Day1a recap

Day 1a of the Main Event got underway after Greg Raymer gave the command to “shuffle up and deal” shortly after 12pm on Monday to the 1,125 player throng, mostly seated in the Amazon room. The Pavilion room had a few tables at the start, but they were the first to be broken and moved into the Amazon room. Raymer was the first big name to be eliminated yesterday, crippled when he moved in with a flush draw against his opponent’s flopped set of tens. The flush didn’t get there, and he was gone a few hands later. During the day he would be followed out the door by notables such as T.J. Cloutier, Victor Ramdin, Isaac Haxton, Chino Rheem, Nick Schulman, Mike Caro, Ray Romano, Billy Baxter and Jimmy Fricke.

When play ended in the middle of level five, 762 players will return Friday afternoon for day 2a with the survivors from Wednesday’s day 1c field. The day 1a leader is British pro James Mitchell Corwin Cole with 241,075 228,200 in chips. Michael Mizrachi is 4th in chips with 142,650, with others near the top of the leaderboard including Barry Shulman (113,325), Chris Moneymaker (107,425), John Hennigan (95,050), Maria Ho (90,700), Scott Seiver (80,100), Vince Van Patten (75,450) Dwyte Pilgrim (68,775), Lacey Jones (67,600), Rene Angelil (52,275) and Matt Glantz (44,000) . The full list of chip counts is now available at wsop.com.

Day 1b preview

Today’s 1b field will bring another crowd of 1,000+ players to the Rio, each holding their $10,000 lottery ticket, hoping for a big payday. Follow all the updates, chip counts and other excitement over at wsop.com, or follow Dan’s lists of Twitterers.

Monday also meant the conclusion of the last two preliminary bracelet events:

Vonk valiant, wins 1000 NL bracelet

The final $1,000 No-Limit Holdem of this year’s WSOP was won by the Netherlands Marcel Vonk as he defeated David Peters heads-up, earning $570,960. Peters earned $350,803 for his runner-up finish, with England’s Paul Kerr in third for $255,076. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report at wsop.com.

Tomer wins final prelim bracelet

The $2,500 No-Limit Holdem came to an end earlier this morning with Tomer Berda with holding all the chips as he overcame a 2-1 chip deficit against Vladimir Kochelaevskiy heads-up, pocketing a cool $825,976. Kochelaevskiy will receive $510,939 for the second place finish. Full results and Dalla’s tournament report at wsop.com.

Angle corners Seniors’ bracelet

78-year old Harold Angle of Sun City Center, Florida defeated Michael Minetti heads-up to win the $1,000 Seniors’ No-Limit Holdem Championship and add $487,994 to his bank account. Minetti earned $301,389 for the runner-up finish. As Dan noted in the post below, Tom Schneider finished 14th in his WSOP Seniors’ debut. The full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report is available at wsop.com.

Mahmood leads 10k Heads-Up final 1-0

The finals of the $10,000 No-Limit Holdem Heads-Up Championship was expected to have finished earlier today, but the first match in the best-of-three final between Ayaz Mahmood and Ernst Schmejkal took over six hours to complete, with Mahmood eventually winning. Play will resume at 7pm tonight as they play to a finish, hopefully.

Juanda leads stacked 3k HORSE

25 players remain on day 3 of the $3,000 HORSE, with John Juanda (393,000) leading the way when play resumes at 3pm. The stacked field includes David “Not Bakes” Baker (373,000), Phil Ivey (205,000), Jeff Lisandro (193,000), Dan Heimiller (180,000), Bill Chen (158,000), David Benyamine (137,000), Chad Brown (108,000), Scott Seiver (105,000) and David Singer (93,000). The full list of chip counts are available at PokerNews.

Marchese leads 10k PL Holdem Day 2

A field of 268 players started Sunday afternoon in the $10,000 Pot-Limit Holdem Championship, after ten hours of play, Thomas Marchese emerged as the leader with 334,600 in chips when play resumes at 3pm today. Some of the notables returning include Dani Stern (200,500), John Duthie (171,400), Noah Boeken (136,400), Blair Rodman (92,900), Mike Matusow (77,300) and Shannon Shorr (72,700). The top 27 players get paid, with the winner pocketing $617,214. The full list of chip counts are available at PokerNews.

D’angelo leads 1k NL day 1b field

Day 1b of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem tournament drew a field of 1,119 players, with 165 of them joining the 268 day 1a players when play resumes at 2:30pm. The top 324 players make the money, with the winner picking up $481,760 at the cashier. The full list of chip counts for both days is available at wsop.com.

Monday’s tournaments

Two tournaments on the schedule today, first is the $1,500 No-Limit Holdem Shootout at 12pm. This has a listed cap of 2,000 players, which appears to be a strange number to use for a shootout. If more than 1000 players are registered, 20 additional tables will be added, with some tables being 9-handed. The winners from round 1 will make the money and return on Tuesday, with the winners of those tables playing on Wednesday to determine a winner. With a 1,000 player cap last year, Jeffrey Carris won this event last year, good for $313,673. The 5pm tournament is the $2,500 Razz, won by Jeff Lisandro in a field of 315 for $188,390.

Papola denies the Master bracelet #8

Jeffrey Papola defeated Men Nguyen in the $5,000 No-Limit Holdem 6-max event, earning $667,443 and his first career bracelet. Nguyen earned $412,746 for the second-place finish, moving into a three-way tie for first in the WSOP Player of the Year race with Michael Mizrachi and James Dempsey. Erick Lindgren finished sixth for $82,303. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report are available at wsop.com.

Velador slams the door on his second bracelet

Luis Velador took down the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha/Pot-Limit Holdem title as he defeated David Chiu heads-up, good for $260,517 and his second career WSOP bracelet. Chiu earned $160,902 for the second place finish, moving into a tie for 6th in the WSOP Player of the Year race. Full results and Dalla’s tournament report can be found at wsop.com.

10k NL Heads-Up down to an Elite 8

The final day of the $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Holdem Championship resumes at 3pm with these matchups:

Jason Somerville vs. Kido Pham
Faraz Jaka vs. Ayaz Mahmood
Alexander Kostritsyn vs. Ludovic Lacay
Ernst Schmejkal vs. Vanessa Rousso

The matches will be single-elimination until the finals, a best of three match. Follow the action at PokerNews.

Minetti leads Seniors’ event, Schneider among final 23

Day 3 of the $1,000 Seniors’ No-Limit Holdem Championship resumes at 2:30pm with Michael Minetti leading the final 23 players with 1,038,000 in chips. Other notables returning include Michael Woo (523,000), Jack Ward (519,000), and Team Pokerati/Loudmouth Poker pro Tom Schneider (284,000). The full list of chip counts is at PokerNews.

Montgomery leads day 1a of 1k NL

Original November Niner Scott Montgomery (75,200) led the day 1a survivors in the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem event as the field played halfway through level 9 to get down to 286 players. Other notables: Neil Channing (64,500), Michael Gracz (52,700), Fabrice Soulier (39,125), Liv Boeree (24,275) and Leo Margets (22,875). The full list of chip counts is available at wsop.com.

Siegel super at day 1 of 3k HORSE

Day two of the $3,000 HORSE resumes at 3pm with Jordan Siegel leading the 207 players who remain with 66,900 in chips. Other recognizable names include: Darus Suharto (55,100), Dan Heimiller (52,100), Howard Lederer (44,400), Chau Giang (36,400) and Eugene Katchalov (29,900). The full list of chip counts is available at wsop.com.

Sunday’s tournaments

12pm is day 1b of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem event, with a field of at least 1,000 expected. The 5pm tournament is the $10,000 Pot-Limit Holdem Championship, won last year by John Kabbaj in a field of 275 for $633,335.

DonkeyBomber leads 1k Seniors’ field

Day 1 of the $1,000 Seniors’ No-Limit Holdem Championship concluded with 427 players remaining at the end of 10 levels of play. The reported chip leader is Team Pokerati/Loudmouth Poker pro Tom Schneider in front with 94,000 in chips. Other notables with chips when play resumes at 2:30pm: Berry Johnston (62,900), Lon McEachern (27,200) and Sam Simon (23,100). A full list of chip counts is now available at PokerNews.

Ellis wins bracelet #4 for the UK

The $1,500 No-Limit Holdem event reached a conclusion first as Mike Ellis overcame a large chip deficit heads-up against Christopher Gonzales to win the bracelet along with $581,851 as the Briton wins the fourth bracelet this year for the UK, moving them into second in the WSOP world standings. Gonzales earned $360,906 for the runner-up finish. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report are available at wsop.com.

Puchkov punches his way to HORSE victory

The $1,500 HORSE event finally concluded in the wee hours of the morning as Konstantin Puchkov defeated Al “Sugar Bear” Barbieri to earn $256,820 and a WSOP bracelet. Barbieri earned $158,647 for the second place finish. Full results and Dalla’s tournament report will be available at wsop.com shortly.

Lindgren, Nguyen feature final day of 5k NL 6-max

The final day of the $5,000 No-Limit Holdem 6-max event gets underway with 12 players remaining. Here’s how the field will be seated when play resumes at 3pm:

Seat 1: Orlando Delacruz – 301,000
Seat 2: Anthony Roux – 668,000
Seat 3: Evan Panesis – 299,000
Seat 4: Jeffrey “jpapola” Papola – 598,000
Seat 5: Mark Radoja – 1,493,000
Seat 6: Darren Elias – 841,000

Seat 1: Bruno Launais – 875,000
Seat 2: Men Nguyen – 264,000
Seat 3: Erick Lindgren – 1,165,000
Seat 4: Taylor Mcfarland – 848,000
Seat 5: Paul Sheng – 712,000
Seat 6: Lucas Greenwood – 425,000

Follow the updates of this event at PokerNews.

Velador and Chiu top two in 2500 PLO/PLH

Day 3 of the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha/Pot-Limit Holdem resumes at 3pm with 14 players remaining. Jose-Luis Velador (455,000) and David Chiu (451,000) are the leaders, while Rob Hollink (423,000), Victor Ramdin (262,000) and Phil Ivey (207,000) also return. PokerNews will be there until a bracelet winner is determined.

10k NL Heads-Up down to final 64

Two rounds of play have finished in the $10,000 No-Limit Holdem Heads-Up Championship with 64 players remaining when the field returns at 3pm. The 32 round three winners will make the money, with some of the notables returning include: Phil Ivey, Gavin Smith, Phil Gordon, Antonio Esfandiari, Sorel Mizzi, Jonathan Little, Josh Arieh, Vanessa Rousso and Vivek Rajkumar. The full bracket for this event is now online at wsop.com.

Saturday’s tournaments

The 12pm tournament is day 1a of the fourth $1,000 No-Limit Holdem event of the WSOP, with a field of at least 3,000 expected over the weekend. The 5pm tournament is the $3,000 HORSE event, which drew a field of 452 players last year with Zac Fellows coming out on top for $311,899.

Warga wins second bracelet, makes history

The $1,500 Stud Hi/Lo 8 or Better winner is David Warga, becoming the first player win the Casino Employees bracelet (in 2002) and win another WSOP bracelet. Warga defeated Maxwell Troy heads-up, winning $208,862 while Troy pockets $129,253. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report are available at wsop.com.

Haydon hacks his way to 2500 6-max bracelet

William Haydon defeated Jeffrey Pappola heads-up to take down the $2,500 No-Limit Holdem 6-max title, earning $630,031. Pappola’s runner-up finish was good for $391,068, the full list of results and Dalla’s report can be found here.

Proulx on precipice of Omaha prize

Miguel Proulx (877,000) leads the remaining 12 players when day 3 of the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha resumes at 3pm. Among the notables who cashed: Adam Junglen, Chau Giang, Christian Harder, Tad Jurgens (now leading with 5 cashes), TJ Cloutier and Michael Binger. Get the chip counts and follow live updates at PokerNews.

Ray leads final 13 in 10k limit holdem

Another event resuming at 3pm is day 3 of the $10,000 Limit Holdem World Championship, with Kyle Ray leading the field with 643,000 in chips. Other notables: Dave “Not Bakes” Baker (543,000), Matt Keikoan (418,000), Brock Parker (351,000), Michael Mizrachi (256,000) and David Chiu (144,000). Chip counts and updates available at PokerNews.

Lehmann leader in 1500 NL

Day 2 of the $1,500 No-Limit Holdem event will resume at 2:30pm with Markus Lehmann (135,200) leading the field with 261 players remaining. Other notables: Carlos Mortensen (108,500), Matt Stout (74,800), and Jean Gaspard (63,300). The full list of chip counts is available at PokerNews.

Reslock leads HORSE

Day 2 of the $1,500 HORSE resumes at 3pm with 246 players returning. The current chip leader is Ming Reslock with 50,000. Some of the notables returning: defending champion James Van Alstyne (40,900), Allen Kessler (36,900), Tom Dwan (34,900), Brandon Cantu (29,100), Andy Bloch (26,800), and Chip Jett (21,300). The full list of survivors is at PokerNews.

