World Series Of Poker

[oh_kee_pa]

anyone following the results?
I think I want to play in the 50k horse w/ in the next 5 years.
its a pretty intense final table

[ChrisTheCop]

I watch it when tivo says I can.

It would be cool to have a RonFez.net sponsored player at the table.

[cougarjake13]

a buddy of mine was in it

not sure how he did

[hammersavage]

a HUGE year for the pros. Glad to see the big names restoring some order to the events.

There are so many that a lot of nobodies still win but Lindgren, Matusow, Negreanu, Greenstein, Layne Flack, Kenny Tran, Jon Phan, Benyamine all won bracelets and a lot more finished in the money. It's good to see. Now the impossible, a pro winning the main event.

[oh_kee_pa]

i really think the only pro who has a real chance is ivey...
the problem is the 6 million or whatever it is gonna be to the winner doesn't entice him..
he would rather go play golf...

dude has too much money... must be nice

[Chimee]

I really haven't been following it all that much this year. I'll probably watch it when they air it on ESPN.

It's a dream of mine to play in the main event and if I ever do, I'll try to have some sort of R&F reference worked in somehow.

[hammersavage]

If I ever play in it, I swear to wear some sort of RF.net paraphernalia or a shirt that says 'East Side Dave sucks at life'. Give Norman Chad something to blab about.

[hammersavage]

Scotty Nguyen gets another bracelet. Very happy for him.

A few things: another pro wins won (beat an all-star table which was bound to happen at the $50,000 event), he won the 1st 'Chip Reese Trophy' named after the original H.O.R.S.E. winner and poker legend, and I've met him a couple times, very nice. Clearly a guy who just loves life after the situation he came from.

[hammersavage]

Well, were at day 4 of a wild tournament. A lot of the huge pros still making a run.

Cunningham, Chan, Hellmuth, my boy Gus, JRB all with alot of chips. If Gus or Phil make the final table, im flying out and jacking on the table i'm gonna be so happy. I really hope a pro makes the final table.

[reillyluck]

I watch it when tivo says I can.

It would be cool to have a RonFez.net sponsored player at the table.

:bye:

[hammersavage]

You guys put up the 10 g's, I'll pay for my plane ticket and room. Its a fair offer. I'll wear a shirt that says, "I bluffed St. Mikey of the Internets".

Phil just got beat :glurps: I was really rooting for him. Now it pretty much rests on Matusow who has a lot of chips and the best resume of anyone left. Here's to no Matusow blowup!

[hammersavage]

Matusow is out. terrible beat, can't wait to see how he takes it. i'm sure he'll be gracious.

now the only real pro is Brandon Cantu. Down to 27...

[hammersavage]

Well, we're down to the 'November Nine'. Final table being played in November which I like.

Here are the official chip counts and seating assignments for the 2008 November Nine:

Seat 1: Dennis Phillips - 26,295,000
Seat 2: Craig Marquis - 10,210,000
Seat 3: Ylon Schwartz - 12,525,000
Seat 4: Scott Montgomery - 19,690,000
Seat 5: Darus Suharto - 12,520,000
Seat 6: Chino Rheem - 10,230,000
Seat 7: Ivan Demidov - 24,400,000
Seat 8: Kelly Kim - 2,620,000
Seat 9: Peter Eastgate - 18,375,000

[hammersavage]

Well, the 2009 World Series is well underway. 27 events in.

The big story is Phil Ivey winning his 6th and 7th bracelets. The events were the $2,500 No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball and $2,500 Omaha Hi/Lo / 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo.

Daniel Alaei and Jeff Lisandro both won their 2nd.

The main event starts July 3rd. They will be doing the November Nine again which I thought was great last year.


A buddy of mine came in 14th out of 918 in the Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better (Event 3). Beat players like Annie Duke, Eli Elezra, Eric Lindgren, Layne Flack, Todd Brunson.

He plays in my regular game. Which is actually this Saturday so I can't wait to ask him about the experience.

[hammersavage]

Phil Ivey is 3rd with 64 players left. Antonio Esfandiari is 6th. Dennis Phillips, last years 3rd place finisher, is in the top 20. Very interesting

[NateCantDance]

Is this the main event?

[hammersavage]

It is. They will play down to 9 and resume in November like last year.

