Let me take you back to 2004. Poker was in the midst of the ‘Moneymaker Effect’, the world was captivated and confused in equal measure by Greg ‘Fossilman’ Raymer, and The Crew were set to take over the world.

Led by Russ ‘Dutch’ Boyd, and featuring an assortment of exciting young players including bracelet winners Brett Jungblut and Scott Fischman, The Crew were seen by some to be emblematic of the first wave of young internet pros.

But the game has passed them by somewhat, with Fischman the only member of the group close to keeping pace with the even younger and even more aggressive twentysomethings coming through towards the end of the decade.

Even Fischman’s final table at 2008s WSOPE Main Event pales in comparison to the expectations surrounding The Crew when they burst on to the scene in the first half of the decade.

Now Boyd is back in the news, but it’s not for his poker play.

2+2=5

It emerged recently that the 29-year-old is being sued by popular poker forum Two Plus Two for trademark infringement, with regards to the domain name ‘twoplustwopoker.com’ which he registered in 2004.

Despite the name having expired, Two Plus Two owner Mason Malmuth continues to seek damages from Boyd for what he has described as a “blatantly infringing, bad-faith registration.”

As Boyd’s site – when it existed – offered links to other poker-themed websites, so it is easy to see why Malmuth would take issue with what he might see as an exploitation of the respected ‘Two Plus Two’ banner for Boyd’s personal gain.

So, what has caused someone like Boyd, who once had the potential to let his poker do the talking, to find himself back in the headlines for all the wrong reasons?

Spot of bother

This is not the first time controversy has courted the University of Missouri graduate. Back in 2001, before his WSOP breakthrough, his ‘PokerSpot’ online cardroom landed him in all sorts of difficulties.

When PokerSpot closed down, it was alleged that the company failed to return players’ funds to the tune of around $400,000.

After months of silence, during which a number of players were unable to withdraw funds from the site for a variety of reasons, Boyd provided this open letter.

And the main issue to this day is arguably not the failure to recompense people who deposited money on PokerSpot per se, but rather the alleged reneging on promises – that’s right, promises – that the money would be returned.

Of course I’m just playing devil’s advocate here, but if this money is still yet to find its way back to its rightful owners, then might Boyd be able to pay back any existing debts with the money earned through his more recent venture twoplustwopoker.com?

Dutch courage

It is certainly true that the online game is not what it once was. The top players are increasingly aggressive, the pots are getting bigger, and the variance is growing to unprecedented levels.

And while many pros have no trouble making money from the online game, several of them have begun looking elsewhere to generate a more steady income to augment the money they make playing poker.

Howard Lederer, once one of the best players in the world, has arguably found it hard to compete with the best of the best as the structure and makeup of the game has changed.

But he is now seemingly set for life due to his involvement with Full Tilt Poker, a company which brings in many millions a year for the 14 pros who make up ‘Team Full Tilt.’

With this in mind, Boyd’s early venture with PokerSpot showed him to be ahead of his time. But the bottom line is it didn’t work out for him, in terms of income and reputation.

And surely the best option for Boyd is to stay away from controversy, stay out of the headlines, and go back to doing what he does best so he remains well-known as a poker player.

Dutch Boyd in happier times, in 2006

At this stage I do not want to say too much, as as far as I can tell the talks between Boyd and Malmuth are still ongoing and the argument – if not necessarily ‘raging’ – is still very much alive.

All I feel justified to comment on so far is the fall from grace of a player who had the potential to become one of the game’s greatest.

Now, unless a resolution can be found, it looks as though Boyd may be travelling down the same road once trodden by his namesake Russ Hamilton – a road which may end in him being remembered for something other than his poker ability.

And I think we can all agree that this would be a huge shame, as – regardless of the dated and sometime-ridiculous marketing of the crew – there is no doubting the talent and intellect of Dutch Boyd.

Chris Klodnicki won a Circuit Ring at Caesar’s during a World Series of Poker Event.   Congratulations!

Reading – http://www.pocketfives.com/online-poker-scene/chris-klodnicki-sloppyklod-wins-atlantic-city-wsop-circuit-championship-5006210

Image source – http://www.pokerstarsblog.net/br/Chris%20Klodnicki.jpg

Padraig Parkinson won the first ever UKIPT Galway poker tournament last night, winning nearly $182,000, making this the 7th World Series of Poker event that he has cashed in on. With the win, Parkinson wins the unofficial “Irish” title and a free seat at the English Poker Tournament — London next year.

Never one to live up to a stereotype, Parkinson was feeling awfully good after his win: “I was born just down the road so I can’t believe that I won it.

“If anyone wants a drink, I’m buying!”

[Poker Jolt]

(Las Vegas, Nevada) 2010 will start out on a high note thanks to the online leader in poker
freerolls, free poker money and Vegas travel- WeDoitAllVegas. The renowned website will play host to one of the first online poker tournaments of the New Year and will give away the first 2010 World Series of Poker seat of the year, worth $1,500.