Thursday’s tournaments

Two tournaments yet again get underway at the WSOP. Starting at 12pm is the $5,000 No-Limit Holdem 6-max event, won last year by Matt Hawrilenko for just over $1,000,000 in besting a field of 928. The 5pm tournament is the $2,500 Pot-Limit Holdem/Pot-Limit Omaha event, with nine hands of each game played before switching. Last year’s winner was Rami Boukai, defeating a field of 453

Dutch doubles up on bracelets

Russ “Dutch” Boyd wins his second career WSOP bracelet, defeating Brian Meinders heads-up to win the $2,500 Limit Holdem 6-max event, collecting $234,065. Meinders earns $144,650 for the runner-up finish. A full list of results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report is online at wsop.com.

Chow leads 10k Omaha 8

Day three of the $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better World Championship will resume at 3pm with Michael Chow, winner of a Omaha 8 bracelet earlier in the WSOP, leading with 600,000 in chips with 23 players remaining. Among the returning players: Sammy Farha (512,000), Eugene Katchalov (463,000 after being down to a single 1,000 chip), Jean-Robert Bellande (314,000), David “Bakes” Baker (283,000) and “Miami John” Cernuto (269,000). The full list of chip counts is online at PokerNews.

Wilkerson leads 1k NL day 1b field

Day 1b of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem tournament concluded with 222 players returning this afternoon at 2:30pm to join the 290 day 1a survivors, with 342 players making the money. The reported chip leader from last night is David Wilkerson with 66,400. Other notables: Eric Froehlich (47,325), Tom Dwan (36,250) and Chad Batista (34,000). A full list of chip counts is at PokerNews.

Monday’s Tournaments

It’s another doubleheader today, with the 12pm tournament the $2,500 No-Limit Holdem 6-max event, last year won by Brock Parker in a field of 1,068 for $552,745. The 5pm tournament is the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo 8 or Better event, won last year by David Halpern for $159,048 in a field of 466.

Hellebuyck wins Ladies’ Championship

The $1,000 Ladies’ Championship just finished as Vanessa Hellebuyckmade quick work of Sidsel Boesen in heads-up play. Hellebuyck wins the specially designed ladies’ WSOP bracelet along with $192,132, with Boesen earning $118,897 for her runner-up finish. Timmi Derosa, fiance of veteran pro Lee Watkinson finished third for $74,389. Team Pokerati Asia member La Sengphet finished in 7th for $22,278. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report will appear later over at wsop.com.

Dutch Boyd looking for second bracelet

The $2,500 Limit Holdem 6-max field is down to a final table of six as they take a one-hour dinner break. Russ “Dutch” Boyd is the current chip leader with 745,000. He’s followed by Albert Minnullin (696,000), Brian Meinders (635,000), Al “Sugar Bear” Barbieri (305,000), Domenico Denotaristefani (282,000) and Art (formerly known as Julian) Parmann (219,000).

Batista leads 1k NL day 1b field

A field of 1,358 registered for day 1b of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem has completed six levels of play as the survivors are currently on dinner break. In total, 3289 signed up for this tournament with the top 342 making the money, with the winner earning a cool $503,389. Less than 600 players remain this evening, with the current reported chip leader being Chad Batista with 38,000. Notables with a healthy stack include Eric Froehlich (23,000), Brandon Cantu (15,500), Michael Binger (14,000), Isaac Haxton (9,500) and Robert Varkonyi (8,300). Play will end halfway through level nine, mirroring the day 1a field, with those still having chips combining at 2:30 Monday afternoon.

Dempsey flush with chips in 10k Omaha 8

James “Flushy” Dempsey is looking for his second bracelet of the WSOP as he leads the remaining 73 players with 224,000 in chips as the $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better World Championship field returns from dinner break soon. Some of the notables with a decent stack include Sammy Farha (220,000), Chino Rheem (194,500), Eric Baldwin (130,000), Phil Hellmuth (98,000), and Matt Glantz (81,000). The field makes the money when 27 remain, as they’re scheduled to play ten levels or reach the final table.

Follow all the results and updates over at PokerNews or wsop.com.

Ashby chuffed to win Stud bracelet

Richard “Chufty” Ashby wins the third WSOP bracelet for the UK this year, taking down the $1,500 Seven Card title, denying Christine Pietsch in heads-up play. Ashby earns $140,467 for the win, with Pietsch pocketing $86,756. Full results and the Nolan Dalla tournament report are online at wsop.com.

Barch tops in Pot-Limit Omaha

John “Tex” Barch makes his third final table the charm, winning his first WSOP bracelet in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event, defeating Klinghammer Thibaut heads-up. Barch adds $256,919 to his tournament winnings, with Thibault earning $158,698. Results and Dalla’s tournament report is online over at wsop.com.

Ladies Championship Final Table

The final table of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem Ladies’ Championship gets underway at 3pm with this lineup, featuring Team Pokerati’s newest member, La Sengphet:

Seat 1: Vanessa Hellebuyck – 277,000
Seat 2: Holly Hodge – 279,000
Seat 3: Allison Whalen – 344,000
Seat 4: Kami Chisholm – 529,000
Seat 5: Sidsel Boesen – 789,000
Seat 6: Bonnie Overfield – 226,000
Seat 7: Loren Watterworth – 75,000
Seat 8: Timmi Derosa – 437,000
Seat 9: La Sengphet – 206,000

“Sugar Bear” looking sweet for day 3 of Limit Holdem

Also starting at 3pm is the final day of the $2,500 Limit Holdem 6-max event, with Al “Sugar Bear” Barbieri holding the chip lead with 12 remaining. Here’s the full list of players and their chip counts:

Al Barbieri – 415,000
Albert Minnullin – 367,000
Christopher Vitch – 352,000
Russ “Dutch” Boyd – 349,000
Brian Meinders – 300,000
Anh Le - 289,000
Julian Parmann – 202,000
JJ Liu – 182,000
Dana Kellstrom – 151,000
Domenico Denotaristefani – 110,000
Jeff Norman – 102,000
Eduardo Miranda – 63,000

Tolbert leads Day 1a 1k NL field

The third $1,000 No-Limit Holdem event concluded about halfway through level 9 with 290 players remaining who return Monday afternoon. John Tolbert leads the day 1a field with 73,900 in chips. The full list of chip counts is now available over at PokerNews.

Katchalov catches cards to lead 10k Omaha 8

Day 2 of the $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo 8 or Better World Championship gets underway at 3pm with Eugene Katchalov leading the remaining 144 players with 123,200 in chips. Other notables also coming back this afternoon: David Benyamine (102,500), Sammy Farha (98,500), Vladimir Shchemelev (88,300), Phil Hellmuth (84,300), Barry Shulman (76,200), Barry Greenstein (49,800), and Team Pokerati’s Tom Schneider (11,700).

Sunday’s Tournament

Only one tournament this afternoon, day 1b of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem starting at 12pm. Don’t be surprised of today’s field is a great deal smaller than Saturday’s, as it has been in the first two $1,000 events. Follow all the action over at PokerNews and www.wsop.com.

Men Master’s Stud for Bracelet #7

The $10,000 Seven Card Stud World Championship was won by Men “The Master” Nguyen defeating Brandon Adams heads-up to win his 7th WSOP bracelet and $394,807, moving him into a tie for 5th place with Phil Ivey and Billy Baxter. The full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report are now online at wsop.com.

Dempsey Flush with a Bracelet

James “Flushy” Dempsey wins his first WSOP bracelet, in the $1,500 Pot-Limit Holdem event, defeating Steve Chanthabousay heads-up to win $197,470. A complete list of results plus Nolan Dalla’s report is at wsop.com.

Dwan Durrrrable in $1,500 NL

Day 3 of the $1,500 No-Limit Holdem has Tom “Durrrr” Dwan the chip leader (1,068,000) with 21 players remaining. Play resumes at 2:30pm to play down to a winner and PokerNews will be following all the action.

Lucky Thirteen Going for Limit Bracelet

Day 3 of the $1,500 Limit Holdem event has 13 players returning at 3pm to play down to a winner. Jason Potter moves into the chip lead (371,000) followed by day 1 chip leader Jameson Painter (307,000) in second. Terrence Chan (288,000), Matt Matros (272,000) and Frank Kassela (162,000) are the other notables returning this afternoon. Find all chip counts and live updates this afternoon over at PokerNews.

The 15% Solution

Day 1a of the second$1,000 No-Limit Holdem played about halfway into level 9 this morning, with 278 players, about 15% of the field, returning Monday at 2:30pm. This decision was made after last weekend’s $1,000 event had players getting eliminated too quickly, a problem Tao of Pokerati discussed with Ty Stewart. The current chip leader is Andy Black (90,275), with Phil Gordon (44,225), Jena Delk (34,300), Shaun Deeb (26,850), Victor Ramdin (23,350) and An Tran (20,350) are some of the recognizable names returning Monday at 2:30pm. The full list of players and their chip counts is now available over at PokerNews.

Binger Best in 2-7 Lowball

A field of 67 returns Sunday afternoon at 3pm for day 2 of the $1,500 No-Limit 2-7 Lowball, Single Draw with Nick Binger the leader with 54,300 in chips. Scott Seiver is in 2nd with 46,875, with Chino Rheem in 3rd with 42,725. Other notables include Dario Minieri (31,725), 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball winner Peter Gelenscer (21,925), Michael Binger (17,350) and Erick Lindgren (16,600). Only 28 make the money, with the winner earning $92,817. The full list of players counts is at PokerNews.

Sunday’s Bracelet Action

Starting at 12pm is day 1b of the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem event, will there be a smaller field like last week? The 5pm tournament starts the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo World Championship. Jeff Lisandro won this event last year in a field of 164, one of the three he won in 2009. Plenty of big names are expected to turn out for their chance to win a bracelet without so many donks in the field.

The Closing of PokerPages.com
by PokerPages Managment

It is with sadness and regret that we must announce that Poker Pages and all of its related services will be closed on October 31, 2009.

For many years Poker Pages has enjoyed providing the best source of poker related content, arguably the Internet’s largest and most complete live poker tournament results and listings database, as well as a place to play poker for free. These services will certainly be missed, but we realize that the most appreciated benefit of our products and services has been the community created by our user base. We thank you for the many great years you allowed us to provide you with the best poker content on the Internet and wish you all the best in your future poker endeavors. It has been a pleasure and a privilege serving you over the years!
-Poker Pages Management

Rumblings over the past year that the site was in financial trouble, combined with complaints from readers that the content was in desperate need of some organization and updates, made this announcement somewhat predictable. However, it is still sad for many of us who got our starts in the poker media by working at PokerPages. (My first WSOP reporting in 2007 was done for PokerPages, and it was where I dipped my toes in the waters of the blogosphere.) And it is certainly a sign of the tough financial times for the poker industry, as a site with such history and assets could not survive.

Here’s to the good years at PokerPages, and best wishes to those now out of work due to the shutdown.

From BluffMagazine.com:

APPT Macau Main Event Final Table Payouts

Dermot Blain – $541,089
Mike Kim – $384,999
Daoxing Chen – $239,327
Darkhan Botabayev – $166,497
Pontus Kers – $114,464
Jicheng Su – $74,923
Dbinder Singh – $52,033
Brandon Demes – $41,621
Stefan Hjorthall – $31,222

APPT Macau High Rollers Final Table Payouts

Vladimir Geshkenbein – $266,690
Johnny Chan – 154,400
Neil Arce – $84,218
Danny Huynh – $63,164
Grant Levy – $49,127
In Wook Choi – $35,091
Young Kim – $28,073
Nicholas Wong – $21,055

Next up … WPT Slovakia?

(Table 1)
Seat 1: Jesse Haabak – 2,750,000
Seat 2: Ian Tavelli – 4,385,000
Seat 3: James Calderaro – 6,475,000
Seat 4: Jonathan Tamayo – 3,300,000
Seat 5: Warren Zackey – 5,485,000
Seat 6: Eric Buchman – 10,005,000
Seat 7: Leo Margets – 1,530,000
Seat 8: Tommy Vedes – 5,070,000
Seat 9: James Akenhead – 8,615,000

(Table 2)
Seat 1: Phil Ivey – 11,350,000
Seat 2: Jeff Shulman – 10,170,000
Seat 3: George Caragiorgas – 1,615,000
Seat 4: Nick Maimone – 1,545,000
Seat 5: Andrew Lichtenberger – 5,625,000
Seat 6: Marco Mattes – 5,285,000
Seat 7: Joseph Cada – 6,565,000
Seat 8: Darvin Moon – 20,160,000
Seat 9: Jordan Smith – 4,510,000

(Table 3)
Seat 1: Jamie Robbins – 9,795,000
Seat 2: Antonio Esfandiari – 4,470,000
Seat 3: Francois Balmigere – 1,440,000
Seat 4: Ludovic Lacay – 5,610,000
Seat 5: Steven Begleiter – 11,885,000
Seat 6: Ben Lamb – 9,410,000
Seat 7: Antoine Saout – 11,135,000
Seat 8: Kevin Schaffel – 11,245,000
Seat 9: Billy Kopp – 15,970,000

When play resumes, there will be 7:17 left in the 50,000/100,000/10,000 level, moving to 60,000/120,000/15,000. For Amy and The Shrink, there’s an extra 580,000 in chips spread out among the remaining field.