[hammersavage]

And Ivey makes the November Nine! Holy shit, I'd only be slightly more happy if it was me in that seat. He has almost $10 million in chips, sits in 7th place but has to double up to really be freed up to play. But he's there which is awesome and amazing. As is Jeff Shulman who is a legit pro too. Joe Cada is a 21 year old Canadian kid who can become the youngest ever.

Now, the waiting....

[NateCantDance]

When is ESPN going to start showing this year's events? They've been running 2008 on a continuous loop.

[Boogie in Va]

The others left in the tournament were 51-year-old Kevin Schaffel of Coral Springs, Fla.; Antoine "Tonio" Saout, 25, of Saint Martin des Champs, France; Joseph Cada, 21, of Shelby Township, Mich., Steven Begleiter, 47, of Chappaqua, N.Y.; James Akenhead, 26, of London; Eric Buchman, 29, of Valley Stream, N.Y.; and Jeff Shulman, 34, of Las Vegas.

[hammersavage]

When is ESPN going to start showing this year's events? They've been running 2008 on a continuous loop.

July 28th they begin with this years. They'll show the $40,000 anniversary event. Only showing 3 other events on TV this year which I think is a terrible job.

But they say hold 'em is the only game that gets ratings so I get why they do it, I'm just a fan of all the games.

[NateCantDance]

Haha Hold'em is all I care about, so I guess I'm part of the problem.

[hammersavage]

Haha Hold'em is all I care about, so I guess I'm part of the problem.

I don't blame you, man. I like to play all games but usually no one ever wants to so I'm used to it.

[walking joint]

Shulman says he will throw his braclet in the garbage if he wins and never play poker again.

[hammersavage]

Shulman says he will throw his braclet in the garbage if he wins and never play poker again.

I read that. What a baby, I was rooting for him after Ivey too. Not anymore, he can fuck off.

[walking joint]

I'm on team Ivey.

Ivey, Ivey, Ivey, Ivey!!!!

[cougarjake13]

Shulman says he will throw his braclet in the garbage if he wins and never play poker again.

why ?? he just wants the money i guess

[hammersavage]

Segment coming up on E:60 about Phil Ivey.

Get to know Jersey's own No Home Jerome

[hammersavage]

Also, the November Nine resumes play this Saturday night. Rooting for Ivey very hard, then Akenhead then Shulman still. Rooting against Moon and Begleigter.

[NateCantDance]

Elimination to the final table airs tonight!

[Stankfoot]

Segment coming up on E:60 about Phil Ivey.

Get to know Jersey's own No Home Jerome

Did they talk about how he mucked a winning hand last night? He didn't realize he had a flush: (http://www.pokernews.com/news/2009/10/the-wsop-main-event-on-espn-the-one-where-ivey-mucks-a-winne-7460.htm)

The WSOP Main Event on ESPN: The One in Which Ivey Mucks a Winner
we here at PokerNews would like to officially dub last night’s episode of ESPN’s World Series of Poker Main Event coverage “The One in Which Phil Ivey Mucks a Winner.” For years to come, in rerun after rerun, clip reel after clip reel, that’s what everyone will remember about this broadcast: Phil Ivey and the freakin’ eight of spades. Ivey’s blunder startled us in so many ways, rearranging our very brain matter as we pondered such questions as “Is this irrefutable proof that Phil Ivey is actually human?” and “Did he just realize as this was airing that he folded the winning hand in a 2.5 million chip pot with 26 players to go in the Main Event?”

[jafter]

I would like to see Moon or Ivey. I think Moon will be at a disadvantage by the lay off. He had the element of suprise and his run of getting cards may run dry. I like that he is a class act not running his mouth and being a straight up good guy. Even if he does not win he has had a hell of a run.

[hammersavage]

A little write-up on each player:

Seat 1: Darvin Moon -- $58,930,000

Being the chip leader going into the final table is hardly insurance once there. Philip Hilm, the 2007 chip leader, was the first player eliminated. Last year, Dennis Phillips almost met the same fate before staging a comeback to finish third. Still, when the leader's stack is as massive as Moon's, a top-three finish is more or less expected. Greg Raymer and Jamie Gold, whose pre-final-table domination closely mirrored Moon's, both led wire to wire in taking their championships in 2004 and 2006, respectively.