The popularity of WeDoitAllVegas has only increased over the last few years, as they have continually enhanced their free poker money program, poker freerolls, prize giveaways and much more. Now the site has upped the ante once again by running their New Year’s Day Tournament, which is open to all members of WDIAV.
The WDIAV New Year’s Day Tournament will begin on January 1st, 2010 at 2:15 p.m. EST and will be hosted by the leading online poker room – Full Tilt Poker. WDIAV forum members, WDIAV rakeback players, Free Poker Cash Bankroll players and affiliates are more than welcome to take part in this one-of-a-kind poker event and should pre-register at the WDIAV New Year’s Day Tournament page to ensure their seat in this online poker tournament. Players have until December 28th, 2009 to pre-register and once registered, players’ names will appear in the Full Tilt Poker tournament lobby 2 days before the start of the tournament.

The 2010 World Series of Poker will be the premier poker event of the year and by winning the WDIAV New Year’s Day Tournament, you are assured a seat next to the best poker players in the world. The grand prize is valued at $1,500 and can be used for the 2010 WSOP event of their choice.

Be careful what you ask for you just may get it. I put out a call for story ideas and of course a good friend took the time to remind me that sex sells. So I am not sure who should be worried about this story. Probably you the reader. Because I write mostly stories about my life as a poker player, I will wrap a story around poker and sex.

I have been married for nine years and with my wife for a little over ten years so we have to travel back to the days my single poker professional days. I had just walked away from my last real eight to five job working for the City of Corvallis. I wanted to go to the World Series of Poker and my boss did not think I could have the time off so I just went for the week anyway. I will never know whether I quit or got fired but I surely never returned to work. I have written the story of this my maiden voyage to the WSOP and just brushed over the whole sex thing.

I am playing mostly $10-20 limit hold’em for hours on end and I am clearly the youngest at the table during most sessions. I am a reasonably nice guy and try to show some manners at the table. I am probably flirting a little too much with one of the female dealers and do not actually realize things are going well. Ignorance is bliss. Who says us small town boys are sheltered? At the end of her down she tells me to go to the Deli and get her a mocha and she will by after she gets her jacket. I am a little surprised but I try to take it all in stride. I do as I am told and have my first Las Vegas speed date in the Binions Deli. While the conversation was brisk and things went well I was still trying to understand what exactly worked. I am not going to say that I didn’t want to get dinner and hang out later that night. After twenty minutes she was off to work and I was back to the tables.

The very next day while playing in a similar game a young girl takes a seat right next to me. Guys in their twenties were rare but a girl was quite rare. We talked between hands and she was a young professional player from the Seattle area. This girl was rather appealing to me and I was flirting with her. Funny how I do so much better when I don’t actually know I am flirting. We spend the day playing and even when the game gets too tight and I know I should get up I stay. I am pretty sure I just wore her down and she agreed to go to dinner just because she was hungry. We sat in the restaurant for three hours talking and even ate a little bit of food. Things went well between us and we discussed the things we wanted to do while in Vegas and agreed to do some of them together.

As late night was approaching suddenly realized I had one more girlfriend than I needed and my dealer friend would be getting off work and wanting to do something with me. I was going to need to get away from my poker player and spend some time with the dealer. I managed this maneuver pretty well on my first night in Vegas with two girl friends. I am sure that says something about my morals and makes an even bigger statement about Sin City.

I was playing some of the best poker in my life during these couple days and yet somehow I was starting to feel stressed by the whole two girlfriend thing. I decided I better tell my dealer friend that I was seeing somebody and just kind of break off what I never really meant to start. Of course, you as the reader can already see where this is going. She told me that she knew I was. “I am not blind, I work in that poker room all day.” She already knew I had found a new toy to play with. She was fine with that. My mouth got dry and my tongue was thick and for once I was struggling to talk. I finally asked, “What are you doing here?” She replied, “I still want to spend time with you, you will be gone in four more days and we will never see each other again.” She was right I never spoke to either one of them ever again.

I am not sure if it is Las Vegas, The World Series of Poker, poker in general or just mankind but these are the feelings and emotions that play out every year at the WSOP. Everybody is living in the moment and trying to get the most out of what little bit of time they have left before they have to return home to a normal life.

I decided I did not want that normal life and just sat down at the table and began to play poker every day and live my life for the moment. I became a professional poker player and spent the next years of my life living for the moment.

Just when you thought I play too much poker because of how this blog portrays my results and stuff, you’re in for a bit of a surprise. I play more poker than this blog actually records. But I assure you, only in this WordPress blog, and my Twitter account (twitter.com/callmeroger), and maybe a few feeds from here and on Twitter that are sent to Facebook, will you find my poker related entries.

The “Poker” I blog about in this WordPress blog:

• Result summaries from live poker tournaments that are held and hosted by the two local poker leagues I’m involved with. Some of these entries also involved miscellaneous drunken experiences and funny non-poker related events, and dumb women I meet.
• Hand analysis on certain hands that happens in live poker games, how I played the hand well or badly, and how my oppenent(s) play against me.
• Result summaries of my game play, cash earnings and losses in home games and tournaments.
• Online result summaries, hand analysis, cash earnings and losses, which takes place online at Full Tilt Poker or PokerStars.
• Other poker games that I play in venues that aren’t involved in any poker leagues.