Here’s the chart of the players that made the money:

Updates resume starting at noon over at www.wsop.com and Pokerati will have other news during the day, so come back later, please.

Page 2 contains excerpts from Nolan Dalla’s tournament report:

2009 World Series of Poker Presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
Official Report

Event #57
World Championship
World Series of Poker Main Event
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $10,000
Number of Entries: 6,494
Players Remaining: 27
Total Net Prize Pool: $61,043,600
Number of Places Paid: 648
First Place Prize: $8,546,435
July 3–November 10, 2009

Tournament Highlights:

Day 7 Headlines

1. World Series of Poker Continues – Down to 27 Players in the Main Event

2. And on the Eighth Day – Darvin Moon Retains His Chip Lead

3. Logger from Western Maryland Still Atop the WSOP Leaderboard – Darvin Moon Primed to Become the Next Moneymaker

4. Seven-Time Gold Bracelet Winner Phil Ivey (Las Vegas, NV) Currently in Fourth Place

The Main Event Continues

– The 2009 WSOP Main Event continued with the play and conclusion of Day 7. The day played all the way down to three tables. All 64 players who started play on Day 7 were already guaranteed $90,344 in prize money. Now, after 12 days and 60 total hours of tournament play, all finishers are guaranteed at least $352,832 in prize money.

– Day 7 began with 64 players. The day ended with 27 survivors.

– Tables are usually played nine handed. Three tables remain.

– This was the 47th day of the 2009 WSOP. Play continues for one more day, plus the finale to be played in November. There will also be four gold bracelet events played at WSOP-Europe, to be held in London in September.

– Tomorrow (Wednesday) begins at noon and will play down to nine players, which constitutes the final table. This year’s final table will make up the 2009 “November Nine.” Following tomorrow’s play down to nine players, the tournament takes a 115-day recess.

– Play on Day 7 began on July 14, 2009 at 12:05 pm.

Play on Day 7

– Following 2009 WSOP champion Peter Eastgate’s elimination in Day 6, no more former world champions remain alive in the Main Event.

– At the start of play on Day 7, six former WSOP gold bracelet winners were still alive in the Main Event. They included: Phil Ivey (7 wins), Tom Schneider (2 wins), Antonio Esfandiari (1 win), Blair Rodman (1 win), Jordan Smith (1 win), and Prahlad Friedman (1 win).

– Players competed for nearly four complete levels. Play ended towards the end of Level 29. There are 7 minutes 17 seconds remaining. Next, at Level 30, blinds will be 50,000-100,000 with a 10,000 ante. The average stack size is currently 7,215,556.

– Day 7 started with a field of 64 players and ended with 27 survivors. This means only about .41 percent of the original 6,494 starters survived past the seventh day.

– Only one female started the day still in contention. Leo Margets (Barcelona, Spain) began play ranked in 18th place. She survived and is currently in 26th place. Margets will need to make a big move on Day 8 to make the November Nine. Only one female in history has made it to a Main Event final table – Barbara Enright in 1995.

– Former gold bracelet winner Blair Rodman, from Rancho Mirage, CA was eliminated in 34th place.

– Dennis Phillips (St. Louis, MO) who finished third in last year’s Main Event, was eliminated in 45th place.

– 2007 WSOP “Player of the Year” and two-time gold bracelet winner Tom Schneider, from Scottsdale, AZ was eliminated in 52nd place.

– Former gold bracelet winner Prahlad Friedman (2003, $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em), from Malibu, CA was eliminated in 64th place.

– Players who survived Day 7 will return to continue their quest for the 2009 world poker championship gold bracelet and $8.5 million in first-place prize money on July 15th, starting at noon.

– Seven-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Phil Ivey remains in contention, currently ranked in fourth place.

– Card Player magazine editor Jeff Shulman remains alive in the Main Event, currently ranked in seventh place. He finished seventh in the 2000 WSOP championship.

– Play on Day 7 ended at 10:40 pm.

A Breakthrough Year for France?

France is blessed with many talented poker players. However, in the 40-year history of the WSOP, only one French player has made it to a Main Event final table. That took place in 1998 when Marc Brochard finished in eighth place. In 2003, poker pioneer Bruno Fitoussi finished in 15th place. Other than those two showings, France has been shut out of championship celebrations.

This year could be a breakthrough year for France. Of the 27 remaining players, three are from France. Antoine Saout, from Saint Martin des Champs, is presently in 6th place. Lacay Ludovic, from Paris, is in 15th place. Francois Balmigere, from Toulouse, is in 27th place. Interestingly, Ludovic and Balmigere attended college together, but became professional poker players.

France appears to have a very bright future in poker, as all three of the French players are under the age of 25.

Two Notable Corrections:

– Bradley “B.J.” Craig (Cleveland, OH) finished in 50th place. This was his first time to cash at the WSOP. There is another player named Bradley Craig (Stitbulle, ON Canada) who cashed in a WSOP event in 2005, who is a different player.

– There are two tournament players named Thai Tran. The 49th-place finisher in the Main Event was Thai K. Tran, from Houston, TX. The player asks that all his records be updated with the name THAI K. TRAN.

About the Day 7 Chip Leader (Darvin Moon)

Darvin Moon remains as the chip leader after seven days of play. He lives in the small eastern Maryland town of Oakland. Moon owns and operates a small logging company with other family members. Most of his days are spent in pine forests scattered throughout the Maryland panhandle. He is married and was cheered on by his wife, who was sitting in the crowd. This is Moon’s first time to play in the WSOP. It was also his first time to visit Las Vegas.

Moon lost his lead early in the day and fell to around tenth place in the standings. Just when it appeared he might crumble and fade away, Moon managed to win a few big hands and stay near the top of the leaderboard. He won a few big pots late in the day to regain his chip advantage over Billy Kopp (Erlanger, KY), who is currently in second place.

An Interview with Darvin Moon
Question: How did you get to the WSOP?

Moon: I won my seat at the casino in Wheeling (WV). We started going out there last year. I came in ninth one time last year. This time, I played three times (trying to qualify for a seat to play in the Main Event). I finished third the first time, and then busted out the next time. The third time, I won my seat.

Question: How long have you been playing poker?

Moon: About three years. I watch poker on TV a lot. And I pay attention to it.

Question: What is your usual poker game?

Moon: there are about 70 of us around who play around. We do benefits at places like the Elks Club, American Legion, and the fire departments. I also play in Wheeling (WV).

Question: You really came out of nowhere to seize the chip lead. How did you do it?

Moon: It’s easy to play when you get hands like I was getting. It’s just unbelievable. It’s like a dream. I got pocket aces and flopped trips, and someone was betting into me. But I had pocket kings one time and the other guy pushed all in over the top of me. I just mucked my hand pre-flop. I mean, he has to have aces. What else can he have? That’s just my style. I play tight. When I get them I bet and when I don’t, I fold.

Question: You must feel like a kid in a candy store here at the WSOP.

Moon: Oh yeah. I’m nervous. I mean, this is my first time in Las Vegas. It was my first time on a big plane.

Question: How did it feel to play on the main ESPN stage under the spotlight of television cameras?

Moon: It didn’t bother me at all. I mean, I am nervous. But I am more nervous out there than I am here. I focus on the cards and I am comfortable playing. I walk down that hall and everybody that’s won and everybody is big time and a name. And they walk right by you and you say, ‘wow, here I am playing with these guys. It’s a dream come true.

Question: Why are you wearing a New Orleans Saints (NFL) cap?

Moon: I like cheering for the underdog. They were underdogs for a long time. But now they are doing good and I am sticking with them. We are located right between Pittsburgh and Baltimore. It is mostly Steeler fans where I live. And I wear this hat to mess with them.

Question: Let’s say you get offered ninth place right now. You can make a deal and you will get $1 million for ninth, plus you get to be part of the November Nine. Would you take the imaginary deal?

Moon: No. No. Ninth place? I got my goals set. It’s not first. But it’s not ninth, either. I’ll be happy. I don’t care if I go out the first hand tomorrow. I’ve had fun. It’s been worth every minute of it. I just like to play and it’s unreal. It’s something I can’t even dream of doing, and here I am.

– Here’s how the previous end-of-day chip leaders have fared:

Day 1-A: Redmond Lee (London, UK) – eliminated, did not cash
Day 1-B: Brandon Demes (Tempe, AZ) – eliminated, did not cash
Day 1-C: Joseph Cada (Shelby Township, MI) – currently in 12th place
Day 1-D: Troy Weber (West Terre Haute, IN) – eliminated, did not cash
Day 2-A: Andrew Gaw (Philippines) – eliminated, did not cash
Day 2-B: Amir Lehavot (Weston, FL) – CASHED IN 226th PLACE
Day 3: Bertrand Grospellier (Nancy, France) – CASHED IN 122nd PLACE
Day 4: Matt Affleck (Seattle, WA) – CASHED IN 80th PLACE
Day 5: Warren Zackey (Johannesburg, South Africa) – currently in 16th place
Day 6: Darvin Moon (Oakland, MD) – currently in 1st place (retained chip lead)
Day 7: Darvin Moon (Oakland, MD) – TBD

Meet Billy Kopp (Second Place in WSOP Main Event)

Billy Kopp is from Erlanger, KY. He is 23-years-old and is attending the University of Kentucky as a full-time student. He is close to receiving a degree in hospitality management and tourism.

Kopp was the chip leader late on Day 7, but feel to second place when Darvin Moon (at another table) made a late run and regained his chip lead. Currently, Kopp has nearly 16 million in chips while Moon is atop the leaderboard with 20 million. Other rivals are all 12 million in chips, and less.

Kopp has come close to victory recently. He was the runner up at the WSOP Circuit championship held at Harrah’s New Orleans in May. Kopp admits to being brought into the game about six years as part of the so-called “Moneymaker effect,” which brought millions of new players to poker.

When asked about the surroundings of playing in the WSOP Main Event, Kopp remarked confidently: “I am not really intimidated by anybody. I think it is my ball game….I think I can play with the best of them.”

Meet George Caragiorgas (Currently in 24th Place)

Poker tournaments are often won by players who come from the middle of the pack or are far behind at a critical stage of the competition. Most recently, Jerry Yang and Joe Hachem began play at the final table with a low stack, yet somehow managed to stage memorable comeback victories. George Caragiorgas, from Montreal, Quebec (Canada) has to be hoping for a similar result. He will start Day 8 ranked 24th in the chip count, with 1,615,000 (the chip leader has more than 20 million).

Question: You are currently one of the shorter stacks. What is your strategy for tomorrow?

Caragiorgas: I have to wait for a good spot to put my money in. Then, I have to hope for the best. If I can accumulate a couple of chips, that’s good because you can’t do much (at this stage) with 1.7 million in chips. If I can get 4 or 5 million in chips, we can play some poker. Right now, it is either push or fold.

Question: What’s your story, George?

Caragiorgas: I was born in Greece. My family came to Montreal, Canada when I was three years old. So, I’ve been living in Montreal for the last 33 years. I am married to Fotini and I have two little girls. I am in the restaurant business and I just love poker more than you can possibly imagine.

Question: What kind of restaurant?

Caragiorgas: A Greek restaurant. It’s called Marathon, like the race. It’s in Montreal.

Question: You were here at the WSOP back in 2006. What do you remember?

Caragiorgas: Yeah, I was here back in 2006 when Jamie (Gold) won. It was my first time here. I was a lot more nervous then, than I am now. I was, I can’t explain it, but my poker level has drastically improved in the last three years. I am a much better poker player now. I just came with a dream back in 2006. It was a good rush three years ago. I finished like 300 spots from the money (Note: Caragiorgas made the top 1,000 out of more than 8,700 who entered). Coming that close to the money given there were nearly 9,000 players was quite a feat. But, I managed to do a little better this time around.

Question: So, what do you expect to happen tomorrow?

Caragiorgas: My strategy is pretty simple. I just have to wait for a good spot. I have to stick it in with what I hope is the best hand and hope it holds up. I am definitely going to put my money in good, that’s for sure.

Question: Anything else to add?

Caragiorgas: Yeah, just one thing. I am really loving life right now.

ESPN WSOP Broadcasts

– ESPN has been broadcasting its WSOP coverage since 2003. This year, four events will be featured. These events include the $40,000 buy-in 40th Anniversary No-Limit Hold’em Championship, the World Champions Invitational, the third-annual Ante-Up for Africa charity tournament, and the Main Event.

– Although the number of WSOP events receiving broad coverage has been reduced to four, the total number of broadcast hours is actually the same as last year. More coverage will be given to the Main Event, since the world championship receives the greatest amount of viewer interest.

– The total amount of time the WSOP will be broadcast this year is 32 new and original hours of coverage.

– Debut WSOP broadcasts on ESPN will remain in their customary Tuesday night time slot.

– The 2009 WSOP broadcasts will begin on July 28th.

