a 10 to 1 chip lead when starting his heads-up vs Cloutier. After a see-saw battle, Ferguson decided to call Cloutier's AQ all-in with his own A9... |
Chris Ferguson Chris Ferguson Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S... |
1,500,000 | 512 | T. J. Cloutier T. J. Cloutier Thomas James "T.J." Cloutier is a professional poker player from Richardson, Texas. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006.-Early years:... |
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| 2001 2001 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 613 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a non-online casino at the time.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:... |
Juan Carlos Mortensen Carlos Mortensen Juan Carlos Mortensen is an Ecuadorian professional poker player of Danish descent and the only Hispanic Main Event winner of the World Series of Poker. Mortensen is known for his loose play, bluffing tactics, and interesting chip-stacking style.Mortensen moved from Spain to the United States in... |
1,500,000 | 613 | Dewey Tomko Dewey Tomko Duane "Dewey" Tomko is an American former kindergarten teacher turned professional poker player, based in Winter Haven, Florida.... |
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| 2002 2002 World Series of Poker The 2002 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams were installed to allow broadcasters to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event... |
Robert Varkonyi Robert Varkonyi Robert Varkonyi is an American poker player, best known for winning the main event of the 2002 World Series of Poker.-Early years:Varkonyi was born in and raised in New York... |
2,000,000 | 631 | Julian Gardner | |||
| 2003 2003 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time... |
Chris Moneymaker Chris Moneymaker Christopher Bryan Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker . His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site... |
2,500,000 | 839 | Sam Farha Sam Farha Ihsan Farha is a professional poker player. He is best known for finishing as runner up in the World Series of Poker main event in 2003 and has won three bracelets at the WSOP.-Early years:... |
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| 2004 2004 World Series of Poker The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January... |
Greg Raymer Greg Raymer Gregory Raymer nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event.-Early life:... |
5,000,000 | 2,576 | David Williams David Williams (card player) David Anthony Williams is a professional poker player and popular Magic: The Gathering player.-Personal life:Williams was born in Arlington, Texas. He briefly attended Princeton University before switching to study economics at Southern Methodist University... |
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| 2005 2005 World Series of Poker The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the... |
Joe Hachem Joe Hachem Joseph Hachem is a Lebanese-Australian professional poker player known for winning the main event of the 2005 World Series of Poker. He was the first Australian to win the main event, which earned him $7.5 million, then a record for all-time biggest tournament prize.The next year, Hachem won his... |
7,500,000 | 5,619 | Steve Dannenmann Steve Dannenmann Steven Paul "Steve" Dannenmann is a CPA from Severn, Maryland who gained attention in the poker world for his success in the 2005 World Series of Poker, finishing runner-up to Joe Hachem in the Main Event in his first attempt... |
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| 2006 2006 World Series of Poker The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29... |
Jamie Gold Jamie Gold Jamie M. Gold is an American television producer, a talent agent, and poker player, based in Malibu, California. He is known for winning the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and currently divides his time between his activities as president of production for the entertainment company,... |
12,000,000 | 8,773 | Paul Wasicka Paul Wasicka Paul J. Wasicka is a professional poker player, based in Las Vegas, Nevada who was the runner-up at the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and the winner of the 2007 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship.... |
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| 2007 2007 World Series of Poker The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18... |
Jerry Yang Jerry Yang (poker player) Xao "Jerry" Yang is an ethnic Hmong poker player from Temecula, California and the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event champion.Yang started playing poker in 2005. An amateur player at the time, Yang entered the 2007 World Series of Poker after winning a $225 satellite at the Pechanga Resort... |
8,250,000 | 6,358 | Tuan Lam | |||
| 2008 2008 World Series of Poker The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold... |
Peter Eastgate Peter Eastgate Peter Eastgate is a poker player from Denmark, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. At the time, he became the youngest player ever to win the event. He was consequently surpassed by Joe Cada in 2009.-Early life:Eastgate was raised in Dalum, a suburb of... |
9,152,416 | 6,844 | Ivan Demidov Ivan Demidov Ivan Demidov is a professional poker player from Moscow, Russia.Demidov is one of the original 'November Nine', having made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008. He reached the heads-up stage along with Peter Eastgate, and took second place for $5,809,595... |
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| 2009 2009 World Series of Poker The 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker . It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 27 to July 15. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event... |
Joe Cada Joe Cada Joseph "Joe" Cada is an American professional poker player from Shelby Charter Township, Michigan, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2009 World Series of Poker .... |
8,547,042 | 6,494 | Darvin Moon Darvin Moon Darvin Moon is an American self-employed logger and amateur poker player who was the runner-up of the 2009 World Series of Poker US$10,000 no-limit Texas hold'em main event. It was his first time playing in the World Series of Poker... |
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| 2010 2010 World Series of Poker The 2010 World Series of Poker was the 41st annual World Series of Poker , held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 28 to July 17. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship that began on July 5... |
Jonathan Duhamel Jonathan Duhamel Jonathan Duhamel is a Canadian poker professional from Boucherville, Quebec, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2010 World Series of Poker . He is the first Canadian player to capture the Main Event bracelet.... |
8,944,310 | 7,319 | John Racener John Racener John Racener is an American poker professional from Port Richey, Florida, best known as the runner-up of the Main Event at the 2010 World Series of Poker... |
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| 2011 2011 World Series of Poker The 2011 World Series of Poker was the 42nd annual World Series of Poker . The WSOP is the most prestigious poker tournament in the world with the winner of the Main Event considered to be the World Champion. It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada between May... |
Pius Heinz Pius Heinz Pius Heinz is a German poker professional from Cologne, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2011 World Series of Poker. He is the first German player to capture the Main Event bracelet.... |
8,715,638 | 6,865 | Martin Staszko Martin Staszko Martin Staszko is a Czech poker player from Třinec, best known as the runner-up of the Main Event at the 2011 World Series of Poker, where he finished second to Pius Heinz.- Life :... |
Players
Since its inception, Stu UngarStu Ungar
Stuart Errol "Stu" Ungar was a professional poker and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin rummy player of all time....
and Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss
Johnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in...
are the only players to have won the Main Event three times. However, Moss' first victory came in a different format, as he was elected winner by vote of his fellow players at the conclusion of what was then a timed event. Moss (if the first time win by vote is counted), Ungar, Doyle Brunson
Doyle Brunson
Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to...
, and Johnny Chan
Johnny Chan (poker player)
Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
are the only people who have won the Main Event in consecutive years. Johnny Chan's second victory in 1988 was featured in the 1998 film Rounders.
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
holds multiple WSOP records: most bracelets (11), most WSOP cashes (78), and most WSOP final tables (42). The 2009 Main Event bracelet winner, Joe Cada
Joe Cada
Joseph "Joe" Cada is an American professional poker player from Shelby Charter Township, Michigan, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2009 World Series of Poker ....
, is the youngest person to win the Main Event.
Player of the Year Award
Since 2004, a Player of the Year Award has been given to the player with the most points accumulated throughout the World Series. Only "open" events in which all players can participate count in the standings; this eliminates the Seniors, Ladies, and Casino Employee events. Beginning with the 2006 World Series of Poker, the Main Event and the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. competition had no effect on the outcome of the winner of the Player of the Year award. In the 2008 World Series of Poker, the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event counted toward the Player of the Year award, but the Main Event did not. Since 2009, all open events, including the Main Event, count towards Player of the Year. The Player of the Year was based upon performance solely at the WSOP in Las Vegas up until 2010, but from 2011 onward will also take the World Series of Poker Europe into account.| Year | Winner | Bracelets | Final Tables | Money Finishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 2004 World Series of Poker The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January... |
Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big... |
1 | 5 | 6 |
| 2005 2005 World Series of Poker The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the... |
Allen Cunningham Allen Cunningham Allen Cunningham is an American professional poker player.Cunningham studied civil engineering at UCLA before dropping out of school to play poker professionally. At the age of 18, he began playing at in Indian casinos... |
1 | 4 | 5 |
| 2006 2006 World Series of Poker The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29... |
Jeff Madsen Jeff Madsen Jeff Madsen is the third-youngest winner of a World Series of Poker event and the 2006 World Series of Poker Player of the Year.... |
2 | 4 | 4 |
| 2007 2007 World Series of Poker The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18... |
Tom Schneider Tom Schneider Tom Schneider is a professional poker player from Phoenix, Arizona. Schneider was a certified public accountant and former president and chief financial officer for three Arizona companies before beginning his poker career in 2002... |
2 | 3 | 3 |
| 2008 2008 World Series of Poker The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold... |
Erick Lindgren Erick Lindgren Erick A. Lindgren is an American professional poker player. He has won two World Poker Tour titles, one World Series of Poker bracelet, and more than seven million dollars in tournament earnings during his poker career.-Poker career:He won his first major tournament at the Bellagio in 2002 and... |
1 | 3 | 5 |
| 2009 2009 World Series of Poker The 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker . It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 27 to July 15. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event... |
Jeff Lisandro Jeff Lisandro Jeffrey Lisandro is an Australian professional poker player, now residing in Salerno, Italy. Lisandro is known by many to be a cash game specialist, but is a well-known face on the poker tournament circuit and is regarded as one of the premier Seven Card Stud players in the world... |
3 | 4 | 6 |
| 2010 2010 World Series of Poker The 2010 World Series of Poker was the 41st annual World Series of Poker , held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 28 to July 17. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship that began on July 5... |
Frank Kassela Frank Kassela Frank Kassela is an American professional poker player from Germantown, Tennessee now residing in Las Vegas, who is a two time World Series of Poker bracelet winner. He won both of his bracelets at the 2010 World Series of Poker. First in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better... |
2 | 3 | 6 |
| 2011 2011 World Series of Poker The 2011 World Series of Poker was the 42nd annual World Series of Poker . The WSOP is the most prestigious poker tournament in the world with the winner of the Main Event considered to be the World Champion. It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada between May... |
Ben Lamb Ben Lamb Benjamin "Ben" Lamb is an American professional poker player. Lamb is the 2011 World Series of Poker Player of the Year. He was also a member of the 2011 November Nine, finishing in third place. He currently has one World Series of Poker bracelet and four career World Series of Poker final... |
1 | 4 | 5 |
World Series of Poker Hall of Fame
Since its inception in 1979, the Hall of Fame has honored 42 individuals. Selection criteria for players include having competed against acknowledged top competition, played for high stakes and played consistently well to gain the respect of their peers. For non-players, selection is based on positive and lasting contributions to the overall growth and success of poker.- 1979 Felton "Corky" McCorquodaleCorky McCorquodaleFelton "Corky" McCorquodale was a professional poker player, noted as the person who introduced Texas hold 'em to Las Vegas in 1963. Since then, the game has become one of the most popular poker variants in history....