Many questions still surround Moon with just a few days until he returns to the table, many of them concerning whether he'll consent to some kind of sponsorship deal and how he'll cope with the pressures and advantages of being the big stack. We know that he's refused coaching despite reportedly striking up a friendship with Phillips and, thanks to ESPN's "Inside Deal," that he's not planning to use the same game plan he did in July. On the show, Moon told Bernard Lee, "I hope they learn everything I've done, because when I go back, it'll all be different."

Look for Moon to sit on his stack and keep things relatively conservative.

Seat 2: James Akenhead -- $6,800,000

The only player other than Phil Ivey with a pre-WSOP sponsorship deal, Akenhead is the real deal. However, he's dealing from a position of weakness thanks to entering play with the short stack. His preparation has consisted of a lot of travel, with Thailand and London (where he finished ninth in the WSOP Europe main event) among the destinations.

Akenhead has gone on the record saying he's playing for first and the small payout increases leave him little incentive to let everyone mix it up without him. The bet here is he'll be the first player to announce "all-in," with the result of that hand playing a large role in the overall standings.

Seat 3: Phil Ivey -- $9,765,000

In a worldseriesofpoker.com poll asking who will win the main event, an astounding 78 percent of respondents said it would be Ivey. The seven-time bracelet winner has just more than 5 percent of the chips in play. Is it possible the best player in the world is also the most overrated?

When a player is as widely respected by the best players in the world as Ivey is, there's little doubt regarding the skills he brings to the table, but even a force as powerful as Ivey can't completely ignore the math. He does bring an intimidation factor that had many of the Nine talking specifically about their proximity at the table to Ivey, but he will have to get lucky to thrive. One thing's for certain: If any player at this table is unaffected by the pressure, it's Ivey.

Seat 4: Kevin Schaffel -- $12,390,000

No November Niner has had a bigger result since July than Schaffel, who finished second at the World Poker Tour's Legends of Poker tournament for a $471,000 score. Not a bad tune-up. "I'm just playing," Schaffel explained when asked about his preparation. "I played in two other tournaments against two big, good fields. That kept my tournament game in shape. I've played cash three to four times, played online, practiced with some friends, read a little, a bit of everything."

Schaffel, who has cashed in the main event twice, seems to have inherited one of the tougher seating situations at the table. His growing friendship with Steve Begleiter has been well documented, but now he finds the third-place "Begs" sitting to his left and second-place Eric Buchman one more seat beyond. It seems almost inevitable that at some point Schaffel will clash with one of the two, but he's philosophical about the arrangement. One could hear the smile in his voice when he said, "I'm happy to have any seat at the final table."

Seat 5: Steven Begleiter -- $29,885,000

Although Ivey has gotten the majority of the media attention, Begleiter's place at the final table hasn't gone unnoticed by the mainstream media thanks to his former employment with felled financial giant Bear Stearns.

Begleiter is one of only two amateurs at the table. (Moon is the other.) As the more aggressive of the two, one has to think some of the assembled pros will be lining up to take their shots (much like Norman Chad has throughout the broadcasts …). To protect himself, Begleiter may have enlisted some help. If Phil Hellmuth is to be believed, Begs may have brought in single-table sit 'n' go specialist Jon Little as coach. It says here that the choice would make a lot of sense.

Seat 6: Eric Buchman -- $34,800,000

With all the talk of Moon, Ivey and Begleiter, Buchman has gone largely unnoticed despite a long, successful track record as a pro and the largest stack not being piloted by a logger. He also happens to be very happy with his seating arrangement. "I'm glad Moon is on the other side of the table," he said. "I'm glad there are a few short stacks to my left." Buchman's preparations for the tournament have seen him stay away from poker, as the second-to-last paragraph of this article says. Despite his sole focus on this tournament, though, he understands he has only so much control over his fate. "It's like this," Buchman explained. "First place is the only place where you get complete satisfaction. You're the world champion, you get the big prize, complete satisfaction. Anything else is going to be disappointing. All that money will help you dry your tears, though. I wouldn't say I won't be happy if I finish in the top four, just not completely happy."