WSOP Main Event (Final Table Records)

MOST LIFETIME FINAL TABLE APPEARANCES

Doyle Brunson (5)

1976 1st
1977 1st
1980 2nd
1982 4th
1983 3rd

Jesse Alto (5)
1988 9th
1985 6th
1978 5th
1986 4th
1984 3rd

Johnny Moss (5)
1974 1st
1971 1st
1985 7th
1979 5th
1980 4th

Dan Harrington (4)
1995 1st
1987 6th
2004 4th
2003 3rd

T.J. Cloutier (4)
1988 5th
1998 3rd
1985 2nd
2000 2nd

Stu Ungar (4)
1997 1st
1980 1st
1981 1st
1990 9th

Note 1: Johnny Moss’ victory in 1970 is not included amongst final table records, since the winner that year was determined by a vote.

Note 2: Crandall Addington actually holds the record with nine Main Event final table appearances. However, most of these did not include a prize-money payout (field sizes were considerably smaller during the 1970s when most of Addington’s appearances occurred).

Note 3: Final table appearances were counted only if the player also received a payout.

Note 4: WSOP Main Event final tables were played six-handed during a 16-year span. However, the top nine finishers during those years are included in final table records.

– Here is the current status of all current and former WSOP “Player of the Year” champions who played in this year’s Main Event. All have been eliminated:

2005: Daniel Negreanu – eliminated on Day 1
2006: Allen Cunningham – eliminated on Day 2
2007: Tom Schneider – CASHED IN 52nd PLACE
2008: Erick Lindgren – eliminated on Day 2
2009: Jeffrey Lisandro – eliminated on Day 3

– Here is the status of those players with notable results from this year’s WSOP:

David Bach (HORSE World Championship winner) – eliminated on Day 2
Alex Bolotin (“Ante-Up for Africa” championship winner) – eliminated on Day 3
Darryll Fish (cashed 7 times at this year’s WSOP) – eliminated on Day 2
Jeffrey Lisandro (won three gold bracelets this year) – eliminated on Day 3
Ville Wahlbeck (finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th in four events) – eliminated in Day 4
Greg Mueller (won two gold bracelets this year) – eliminated on Day 4
Phil Ivey (won two gold bracelets this year) – STILL ALIVE (currently in 4th place)

– Here is the current status of last year’s “November Nine” (2009 Main Event Final Table participants). All have been eliminated. Three of the nine players cashed:

Ivan Demidov – eliminated on Day 2
Peter Eastgate – CASHED IN 78th PLACE
Kelly Kim – CASHED IN 423rd PLACE
Craig Marquis – eliminated in Day 1
Scott Montgomery – eliminated on Day 2
Dennis Phillips – CASHED IN 45th PLACE
David “Chino” Rheem – eliminated on Day 1
Ylon Schwartz – eliminated on Day 2
Darus Suharto – eliminated on Day 3

– Here are the nations represented among the 27 survivors:

US – 19 players
France – 3 players
UK – 1 player
Canada – 1 player
Germany – 1 player
Spain – 1 player
South Africa – 1 player

– Daily elimination percentages are as follows:

DAY ONE: 68 percent of the original starters in this tournament survived the first day / 32 percent were eliminated.

DAY TWO: 31 percent of the original starters survived the second day / 27 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount.

DAY THREE: 12 percent of the original starters survived the third day / 60 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount.

DAY FOUR: 6.2 percent of the original starters survived the fourth day / 48.2 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

DAY FIVE: 2.8 percent of the original starters survived the fifth day / 55 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

DAY SIX: 1 percent of the original starters survived the sixth day / 65.4 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

DAY SEVEN: .2 percent of the original survivors survived the seventh day / 58 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

Playing on Day 1 – A, B, C, or D – Does it Matter?

Which of the four Main Event starting days is the most advantageous? The data has been run and the numbers are now in. Statistics from the past two years of Main Events show there is almost no correlation between the starting day and the odds of finishing in-the-money. Here are the numbers:

2009:
Day 1A: 121 cashes out of 1116 entrants –10.8 percent
Day 1B: 84 cashes out of 873 entrants — 9.6 percent
Day 1C: 162 cashes out of 1696 entrants — 9.5 percent
Day 1D: 281 cashes out of 2809 entrants — 10 percent

2008:
Day 1A: 122 cashes out of 1299 entries — 9.4 percent
Day 1B: 117 cashes out of 1158 entries — 10.1 percent
Day 1C: 187 cashes out of 1936 entries — 9.7 percent
Day 1D: 240 cashes out of 2461 entries — 9.7 percent

World Series of Poker Statistics

– WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel estimates the total number of hands dealt out in this tournament through Day Seven to be about 480,000.
– Players have come to the WSOP from at least 115 different nations and territories. By contrast, only 80 nations were represented at the most recent Winter Olympic Games.

Chip counts and the table draw will be available later today, check out wsop.com or Pokerati for further news.

For those that don’t care to click ahead, follow the live updates over at www.wsop.com and I’m sure Pauly and Dan will be providing updates on their run to Dream Team Poker glory.

2009 World Series of Poker Presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
Official Report
Event #57
World Championship
World Series of Poker Main Event
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $10,000
Number of Entries: 6,494
Players Remaining: 185
Total Net Prize Pool: $61,043,600
Number of Places Paid: 648
First Place Prize: $8,546,435
July 3–November 10, 2009

Tournament Highlights:

Day 5 Headlines
1. World Series of Poker Continues – 185 Dreams Remain Alive in Main Event
2. Warren Zackey (Johannesburg, South Africa) is the New Chip Leader Going into Day Six
3. Many Well-Known Poker Players Still Alive – including Tom Schneider, Phil Ivey, Fabrice Soulier, Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Blair Hinkle, Jeff Shulman, Antonio Esfandiari, Dennis Phillips, Peter Eastgate, Joe Sebok, Blair Rodman, David Benyamine, J.C. Tran, Kenny Tran, Prahlad Friedman, Chris Bjorin, and Joe Hachem
4. Two Former World Champions Still Alive in Main Event – Peter Eastgate and Joe Hachem
5. Two November Nine Finalists Still Alive in Main Event – Peter Eastgate and Dennis Phillips

The Main Event Continues

– The 2009 WSOP Main Event continued with the play and conclusion of Day 5. The day included a deep run into the money, as the tournament field size was more than cut in half. All 407 players who started play were already guaranteed $27,469 in prize money. Now, after ten days and 40 hours of tournament play, all finishers are guaranteed at least $36,626 in prize money.

– Day 3 began with 407 players. The day ended with 185 survivors.

– Prize money payouts increase at various intervals. Every player still alive in the tournament (185th place and higher) is now guaranteed at least $36,626 in prize money.

– This was the 45th day of the WSOP. Play continues for three more days, plus the finale to be played in November.

– Tomorrow (Monday) begins at noon and is expected to include five levels of play.

– Play on Day 5 began on July 12, 2009 at 12:05 pm.

Humorous Moments at the WSOP

– About an hour into play, Assistant Tournament Director Jimmy Sommerfeld announced to all players and spectators: “The player who just busted off Table 34, Seat 5 – you left your shoes.” The player did not return to claim his property. A size 10 pair of Salvatore Ferragamo sandals remains unclaimed at the WSOP lost and found.

– As players bust out, tables are broken down and consolidated. This requires players to pick up their own chips and transfer to new tables. Deep into Level 18, a player was walking across the room and accidentally bumped into a camera crew. Two full racks of assorted chips crashed to the floor and rolled off in different directions. There was a mad dash by the player and tournament staff to recover the stray chips. After a few minutes, all chips were gathered and the player finally took his new seat. Mischievous-minded Jimmy Sommerfeld decided to have some fun at the player’s expense. As the player was re-stacking his chips into neat rows, Sommerfeld put on his best stone face. He informed the player that any chips that hit the floor would be ruled technically out of play. After a momentary expression of shock, the player quickly figured out he was the target of a gag and play resumed.

– Sommerfeld continued his folly. After players were allowed back into the tournament room following a 20-minute break, Sommerfeld jokingly announced to the crowd who were strolling slowly back in, “Cards are back in the air in 15-seconds!” After a few screams of panic and players dashing madly to re-take their seats, Sommerfeld smiled and announced the players still had two minutes to take their seats.

Play on Day 5

– Defending champion Peter Eastgate survived. He remains very much alive in the 2009 Main Event. He is presently in 82nd place, which is slightly ahead of the pack. It’s been another incredible run for the Danish poker pro. On Day 2, he was down to just 8,000 in chips, but went on a monster rush during the final hour and ended up with about an average-sized stack. On Day 3, he held steady and also finished the day. On Days 4 and 5, Eastagte remained alive with an average stack, seemingly taking a low-profile strategy to the reaching the final table. Eastgate is primed to make the best run by a defending champion since Greg “Fossilman” Raymer’s 25-place finish in the 2005 Main Event.

It should be noted that Eastgate was ranked 12th (out of 79 players) after Day 5 last year, and went on to win the championship.

– Former world champions who continued play on Day 4 included – Bobby “the Owl” Baldwin (1978), Dan Harrington (1995), Joe Hachem (2005), and Peter Eastgate (2008). Baldwin and Harrington were eliminated. Hachem and Eastgate both survived.

– Players competed for three complete levels. Play ended after Level 20. When play resumes tomorrow at Level 21, blinds will be 8,000-16,000 with a 2,000 ante. The average stack size is 1,053,081.

– Day 5 started with a field of 407 players and ended with 185 survivors. This means only about 2.8 percent of the original 6,494 starters survived past the fifth day.

– Seven females started the day. Entering Day 6, only two females remain alive. They are Nichoel Peppe (Long Beach, CA) who is in 35th place. Leo Margets (Barcelona, Spain) is in 135th place. Note: Nichoel Peppe’s name is spelled correctly.

More about Nichoel Peppe: She is a professional poker player, who has been playing in live games for about five years. Her normal cash game is $5-10 NLHE at the Bicycle Club Casino in Los Angeles. She is 30-years-old and is newly married to fellow poker pro Tad Jurgens, whom she met in a poker room. Jurgens took second place in this year’s $1,500 HORSE event. He also lasted until the third day of the Main Event, coming up short of the prize money.

– Actor Lou Diamond Phillips was eliminated on the final hand of the day. He ended up finishing in 186th place.

– Two time WSOP gold bracelet winner and 1995 world champion Dan Harrington was eliminated in 252nd place.

– Former gold bracelet winner Keith Lehr was eliminated in 266th place.

– Two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Vitaly Lunkin was eliminated in 346th place.

– Four-time WSOP gold bracelet winner and 1978 world champion Bobby Baldwin was eliminated in 352nd place.

– Two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Thor Hansen was eliminated in 387th place.

– Players who survived Day 5 will return to continue their quest for the 2009 world poker championship gold bracelet and $8.5 million in prize money on July 13th, starting at noon.

– Play on Day 5 ended at 6:45 pm.

Day 5 Chip Leader (Warren Zackey)

– The chip leader is Warren Zackey, from Johannesburg, South Africa. He began the day with 732,000 in chips and ended up ranked in first place going into Day 6. Zackey is a 42-year-old business owner who sells plumbing supplies.

– Zackey cited Fellow countryman Raymond Rayme’s third-place finish in the 2007 WSOP Main Event as an inspiration. The broadcast of Rayme’s accomplishment was shown multiple times on ESPN in South Africa, which created more interest in the game and the WSOP. Last year, the number of South Africans who came to the WSOP amounted to 23. This year, there were 32, according to officials with the Piggs Peak Casino.

– Zackey won his seat via a tournament held at the Piggs Peak Casino, located in Swaziland (a nation adjacent to South Africa). There are four major tournaments held there each year. Zackey won his $10,000 entry in May.

A Short Interview with Warren Zackey

Question: How much of an inspiration was Raymond Rahme’s final table appearance at the WSOP two years ago?

Zackey: Poker took off 100 percent after that. Rahme made many players start playing in poker tournaments in South Africa. He was excellent for the country.

Question: So, how did you get to play in the WSOP?

Zackey: I am from Johannesburg. I came second in the All Africa series, which is the biggest poker tournament in Africa. I won a seat into the WSOP at the Piggs Peak Casino. I decided to take my chances, instead of selling it away.

Question: Is this your first time to play at the WSOP?

Zackey: Yes. It’s brilliant. Excellent. If I tell somebody in South Africa what it is like, they are not going to believe me. They have to come here. Las Vegas is unbelievable.

Question: How did you end up with the chip lead?

Zackey: I got some really good hands….I tripled up on the first day. I doubled up again and again (on the next two days). I think I started with 730,000 today and then went up from there.

Question: If you win the Main Event and collect over $8.5 million, are you going to go back selling plumbing supplies?

Zackey: No, I have a family. I’d go back to it.

Question: What does your family think about this?

Zackey: My wife follows me. My kids follow me every step of the way. My wife is with me in Las Vegas. My children are (back home) following on the Internet.

Question: What do you expect to happen over the next few days?

Zackey: I’m not too sure. I will think about it tonight. But I am going to take it easy unless I get some decent cards.