- 1979 Johnny MossJohnny MossJohnny Moss was a gambler and professional poker player. He was the first winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event, at the time a cash game event in which he was awarded the title by the vote of his peers in 1970, He also twice won the current tournament format of the WSOP Main Event in...
- 1979 Red WinnRed WinnRed Winn was a professional poker player. He was an original inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1979....
- 1979 Sid WymanSid WymanSidney "Sid" Wyman was a poker player and hotel owner in Las Vegas, Nevada.Wyman was a gambler and co-owner of several Las Vegas casinos including the Sands, Riviera, Royal Nevada and The Dunes....
- 1979 "Nick the Greek" Dandolos
- 1979 Edmond HoyleEdmond HoyleEdmond Hoyle was a writer best known for his works on the rules and play of card games. The phrase "according to Hoyle" came into the language as a reflection of his generally-perceived authority on the subject; since that time, use of the phrase has expanded into general use in situations in...
- 1979 "Wild Bill" HickokWild Bill HickokJames Butler Hickok , better known as Wild Bill Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West. His skills as a gunfighter and scout, along with his reputation as a lawman, provided the basis for his fame, although some of his exploits are fictionalized.Hickok came to the West as a stagecoach...
- 1980 T. "Blondie" ForbesBlondie ForbesT. "Blondie" Forbes was a poker player and road gambler who was the 1980 inductee into the Poker Hall of Fame. Forbes is credited with creating the game of Texas Hold'em....
- 1981 Bill Boyd
- 1982 Tom AbdoTom AbdoTom Abdo was a poker player inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1982. He died after suffering a heart attack while playing....
- 1983 Joe BernsteinJoe Bernstein (poker player)Joe Bernstein was a poker player and road gambler.He was born in Russia, and as a young boy emigrated to the United States with his family. The family settled in Pendelton, Oregon...
- 1984 Murph HarroldMurph HarroldMurph Harrold was a poker player. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1984....
- 1985 Red Hodges
- 1986 Henry GreenHenry Green (poker player)Henry Green was a road gambler and poker player from Alabama. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 1986....
- 1987 Puggy PearsonPuggy PearsonWalter Clyde Pearson was an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1973 World Series of Poker World Champion.-Early years:...
- 1988 Doyle BrunsonDoyle BrunsonDoyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to...
- 1988 Jack StrausJack StrausJack Straus was an American professional poker player. He is best known for winning the poker world championship in 1982....
- 1989 Fred "Sarge" FerrisSarge FerrisFred Bernard "Sarge" Ferris was an American professional poker player who won a World Series of Poker bracelet in deuce-to-seven draw.Ferris won his bracelet at the 1980 World Series of Poker, winning $150,000...
- 1990 Benny BinionBenny BinionLester Ben "Benny" Binion was a well-known American casino owner, mobster, poker enthusiast, and convicted felon.-Early history:...
- 1991 David "Chip" ReeseChip ReeseDavid Edward Reese , more commonly known as Chip Reese, was an American professional poker player and gambler from Centerville, Ohio...
- 1992 "Amarillo Slim" PrestonAmarillo SlimThomas Austin Preston, Jr. , known as Amarillo Slim, is an American professional gambler known for his poker skills and proposition bets...
- 1993 Jack Keller
- 1996 Julius Oral "Little Man" PopwellLittle Man PopwellJulius Oral "Little Man" Popwell was a well-known poker player.Popwell is one of the most famous poker players from the first half of the 20th century. His preferred game was five card stud, and he often played against other poker legends such as Johnny Moss...
- 1997 Roger MooreRoger Moore (poker player)Roger Moore was a professional poker player.Moore grew up the son of sharecroppers. He quit school in the eighth grade and soon afterwards entered into military service. After the military he worked as a civil servant and for fun he would play poker...
- 2001 Stu UngarStu UngarStuart Errol "Stu" Ungar was a professional poker and gin rummy player, widely regarded to have been the greatest Texas hold 'em and gin rummy player of all time....
- 2002 Lyle BermanLyle BermanLyle Arnold Berman is a professional poker player and business executive.-Business:Berman grew up in Minnesota and attended the University of Minnesota where he graduated in 1964 with a degree in business administration. He then went to work for his father's leather business, Berman Buckskin. ...
- 2002 Johnny ChanJohnny Chan (poker player)Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....
- 2003 Bobby BaldwinBobby BaldwinBobby Baldwin is a professional poker player, off-road racer and casino executive. As a poker player, Baldwin is best known as the 1978 world champion, becoming the youngest main event champion at that time....
- 2004 Berry JohnstonBerry JohnstonBerry Enfield Johnston is an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1986 World Champion, but he has also won four other bracelets at the World Series of Poker in addition to cashes and wins in many other tournaments throughout his career.- Poker career :Johnston won the 1986...
- 2005 Jack BinionJack BinionJack Binion is an American casino operator. Jack is the son of casino magnate Benny Binion and worked for his father at Binion's Horseshoe, a casino and hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.- Biography :...
- 2005 Crandell AddingtonCrandell AddingtonCrandell Addington is an entrepreneur and poker player who is best known as one of the founders of the World Series of Poker, and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.- Poker :...
- 2006 T.J. Cloutier
- 2006 Billy BaxterBilly Baxter (poker player)William E. Baxter, Jr. is an American professional poker player and sports bettor. He has won numerous tournament titles in his career as a professional poker player, including seven World Series of Poker bracelets....