Seat 7: Joseph Cada -- $13,215,000

This year's online player of choice, Cada, at 21 years old, comes poised to break Peter Eastgate's record for youngest champion. With numerous online successes to his name, one can be sure Cada is confident in his own game, but he'll probably get some advice from backers Cliff "JohnnyBax" Josephy and Eric "Sheets" Haber, who stand to benefit greatly from any moves the kid makes up the standings.

Cada is another player who likes where he's sitting. "I love my seat," Cada said on Inside Deal, pointing out he was happy to have Begleiter and Buchman on his right. "Those two are a little more aggressive than Darvin, so I'd rather have them to my right and him on my left. I'm also exactly center from [Ivey]. I have a good draw at the final table."

The quote brings up the questions of whether Cada was intimidated by Ivey in July and whether he'll have gotten over those feelings when he sits down Saturday.

Seat 8: Antoine Saout -- $9,500,000

Saout was an afterthought in August. He was an unknown, inexperienced professional with a small stack and little English to hang his press clippings on. Since then, however, he's forced the world to recognize he's a real threat at this table should he manage to accumulate chips in the early going.

Saout seemingly has prepared for the final table by playing nonstop, scoring five cashes since August, including a seventh-place finish at the WSOP main event. On top of his hot streak, he has one other advantage: naivete. "I didn't realize how big a deal it was when I qualified," Saout admitted in an interview last week. "I don't think I even understand it now, but it's cool." It's hard to feel pressure when you don't know it's there.

Seat 9: Jeff Shulman -- $19,580,000

We've all heard about the bracelet and the garbage by now, but that's behind us. Shulman has withdrawn his July statements and is now focused on the goal at hand, but where the table-quiet Shulman is concerned, few eyes will be on him.

Not only is Shulman sitting directly to the right of man-of-the-moment Moon, he's also being coached by none other than Phil Hellmuth, who was brought in to share the secrets to his final-table success and his winner's mentality. Shulman has admitted that Hellmuth's enthusiasm has started to become infectious, instilling a belief that "I could actually win this thing!" The question is whether Hellmuth's positive influences could be undermined by the potential combustibility he brings to more or less any situation in which he's involved.

There you have it. Nine guys, nine stories, nine potential champions. Keep your eyes on ESPN and ESPN.com to see how it all unfolds starting Saturday.

[hammersavage]

Oh, and I played the $100 + 20 tourney at the Borgata yesterday morning. 98 players.

Played pretty well despite not getting cards, got down to the final 3 and worked out a chop. Chip leader had myself in 2nd and the other guy in 3rd at about 2-1. Agreed on $2,600, and $1,700 for the other two.

Not a bad pay day.

Of all the tournaments I entered in my life which I believe is 7 of them, I've cashed in 5 and won 2 (fields of 203 and 100). I've won 3 of the last 4 monthly games I play in. I hope I can keep this going for Vegas next month.

[EddieMoscone]

Of all the tournaments I entered in my life which I believe is 7 of them, I've cashed in 5 and won 2 (fields of 203 and 100). I've won 3 of the last 4 monthly games I play in. I hope I can keep this going for Vegas next month.

Wait, I'm confused, aren't those results the exact opposite of hammersavaging something?

[jafter]

Congrats to Joe Cada on becoming the youngest world series of poker champion. Darvin finished in a respectable 2nd place. Darvin definitely did not have the experience or the skills of the rest of the people at the final table but he won some great hands and is walking away with I think 5 million or so in his pocket not bad for a lumberjack from Maryland.

[NateCantDance]

Thanks a lot asshole.

[Furtherman]

If you're going to watch the finale tonight, DO NOT read jafter's post, as he spoiled the outcome.

Don't go to yahoo.com sports either, as they tell you who won.

[jafter]

Sorry dude, It is all over the net. I opened Yahoo and it was on the first page.

[TheGameHHH]

I won.

[King Hippos Bandaid]

If you're going to watch the finale tonight, DO NOT read jafter's post, as he spoiled the outcome.

Don't go to yahoo.com sports either, as they tell you who won.


yahoo spoiled everything


buncha jerks

[RhinoinMN]

Sorry dude, It is all over the net. I opened Yahoo and it was on the first page.

I suppose if Yahoo jumped off a cliff then you would.....

Never mind.