– Here’s how the previous end-of-day chip leaders have fared:

Day 1-A: Redmond Lee (London, UK) – eliminated, did not cash

Day 1-B: Brandon Demes (Tempe, AZ) – eliminated, did not cash

Day 1-C: Joseph Cada (Shelby Township, MI) – currently in 104th place

Day 1-D: Troy Weber (West Terre Haute, IN) – eliminated, did not cash

Day 2-A: Andrew Gaw (Philippines) – eliminated, did not cash

Day 2-B: Amir Lehavot (Weston, FL) – CASHED IN 226th PLACE

Day 3: Bertrand Grospellier (Nancy, France) – currently 82nd place

Day 4: Matt Affleck (Seattle, WA) – currently in 7th place

Day 5: Warren Zackey (Johannesburg, South Africa) — TBD

WSOP Main Event (Cashing Records)

MOST LIFETIME CASHES IN MAIN EVENT:

10 – Berry Johnston
7 – Doyle Brunson
7 – Humberto Brenes
7 – Jay Heimowitz
7 – Phil Hellmuth (updated to include this year’s cash)
7 – Mike Sexton (updated to include this year’s cash)
7 – Bobby Baldwin (updated to include this year’s cash)

MORE ON BERRY JOHNSTON:

Berry Johnston’s cashes in the Main Event include:
113th in 2007
16th in 1996
21st in 1995
17th in 1992
5th in 1990
29th in 1989
32nd in 1987
1st in 1986
3rd in 1985
3rd in 1982

MOST CONSECUTIVE CASHES IN MAIN EVENT:

4 – by three players
Theodore Park (2005 – 2008) *did not cash this year
Bo Sehlstedt (2004 – 2007)
Robert Turner (1991 – 1994)

Notable Players

– Here is the current status of all former WSOP world champions who played in this year’s Main Event. Six champions have/will cash. However, only two former champions remain still alive:

1972: “Amarillo Slim” Preston – eliminated on Day 2
1976/1977: Doyle Brunson – eliminated on Day 1
1978: Bobby Baldwin – CASHED IN 352nd PLACE
1983: Tom McEvoy – eliminated on Day 1
1986: Berry Johnston – eliminated on Day 2
1987/1988: Johnny Chan – eliminated on Day 2
1989: Phil Hellmuth – CASHED IN 436th PLACE
1993: Jim Bechtel – eliminated on Day 3
1995: Dan Harrington – CASHED IN 252nd PLACE
1996: Huck Seed – eliminated on Day 1
1998: Scotty Nguyen – eliminated on Day 2
2000: Chris “Jesus” Ferguson – CASHED IN 561st PLACE
2001: Carlos “the Matador” Mortensen – eliminated on Day 3
2002: Robert Varkonyi – eliminated on Day 2
2003: Chris Moneymaker – eliminated on Day 1
2004: Greg “Fossilman” Raymer – eliminated on Day 3
2005: Joe Hachem – STILL ALIVE (137th place, with 540,000)
2006: Jamie Gold – eliminated in Day 1
2007: Jerry Yang – eliminated on Day 1
2008: Peter Eastgate – STILL ALIVE (83rd place, with 927,000)

— Here is the current status of all current and former WSOP “Player of the Year” champions who played in this year’s Main Event:

2005: Daniel Negreanu – eliminated on Day 1
2006: Allen Cunningham – eliminated on Day 2
2007: Tom Schneider – STILL ALIVE (currently in 4th place, with 3,168,000)
2008: Erick Lindgren – eliminated on Day 2
2009: Jeffrey Lisandro – eliminated on Day 3

– Here is the status of those players with notable results from this year’s WSOP:

David Bach (HORSE World Championship winner) – eliminated on Day 2
Alex Bolotin (“Ante-Up for Africa” championship winner) – eliminated on Day 3
Darryll Fish (cashed 7 times at this year’s WSOP) – eliminated on Day 2
Jeffrey Lisandro (won three gold bracelets this year) – eliminated on Day 3
Ville Wahlbeck (finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th in four events) – eliminated in Day 4
Greg Mueller (won two gold bracelets this year) – eliminated on Day 4
Phil Ivey (won two gold bracelets this year) – STILL ALIVE (currently in 45th place, with 1,380,000)

– Here is the status of notable non-pro celebrities from this year’s Main Event:

Chuck Pachenco (movie producer) – CASHED IN 612th PLACE
Jason Alexander (actor) – eliminated on Day 3
Scott Ian (musician with band “Anthrax”) – eliminated on Day 3
Shane Warne (world famous cricket player) – eliminated on Day 3
Torrie Wilson (female wrestler) – eliminated on Day 1
John Salley (former NBA basketball player) – eliminated on Day 1
Patrick Bruel (French actor and singer) – CASHED IN 428th PLACE
Lou Diamond Phillips (actor and singer) – CASHED IN 186th PLACE
Marlon Wayans (actor) – eliminated on Day 2
Jordan Farmar (NBA basketball player) – eliminated on Day 3
Sam Simon (Hollywood writer and producer) – eliminated on Day 3
Joseph Kahn (music video producer) – eliminated on Day 1
Ray Romano (actor) – eliminated on Day 1
Sully Erna (musician) – eliminated on Day 1
Shannon Elizabeth (actor) – eliminated on Day 1
Brad Garrett (actor) — eliminated on Day 1
Jennifer Tilly (actor) – eliminated on Day 1
Orel Hershiser (former major league baseball player – eliminated on Day 1

Historical Footnote: The highest Main Event finish by a celebrity was actor and comedian Gabe Kaplan, who finished 13th in the 1991 championship. The highest Main Event finish for a (non-poker) celebrity was actor Telly Savalas, who finished 21st in the 1992 championship.

– Here is the current status of last year’s “November Nine” (2009 Main Event Final Table participants). Three of the nine players will cash:

Ivan Demidov – eliminated on Day 2
Peter Eastgate – STILL ALIVE IN 83rd PLACE
Kelly Kim – CASHED IN 423rd PLACE
Craig Marquis – eliminated in Day 1
Scott Montgomery – eliminated on Day 2
Dennis Phillips – STILL ALIVE IN 78th PLACE
David “Chino” Rheem – eliminated on Day 1
Ylon Schwartz – eliminated on Day 2
Darus Suharto – eliminated on Day 3

– Of the remaining players who are still alive going into Day Six, 68 are international (non-American) players. This represents 37 percent of the field.

US – 117 players remain
UK – 14 players remain
Canada – 12 players remain
Australia – 6 players remain
France – 5 players remain
Germany – 5 players remain
Italy – 4 players remain
Finland – 3 players remain
Denmark – 2 players remain
Netherlands – 2 players remain
Spain – 2 players remain
Argentina – 1 player remains
Austria – 1 player remains
Bulgaria – 1 player remains
Israel – 1 player remains
Norway – 1 player remains
Panama – 1 player remains
Peru – 1 player remains
Turkey – 1 player remains
St. Kitts – 1 player remains
South Africa – 1 player remains
Slovakia – 1 player remains
Russian Federation – 1 player remains
Romania – 1 player remains

– Daily elimination percentages are as follows:

DAY ONE: 68 percent of the original starters in this tournament survived the first day / 32 percent were eliminated.
DAY TWO: 31 percent of the original starters survived the second day / 27 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount.
DAY THREE: 12 percent of the original starters survived the third day / 60 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount.
DAY FOUR: 6.2 percent of the original starters survived the fourth day / 48.2 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount
DAY FIVE: 2.8 percent of the original starters survived the fifth day / 55 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

The charts below show the chip counts by table, and those who’ve made the money so far:

The other event going on today is the Dream Team Poker event also in the Amazon Room, starting at 2pm today.

Page 2 has the comprehensive Day 4 report from Nolan Dalla:

2009 World Series of Poker Presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky

Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino

Las Vegas, Nevada

Official Report
Event #57
World Championship
World Series of Poker Main Event
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $10,000
Number of Entries: 6,494
Players Remaining: 407
Total Net Prize Pool: $61,043,600
Number of Places Paid: 648
First Place Prize: $8,546,435
July 3–November 10, 2009

Tournament Highlights:

Day Four Headlines

1. World Series of Poker Main Event Continues – All Surviving 407 Players Are Now in the Money

2. Late on Day Four, Matt Affleck (Seattle, WA) Seizes the Chip Lead

3. Numerous Poker Superstars Still Alive – Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Kieth Lehr, Phil Ivey, Blair Rodman, Tom Schneider, Dan Harrington, Joe Hachem, Prahlad Friedman, Kenny Tran, Dennis Phillips, David Benyamine, Fabrice Soulier — All in Top 200

The Main Event Continues

– The 2009 WSOP Main Event continued with the play and conclusion of Day 4. The day was most notable for reaching the threshold at which participants break into the money. After nine days and more than 30 hours of tournament play, all in-the-money finishers were guaranteed at least $21,365 in prize money.

– This day is also referred to as “Bubble Day.” This is because several players miss and others make a guaranteed payout. The player who finishes exactly one spot out of the money is referred to as the “bubble finisher.” This is generally regarded as the most disappointing fate any tournament player can suffer, since he/she spent the greatest amount of time at the tables (and likely played well enough to go deep), yet collected no prize money.

– Reaching the money is traditionally one of the tournament’s most exciting (and stressful) moments. The difference between cashing and busting out represents a $21,365 swing. For this reason, the pace of play slows down considerably as the bubble approaches. Players tend to play much tighter during this stage, fearing the catastrophic consequences of busting out. For this reason, tournament officials institute a hand-for-hand format which forces all players and tables to play the same number of hands leading up to the bubble point.

– The pace of play during the first two hours of Day 4 (Level 15) was sonic. The tournament played from 789 at the start all the way down to 659 players in that span, which meant 130 players were eliminated. That translated into a bust out about every 52 seconds.

– Day 3 began with 789 players. The day ended with 407 survivors.

– Prize money payouts increase at various intervals. Every player still alive in the tournament (407th place and better) is now guaranteed at least $27,469 in prize money.

– The day began with WSOP President and Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack alongside WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel. They announced the WSOP “Dealer of the Year” award. The honor went to Dennis McCollum, from Reno, NV. He is a tournament director at the Peppermill Casino. The “Dealer of the Year” prize is given out to the dealer who best demonstrates excellence over the duration of the six-week-long WSOP. McCollum was presented with a luxury watch made by Corum, the official timepieces of the WSOP.

– This was the 45th day of the WSOP. Play continues for four more days, plus the finale to be played in November.

– Tomorrow (Sunday) begins at noon and is expected to include five levels of play.

– Any player dealt four jacks in this year’s Main Event receives a special prize from Jack Link’s Beef Jerky valued at $100. So far, 34 packages have been given away (through eight completed days).

– Play on Day 4 began on July 11, 2009 at 12:10 pm.

Play on Day 4

– Defending champion Peter Eastgate remains very much alive in the 2009 Main Event. He is presently in 202nd place, which is exactly in the middle of the pack. Amazingly, late on Day 2, he was down to just 8,000 in chips, but went on a monster rush during the final hour and ended up with about an average-sized stack. On Day 3, he held steady and also finished the day with an average-sized stack. Eastgate is primed to make the best run by a defending champion since Greg “Fossilman” Raymer’s 25-place finish in the 2005 Main Event.

It should be noted that Eastgate was ranked 74th after Day 4 last year, and went on to win the championship.

– Former world champions who continued play on Day 4 included – Bobby “the Owl” Baldwin (1978), Phil Hellmuth (1989), Dan Harrington (1995), Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (2000), Joe Hachem (2005), and Peter Eastgate (2008). Hellmuth and Ferguson were eliminated, while the other champions all survived.

– The first player to reach the million-chip mark was Owen Crowe, from Halifax, NS (Canada) – which took place on Day 3. No player has reached the 2 million chip mark at this point.

– Players competed for four complete levels. Play ended after Level 17. When play resumes tomorrow at Level 18, blinds will be 4,000-8,000 with a 1,000 ante. The average stack size is 478,673.

– Day 4 started with a field of 789 players and ended with 407 survivors. This means only about 6.2 percent of the original 6,494 starters survived past the fourth day.

– The hand-for-hand format began when players were five spots out of the money. It took 13 hands to eliminate the next five players. It also took eight hands to move from 649 to 648 players. This was the longest hand-for-hand session in Main Event history, breaking the mark set three years ago (12 hands). It also took 1 hour and 48 minutes to complete.

– Perhaps the most exciting hand too place exactly one spot out of the money on the fourth hand-for hand when Richard Harrington (Johnson Bayou, LA) moved all-in with A-A and was called by an opponent holding K-J. The flop came K-J-x, which shocked Harrington and everyone who was watching. With the entire tournament room holding its collective breath (hoping for a bust out so they could be guaranteed prize money), the turn and river came 2-2, which gave Harrington a higher two pair with his aces and deuces. The room let out a collective groan and play continued for more than an hour.

– During the hand-for-hand format, Tournament Director Jack Effel announced at one point when a player was all-in, “He’s playing against 648 other players who all hope he busts out.”

– The unfortunate bubble player was Kia Hamadani, from Los Angeles, CA. He was down to a single chip and finally busted out, thus becoming the official 649th-place finisher in the 2009 Main Event. Fortunately, not all was a lost cause for Hamadani. He was brought up to the main stage and stood in front of a few thousand people, feebly attempting to hide his disappointment. WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack made the announcement that Hamadani would receive a nice consolation prize courtesy of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. He became the first player entered into the 2010 WSOP Main Event, as a result of the $10,000 gift prize paid for by Jack Link’s.