…then there’s the “Poker” I don’t usually blog about:

• The poker games I play on my PlayStation 3:
  • World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets – This records my complete hand analysis and EVERYTHING
  • High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition – This records my play-by-play analysis, call/raise/fold percentages and shit.  This also gave me the experience to play with real people online.
• The poker games I play on my PlayStation Portable (PSP): The World Series of Poker – Play the Pros. This game helps me practice and experience playing any hand, and the action I should take, with the comfort of fast forwarding to the next hand.
• The poker games on my mobile phones
  • A few months back, I used to use the Samsung Instinct. I had a couple of poker games in there, but I mainly played “The World Series of Poker: Pro Challenge“. This game is strictly a “Heads-up” match and this helps me play well in heads-up situations. I don’t usually go heads up in Live tournaments, but when I do, I want to feel more confident.
  • Now that I have the Palm Pre, I play “Card Aces: Hold’em“, which I can either use to practice (with no hand analysis) or play online with other Facebook, Palm Pre, or iPhone users.
• Lunchtime Poker at Work! This happens almost daily. And I’ve played, and seen, and experienced some of the worst bad beats. This is mainly to relieve stress from the workplace… but at the same time, it adds stress to us anyway. LOL  This Lunchtime Poker at work happens so much, and so fast, and with no winning prizes or anything, it’s not even worth blogging about. But if I could blog about it, it would be soooo funny and at the same time, epic!  I’ve gotten a Royal Flush, queen high straight flushes, quads and almost every rank of hands during these hours. lol During lunchtime, my co-workers Cornelius, Tracy, Raymond, and our boss, Craig plays.
• Poker on MySpace and Facebook: Zynga Poker, which was one of the games that got me started on online gaming. However, I didn’t really start blogging about it when I started playing it, so I decided not to blog about it.  But I am at 1.0M! lol  I haven’t played since.
• Poker on my iPod: nuff said.

Ok, after typing this entry, I just realized that I play too much poker than I realize.  LOL

I had a short week on the poker front. Just seven days like every other week. Time goes by way too fast and it is already time for the next installment of the road to the World Series.

On to the action for this week; I played and won an online sit and go tournament. I took time to play a single tournament and felt good about besting the table. I did not set foot into the brick and mortar casinos. I had a cold and had to pull out of the Las Vegas trip last weekend. As I was still in recovery mode I did not get out of the house much last week.

I had planned to go to Reno to the Grand Sierra Resort for the winter pot of gold tournament this weekend. A rainy stormy week in the valley means a snowy week on the mountains. I am not about to drive up the hill to Reno in the middle of a winter storm. Snow chains required is not something I want to deal with to play a poker tournament. I have to say I love what they are doing at Grand Sierra with the poker and the tournaments. I would love to be there and support them. By all means if you have the chance stop in and check out any of the pot of gold tournaments. They offer $30 room rates and give the players a great deal. You also earn $2 in comps for every hour played and $3 maximum rake in live games.

The study of poker has been on the lighter side this week. I bought two new books and started reading both of them. One at a time would make too much sense. Deal Me In the story of twenty professional players and how they became professionals. Cowboys Full is a story by James McManus, who wrote Positively Fifth Street, a story about the history of poker. I would recommend Positively Fifth Street for entertaining reading. This reading is lighter and serves to break up the monotony of reading poker strategy week after week.

When I think about the slow week with so little traction I am fine with having an easy week. I was sick and I probably needed to get some rest. Always approach the poker tables on your own terms and only play when you are truly ready. Yes that means you Annie. I will come back to the tables recharged and full of energy and looking forward to playing again.

I look forward to seeing you at the final table next November.

Hi there,

It’s been a while since my last post. The poker world has not been moving at such a whirlwind pace since the WSOP finished.

But now I will return to the fray with a post inspired by a debate raging in the Cardiff Journalism School newsroom – what is the TV advert of the decade?

This of course follows on from debates about the Sporting Icon of the Decade and the Album of the Decade.

After Ciaran Jones started proceedings, I have decided to throw in my two cents – I feel there can be only one winner in this debate:

A good advert has to be snappy, memorable and easily tieable to the product it is advertising. My choice has all these things.

When you add into the mix humour and a recognisable celebrity face, you can see that Full Tilt’s offering has all the ingredients needed for a classic ad.

WPT.  The World Poker Tour.  I am addicted.  Hooked.  All in. 

It’s amazing to watch folks (hate that word – love to use it) who really, really know how to play.  I’ve been TiVo’ing and slow-mo-ing as though it were some crazy new prOn, lemme tell ya – which I guess makes me a bit happier now that this was the tournament KROQ’s Kevin crapped out in awhile back – ’cause explaining to him WHY I was slo-mo-ing him would be ‘awkward’.

WORLD POKER TOUR HOME PAGE right this way…

Another legendary landmark Las Vegas hotel has put up a permanent no vacancy sign. Binion’s announced Monday it will shut down its 365 rooms on Dec. 14. The casino and other operations, though, will reportedly remain open. 

Binion’s officials have said the reason for shutting down the hotel operations was because of the ever slumping economy which has forced room rates to drop and vacancies to rise. 

Even though the casino will stay open, there’s no question the decision will be a blow to a downtown that has struggled — even during the talks of revitalization. 