- 2007 Phil Hellmuth, Jr.Phil HellmuthPhil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
- 2007 Barbara EnrightBarbara EnrightBarbara Enright is an American professional poker player, motivational speaker, and Editor-in-Chief of Woman Poker Player magazine. She has won three bracelets at the World Series of Poker and has made it to the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event final table.Enright was the first woman to win an...
- 2008 Duane "Dewey" TomkoDewey TomkoDuane "Dewey" Tomko is an American former kindergarten teacher turned professional poker player, based in Winter Haven, Florida....
- 2008 Henry OrensteinHenry OrensteinHenry Orenstein is a poker player and entrepreneur who resides in Verona, New Jersey, United States....
- 2009 Mike SextonMike SextonMichael Richard Sexton is an American professional poker player and commentator. He is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early years:...
- 2010 Dan HarringtonDan HarringtonDan Harrington is a professional poker player, best known for winning the main event world championship at the 1995 World Series of Poker. He has earned one World Poker Tour title, two WSOP bracelets, and over six million dollars in tournament cashes in his poker career...
- 2010 Erik SeidelErik SeidelErik Seidel is an American professional poker player from Las Vegas, Nevada who has won eight World Series of Poker bracelets and a World Poker Tour title.In 2010, he was inducted as a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.-Early life:...
- 2011 Barry GreensteinBarry GreensteinBarry Greenstein is a professional poker player. He has won a number of major events, including three at the World Series of Poker and two on the World Poker Tour. Greenstein donates his profit from tournament winnings to charities, primarily Children, Incorporated, earning him the nickname "the...
- 2011 Linda JohnsonLinda JohnsonLinda Johnson is an American professional poker player, journalist and consultant, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was elected into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2011.-Early life:Linda Johnson was born in 1953 in Long Island, New York...
World Series of Poker Europe
The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is the first expansion of the World Series of Poker. Since 1970, the event has occurred every year in Las VegasLas Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. In September 2007, the first WSOP championship events outside of Las Vegas, complete with bracelets
World Series of Poker bracelet
The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...
, were held. The inaugural WSOPE consisted of three events held in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from September 6–17, 2007. The main event, a GBP
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
10,000 buy-in no-limit hold 'em tournament, was won by Norwegian
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
online prodigy Annette Obrestad
Annette Obrestad
Annette Obrestad is a Norwegian poker player. Obrestad is the youngest person to ever win a World Series of Poker Europe bracelet...
on the day before her 19th birthday. This made her the youngest person ever to win a WSOP bracelet, a record that cannot be broken in the Las Vegas WSOP under current laws because the minimum legal age for casino gaming in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
is 21. Obrestad could play in the WSOPE because the minimum age for casino gaming in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
is 18. While no definitive plans have been announced, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack
Jeffrey Pollack
Pollack has been named to Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal of "40 Under 40" and twice to The Sporting News 100. He has also won two Emmy Awards. Pollack is married, and resides in both Los Angeles and Las Vegas...
has indicated that in the next one to three years that other venues may start holding WSOP events. Two locations that have been mentioned as possible expansion sites are Egypt and South Africa.
The WSOPE moved from London to Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 2011. At that time, the buy-ins and payouts changed from being fixed in pounds to euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
s.
European Main Event results
| Year | Winner | Winning Hand | Prize | Entrants | Runner-Up | Losing Hand |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Annette Obrestad Annette Obrestad Annette Obrestad is a Norwegian poker player. Obrestad is the youngest person to ever win a World Series of Poker Europe bracelet... |
£1,000,000 | 362 | John Tabatabai John Tabatabai John Tabatabai is a Welsh professional poker player based in London, England. He was the runner-up to Norwegian poker player Annette Obrestad in the first World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. He is currently sponsored by Betfair.... |
||
| 2008 | John Juanda John Juanda Johnson "John" Juanda is a Chinese Indonesian professional poker player based in Marina del Rey, California. Juanda lives in Los Angeles.-Personal life:... |
£868,800 | 362 | Stanislav Alekhin | ||
| 2009 2009 World Series of Poker Europe The World Series of Poker Europe is the first expansion effort of World Series of Poker-branded poker tournaments outside the United States. Since 1970, participants have had to travel to Las Vegas if they wanted to compete in the World Series of Poker... |
Barry Shulman Barry Shulman Barry Shulman is an American poker player who has enjoyed success in competitive poker tournaments over the past 15 years, and is the CEO of CardPlayer Magazine.-Life and career:... |
£801,603 | 334 | Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big... |
||
| 2010 2010 World Series of Poker Europe The fourth World Series of Poker Europe took place from September 14, 2010 to September 28, 2010. There were five bracelet events, culminating in the £10,350 WSOPE Championship No-Limit Hold'em event... |
James Bord James Bord James Bord, born 1981, is a professional poker player. Originally from Stanmore, U.K., he now divides his time between London and Las Vegas. His biggest victory was the 2010 World Series of Poker Europe main event, where he won $1,313,611. and became the first British champion of that event... |
£830,401 | 346 | Fabrizio Baldassari | ||
| 2011 2011 World Series of Poker Europe The fifth World Series of Poker Europe takes place from October 7, 2011 to October 20, 2011. There are seven bracelet events, culminating in the €10,400 WSOPE Championship No-Limit Hold'em event. Events will be held at the Majestic Barrière Cannes and the Le Croisette Casino Barrière in Cannes,... |
Elio Fox Elio Fox Elio Fox is an American professional poker player whose first World Series of Poker in the money finish was the 2011 World Series of Poker Europe main event that he won. He has played online, where he is a high stakes No limit Texas hold'em rebuy specialist, since 2009 but had his first notable... |
€1,400,000 (£1,206,577) |
593 | Chris Moorman Chris Moorman Chris Moorman. is a British professional poker player. He is the all-time leader in career online poker earnings.He is among the leaders in the 2011 World Series of Poker Player of the Year point standings... |
Marketing
The WSOP has corporate sponsors and licensed products which pay fees to market themselves as an official sponsors and/or licensees and exclusively use the WSOP insignia and cross-promote with their events. Besides the Harrah's properties and ESPN, major sponsors have included Jack Links Beef Jerky, Miller BrewingMiller Brewing
The Miller Brewing Company is an American beer brewing company owned by the United Kingdom-based SABMiller. Its regional headquarters are located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the company has brewing facilities in Albany, Georgia; Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; Eden, North Carolina; Fort Worth, Texas;...