– Poker player and game theorist J.P. Massar (Berkley, CA) finished in 627th place. Massar was the person who inspired actor Kevin Spacey’s role in the movie “21.”

– Chuck Pacheco (Los Angeles, CA), a Hollywood Producer, finished 612th place.

– Bob Slezak (Omaha, NE) a former gold bracelet winner and ex-CFO of Ameritrade, finished in 594th place.

– 2000 WSOP champion Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (Pacific Palisades, CA) finished in 561st place.

– Two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Jesper Hougaard (Copenhagen, Denmark), finished in 523rd place.

– Paul Wasicka (Las Vegas, NV), who was the runner-up to Jamie Gold in the 2006 Main Event, finished in 480th place. Wasicka also won the 2007 NBC Heads-Up championship.

– 1989 WSOP champion and 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth (Palo Alto, CA) finished in 436th place. This was his second consecutive year to cash in the Main Event after finished 45th last year.

– Former gold bracelet winner and French singing superstar Patrick Bruel (Paris, France) finished in 428th place.

– Poker ambassador, former gold bracelet winner, and television commentator Mike Sexton (Las Vegas, NV) cashed. He finished in 420th place. This was Sexton’s seventh time to cash in the Main Event.

– During the day, all 500-denomination chips were raced off. This means the lowest-denomination chip at the start of Day 5 will be 1,000.

– Players who survived Day 4 will return to continue their quest for the 2009 world poker championship gold bracelet and $8.5 million in prize money on July 12th, starting at noon.

– Play on Day 4 ended at 7:45 pm.

The Bubble Finisher (Kia Hamadani)

– The “bubble finisher” was Kia Hamedani, from Los Angles, CA. He is a 26-year-old financial analyst, who plays recreationally, but seriously. was interviewed by several members of the media shortly after busting out, and being presented an entry into next year’s Main Event (courtesy of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky):

Question: How do you feel?

KH: I’m disappointed obviously. I started the day with 280,000 in chips. I had some really tough hands….we went like six hands during hand-for-hand and I thought I could make it through. But it didn’t happen. That’s how it goes.

Question: Is there any consolation to getting a buy-in into next year’s Main Event?

KH: To tell you the truth, I was not playing in this event just to cash. It’s nice. But I was playing to win. It really was that gut-wrenching to finish on the bubble because I was playing to win, anyway.

Question: Can you take us back through how the day went?

KH: I started out the day with 280,000 so I was feeling pretty good. I was actually the chip leader at my table starting the day. I just couldn’t win a hand. I went about two hours where I think I won one hand. I got down to about 40,000 and I realized I was getting closer to the money. So, I decided to just fold all the way into it. And then, about ten hands ago when we started playing hand-for-hand I thought I was going to make the money. I had ten hands to play and we were five players away from the money (Note: it was actually 13 hands). Then, it got down to the point where we were only one player and I still had six hands left. Since we had been losing one or to players per hand, to go six hands without losing a single hand was jsut horrible.

Question: You seem remarkably calm for someone who just finished on the bubble.

KH: Like I said, I really was not playing this tournament just to cash. What I want to do at this tournament is to win….I am used to pretty big swings with my normal line of business (investing). So, I understand this is part of the game and you have to take it in stride. That is how the cards fall.

Question: If you could rewind your life seven days earlier and you were to know you would be standing here in 649th place, walking away now with nothing but the worst bad beat story of the tournament, would you still have entered the WSOP and gone through all this?

KH: Definitely. I would not change anything. I had a great time. I had a great run. I think I played well. I got a $10,000 seat out of it, so I basically broke even. It’s been a lot of fun. I have no complaints.

Day 5 Chip Leader (Matt Affleck)
– The chip leader is Matt Affleck, from Seattle, WA. He went on a rush late in the day and overcame several other players to take the top spot over Frenchman Lodovic Lacay (Paris, France). Affleck ended the day with 1,819,000. His closest rival is more than 200,000 chips behind.

– Affleck does not have many tournament cashes – just four in the past year. But he did cash earlier at this year’s WSOP in the Razz event. He also made final tables at WPT Deauville (France) and the California State Poker Championship (runner up).

– The highest-ranked former WSOP gold bracelet winner after Day 4 is Blaire Hinkle, from Kansas City, MO. Tran is now ranked 9th, with 1,399,000 in chips.

– Here is how the previous end-of-day chip leaders have fared:

Day 1-A: Redmond Lee (London, UK) – eliminated, did not cash
Day 1-B: Brandon Demes (Tempe, AZ) – eliminated, did not cash
Day 1-C: Joseph Cada (Shelby Township, MI) – currently in 44th place
Day 1-D: Troy Weber (West Terre Haute, IN) – eliminated, did not cash
Day 2-A: Andrew Gaw (Philippines) – eliminated, did not cash
Day 2-B: Amir Lehavot (Weston, FL) – currently in 128th place
Day 3: Bertrand Grospellier (Nancy, France) – currently 16th place
Day 4: Matt Affleck (Seattle, WA) — TBA

WSOP Main Event (Cashing Records)

MOST CAREER CASHES IN MAIN EVENT:

JOHNSTON BERRY 10
BRUNSON DOYLE 7
BRENES HUMBERTO 7
HEIMOWITZ JAY 7
LESTER JASON 6
HELLMUTH PHIL 6
BONETTI JOHN 6
MOSS JOHNNY 6
LOTT STEVE 6
BALDWIN BOBBY 6
SEXTON MIKE 6
BECHTEL JIM 5
LUND HANS “TUNA” 5
ESPOSITO JOHN 5
TURNER ROBERT 5
HARRINGTON DAN 5
CHAN JOHNNY 5
ALTO JESSE 5
DASTMALCHI HAMID 5
TOMKO DEWEY 5
KELLER JACK 5
PEATE ROD 5
O’DEA DONN 5

MORE ON BERRY JOHNSTON:

BERRY JOHNSTON ALL-TIME ME CASHES (10)

$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1982 3 $104,000.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1985 3 $140,000.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1986 1 $570,000.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1987 32 $7,500.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1989 29 $7,500.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1990 5 $75,150.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1992 17 $10,100.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1995 21 $17,300.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 1996 16 $23,400.00
$10000 No Limit Hold’em World Championship 2007 113 $58,570.00

MOST CONSECUTIVE CASHES IN MAIN EVENT:

Theodore Park, 4 cashes – 2005-2008
Bo Sehlstedt, 4 cashes- 2004-2007
Robert Turner, 4 cashes- 1991-1994

13 others tied at three including Mike Sexton (’91-’93), Johnny Chan (’87-’89)
Jay Heimowitz (’87-’89) Hans “Tuna” Lund (’90-’92) Berry Johnston (’85-’87)
Andrew Brokos (06′-08′) and Stefan Mattsson (’06-’08)

CURRENT STREAK – CONSECUTIVE CASHES:

Theodore Park 2005- 2008 (2009???)
Stefan Mattsson 2006-2008 (2009??)
Andrew Brokos 2006-2008 (2009??)

Players to Watch

– Here is the current status of all former WSOP world champions who played in this year’s Main Event. Six former champions remain still alive:

1972: “Amarillo Slim” Preston – eliminated on Day 2
1975/1976: Doyle Brunson – eliminated on Day 1
1978: Bobby Baldwin – STILL ALIVE (319th place, with 213,000)
1983: Tom McEvoy – eliminated on Day 1
1986: Berry Johnston – eliminated on Day 2
1987/1988: Johnny Chan – eliminated on Day 2
1989: Phil Hellmuth – CASHED IN 436th PLACE
1993: Jim Bechtel – eliminated on Day 3
1995: Dan Harrington – STILL ALIVE (103rd place, with 659,000)
1996: Huck Seed – eliminated on Day 1
1998: Scotty Nguyen – eliminated on Day 2
2000: Chris “Jesus” Ferguson – CASHED IN 561st PLACE
2001: Carlos “the Matador” Mortensen – eliminated on Day 3
2002: Robert Varkonyi – eliminated on Day 2
2003: Chris Moneymaker – eliminated on Day 1
2004: Greg “Fossilman” Raymer – eliminated on Day 3
2005: Joe Hachem – STILL ALIVE (159th place, with 490,000)
2006: Jamie Gold – eliminated in Day 1
2007: Jerry Yang – eliminated on Day 1
2008: Peter Eastgate – STILL ALIVE (202nd place, with 392,000)

– Here is the current status of all current and former WSOP “Player of the Year” champions who played in this year’s Main Event:

2005: Daniel Negreanu – eliminated on Day 1
2006: Allen Cunningham – eliminated on Day 2
2007: Tom Schneider – STILL ALIVE (65th place, with 797,000)
2008: Erick Lindgren – eliminated on Day 2
2009: Jeffrey Lisandro – eliminated on Day 3

– Here is the current status of those players with notable results from this year’s WSOP:

David Bach (HORSE World Championship winner) – eliminated on Day 2
Alex Bolotin (“Ante-Up for Africa” championship winner) – eliminated on Day 3
Darryll Fish (cashed 7 times at this year’s WSOP) – eliminated on Day 2
Jeffrey Lisandro (won three gold bracelets this year) – eliminated on Day 3
Ville Wahlbeck (finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th in four events) – eliminated on Day 3
Vitaly Lunkin (finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th in three events) – STILL ALIVE (268,000 place, below average stack)
Greg Mueller (won two gold bracelets this year) – eliminated on Day 4
Phil Ivey (won two gold bracelets this year) – STILL ALIVE (15th place, with 1,276,000 )

– Here is the current status of notable non-pro celebrities from this year’s Main Event:

Chuck Pachenco (movie producer) – CASHED IN 612th PLACE
Jason Alexander (actor) – eliminated on Day 3
Scott Ian (musician with band “Anthrax”) – eliminated on Day 3
Shane Warne (world famous cricket player) – eliminated on Day 3
Torrie Wilson (female wrestler) – eliminated on Day 1
John Salley (former NBA basketball player) – eliminated on Day 1
Patrick Bruel (French actor and singer) – CASHED IN 428th PLACE
Lou Diamond Phillips (actor and singer) – STILL ALIVE (114th PLACE, 607,000)
Marlon Wayans (actor) – eliminated on Day 2
Jordan Farmar (NBA basketball player) – eliminated on Day 3
Sam Simon (Hollywood writer and producer) – eliminated on Day 3
Joseph Kahn (music video producer) – eliminated on Day 1
Ray Romano (actor) – eliminated on Day 1
Sully Erna (musician) – eliminated on Day 1
Shannon Elizabeth (actor) – eliminated on Day 1
Brad Garrett (actor) — eliminated on Day 1
Jennifer Tilly (actor) – eliminated on Day 1
Orel Hershiser (former major league baseball player) – eliminated on Day 1

Historical Footnote: The highest Main Event finish for a (non-poker) celebrity was actor Telly Savalas, who finished 21st in the 1992 championship.

– Here is the current status of last year’s “November Nine” (2009 Main Event Final Table participants):

Ivan Demidov – eliminated on Day 2

Peter Eastgate – STILL ALIVE (202nd place, 397,000 in chips)

Kelly Kim – CASHED IN 423rd PLACE

Craig Marquis – eliminated in Day 1

Scott Montgomery – eliminated on Day 2

Dennis Phillips – STILL ALIVE (189th place, 414,000 in chips)

David “Chino” Rheem – eliminated on Day 1

Ylon Schwartz – eliminated on Day 2

Darus Suharto – eliminated on Day 3

– Of the remaining players who are still alive going into Day 5, XXX are international (non-American) players. This represents 34 percent of the field. Nations still in contention include:

Argentina — 1
Australia — 1
Austria — 1
Bolivia — 1
Brazil – 1
Bulgaria – 1
Canada — 18
Chile — 1
Denmark – 5
Finland — 3
France — 11
Germany 10
Hungary — 3
Ireland — 3
Israel — 2
Italy — 6
Macedonia – 1
Malaysia — 1
Mexico — 1
Netherlands — 8
Norway — 2
Panama — 1
Peru — 1
Poland — 1
Russia — 3
Slovakia — 1
South Africa — 1
Spain — 1
St. Kitts — 1
Sweden — 4
Switzerland — 1
Turkey — 1
UK — 21
USA — 289

– Daily elimination percentages are as follows:

DAY ONE: 68 percent of the original starters in this tournament survived the first day / 32 percent were eliminated.

DAY TWO: 31 percent of the original starters survived the second day / 27 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount.

DAY THREE: 12 percent of the original starters survived the third day / 60 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount.

DAY FOUR: 6.2 percent of the original starters survived the fourth day / 48.2 percent were eliminated from the start of day amount

Female Participants in the 2009 Main Event

(Note: The WSOP recognizes that player characteristics such as gender, race, etc. do not warrant special mention. However, since many members of the media wish to know details about female participation and status, the staff is providing this information for media use.)

– The number of female participants in this year’s Main Event is estimated to be 187, which amounts to 2.8 percent of the field. There is no official record since entrants are not designated by their gender. However, it has been customary to count every player at the start of Day One and take an unofficial head-count of female players.