It’s been a staple on Fremont Street for more than half a century. Word of the closure spread quickly. 

Binion’s original coffee shop and Keno operation will also close, but the entire casino operation — including the Sports Book and the famed poker room which hosted the World Series of Poker from 1970 to 2005 — will stay open. 

But the hotel closure could impact gaming. 

Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman is trying to help Binion’s owners and lenders hammer out a deal to keep the hotel open. He said he does not think this will impact his plan to revitalize downtown. 

“Once you start saying you’re not going to do those things, then you recede. Vegas is a very funny place. We go through these ups and downs. We’ve been here before, perhaps not to this level, but I don’t blame this on Las Vegas. Las Vegas has the infrastructure in place. We’ve got the best hotels, restaurants, shopping and entertainment,” Goodman said. 

Goodman said it’s hard to find investors to come in with fresh money to refurbish rooms, but he’s not giving up.  “We have to keep pushing forward, now more than ever,” Goodman said. 

About 100 people will be laid off when the hotel closes. 

Anyone who has a reservation after Dec. 14 is being referred to Binion’s sister property across the street, The Four Queens. 

Most of the restaurants, including the famed Binion’s Ranch Steakhouse, will remain open.

OMG!! I Finally finished watching the final table of the 2009 WSOP. First the DVR didn’t record it properly then it was other stuff then it was more stuff and then… So now that we are into the circuit events again I had better get caught up here. So thanks for being patient. Oh yeah I did get a blogging offer from Cake but it wasn’t what I was looking for so Im still here as The Guy in Seat 4!! In any event here is the Pokerdog283 recap of the final table action!!

Great introductions for all players but I will get right to the action as I did a play by play before the tournament aired!!

Akenhead vs Shaffel (That other guy) Schaffell had the best of it with the AK to Akenheads KQ. Akenhead in need of a Q he magically hits the Q and suddenly starts acting like a British Gangster, I was kind of embarrassed??

Saouts J2 then J2 flop catch for 2 pair made me throw up it was so sick to watch on TV!!

Neat little featurette on Moon with his Cabin Get away maybe from now on the November 9 will forget the poker lessons and go hunt bears or something!!

Nice hand between Cada and Shulman where Cada’s AJ loses to Shulman’s AK taking Cada to below 3 million!!
Note watching Shulmans training clips Diego Cordovez is a Card Player Superstar!!

Beglighter vs Saout. Great read untill Saout turns a flush then I just felt Bad!!

Ivey and Moon Big Hand Ivey Chants were deafening!!! Moon hits( like it was a surprise) And the Hero is out!! I did see that despite earlier reports Moon and Ivey shake hands.

Absolute suckout ,kick to the groin was the Cada/Shulman 33 vs JJ with Cada all in hits a 3 on the flop to the cheers of Team Suckout!!
By the way when did Joe Cada go with Full Tilt?? Was his UB hat not enough?? Or was Moon the only person that didn’t sell out?? Shulman didn’t sell out he is already big time!!

Cada versus Saout AK/88 of Saouts a sick miracle King for Cada and Saout is at Macaren airport looking for his airfrance ticket!

Moon and Cada HU!!

Vince Neil doing the intro??? WTF was Ralph Mouth from Happy Days busy??
Some big hands ending with Cadas 99 dominating Moons QJ diamonds and a shiny new bracelet for Cada and both win alot of Cash!!

Of Course this is only one Dogs opinion!
Pokerdog283

On today’s show: Another K&B Instant Request: Gene Simmons talks to Adam Lambert, your biggest screw up at work, the King of Mexico is making a New Moon shirt and more Miss Double D-cember highlights.

Also, Sean Connery has a new movie project, NBC Community’s Joel McHale stops by, the 2009 World Series of Poker Champion Joe Cada calls in and Ralph’s Showbiz Beat.

World Series of Poker (WSOP) Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack has resigned from his post at the WSOP and Harrah’s.  Friday, November 13th, was Pollack’s last day on the job. 

“It’s bittersweet, but I’m leaving with just great memories and a really nice sense of it being a great run. More than anything else, I’m just appreciative of the opportunity to have been part of the WSOP,” said Pollack, who was instrumental in growing the WSOP since assuming his position in 2005. 

The WSOP entered its 40th year this year, with Michigan pro Joe Cada crowned its latest and youngest champion last week. 

World Series of Poker spokesman Seth Palansky said there were no immediate intentions to replace Pollack. 

Back in May, Pollack teamed with former Party Gaming CEO Mitch Garber to lead Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment, the casino giant’s newly-formed online arm. Pollack was slated to be its President and Harrah’s CEO Gary Loveman commented in a press release announcing the launch: “As the world’s largest gaming company, Harrah’s is taking a proactive approach toward international and interactive expansion. It is important we position ourselves to explore new markets as well as new technologies with our best in class brands.” 

Pollack said his next career move remains up in the air: “I really wanted to see this year through, see this series through. I’m leaving on an absolute high note.”

The 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 (US) no-limit Texas hold ‘em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18. All events were held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada by Harrah’s Entertainment, which has run the annual event since its purchase from the Binion family in 2004.