's "Milwaukee's Best" brand of beers, Pepsi's SoBe
SoBe
SoBe is a brand of teas, fruit-juice blends and enhanced water beverages owned by PepsiCo. The name SoBe is an abbreviation of South Beach, named after the upscale area located in Miami Beach, Florida. In the past, the SoBe name has also been licensed for gum and chocolate products...
Adrenaline Rush energy drink (sponsors of the 2005 TOC), Helene Curtis' Degree brand of anti-perspirant/deodorant, United States Playing Card's Bicycle Pro Cards
United States Playing Card Company
The United States Playing Card Company, started in 1867, produces and distributes many brands of playing cards, including Bicycle, Bee, Hoyle, Kem, and others, plus novelty and custom cards, and other playing card accessories such as poker chips. The company was once based in Cincinnati, Ohio, but...
, Bluff Magazine
Bluff Magazine
Bluff Magazine is an American magazine specializing in the game of poker. Separate editions are also published for Europe, Latin America, South Africa and Australasia....
, GlaxoSmithKline/Bayer's Levitra
Vardenafil
Vardenafil is a PDE5 inhibitor used for treating erectile dysfunction that is sold under the trade names Levitra and Staxyn.-History:...
erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis during sexual performance....
medicine, and The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company
The Hershey Company, known until April 2005 as the Hershey Foods Corporation and commonly called Hershey's, is the largest chocolate manufacturer in North America. Its headquarters are in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hershey's Chocolate World. It was founded by Milton S...
. Licensees include Glu Mobile, Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
(video games for different platforms such as Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's GameCube, Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, and PC, featuring computer-generated versions of stars like Ferguson), and products made by different companies ranging from chip sets, playing cards, hand-held games, and clothing like caps and shirts. The official playing cards and chips are manufactured by Excalibur Electronics
Excalibur Electronics
Excalibur Electronics, Inc. is an American electronics company with headquarters in Miami, Florida. The company manufactures such items as chess computers, radio controlled cars, flashlights, fans, and many other handheld electronic games. Excalibur is a frequent supplier of products to Woot....
, Inc. which is based out of Miami, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and has been the main chip licensee since 2005. The fees and licenses bring in more than a million dollars to Harrah's.
1970s–1980s
The earliest filming of the World Series was a special produced by Binion's Horseshoe in 1973 and narrated by Jimmy "The Greek" SnyderJimmy Snyder
Dimetrios Georgios Synodinos , better known as Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, was an American sports commentator and Las Vegas bookie.-Life and career:...
. CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
began covering the World Series in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, the event was again broadcast as specials. In the late 1980s, the World Series returned to television as ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
took over broadcasting. Initially, coverage consisted of just a single one-hour taped-delay broadcast of the main event.
1990s
ESPN ClassicESPN Classic
ESPN Classic is a sports channel that features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. Such programs includes biographies of famous sports figures or a rerun of a famous World Series or Super Bowl, often with added commentary on the event...
currently airs many of the old broadcasts from the mid 1990s and beyond. Since no "pocket cam" existed, very few hole cards were actually shown to television viewers. Generally, ESPN used poker-playing actors such as Dick Van Patten
Dick Van Patten
Richard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
, Vince Van Patten
Vincent Van Patten
Vincent Van Patten is an American actor and former tour professional tennis player.-Personal life:Van Patten was born in Bellerose, New York. He is the youngest son of actor Dick Van Patten and his wife, Pat, née Poole, a former June Taylor dancer. He is of Dutch and Italian descent...
, and Gabe Kaplan
Gabe Kaplan
Gabriel W. "Gabe" Kaplan is an American comedian, actor, poker commentator, and professional poker player.He was born in Brooklyn, New York...
, with either the tournament director
Tournament director (poker)
In the game of poker, the tournament director is the individual charged with running the poker tournament. The job encompasses many roles, the most public of which is typically announcing the phrase "shuffle up and deal!" at the beginning of the day...
(usually Jim Albrecht
Jim Albrecht
Jim Albrecht , is best known as the longtime tournament director of the World Series of Poker....
) or a poker professional like Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
joining the team. Unlike today's coverage, ESPN featured no pre-taped interviews or profiles on the players. In addition, the commentators were generally on the casino floor itself.
