The Final Table of the Final Event of the 40th Annual World Series of Poker (WSOP)  has finally been set. On July 3rd, the first of 6,494 players began their quest for poker's ultimate championship. When Day Eight of the $10,000 No-Limit Texas Hold’em World Championship Main Event began, 27 players were still alive in this year's hunt for poker's penultimate gold bracelet. Included in the final three tables (each player gauranteed a minimum of $352,832) were seven-time bracelet winner, Phil Ivey (see article), Spanish native Leonor Margets (the sole female player remaining), Card Player Magazine Associate Publisher Jeff Shulman, as well as former bracelet winners Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari and Jordan Smith.

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The World Series of Poker is the longest-running, largest, richest, and most prestigious gaming event in the world. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the WSOP which takes place at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino from May 27th through July 15th, with the Main Event final table played November 7-10, 2009. This is the 57th and final event on the 2009 WSOP schedule which is played in Las Vegas. Four more gold bracelet events will take place in London, England at the Empire Casino, to be held from September 19th through October 1st. This marks the fifth consecutive year the WSOP has been held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.  Prior to 2005, the WSOP was held at Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas. As a testament to the expansion of the WSOP since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed ownership and control of the world most prestigious poker event, more money has been awarded to winners within the Rio during the past five years than during the entire proceeding 35-year period at the Horseshoe.

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The 40th Annual World Series of Poker held the Media Tournament during the off day between Day 2 and Day 3 of the Main Event. On July 9th, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. joined with Dream Team Poker to sponsor the Charity Event. This year’s event was different than those in the past due to the Team Poker concept pioneered by Dream Team Poker. The concept of Team Poker is that the three players will each compete for the Individual Championship, but the finishing order of each player is given a numeric value. The three point totals are then combined and the team with the lowest aggregate total becomes the Team Champion. Several previous Dream Team tournaments have been played around the country this year and a non-bracelet $1,500 Dream Team Championship will be played during this year’s WSOP on July 12th.

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Since May 27th, a lot has happened in Las Vegas during the 40th rendition of poker’s Greatest Show on Earth. With some major format changes this year, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., has put on an impressive show for the 2009 World Series of Poker® at the Rio. The real fun began with a one-time only, $40,000 buy-in No-limit Hold’em event, continued with the $1,000 buy-in “Stimulus Special” and an inaugural Champions Invitational Tournament. This year, the powers that be decided to rid the series of the “Buy a Bracelet Brigade,” removing the re-buy/add-on tournaments (with the exception of the first ever $3,000 Triple Chance No-limit event). With record attendance and payouts in nearly all of the 55 events, this year’s series should eclipse last year’s record numbers. Prior to the Main Event, we decided to provide you with a recap of the first fifty-five events of the 2009 WSOP.

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The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest and most prestigious gaming event in the world. Listed below are some of the interesting statistics for the 2009 WSOP through the first 56 Events.

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Chad Brown can no longer be remembered simply as Vanessa Rousso’s fiancée. Right before their trip for the European Poker Tour Grand Finale in Monte Carlo they returned to Florida for a quick elopement. They had been talking about the upcoming nuptials for 18 months, never finding the time for a formal wedding, large (original plans) or small (modified plans). In a recent Poker After Dark episode,  Lady Poker told the audience they were planning something, just that it was hard to pick a date. With both of them on the tournament trail and new events popping up all the time, they finally decided to tie the knot and hold a large reception for friends and family in the near future.

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Though Phil Ivey is considered one of the best poker players in the world, amassing nearly nine million dollars in tournament earnings in the last 10 years, not to count the $16 million he took off of billionaire banker Andy Beals as part of “The Corporation” and his regular winning paydays at Bellagio Casino’s $4,000/$8,000 Mixed Games (known as The Big Game). In 2002 he pocketed (armed) three more bracelets in $1,500 Limit 7-Stud, $2,500 Limit 7-Stud Hi-Lo and $2,000 Limit S.H.O.E. events. In 2005, he became the youngest player to win five WSOP bracelets, when he took down the $5,000 Pot-limit Omaha title. In 2000 he won his first bracelet in the $2,500 Pot-limit Omaha event. 2005 was also the year Bluff Magazine honored him as their Player of the Year.

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With the explosive growth of Texas Hold'em, Seven-Card Stud, with all of its variations, is not played as often in casinos and card rooms today as it was 5 or 10 years ago. It is a role reversal of the "Old Days," where Stud was King and Hold'em was only played by High Rollers and at the World Series of Poker.  Even when it is difficult to find a game of Stud at your local card room, it is still a popular game at the World Series. Before this years' World Series began, Jeffery Lisandro had shopped himself around trying to gain sponsorship. When none of the poker sites wanted to pick him up, he decided it was the ultimate motivation to show them what they missed. By any standards, Jeff has had a stellar series this year. By winning his second, third and fourth gold bracelets, as well as making fourth Final Table he has put himself atop the WSOP Player of the Year standings heading into the Main Event.

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In late May, I had the privilege of sweating Humberto Brenes in the 40^th Annual WSOP special one-time only $40,000 Buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold'em tournament. The Rio, in Las Vegas, saw 201 of the greatest Hold’em players of our era fighting it out for first place prize money of nearly $1.9 million. The player line-up was similar to what one saw at the Main Event ten to fifteen years ago, with top professional tournament players competing with the best “amateur” high-stakes ring game players. For me, it was the greatest learning venue I have ever experienced. For two days, I stood behind "The Shark," observing his play up close and personal. On the opening day at Table 83, 2008 Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate was to his right, Internet star Johannes Strassmann was two to his left, high-stake cash game player Keith Lehr on his left, while Andy Black, Barry Greenstein and Chris "Jesus" Ferguson were at the other end of the table. On opening day, when Eastgate was eliminated, chip leader and 2003 WSOP Main Event Champion Chris Moneymaker took his place. It seemed as one superstar left the table another sat down to replace him.

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Seth Palansky, Sports & Entertainment Director for Harrah's Entertainment, announced the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event opening days will again share the stage with a gaming exposition. A revamped Gaming Lifestyle Expo, the world's largest poker expo, returns under a new brand and format for 2009.  To offset a huge drop in exhibitors in 2008, the inaugural "PokerPalooza" will provide the same access to poker and lifestyle exhibitors, but expand its focus by adding additional fun, social and interactive elements. 

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Today marks the official beginning of the 40th Annual World Series of Poker and to kick things off, we start our nomination process for the 2009 Poker Hall of Fame class.  The public, for the first time ever, has the opportunity to nominate this year's inductees.  From today through July 2, the public can log on to  http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/pokerhalloffame/halloffamevoting.asp and nominate those they feel deserving.  More details attached and below.

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The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest and most prestigious gaming event in the world. It is also the richest, awarding millions of dollars in prize money and prestigious gold bracelets. These bracelets, especially the Main Event bracelet is recognized world-wide as poker's top prize. Featuring a comprehensive slate of tournaments in every major poker variation, the WSOP is poker’s loldest continually running tournament in the world, dating back to 1970.  Last year, the event attracted 58,720 entrants from 124 different countries to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and awarded over $180 million in prize money.  The creation of the new delayed Main Event final table more than doubled ratings on ESPN year over year.  Harrah’s License Company, LLC., an affiliate of Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (HEI), has owned and operated the WSOP since 2004. Since buying Binion's Gambling Hall (and reselling it a year later) five years ago, it has fostered an increase in player participation by more than 300-percent and purses even more.

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