For the first time players began each event with double the amount of chips as the buy-in. This means that players in the Main Event started with 20,000 chips. The blind structure has also been increased and some blind levels removed but slowed to allow for more play.

World Series of Poker 2007

The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). 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 ‘em Main Event, the most prestigious of the WSOP events, ended by July 15. As has been the WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners received a championship bracelet in addition to that event’s prize money, which (after the casino’s rake) ranged from $87,929 to $9,119,517.

World Series of Poker 2008

The 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). 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. The “November Nine” concept returned for the second year, with the finalists of the Main Event returning on November 7.

World Series of Poker 2009

World Series of Poker 2007 – 2008 – 2009

The 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. 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. Many entrants, including the overall winner, won their seat in online poker tournaments.

World Series of Poker 2003

The 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe after Harrah’s Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January. Harrah’s announced that future WSOP tournaments will be held in a moving circuit of member casinos.
There were 2,576 entrants to the main event – more than three times the number of the previous year. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time. Many entrants, including the overall winner, won their seat in online poker tournaments.

World Series of Poker 2004

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 ($7,500,000) was awarded to the winner. ESPN’s broadcast began July 19 with coverage of WSOP Circuit Tournaments, and coverage of the Main Event began October 11 and ended November 15.

All events were held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino with the exception of the final two days of the Main Event which were held at Binion’s Horseshoe Casino. This marked the last time the final table was held at Binion’s Horseshoe.

There were 5,619 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. Many entrants won their seat in online poker tournaments.

World Series of Poker 2005

The 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) 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. Forty more events in various events including Omaha, seven-card stud and razz, plus ladies’ and senior tournaments led up to the 10,000 USD no-limit Texas hold ‘em main event starting July 28 and running through the final table on August 10.

All events were held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, which marked the first time that a casino other than Binion’s Horseshoe (now “Binion’s”) hosted the final table of the main event. Six days reserved for the first two rounds of play for the main event were established by Harrah’s Entertainment, which has run the annual event since its purchase from the Binion family in 2004.

The first prize in the main event was $12 million (US), the richest prize for the winner of any sports or television event in history. The top 12 players became millionaires.

The 2006 World Series featured a much-anticipated HORSE tournament with a $50,000 buy-in, the highest ever for a single WSOP event.

Humberto Brenes, Phil Hellmuth, Chris Ferguson, and Alex Jacob are tied for the most number of cashes during one WSOP, with eight cashes each. Jeff Madsen, who won two events and made two other final tables (finishing third both times), was named the 2006 WSOP Player of the Year (POTY). He barely edged Hellmuth, who also made four final tables.

World Series of Poker 2006

World Series of Poker 2003 – 2006

www.pokerbooksdvd.com

The 1973 World Series of Poker (WSOP) 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.
1st Walter “Puggy” Pearson $130,000
2nd Johnny Moss None
3rd Jack Straus None
4th Bobby Brazil None
5th Bob Hooks None
6th Brian “Sailor” Roberts None

The 1978 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held in May 1978 at Binion’s Horseshoe. [1] 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 place. There were 42 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. This was the first time that the main event paid a prize to any players other than the winner.
1st Bobby Baldwin $210,000
2nd Crandell Addington $84,000
3rd Louis Hunsucker $63,000
4th Buck Buchanan $42,000
5th Jesse Alto $21,000
6th Ken Smith None

The 1981 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. 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.
1st Stu Ungar $375,000
2nd Perry Green $150,000
3rd Gene Fisher $75,000
4th Ken Smith $37,500
5th Bill Smith $37,500
6th Jay Heimowitz $30,000

The 1983 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held May 9th to May 12th, 1983 at Binion’s Horseshoe. 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 finished third. Rod Peate and Tom McEvoy went on to play the longest heads-up match in World Series history until 2006. The match lasted over 7 hours. McEvoy emerged victorious becoming the first player to win the main event via satellite. Donnacha O’Dea was the first foreign player ever to place in the money at the WSOP.
1st Tom McEvoy $540,000
2nd Rod Peate $216,000
3rd Doyle Brunson $108,000
4th Carl McKelvey $54,000
5th Robert Geers $54,000
6th Donnacha O’Dea $43,200
7th ‘Austin Squatty’ John Jenkins $21,600
8th R.R. Pennington $21,600
9th George Huber $21,600

The 1987 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. There were 152 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Johnny Chan $625,000
2nd Frank Henderson $250,000
3rd Bob Ciaffone $125,000
4th James Spain $68,750
5th Howard Lederer $56,250
6th Dan Harrington $43,750

The 1988 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. There were 167 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Johnny Chan $700,000
2nd Erik Seidel $280,000
3rd Ron Graham $140,000
4th Humberto Brenes $83,050
5th T. J. Cloutier $63,000
6th Jim Bechtel $49,000
9th Jesse Alto $21,000

The 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) 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 (a record previously set by Stu Unger in 1980). Had Johnny Chan won, he would have tied Johnny Moss’s record of 3 consecutive Main Event wins. This year also marked the first year in which Johnny Moss did not finish any WSOP tournaments inside the payout positions. There were 178 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Phil Hellmuth Jr $755,000
2nd Johnny Chan $302,000
3rd Don Zewin $151,000
4th Steve Lott $83,050
5th Lyle Berman $67,950
6th Noel Furlong $52,850