2000s
From 1999 to 2001, the World Series of Poker was broadcast by The Discovery Channel. These hour-long programs presented more of an overview or recap of the WSOP as opposed to broadcasting an actual live event with play-by-play analysis and color commentary. The Discovery Channel's broadcast also featured final table players interviews interlaced throughout the show. ESPN would resume coverage the following year.ESPN's coverage in 2002 was typical of their coverage in the 1990s (recorded in video, little or no post-production commentary or player profiles, no card cams). However, the final table broadcast was expanded over two one-hour episodes. The 2002 WSOP
2002 World Series of Poker
The 2002 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams were installed to allow broadcasters to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event...
was the first with the "sneak peek" (later called the pocket cam, or hole cam
Hole cam
In poker, a hole cam is a camera that displays a player's face-down cards to television viewers.The hole cam became popular in 1999 when the Late Night Poker program first began using it in televised tournaments shown on British Channel 4...
).
In 2003, ESPN expanded their coverage to new heights with their coverage of the WSOP. They included coverage of the entire tournament, with a "Featured Table". At this table, the viewers could see the player's hole cards and subsequent strategy. The action was also broadcast as if live, though on tape-delay. 2003 was the first year that the broadcast covered action preceding the final table. Since then, ESPN has greatly expanded its coverage to include many of the preliminary events of the WSOP, especially Texas Hold 'Em. Also, their coverage of the main event now typically includes at least one hour program on each day. For the first two years of its existence, ESPN was broadcasting one hour programs of the "circuit" events that the WSOP has at various Harrah's-owned casinos, but ESPN did not renew these events. ESPN's coverage now includes many of the trappings of sports coverage, such as lighter segments (called "The Nuts") and interviews. ESPN's coverage has been largely driven by Matt Maranz, Executive Producer for the WSOP telecasts. Maranz leads 441 Productions, which produces the telecast under contract to ESPN's unit ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE). Maranz has significant sports production experience, having previously worked on ESPN's football pre-game show, and has also produced taped segments for NBC's Olympic
Olympics on NBC
NBC Sports' coverage of the Olympic Games consists of broadcasts on the various networks of NBC Universal in the United States, including the NBC broadcast network, Spanish language network Telemundo, and many of the company's cable networks....
coverage.
Coverage would increase in 2004 and 2005 to include preliminary events from the WSOP, in addition to the "Main Event". ESPN has expanded poker to all-new levels, especially with their coverage of the 2006 WSOP, including providing the entire final table of the 2006 Main Event via pay-per-view airing. In 2008, ESPN experimented with the idea of a delayed final table
November Nine
The November Nine is the name used to refer to the final nine contestants, or final table, at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker since 2008. The winner of the WSOP Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker....
. This idea presented greater sponsorship opportunities and notoriety, culminating in a recap of the Main Event and the conclusion of the 2008 Main Event final table. In 2009, ESPN announced they would again move the final table to November 2009. The WSOP also decided there would be no rebuy events in 2009. The decision was reached because of complaints that rebuy events provided an unfair advantage to professionals with no limitation on how much money they can spend for an event. There were 57 bracelet events this year. The 2010 WSOP had the same number of bracelet events as in 2009, again with no rebuy events.
The 2011 WSOP, this year with 58 bracelet events and no rebuy events, featured unprecedented "nearly live" coverage, with broadcasts being delayed by much smaller amounts of time while still satisfying Nevada Gaming Commission
Nevada Gaming Commission
The Nevada Gaming Commission is a Nevada state governmental agency involved in the regulation of casinos throughout the state, along with the Nevada Gaming Control Board. It was founded in 1959 by the Nevada Legislature....
regulators. Harrah's Entertainment, via WSOP.com, streamed final-table coverage of all bracelet events on a 5-minute delay, although without pocket cams. The ESPN family of networks aired 36 hours of Main Event coverage leading up to the November Nine on a 30-minute delay, showing the hole cards of all players who voluntarily entered the pot once the hand ended. The Main Event final table was broadcast on a 15-minute delay with the same policy regarding hole cards. The first day of the final table was aired on ESPN2 and the final day on ESPN, with both days also streamed on ESPN3 and WSOP.com.
WSOP broadcasters
- 19731973 World Series of PokerThe 1973 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. This year marked the first year a single player won more than one preliminary World Series of Poker event.-Preliminary events:-Final table:...
(special) - Jimmy SnyderJimmy SnyderDimetrios Georgios Synodinos , better known as Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder, was an American sports commentator and Las Vegas bookie.-Life and career:... - 19781978 World Series of PokerThe 1978 World Series of Poker was held in May 1978 at Binion's Horseshoe. and was the first WSOP that wasn't a winner-take-all prize.Instead the tournament had a progressive prize structure, as follows 50% for the Winner then 20% for second, 15% for third, 10% for fourth and 5% for fifth...
(CBS) - Brent MusburgerBrent MusburgerBrent Woody Musburger is an American sportscaster for the ESPN and ABC television networks. Formerly with CBS Sports and one of the original members of their legendary program The NFL Today, Musburger has covered NASCAR, NBA, MLB, NCAA football and basketball games. Musburger has also served as a...
and Jimmy Snyder - 19791979 World Series of PokerThe 1979 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 54 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Fowler was the first amateur to win the WSOP...
(CBS) - Frank GlieberFrank GlieberFrank John Glieber was an American sportscaster.-Early life and career:...
and Jimmy Snyder - 19811981 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 75 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. The final hand saw Green with 10 9 and Ungar with A Q, and the board was 7 8 4 4 Q. -Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
(special) - Curt GowdyCurt GowdyCurtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,... - 19831983 World Series of PokerThe 1983 World Series of Poker was held May 9th to May 12th, 1983 at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 108 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Doyle Brunson fell just short in his attempt to win the main event for a third time when he...