Here are the highest-female finishers (by year) in the WSOP Main Event (Note: Only players who finished in-the-money were recorded):

No female cashed in the Main Event between the years 1970-1985.

1986 – Wendeen Eolis (25th)

1987 – None

1988 – None

1989 – None

1990 – None

1991 – None

1992 – None

1993 – Marsha Waggoner (19th)

1994 – Barbara Samuelson (10th)

1995 – Barbara Enright (5th)

1996 – Lucy Rokach (26th)

1997 – Marsha Waggoner (12th)

1998 – Susie Isaacs (10th)

1999 – None

2000 – Annie Duke (10th)

2001 – None

2002 – None

2003 – Annie Duke (47th)

2004 – Rose Richie (98th)

2005 – Tiffany Williamson (15th)

2006 – Sabyl Cohen-Landrum (56th)

2007 – Maria Ho (38th)

2008 – Tiffany Michelle (17th)

World Series of Poker Statistics

– The 2009 WSOP Main Event now ranks as the third-largest live poker tournament in history. Only the 2006 and 2008 Main Event championships drew larger numbers. It should be noted that if the Rio had greater seating capacity (Day 1-D sold out), this year’s tournament would have unquestionably surpassed last year’s attendance figures.

– The total prize pool for this year’s Main Event totals $61,043,600. However, this figure is not final. Since interest is added to payouts for players who will constitute the November Nine, the final figure will actually be slightly higher.

– All players who make it to the final table this year (the November Nine) will earn at least $1 million. The 2009 world champion will collect $8,546,435 for first place (plus slightly more money in added interest).

– With registration for this year’s Main Event, the World Series of Poker crossed the $1,000,000,000 threshold in total prize money awarded to players. During its 40-year history, the WSOP has paid out $1,041,265,271. Incredibly, more than $600,000,000 has been paid out just in the last five years alone, since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed control of the tournament. Here is the historical prize pool information for the World Series of Poker.

2009 — $174,011,894

2008 — $180,774,427

2007 — $159,796,918

2006 — $159,599,815

1970-2005 — $354,000,000

– 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 later this year in London, England at the Empire Casino, to be held from September 19th through October 1st.

– Players have come to the WSOP from at least 115 different nations and territories. By contrast, only 80 nations were represented at the most recent Winter Olympic Games.

– 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. 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. This is a testament to the expansion of the WSOP since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed ownership and control of the world most prestigious poker event.

Notables who hit the rail:

Erik Seidel, Raymond Rahme, Jimmy Fricke, Jean-Robert Bellande, Bill Edler, Darus Suharto, Ville Wahlbeck, “Miami John” Cernuto, Bryan Micon, Roland de Wolfe and Sam Farha.

More stuff from Pokerati later this evening as the money bubble may be reached tonight, depending on how fast the eliminations go after dinner.

Page 2 consists of Nolan Dalla’s Tournament Report from the conclusion of play with further details:

Official Report
Event #57
World Championship
World Series of Poker Main Event
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $10,000
Number of Entries: 6,494
Players Remaining: 1,436 from Day 2-B / 607 from Day 2-A = 2,044
Total Net Prize Pool: $61,043,600
Number of Places Paid: 648
First Place Prize: $8,546,435
July 3–November 10, 2009

Tournament Highlights:

Headlines (Day 2-B)

1. World Series of Poker Main Event Continues – Day Three is Next

2. Amir Lehavot (Weston, FL) is the Chip Leader – Late Surge at End of Day Two Catapults Israeli-Born Poker Pro into the Spotlight

3. Following Recess on Thursday, Day Three Begins Friday

The Main Event Continues

– The 2009 WSOP Main Event continued with the second of two flights of the jointly designated “Day Twos.” Day One was played over the initial four days of the tournament, which began on July 3rd. Day 2-A and 2-B (Day Two) were played July 7-8.

– Day 2-A began with 1,478 players. The day ended with only 607 survivors. Day 2-B began with 2,922 players. The day ended with only 1,436 survivors. This means 2,044 players remain in contention for the 2009 world poker championship.

– This day included the largest number of restarts ever in WSOP history. Normally, the field is reduced to about half the starting size after one full day of play. But due to larger starting stacks this year (30,000 in chips) combined with a larger-than-expected turnout for Days 1-C and 1-D, this created a record carryover for Day 2-B.

– This is the 42nd day of the WSOP. Play continues for seven more days, plus the finale to be played in November.

– Tomorrow (Thursday) is an off day. This is the first day of the WSOP with no official tournaments, other than the Media Invitational. A media press conference is also scheduled for 11 am at the Rio.

– Any player dealt four jacks in this year’s Main Event receives a special prize from Jack Link’s Beef Jerky valued at $100. So far, 27 packages have been given away (through six completed days).

– Play on Day 2-B began on July 8, 2009 at 12:15 pm.

Play on Day 2-B

– Defending champion Peter Eastgate remains very much alive in the 2009 Main Event. He was down to just 8,000 in chips late in the day but went on a fortuitous rush during the final hour of Day 2 and ended up with about an average-sized stack entering Day 3.

– Former world champions who continued play on Day 2-B included – Bobby “the Owl” Baldwin (1978), Phil Hellmuth (1989), Dan Harrington (1995), Scotty Nguyen (1998), Robert Varkonyi (2002), Joe Hachem (2005), and Peter Eastgate (2008).

– Notable celebrities who continued play on Day 2-B included – Lou Diamond Phillips, Robert Iler, Sam Simon, and Marlon Wayans.

– Phil Hellmuth was placed at ESPN’s feature table.

– Players competed for four complete levels. Play ended after Level 9. When play resumes at Level 10, blinds will be 600-1,200 with a 200 ante. The average stack size is about 105,000.

– Day 2-B started with a field of 2,922 players and ended with 1,436 survivors. This means only 49 percent of starters survived past the second day.

– Players who survived Day 2-B will return to continue their quest for the 2009 world poker championship gold bracelet and $8.5 million in prize money on July 10th, starting at noon. They will merge into one combined field with the survivors of Day 2-A (played on the previous day). Day 3 will be the first time this year all players play in the same day.

– Play on Day Two ended at 10:40 pm. This is expected to be the last “short day” of the Main Event. Most remaining days are predicted to go at least five levels.

Day 2-B Chip Leaders (More about Amir Lehavot) –

– The overall chip leader is Amir Lehavot. He is a 38-year-old poker pro who lives in Weston, Florida — near Ft. Lauderdale. Lehavot was born in Israel. He arrived in the U.S. at the age of 16. Prior to playing poker for a living, Lehavot worked as an engineer, specializing in design.

Although all players started the tournament with 30,000 in chips, during his low point on Day 1-D, Lehavot was down to 7,000 in chips. He crawled back up the leaderboard and ended the day with 80,000 in chips. On Day 2-B, Lehavot took his initial stack of 80,000 and ran it up to 610,500. He is currently ranked first out of the 2,044 remaining players.

This marks Lehavot’s third consecutive year to play in the Main Event. He has yet to cash in a WSOP tournament. However, he did go deep last year (without cashing).

Lehavot recently started a poker website (with strategy content) which can be found at: www.pokerwit.com. The site contains Lehavot’s comments about key hands he played at various times during the WSOP.

Lehavot’s poker nickname is “AmirSF.” Prior to moving to Florida, Lehavot lived in San Francisco, CA.

QUOTES:

“During Day One, I was at 7,000 (in chips). So, it really feels nice to come back. I even had to make a suck out on Day One. So, it feels nice.”

“I had some really nice hands most of the day, and (30 minutes before Day 2 ended), I had a huge hand. I got another 250,000 in chips. I had just moved to this table and had just sat down. There was this other big stack that had 250,000. I had pocket threes and flopped a set. Most of my chips came from that one pot.”

“Last year (I played at the WSOP), I got up to 200,000. But I got too aggresive and lost it.”

“It feels great. But I have played in a lot of tournaments and I know. There is a long way to go and it does not necessarily mean that much (to be chip leader) at this point. It’s nice, but there is still a long way to go.”

“If I cash, it is really not lk\ife-changing for me. I am looking to go deep.”

– The highest-ranked former WSOP gold bracelet winner from Day 2 is Phil Ivey, from Las Vegas, NV. Ivey is now in the top 20, with 346,200 in chips.

Combined Notes –

– Here is the current status of all former WSOP Main Event champions who played in this year’s championship:

1972: “Amarillo Slim” Preston – eliminated on Day 2
1975/1976: Doyle Brunson – eliminated on Day 1
1978: Bobby Baldwin – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
1983: Tom McEvoy – eliminated on Day 1
1986: Berry Johnston – eliminated on Day 2
1987/1988: Johnny Chan – eliminated on Day 2
1989: Phil Hellmuth – STILL ALIVE (average stack)
1993: Jim Bechtel – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
1995: Dan Harrington – STILL ALIVE (above average stack)
1996: Huck Seed – eliminated on Day 1
1998: Scotty Nguyen – eliminated on Day 2
2000: Chris “Jesus” Ferguson – STILL ALIVE (average stack)
2001: Carlos “the Matador” Mortensen – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
2002: Robert Varkonyi – eliminated on Day 2
2003: Chris Moneymaker – eliminated on Day 1
2004: Greg “Fossilman” Raymer – STILL ALIVE (average stack)
2005: Joe Hachem – STILL ALIVE (average stack)
2006: Jamie Gold – eliminated in Day 1
2007: Jerry Yang – eliminated on Day 1
2008: Peter Eastgate – STILL ALIVE (average stack)

– Here is the current status of all former WSOP “Player of the Year” champions who played in this year’s championship:

2005: Daniel Negreanu – eliminated on Day 1
2006: Allen Cunningham – eliminated on Day 2
2007: Tom Schneider – STILL ALIVE (average stack)
2008: Erick Lindgren – eliminated on Day 2

– Here is the current status of those players with notable results from this year’s WSOP:

David Bach (winner of HORSE World Championship) – eliminated on Day 2
Alex Bolotin (winner of “Ante-Up for Africa” championship) – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
Darryll Fish (cashed 7 times at this year’s WSOP) – eliminated on Day 2
Jeffrey Lisandro (won three gold bracelets this year) – STILL ALIVE (above average stack)
Ville Wahlbeck (finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 6th in four events) – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
Vitaly Lunkin (finished 1st, 2nd, and 4th in three events) – STILL ALIVE (above average stack)
Greg Mueller (won two gold bracelets this year) – STILL ALIVE (above average stack — in top 100)
Phil Ivey (won two gold bracelets this year) – STILL ALIVE (above average stack — in top 100)

– Here is the current status of notable non-pro celebrities from this year’s Main Event:

Jason Alexander (actor) – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
Shane Warne (world famous cricket player) – STILL ALIVE (above average stack)
Torrie Wilson (female wrestler) – eliminated on Day 1
John Salley (former NBA basketball player) – eliminated on Day 1
Patrick Bruel (French actor and singer) – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
Lou Diamond Phillips (actor and singer) – STILL ALIVE (above average stack)
Marlon Wayans (actor) – eliminated on Day 2
Jordan Farmar (NBA basketball player) – STILL ALIVE (above average stack)
Sam Simon (Hollywood writer and producer) – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
Joseph Kahn (music video producer) – eliminated on Day 1
Ray Romano (actor) – eliminated on Day 1
Sully Erna (musician) – eliminated on Day 1
Shannon Elizabeth (actor) – eliminated on Day 1
Brad Garrett (actor) — eliminated on Day 1

– Here is the current status of last year’s “November Nine” (the 2009 Main Event Final Table participants):

Ivan Demidov – eliminated on Day 2
Peter Eastgate – STILL ALIVE (average stack)
Kelly Kim – STILL ALIVE (below average stack)
Craig Marquis – eliminated in Day 1
Scott Montgomery – eliminated on Day 2
Dennis Phillips – STILL ALIVE (average stack)
David “Chino” Rheem – eliminated on Day 1
Ylon Schwartz – eliminated on Day 2
Darus Suharto – STILL ALIVE (average stack)

– Daily elimination percentages are as follows:

DAY ONE: 68 percent of the original starters in this tournament survived the first day / 32 percent were eliminated.
DAY TWO: 31 percent of the original starters survived the second day / 27 percent more were eliminated.
DAY THREE: TBA

– The Top-12 overall chip leaders going into Day 3 are:

1. Amir Lehavot USA 610,500
2. Peter DeBaene USA 465,000
3. Troy Weber USA 453,200
4. Dan Bizzerian USA 439,500
5. Gabe Walls USA 417,900
6. Mikael Thuritz USA 395,400
7. Andrew Gaw Philippines 386,000
8. Eric Cloutier Quebec 383,000
9. Jason Brice USA 376,100
10.Ed Perry USA 370,000
11.Brandon Demes USA 369,800
12. Miika Puumalanien Finland 361,200

– Of the Top 100 players in chip standings from Day 2-A, 42 are international (non-American) players. Nations amidst the Top 100 includes:

Philippines
Canada
USA
Finland
UK
Sweden
Australia
Denmark
Portugal
France
Netherlands
Ireland
Macedonia
Hungary
Czech Republic
Israel
Switzerland
South Africa
Belgium
Romania

– Of the Top 100 players in chip standings from Day 2-B, 33 are international (non-American) players. Nations amidst the Top 100 includes:

USA
Canada
UK
Spain
St. Kitts
Panama
Hong Kong
Peru
Italy
Austria
France
Ireland
Costa Rica
Holland
Romania
Denmark
Germany
Norway
South Africa
Russia
Sweden

Putting Day Two into Perspective

– In 2008, at the conclusion of Day 2, the eventual champion Peter Eastgate was ranked in 484th place.