The 1990 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. There were 194 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Mansour Matloubi $835,000
2nd Hans Lund $334,000
3rd Dave Crunkleton $167,000
4th Jim Ward $91,850
5th Berry Johnston $75,150
6th Al Krux $58,450

The 1991 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. There were 215 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Brad Daugherty $1,000,000
2nd Don Holt $402,500
3rd Bob Veltri $201,250
4th Don Williams $115,000
5th Perry Green $69,000
6th Ali Farsai $34,500

The 1993 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. There were 220 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Jim Bechtel $1,000,000
2nd Glenn Cozen $420,000
3rd John Bonetti $210,000
4th Mansour Matloubi $120,000
5th Thomas Chung $72,000
6th Mike Cowley $36,000

The 1994 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. 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
1st Russ Hamilton $1,000,000 + His weight in Silver
2nd Hugh Vincent $588,000
3rd John Spadavecchia $294,000
4th Vince Burgio $168,000
5th Al Krux $100,800
6th Robert Turner $50,400

The 1995 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. There were 273 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Dan Harrington $1,000,000
2nd Howard Goldfarb $519,000
3rd Brent Carter $302,250
4th Hamid Dastmalchi $173,000
5th Barbara Enright $114,180
6th Chuck Thompson $86,500

The 1997 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. Most notably, it was the only WSOP where the main event took place outdoors, at the Fremont Street Experience, just outside of Binions. The 1997 WSOP is also famous for marking the comeback of Stu Ungar who had last won the main event in 1981 and spent much of the previous years abusing cocaine. There were 312 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Stu Ungar $1,000,000
2nd John Strzemp $583,000
3rd Mel Judah $371,000
4th Ron Stanley $212,000
5th Bob Walker $161,120
6th Peter Bao $127,200

The 1998 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binion’s Horseshoe. There were 350 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.
1st Scotty Nguyen $1,000,000
2nd Kevin McBride $687,500
3rd T. J. Cloutier $437,500
4th Dewey Weum $250,000
5th Lee Salem $190,000

Wsop Set 01

www.pokerbooksdvd.com

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is a poker tournament held annually in Las Vegas. The first WSOP in 1970 was an invitational wherein Benny Binion invited six of the best known poker players to The Horseshoe Casino. At first, the WSOP grew slowly. It was twelve years before the WSOP drew 52 participants, in 1982. In the early 1980s satellite tournaments were introduced allowing people to win their way into the various events for less than the full entry fees. By 1987, there were over 2,100 entrants in the entire series. Participation peaked in 2006, with 8,773 people participating in the Main Event alone.

The first World Series of Poker was not a freeze-out tournament, but rather an event with a set start- and stop-time with the winner determined by secret ballot. In 1973, five-card stud was added as a second event. Since 2007, the WSOP has consisted of 55 events. While events traditionally take place over one or more consecutive days during the series in June and July, in 2008 the Main Event final table was delayed until November. 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. A World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted prize or trophy a poker player can win, with one from the Main Event revered above all others. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. WSOP victories prior to 1976 are also known as “bracelets”. Most of the major poker variants are featured, though in recent years over half of the events have been variants of Texas hold ‘em.

The series 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. The winner of the World Series of Poker Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker. Since its inception, Stu Ungar and Johnny Moss are the only players to have won the Main Event three times, though Moss’s first victory came in a different format than that now used 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 on the 1998 film Rounders. Phil Hellmuth holds multiple WSOP records: most bracelets (11), most WSOP cashes (68), and most WSOP final tables (41). The 2008 Main Event bracelet winner, Peter Eastgate, is the youngest person to win the Main Event. Since 2005, the WSOP has been sponsored by Harrah’s Entertainment.

Wsop Set 01

World Series of Poker 1973

World Series of Poker 1978

World Series of Poker 1981

World Series of Poker 1983

World Series of Poker 1987

World Series of Poker 1988

World Series of Poker 1989

World Series of Poker 1990

World Series of Poker 1991

World Series of Poker 1993

World Series of Poker 1994

World Series of Poker 1995

World Series of Poker 1997

World Series of Poker 1998

Wsop Set 02

World Series of Poker 2003

World Series of Poker 2004

World Series of Poker 2005

World Series of Poker 2006

Wsop Set 03

World Series of Poker 2007

World Series of Poker 2008

World Series of Poker 2009

World Series of Poker 1973 -2009

www.pokerbooksdvd.com

So I am a new fan of poker after having watched it countless times on ESPN as they advertise the 2009 WSOP. I am a starter and found a great site with tips for the noob. The site itself is very easy to navigate through but has taught me how to play AA and KK right and how to avoid the bad beats. Articles are posted everyday so content is fresh and most of the time new. Well for me it’s great because I’m starting out in the world of poker online. Signing up to sites like Pokerstars. Visit the site www.QubeBlog.com to learn how to play poker, watch videos, talk about strategy, and much more

So, after a marathon final table, the World Series of Poker 2009 has come to a close.