(special) - Curt GowdyCurt GowdyCurtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,...
and Bobby Baldwin - 19871987 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 152 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....
(special) - Ted RobinsonTed Robinson (sportscaster)Theodore "Ted" Robinson is an American sportscaster. He is currently the radio play-by-play announcer for the San Francisco 49ers, having taken over for longtime 49ers announcer, Joe Starkey, following Starkey's retirement in 2009.-Early life:Ted Robinson grew up in Rockville Centre, New York and... - 19881988 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....
(ESPN) - Chris MarloweChris MarloweChristian "Chris" Marlowe is a former volleyball standout and current professional American sportscaster based in Denver, Colorado.... - 19891989 World Series of PokerThe 1989 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. The 1989 Main Event was won by 24-year-old Phil Hellmuth, defeating defending champion Johnny Chan, and also breaking the record for the youngest player to win the WSOP Main Event . Had Johnny Chan won, he would have tied Johnny...
(ESPN) - Chris Marlowe - 19901990 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 194 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....
(ESPN) - Chris Marlowe - 19911991 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 215 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. This was the first Main Event to offer a top prize of 1 million dollars.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
(ESPN) - Chris Marlowe - 19921992 World Series of PokerThe 1992 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. Among notable participants was actor Telly Savalas of Kojak fame.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:...
(ESPN) - Chris Marlowe - 19931993 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 220 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....
(ESPN) - Dick Van PattenDick Van PattenRichard Vincent "Dick" Van Patten is an American actor, best known for his role as patriarch Tom Bradford on the television sitcom Eight is Enough. He began work as a child actor and was successful on the [New York] stage, appearing in more than a dozen plays as a teenager...
and Jim AlbrechtJim AlbrechtJim Albrecht , is best known as the longtime tournament director of the World Series of Poker.... - 19941994 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 268 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Since this was the 25th Anniversary of the event, the winner received $1,000,000, plus his/her weight in silver, in celebration of the WSOP's silver anniversary.-Final table:-Other...
(ESPN) - Dick Van Patten and Jim Albrecht - 19951995 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
(ESPN) - Dick Van Patten and Jim Albrecht - 19961996 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
- Was not televised - 19971997 World Series of PokerThe 1997 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. Most notably, it was the only WSOP where the final table of the main event took place outdoors, at the Fremont Street Experience, just outside of Binions...
(ESPN) - Gabe KaplanGabe KaplanGabriel W. "Gabe" Kaplan is an American comedian, actor, poker commentator, and professional poker player.He was born in Brooklyn, New York...
and Jim Albrecht - 19981998 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
(ESPN) - Vince Van Patten and Jim Albrecht - 19991999 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...
(The Discovery Channel) - 20002000 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 512 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.Ferguson had a 10 to 1 chip lead when starting his heads-up vs Cloutier. After a see-saw battle, Ferguson decided to call Cloutier's AQ all-in with his own A9...
(The Discovery Channel) - 20012001 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 613 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a non-online casino at the time.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:...
(The Discovery Channel)
- 20022002 World Series of PokerThe 2002 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams were installed to allow broadcasters to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachernLon McEachernLon McEachern is an American sports broadcaster, who is most known for his hand-by-hand commentary on The World Series of Poker. McEachern, who graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in communications, is also the host of Fox network's On the Pole. He has...
and Gabe Kaplan; (ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Gabriela HillGabriela HillGabriela Hill is a Mexican-American television personality who hosted Poker After Dark on Discovery Channel in Spanish-speaking Latin America from April through October 2010, on People+Arts Latin America from January through April 2010, on Azteca 7 and on Proyecto 40 in Mexico from May through... - 20032003 World Series of Poker-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachern and Norman ChadNorman ChadNorman Chad is an American sportswriter and syndicated columnist who is seen on the sports channel ESPN. He also was an occasional guest host on the ESPN show Pardon the Interruption and has appeared as both host and movie critic on the ESPN Classic series Reel Classics.He writes a weekly...
; (ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Gabriela HillGabriela HillGabriela Hill is a Mexican-American television personality who hosted Poker After Dark on Discovery Channel in Spanish-speaking Latin America from April through October 2010, on People+Arts Latin America from January through April 2010, on Azteca 7 and on Proyecto 40 in Mexico from May through... - 20042004 World Series of PokerThe 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Gabriela HillGabriela HillGabriela Hill is a Mexican-American television personality who hosted Poker After Dark on Discovery Channel in Spanish-speaking Latin America from April through October 2010, on People+Arts Latin America from January through April 2010, on Azteca 7 and on Proyecto 40 in Mexico from May through... - 20052005 World Series of PokerThe 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Gabriela HillGabriela HillGabriela Hill is a Mexican-American television personality who hosted Poker After Dark on Discovery Channel in Spanish-speaking Latin America from April through October 2010, on People+Arts Latin America from January through April 2010, on Azteca 7 and on Proyecto 40 in Mexico from May through...
and Andrés Agulla - 20062006 World Series of PokerThe 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; Phil GordonPhil GordonPhilip Stewart Gordon is an American professional poker player, commentator and author.-Personal life:Gordon was born in El Paso, Texas. He spent his formative years in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Gordon began attending Georgia Tech at the age of 15 while still attending high school...
and Ali NejadAli NejadAli "Oliver" Nejad is an Iranian-American television poker commentator, who is best known as the off-screen announcer on NBC's Poker After Dark and the National Heads-Up Poker Championship...