[hammersavage]

If you're going to watch the finale tonight, DO NOT read jafter's post, as he spoiled the outcome.

Don't go to yahoo.com sports either, as they tell you who won.

Fucking yahoo. Saw it out of the corner of my eye yesterday afternoon. Didn't care that much, really wanted to see how it all went down anyway.


Darvin may have come in 2nd but he made some god awful plays. Cada coming back from having 1% of chips might be the most remarkable final table feat ever.

Phil really couldn't get going, but he did have all the money in the middle with the best hand. I would have given a year off my life to see him win.

Hopefully he will be in Bobby's Room next month so I can take a peak.

[STC-Dub]

I somehow managed to not know who won before I watched, Mood played pretty bad heads up.

[newport king]

I would have given a year off my life to see him win.

really? fuck him. unless he gives me some winnings it dont mean shit to me. I didn't watch it but from what i read moon seemed to paly like every internet asshole who thinks Q-J is a monster and worth calling an all in heads up pre-flop like its a made hand.

[newport king]

and the old people that follow him are fucking creepy. if im him at some point in tell them to hit the road.

[hammersavage]

so the 2010 WSOP kicked off a couple of days ago.

the first event this year was the $50k event that had been HORSE for the last couple of years but this year a few more games were added. Meaning that you have to be an even more well rounded player than even the previous winners to win. The trophy still named after Chip Reese.

This years winner: the Grinder. He knocked his own brother out in 5th! He was one of the better players to not win a bracelet so I'm glad he finally got his first.

[newport king]

i loathe poker at this point. it just sucks. no matter how good you play theres always some asshole that hits a miracle.

[joeybags]

so the 2010 WSOP kicked off a couple of days ago.

the first event this year was the $50k event that had been HORSE for the last couple of years but this year a few more games were added. Meaning that you have to be an even more well rounded player than even the previous winners to win. The trophy still named after Chip Reese.

This years winner: the Grinder. He knocked his own brother out in 5th! He was one of the better players to not win a bracelet so I'm glad he finally got his first.

glad he got one too

i follow all the events on cardplayer but i am thinking i may try and go dark for the main event this year so i can enjoy it more on tv

[hammersavage]

ESPN started their broadcast of the Main Event last Tuesday.

I was happy they showed a few hands from Annette Obrestad. For those who don't know, she won the WSOPE Main Event when she was 18. She was killing the game in Europe but couldn't play in Vegas until she turned 21.

I've seen her play a couple of times and wasn't overly impressed. But this past Tuesday she made one of the best lay downs I've ever seen. On a J4J board, she had two 4's. The other guy had J7 and turned a 7. She laid it down on the river. I'd never be able to do that the way the hand was played.

The rest of the show, they showed a couple of bad lay downs. So I'm still not sure how great she is but she definitely belongs in the big games over here.

[Ogre]

ESPN started their broadcast of the Main Event last Tuesday.

I was happy they showed a few hands from Annette Obrestad. For those who don't know, she won the WSOPE Main Event when she was 18. She was killing the game in Europe but couldn't play in Vegas until she turned 21.

I've seen her play a couple of times and wasn't overly impressed. But this past Tuesday she made one of the best lay downs I've ever seen. On a J4J board, she had two 4's. The other guy had J7 and turned a 7. She laid it down on the river. I'd never be able to do that the way the hand was played.

The rest of the show, they showed a couple of bad lay downs. So I'm still not sure how great she is but she definitely belongs in the big games over here.

I doubt I would've laid that down either. I doubt I would've put the the other guy on a J7 that deep into the hand. Especially early in a tournament the openers and callers tend to be a little better than J7. I know he flopped a set but I would have prolly put him on a QJ or some shit like that thinking my boat was the nuts. Did he push all in on the river?

[joeybags]

I doubt I would've laid that down either. I doubt I would've put the the other guy on a J7 that deep into the hand. Especially early in a tournament the openers and callers tend to be a little better than J7. I know he flopped a set but I would have prolly put him on a QJ or some shit like that thinking my boat was the nuts. Did he push all in on the river?

I was thinking she may have put him on JQ also and when the Queen hit the river she thought her boat was counterfitted. But i still would have trouble getting away myself. He raised the river..she was betting the whole way and he was smooth calling then he popped her on the river and she let it go