Congratulations to Joe Cada, who – at 21 – has become the youngest player to claim the world title.

But it was not easy for Cada to break Peter Eastgate’s record. He had to survive 17-and-a-half hours of play just to reach the final two.

And, despite holding a dominant lead over Darvin Moon after eliminating Antoine Saout in 3^rd, the pendulum swung back and forth over the 86 hands of heads-up play before Joe’s pocket nines held against Darvin’s queen-jack of diamonds.

World champion Joe Cada is mobbed by his team of supporters

It marked the end of a remarkable comeback for Cada, who was down to under 2.3 million in chips at one stage during the final table.

But the 21-year-old managed to fight back with a lot of nerve and a bit of luck to take the crown.

A long and winding road

In the lead-up to the final table, all the talk was of Phil Ivey, and whether he could reaffirm his tag as the best player in the world by taking the title.

It was not to be, however, as Moon got lucky when his ace-queen outdrew Ivey’s ace-king to send the Vegas pro packing in seventh place.

Phil Ivey hoped to be celebrating an eighth WSOP bracelet, but at 32 his chance will surely come again

Before Ivey’s exit, two other players had hit the rail after two very different aces-vs-kings encounters.

First out was James Akenhead. After having his chip-stack decimated when his kings ran into Kevin Schaffel’s aces, Cada finished him off to send the Londoner home $1.2million richer.

The next to follow was Schaffel himself. He looked to have put himself back in contention to win the event when he moved all-in with aces again and got a call from Eric Buchman’s kings.

But if the king on the flop wasn’t demoralising enough, Buchman made four of a kind on the turn to end the 52-year-old Floridian’s dream of Main Event success.

And then there were six

Following Ivey out of the door was Steve Begleiter. The former Bear Stearns exec was few people’s favourite to win after making some questionable plays en route to the November Nine, but he seemed to have improved his game after receiving coaching from multiple WPT champion Jonathan Little.

And ‘Begs’ was hugely unlucky in a hand against Saout, where he made a wonderful call on the flop with second pair against the Frenchman’s flush draw only for Saout to leave the New Yorker drawing dead after a third heart hit the turn.

To compound his ill-fortune, he got the last of his chips in with pocket queens against Moon’s ace-queen, but gt outdrawn once again.

Jeff Shulman was unable to emulate his father Barry's success, but he should be pleased with his performance

Next out the door was Jeff Shulman. The 34-year-old pro, who had finished 7th in 2000, didn’t really put a foot wrong throughout the final table. He played a patient game, no doubt influenced by the coaching of former world champion Phil Hellmuth, but it was not his day.

Shulman still managed to get his chips in with the best of it when his pocket sevens led against Saout’s ace-9, but a 9 on the flop ended his main event agonisingly short of the $8.5million first prize.

Crunch time

Eric Buchman must have thought the bracelet was his to lose after his elimination of Schaffel early on, and the New Yorker continued to bide his time and stay out of trouble throughout the early proceedings.

But he opened up his game when the tournament got four-handed, and lost a monster pot with ace-queen against Saout’s ace-king and exited soon after.

Yet again it was a questionable call from Moon which ended a player’s tournament, after the logger’s king-jack outdrew Buchman’s ace-five to send the 30-year-old back to New York with over $2.5million.

With three players left, Saout was most onlookers’ favourite to claim the crown, but two pivotal hands sent the chip-leader crashing out in third place. Who knows what would have happened if the Frenchman’s pocket queens had held against Cada’s pocket twos, or if his eights had held against Cada’s ace-king?

Antoine Saout probably deserved better than third place for his play

The final countdown

But in the end that coinflip ended Saout’s main event. He had turned an original stake of $50 into $3.5million, but still had cause to feel disappointed.

And his exit left Moon and Cada to fight it out for the bracelet. At the start of heads-up play Moon’s stack had barely deviated from the $58.93million with which he started the final table, while the chips of the other eight players had somehow all found their way to Cada.

Despite being less than half the age of his opponent, Cada’s greater experience of heads-up play (as well as his chip advantage) made him a strong favourite to defeat Moon, but it was far from easy.

The chip-lead swung back and forth over nearly three hours of play between the two rivals, but in the end Cada edged across the finish line and stepped into poker history.

Joe Cada, brought up in Detroit by his car mechanic father and blackjack dealer mother, is the World Series of Poker main event winner.

The 21-year-old university dropout became the youngest champion ever when he raked in the $8.55 million prize.

Cada won in the final round of ‘No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em’ against 46-year-old Darvin Moon to become the world champion. Moon, a lumberjack and who started playing poker only two years ago,  will take home over $5.2 million as the runner up.

Cada attended Macomb Community College, but dropped out to become a professional poker player. The Detroit News Reports that he made over half a million playing online since last year, and has attended high profile tournaments around the world until he entered the World Series of Poker.

The tournament actually started back in July at the Rio Hotel-Casino with a $10,000 buy in with 6,494 players.

An audience of 1,500 witnessed the deciding game played on a table with stack of money in front.

“I ran really well and I never really thought this was possible,” Mr Cada said.

“It was one of those dreams and I’m thankful it came true.”