– In 2007, at the conclusion of Day 2, the eventual champion Jerry Yang was ranked in 26th place.

– In 2006, at the conclusion of Day 2, the eventual champion Jamie Gold was ranked in 155th place.

– Based on WSOP figures during the mega-era (2006 to present), five out of six Day Two chip leaders have cashed. The previous results are as follows:

2008 2-A – Brian Schaedlich finished in 456th place
2008 2-B – Peter Biebel finished in 273rd place

2007 2-A – Jeff Banghart finished in 41st place
2007 2-B – Gus Hansen finished in 61st place

2006 2-A – Yuriy Kozinskiy did not cash
2006 2-B – Dmitri Nobles finished in 76th place

World Series of Poker Statistics

– The 2009 WSOP Main Event now ranks as the third-largest live poker tournament in history. Only the 2006 and 2008 Main Event championships drew larger numbers. It should be noted that if the Rio had greater seating capacity (Day 1-D sold out), this year’s tournament would have unquestionably surpassed last year’s attendance figures.

– The total prize pool for this year’s Main Event totals $61,043,600. However, this figure is not final. Since interest is added to payouts for players who will constitute the November Nine, the final figure will actually be slightly higher.

– The number of female participants in this year’s Main Event is estimated to be 187, which amounts to 2.8 percent of the field. There is no official record since entrants are not designated by sex. However, it has been customary in recent years to count every player at the start of Day One (actually all flights A-D) and take a head count of female players. Oddly enough, despite the low percentage of female players, there were three different tables with three females in the tournament.

– All players who make it to the final table this year (the November Nine) will earn at least $1 million. The 2009 world champion will collect $8,546,435 for first place (plus slightly more money in added interest).

– With registration for this year’s Main Event, the World Series of Poker crossed the $1,000,000,000 threshold in total prize money awarded to players. During its 40-year history, the WSOP has paid out $1,041,265,271. Incredibly, more than $600,000,000 has been paid out just in the last five years alone, since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed control of the tournament. Here is the historical prize pool information for the World Series of Poker.

2009 — $174,011,894
2008 — $180,774,427
2007 — $159,796,918
2006 — $159,599,815
1970-2005 — $354,000,000

– 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 later this year in London, England at the Empire Casino, to be held from September 19th through October 1st.

– Players have come to the WSOP from at least 115 different nations and territories. By contrast, only 80 nations were represented at the most recent Winter Olympic Games.

– 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. 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. This is a testament to the expansion of the WSOP since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed ownership and control of the world most prestigious poker event.

Official Report
Event #57
World Championship
World Series of Poker Main Event
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $10,000
Number of Entries: 6,494
Total Players Remaining: 607 (+ 2,922 for Day 2-B) = 3,530
Total Net Prize Pool: $61,043,600
Number of Places Paid: 648
First Place Prize: $8,546,435
July 3–November 10, 2009

Tournament Highlights:

Headlines (Day 2-A)

1. World Series of Poker Continues With Start of Day Two

2. Andrew Gaw (Phillippines) is the Day 2-A Chip Leader — Eric Cloutier (Mont Laurier, Quebec) is a Close Second

3. Day 2-B Begins Tomorrow, to be followed by One-Day Recess

The Main Event Continues

– The 2009 WSOP Main Event continued with the first of two flights of the second round, which are jointly designated as “Day Two.” Day One was played over the initial four days of the tournament, which began on July 3rd. Day 2-A and 2-B (Day Two) are played July 7-8.

– Day 2-A began with 1,478 players. The day ended with only 607 survivors.

– This is the 41st day of the WSOP. Play continues for eight more days, plus the finale to be played in November.

– Any player dealt four jacks in this year’s Main Event receives a special prize from Jack Link’s Beef Jerky valued at $100. So far, 22 packages have been given away (through four days), which amounts to about once per two-hour level.

– Play on Day 2-A began on July 7, 2009 at 12:05 pm.

Play on Day 2-A

– Former world champions who continued play on Day 2-A included – “Amarillo Slim” Preston (1972), Johnny Chan (1987/1988), Jim Bechtel (1993), Chris Ferguson (2000), Carlos Mortensen (2001), and Greg Raymer (2004). Chan was eliminated early in the day. Preston and Johnston lasted until much later, but finally busted out during Level 9. Bechtel, Ferguson, Raymer were the only survivors who will come back and play in Day 3. Both are above average in chips. Jim Bechtel is slightly below average. Mortensen will need help as he is low in chips.

– Former WSOP gold bracelet winners who survived and will play on Day 3 included (in decending order by chip count) — Greg Mueller, Phi Nguyen, Mike Sexton, Thor Hansen, Vitaly Lunkin, Burt Boutin, Tom Schneider, San Farha, Farzad Rouhani, Erik Seidel, Bob Sleazak, Keven Stammen, Bill Edler, Ted Lawson, and Roland de Wolfe.

– Notable celebrities who continued play on Day 2-A included – Jennifer Tilly (actor), Shane Warne (world-famous cricket player), Brad Garrett (actor and comedian), Rene Angelil (music manager and husband of Celine Dion), and Jason Alexander (actor and comedian). Warne and Alexander survived and will play on Day 3.

– Poker commentator, ambassador, and former gold bracelet winner Mike Sexton ended the day in good position, with nearly twice the average stack size.

– Nikolay Evdakov, who set the record last year for most cashes in a single year at the WSOP (with 10) was eliminated on this day.

– Wendeen Eolis, who became the first woman ever to cash in the WSOP Main Event in 1986 was eliminated in this day.

– Dewey Tomko, who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame last year, was eliminated late in the day.

– This was not a good day for writers and journalists. Two of the biggest names in poker publishing, Mike Caro and Barry Shulman, were both eliminated on this day.

– Jack Ury, from Terre Haute, IN was eliminated on this day. It was Ury’s third straight year to play in the Main Event. At age 96, Ury holds the record as the oldest player ever to compete in a WSOP event.

– Greg “Fossilman” Raymer and Jason Alexander were placed at ESPN’s feature table. Given the two popular celebrities were seated side-by-side, spectator interest was high throughout the day and night. The feature table was even more entertaining due to Raymer and Alexander discussing a variety of topics, and even getting involved in some good-natured banter.

– The the three members of the Brunson Family who participated in the Main Event, Pam Brunson outlasted both Doyle and Todd.

– Two-time gold bracelet winner Tom Schneider, who won the 2007 WSOP “Player of the Year” race, survived and will return for Day Three.

– Players competed for five complete levels. Play ended after Level 9. When play resumes at Level 10, blinds will be 600-1,200 with a 200 ante. The average stack size is 97,650.

– Day 2-A started with a field of 1,989 players and ended with 607 survivors. This means only 30 percent of starters survived past the second day.

– Players who survived Day 2-A will return to continue their quest for the 2009 world poker championship gold bracelet and $8.5 million in prize money on July 10th, starting at noon. They will merge into one combined field with the survivors of Day 2-B (which is to be played on July 8th). Day 3 will be the first time this year all players play in the same day.

– Play on Day Two ended at 12:40 am.

Day 2-A Chip Leaders –

– The overall chip leaeder is Andrew Gaw, from The Philippines. Unfortunately, little is known about Gaw at this stage. But media scrutiny and pubic attention thould be fierce upon Gaw when he returns as the biggest stack, barring players surpassing him in the count from Day 2-B (which appears likley).

– Currently in second place (from Day 2-A) is Eric Cloutier, from Mont Laurier, Quebec (Canada). He also has a residence in Lafayette, LA. Cloutier is a former professional ice hockey player. He played a number of seasons for the Louisiana Ice Gators, and was called up for a brief time to the NHL by the Boston Bruins. Cloutier owns a few bars and restaurants in southeastern Louisiana. He has been playing poker regularly on the tournament circuit the last five years.

– In a bizarre coincidence, Eric Cloutier’s end of Day One chip count was initially misreported and he was wrongly identified as the chip leader. The confusion resulted from an extra zero being added to Cloutier’s chip count. The error was discovered and Cloutier’s standing fell from 150,000 in chips to only 15,000 in chips. During the past three days, Cloutier has fended off congratulations from well-wishers. He explained that he was actually very low in chips when play began on Day Two. Incredibly, Cloutier managed not only to survive, but to bypass more than 1,300 players ahead of him in the chip count. He ends up as second-ranked chip leader, proving that the “Cloutier Chip Leader” headline may not have been wrong, but wasn merely premature.

– The highest-ranked former WSOP gold bracelet winner from Day 2-A is Greg “FBT” Mueller, from Vancouver, BC (Canada). Mueller is now in 12th-place.

Combined Notes –

– Former world champions still alive in the Main Event include:

Bobby Baldwin
Phil Hellmuth
Jim Bechtel
Dan Harrington
Scotty Nguyen
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson
Carlos Mortensen
Robert Varkonyi
Greg “Fossilman” Raymer
Joe Hachem

– Notable non-pro celebrities still alive in the Main Event include:

Jason Alexander (actor)
Shane Warne (world famous cricket player)
Patrick Bruel (French actor and singer)
Lou Diamond Phillips (actor and singer)
Marlon Wayans (actor)
Shannon Elizabeth (actor)
Jordan Farmar (basketball player)

– Elimination percentages are as follows:

68 percent of the overall starters in this tournament survived the first day.
30 percent of the overall starters survived the second day (so far — subject to change as 2-B has not been included).

– The Top Five chip leaders going into Day 3 are:

1. Andrew Gaw Philippines 386,000
2. Eric Cloutier Quebec 383,000
3. Ed Perry USA 370,000
4. Brandon Demes USA 369,800
5. Miika Puumalanien Finland 361,200

– Of the Top 100 players in chip stnadings, 42 are interntional (non-American) players. Nations amidst the Top 100 includes:

Philippines
Canada
USA
Finland
UK
Sweden
Australia
Denmark
Portugal
France
Netherlands
Ireland
Macedonia
Hungary
Czech Republic
Israel
Switzerland
South Africa
Belgium
Romania

Putting Day Two in Perspective

– In 2008, at the conclusion of Day 2, the eventual champion Peter Eastgate was ranked in 484th place.

– In 2007, at the conclusion of Day 2, the eventual champion Jerry Yang was ranked in 26th place.

– In 2006, at the conclusion of Day 2, the eventual champion Jamie Gold was ranked in 155th place.

– Based on WSOP figures during the mega-era (2006 to present), five out of six Day Two chip leaders have cashed. The previous results are as follows:

2008 2-A – Brian Schaedlich finished in 456th place
2008 2-B – Peter Biebel finished in 273rd place

2007 2-A – Jeff Banghart finished in 41st place
2007 2-B – Gus Hansen finished in 61st place

2006 2-A – Yuriy Kozinskiy did not cash
2006 2-B – Dmitri Nobles finished in 76th place

World Series of Poker Statistics

– The 2009 WSOP Main Event now ranks as the third-largest live poker tournament in history. Only the 2006 and 2008 Main Event championships drew larger numbers. It should be noted that if the Rio had greater seating capacity (Day 1-D sold out), this year’s tournament would have unquestionably surpassed last year’s attendance figures.

– The total prize pool for this year’s Main Event totals $61,043,600. However, this figure is not final. Since interest is added to payouts for players who will constitute the November Nine, the final figure will actually be slightly higher.

– The number of female participants in this year’s Main Event is estimated to be 187, which amounts to 2.8 percent of the field. There is no official record since entrants are not designated by sex. However, it has been customary in recent years to count every player at the start of Day One (actually all flights A-D) and take a head count of female players. Oddly enough, despite the low percentage of female players, there were three different tables with three females in the tournament.

– All players who make it to the final table this year (the November Nine) will earn at least $1 million. The 2009 world champion will collect $8,546,435 for first place (plus slightly more money in added interest).

– With registration for this year’s Main Event, the World Series of Poker crossed the $1,000,000,000 threshold in total prize money awarded to players. During its 40-year history, the WSOP has paid out $1,041,265,271. Incredibly, more than $600,000,000 has been paid out just in the last five years alone, since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed control of the tournament. Here is the historical prize pool information for the World Series of Poker.

2009 — $174,011,894
2008 — $180,774,427
2007 — $159,796,918
2006 — $159,599,815
1970-2005 — $354,000,000

– 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 later this year in London, England at the Empire Casino, to be held from September 19th through October 1st.

– Players have come to the WSOP from at least 115 different nations and territories. By contrast, only 80 nations were represented at the most recent Winter Olympic Games.

– 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. 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. This is a testament to the expansion of the WSOP since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed ownership and control of the world most prestigious poker event.

Note: All results are now official and may be reprinted by media.