in Main Event Pay-per-view; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Gabriela HillGabriela HillGabriela Hill is a Mexican-American television personality who hosted Poker After Dark on Discovery Channel in Spanish-speaking Latin America from April through October 2010, on People+Arts Latin America from January through April 2010, on Azteca 7 and on Proyecto 40 in Mexico from May through...
and Andrés Agulla - 20072007 World Series of PokerThe 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; Phil Gordon and Ali Nejad in Main Event Pay-per-view; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Fernando Álvarez and Gabriela HillGabriela HillGabriela Hill is a Mexican-American television personality who hosted Poker After Dark on Discovery Channel in Spanish-speaking Latin America from April through October 2010, on People+Arts Latin America from January through April 2010, on Azteca 7 and on Proyecto 40 in Mexico from May through... - 20082008 World Series of PokerThe 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Fernando Álvarez and Gabriela HillGabriela HillGabriela Hill is a Mexican-American television personality who hosted Poker After Dark on Discovery Channel in Spanish-speaking Latin America from April through October 2010, on People+Arts Latin America from January through April 2010, on Azteca 7 and on Proyecto 40 in Mexico from May through... - 20092009 World Series of PokerThe 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker . It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 27 to July 15. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Georgina Ruiz Sandoval and Fernando Álvarez - 20102010 World Series of PokerThe 2010 World Series of Poker was the 41st annual World Series of Poker , held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 28 to July 17. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship that began on July 5...
(ESPN) - Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN3) - James HartiganJames HartiganJames Hartigan is an English journalist and broadcaster who is best known as a poker commentator on British and American television and as a presenter and film critic on London talk radio station LBC....
and Adam SchoenfeldAdam SchoenfeldAdam Schoenfeld is an American professional poker player and former columnist for Card Player magazine. Schoenfeld decided to quit his job as the vice president of an Internet analysis firm, Jupiter Communications, in order to play poker full-time....
; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - Georgina Ruiz Sandoval and Fernando Álvarez
Video games
In 2005, a video game based on the tournament, titled World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker (video game)
World Series of Poker is a video game based on the popular gambling tournament World Series of Poker. It is succeeded by World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions and World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets...
, was released for several consoles and the computer. A sequel called World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions
World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions is a video game based on the popular gambling tournament World Series of Poker. It's available for multiple systems: Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii, PlayStation Portable and PC...
came out in 2006. In 2007, World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets
World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets
World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets is a video game based on the popular gambling tournament World Series of Poker. It is the sequel to World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions and is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS...
was released. WSOP video poker machines now appear at some Harrah's casinos; the machines are standard video poker machines, but have a bonus feature which allows a player to play a modified game of Texas Hold 'em against the machine.
WSOP Poker Academy
Beginning in 2007, Harrah's announced the creation of the World Series of Poker Academy, a poker school aimed at providing poker players with the skills needed to win a WSOP Bracelet. The instructors for the Academy include Annie DukeAnnie Duke
Annie Duke is a professional poker player and author who won a bracelet in the 2004 World Series of Poker $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Event and was the winner of the 2004 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, where she earned the Winner-Take-All prize of $2,000,000...
, Phil Hellmuth, Jr.
Phil Hellmuth
Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...
, Greg Raymer
Greg Raymer
Gregory Raymer nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event.-Early life:...
, Scott Fischman
Scott Fischman
Scott Fischman is an American professional poker player based in Las Vegas, Nevada.Fischman grew up in South Jersey and moved to Las Vegas at the age of 12. He was introduced to poker by a schoolfriend and went on to become a poker dealer at the Sahara and the Mirage...
, Mark Kroon, Mark Seif
Mark Seif
Mark Seif is an Egyptian American attorney and professional poker player.-Personal life:Seif was born in Cairo, Egypt before moving with his family at the age of two, to Southern California...
, Alex Outhred, and former FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
interrogator Joe Navarro
Joe Navarro
Joe Navarro is an author, public speaker and ex-FBI agent and supervisor. Joe specializes in the area of nonverbal communication or body language and has authored numerous books including, What Every Body is Saying and Louder than Words....
. Initial academies were launched in Tunica, Mississippi
Tunica Resorts, Mississippi
Tunica Resorts is an unincorporated community located in northern Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, north of the county seat of Tunica. The community was originally named Robinsonville, but the name was changed in 2003. Locals still refer to the town by this name. The community is situated...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, and Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
.
WSOP online
In September 2009 Harrah's signed an agreement with Dragonfish, the B2BBusiness-to-business
Business-to-business describes commerce transactions between businesses, such as between a manufacturer and a wholesaler, or between a wholesaler and a retailer...
arm of 888 Holdings, to provide its online gaming services. The offering went live in the UK later that year, allowing UK users to play for real money. Due to the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, the offering is not available in the United States.
WSOP Arizona Lottery
In December 2010, the Arizona LotteryArizona Lottery
The Arizona Lottery is run by the government of Arizona. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association . Its games include Powerball, Mega Millions, Fantasy 5, Pick 3, Cash 4 , 2by2 and The Pick.Arizona requires lottery players to be at least 21; the minimum age was 18 until June 1,...
issued Game Number 739: World Series of Poker $5 Scratchers(sm) with a $50,000.00 top prize. Played on two tables, the game includes a 2nd Chance Drawing for non-winning tickets to win one of two Grand Prize Trip Packages that includes a seat at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event or one of eight WSOP Poker Party Prize Packs. Overall odds are 1:3.79 (non-winning tickets must be submitted within the state of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
).