A 21-year-old Michigan poker professional who chose cards over college won the World Series of Poker main event in Las Vegas early today, winning $8.55 million and becoming the youngest player to win the tournament in its 40-year history. 

Joe Cada of Shelby Township, Mich., turned over a pair of nines early after 46-year old Darvin Moon called his all-in wager with a suited queen-jack, setting up an about-even race for most of the chips on the table. 

But a board of two sevens, a king, an eight and a deuce didn’t connect with either player’s cards and gave Cada the win. 

“I ran really well and I never really thought this was possible,” Cada said. “It was one of those dreams and I’m thankful it came true.” 

The hand abruptly ended a final table that saw Moon, a logger from western Maryland, bounce back to a dominant chip lead after being down 2-1 in chips to start the night. 

“I knew if I could catch, I got him,” Moon said of the final hand. “I just took a shot.”

 Cada broke a record for the tournament’s youngest winner set last year by Peter Eastgate of Denmark. Cada is 340 days younger than Eastgate. 

The record was previously held for two decades by 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, who posed for pictures with Cada after the win. 

When asked what’s next for him after reaching the pinnacle for poker so early in his career, Cada said: “To win it back-to-back.” 

Moon and Cada traded the lead several times in 88 hands spanning nearly three hours of play, with one 20-minute break. 

Moon won $5.18 million for second place. 

“I only play good when my back’s against the wall,” said Cada, who was nearly ousted from the tournament on Saturday when he held about 1 percent of the chips in play after 123 hands. 

The players traded chips atop a table with a stack of cash and a gold bracelet on its felt, and in front of nearly 1,500 screaming fans in a capacity crowd at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. 

Their tug-of-war ended an epic tournament that began with 6,494 players in July. 

Unlike Cada, who said he regularly plays about a dozen tournaments at a time online or three at a time in heads-up cash games, Moon hasn’t played a single hand of online poker. He doesn’t even own a computer or have an e-mail address.

Joe Cada, a 21 year old college dropout, has outlasted nearly 6,500 participants to defeat Darvin Moon and become the youngest Main Event champion in World Series of Poker history.

From TIME:

On the final hand, Darvin Moon, 45, called an all-in bet from Joe Cada, 21, and with $150 million in chips in the pot — 70% of the chips in play — none of the last five cards paired Moon’s queen-jack; Cada’s pair of nines held up, and he had outlasted 6,494 participants who began play more than four months ago at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

From the Associated Press:

Joe Cada bet on gambling instead of college and started playing poker full-time after winning enough to buy a house and justify playing tournaments in far-off places.

The 21-year-old’s wager paid off Tuesday in a way many players only dream when he became the youngest champion ever at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Cada, from Shelby Township, Mich., says the win and $8.55 million top prize gives him a lot of freedom.

From the AFP:

A 21-year-old college dropout won the World Series of Poker early Tuesday, completing the biggest comeback in the tournament’s history to earn a 8.5 million dollar jackpot.

Joe Cada, the youngest champion in the 40-year history of the game’s richest and most prestigious event, won with a pair of nines after about 90 hands head-to-head against second-place finisher Darvin Moon.

Moon had a queen and jack, and none of the other cards drawn in the Texas Hold ?Em hand improved it.

“I’d like to thank all my fans and my friends,” an emotional Cada told a raucous theater full of supporters in bright-yellow T-shirts bearing his name. Later he told reporters: “It’s really surreal right now.”

Cada squandered a huge lead at the start of play late Monday against 46-year-old Moon before barreling back in a finale of constant betting in which he moved strongly ahead for a time.

It was played before an audience of more than 1,500 people at the Rio Hotel-Casino at a table stacked with bricks of cash. A diamond-encrusted championship bracelet gleamed on the side of the table.

Cada’s triumph was particularly stunning because he was down to just two million chips out of 194.8 million on Saturday but came back to finish as the chip leader.

21 year old , Joe Cada, has just bagged $8.5 million for winning the World Series of Poker 2009, becoming the youngest player to do so in the event’s 40 year history.

The tournament started way back in July when 6500 texas holdem players forked out $10k each to enter[HERE]. After some intense poker only nine players remained which included crowd favourite Phil Ivey. Play resumed November 7th and by the 9th only Darwin Moon and Joe Cada were left to battle it out for the title.

The final hand went down like such:

“The two got into a preflop raising war that saw Cada push in with nines and Moon make the call for his tournament life with Q J. The flop came 8 7 2 and chants of “Joey” filled the theatre. The turn brought the K and Cada needed to fade just one more card.As the crowd murmured in anticipation, the river came the 7 and the Main Event title and $8.5 million was suddenly Cada’s.” [MORE]

Cada thanked his family and friends and had this to say:

“I’ve dreamed of winning this tournament, and to do it the first year out of the gate is unbelievable”

Moon was very humble in defeat and was overheard saying:

“Pay that man his money” (ok i made that up ,but how cool would it have been if he said that.)

Betfair Blog reports that the casino which held the first World Series of Poker will be closing its hotel on December 14 due to the poor economic climate.

Binion’s in Downtown, Las Vegas was opened in 1951 and hosted the first WSOP in 1970, but times have been harder of late.

Read more of the article here…

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