Of course that’s kinda the point of bringing in an internationally renowned tourney director. Or at least it was initially. Kinda still works, but for different reasons …

First things first … Savage has guaranteed the guarantees — $350k worth. This is despite a misleading tweet just two weeks ago from @hardrockpoker saying there’d be $1 million in guaranteed prize pools. [/shaking head] It coulda just been a hyperbolic typo, but an amusingly ironic one then considering the Hard Rock’s image problems after a few overpromises that these tourneys were to help put to rest. But according to Matt himself on 2+2, he’s got the $350k locked up by contract no matter how few players show.

Beyond that … expect an extra-partytime atmosphere around typical Savage series stuff (deep structures, quality dealers, friendly intelligent floor, good internet coverage, etc.) to liven up the joint: He’s in charge of providing ultra-improved tournament action while the Hard Rock promises to provide good music and a guaranteed flow of nipple-friendly eye-candy stumbling past the poker room.

Regardless of turnout, Detox is almost certain to be the biggest, and plausibly coolest extended poker shindig at the Hard Rock ever since it opened. All that and the Pokerati game’s Las Vegas tourney debut to boot!

LOL, “boot” could turn into a funny word @DetoxPoker … where additional player-friendly perks include added-seat satellites, lotsa food, a 2+2+Media pre-party, and promised field-wide rounds of vodka shooters.

PokerRoad Radio will be at the Hard Rock broadcasting live throughout the week. Should make for quite an interestingly raucous poker confab, intended for bigger players looking to take advantage of small buy-ins to remember what fun, no-worries poker is all about … and lower-stakes players + Allen Kessler who see good value in taking them on in a uniquely challenging hard-rocking show.

The chip leader is John Racener with 6,260,000 in chips. Other notables:

Michael Mizrachi 5,654,000
Alexander Kostritsyn 4,834,000
Bryn Kenney 4,300,000
Matt Affleck 3,750,000
Scott Clements 2,200,000
Adam “Roothlus” Levy 1,600,000

Notable eliminations:

Johnny Chan
Phil Galfond
Breeze Zuckerman
JP Kelly
Robert Mizrachi
Matt Keikoan

Full results so far here, chip counts and other updates at wsop.com.

The announcement of the 2010-11 WSOP Circuit schedule today brings about several major changes done to push the tournament series back into relevance. Changes include a drop in the buy-ins of the Circuit Main Events to $1,500, four $10,000 buy-in “regional championships” that will air on national television (ESPN?), and a $1,000,000 freeroll tournament at Caesars’ Palace in May 2011.

More information found in their press release on below:

Participants to Compete For Shot at WSOP National Championship Including $1 Million Las Vegas Tournament and WSOP Gold Bracelet

Television Coverage, Standardized Structures, Cumulative Points System & Super-Regionals All Part of New WSOP Circuit Model; Buy-Ins for Main Event Altered

The WSOP Circuit tour, now entering its seventh season, is about to become bigger and better than ever.

The 2010 schedule will include at least 12 tour stops, with a handful of others expected to be announced in the months ahead.

This year’s format includes several notable improvements, including:

* A cumulative rankings system throughout the season, awarding points for each official WSOP Circuit “Ring” open event, with four different ways to automatically qualify. (Explained in separate document attached).

* A season-ending National Championship tournament for 100 players who automatically qualify via cumulative rankings or performance-based criteria. (The televised National Championship tournament will be played at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas prior to the commencement of the WSOP and feature a $1,000,000 prize pool and award a WSOP Gold Bracelet). (Explained in separate document attached).

* Four Regional WSOP Circuit Championships with a $10,000 buy-in event plus two-hours of national television coverage per stop.

* Standardized structures and pay-outs at all events; with the Main Event lowered to $1500 outside Regional Championships to encourage larger fields and more players attending multiple stops on the tour.

“We recognized the WSOP Circuit Events needed a shot in the arm, and we believe we’ve responded with steroids,” said WSOP Vice President Ty Stewart. “The new model is exactly what the WSOP is all about, giving poker players of all bankrolls the chance for compete for the kind of fame, fortune and respect that comes only with a WSOP bracelet and a national television audience.“

The 2010-2011 WSOP Circuit tour begins on August 19, 2010 at Horseshoe Council Bluffs in Iowa and continues through May 22, 2011 at Harrah’s New Orleans.

All the details can be found here.

The entire schedule is as follows:

WORLD SERIES OF POKER 2010-2011 CIRCUIT TOUR SCHEDULE
TOURNAMENT DATES TOURNAMENT LOCATION
August 19 – August 31, 2010 Horseshoe Council Bluffs (Iowa)
October 2 – October 12, 2010 Horseshoe Southern Indiana
October 15 – October 27, 2010 Horseshoe Hammond (Chicago area)
October 26 – October 31, 2010 *Emerald Casino (South Africa)
October 28 – November 10, 2010 IP Casino Resort & Spa (Biloxi, MS)
November 11 – November 23, 2010 Harveys Lake Tahoe
December 4 – December 22, 2010 Harrah’s Atlantic City
January 27 – February 15, 2011 Harrah’s Tunica
March 2 – March 13, 2011 Caesars Atlantic City
March 11 – March 30, 2011 Harrah’s Rincon (San Diego area)
March 31 – April 13, 2011 Harrah’s St. Louis
April 14 – April 30, 2011 Caesars Palace
May 9 – May 22, 2011 Harrah’s New Orleans

*Circuit Event in South Africa does not count towards point system tabulation or cumulative event award.

Bold indicates Super Regional, with an added event, the $10K nationally televised No Limit Hold’em tournament.

Circuit schedules are subject to change. For more information on individual circuit events, including event schedules and structure sheets, can be found at each property website or by visiting www.WSOP.com

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.

The World Series of Poker, to most people who don’t follow poker, finally gets underway this afternoon with day 1a of the $10,000 No-Limit Holdem World Championship, better described as the Main Event. A field of 6,500 players are expected to show up at the Rio in Las Vegas, seating themselves at tables in the Amazon and Pavilion rooms, hoping their two chips and a chair will turn into something much larger over the next 12 days when the last 9 players return in November to play down to a winner.

The main concern for this year’s Main Event will be if Thursday’s day 1d, which had the highest number of pre-registered players, may mean some players could be shut out. Throw in the schedule (four two-hour levels scheduled for each day 1), and it’s possible not enough players will be eliminated on days 1a and 1b to accommodate the much larger fields expected for days 1c and 1d.

While the Main Event gets underway today with updates at PokerNews and wsop.com, or follow Pauly’s live blog. There’s still two more bracelets to be awarded today along with the rest of Sunday’s action.

Alaei wins 10k PLO

The final table of the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship concluded with Daniel Alaei defeating Miguel Proulx heads-up to win $780,599, along with his third career WSOP bracelet. Proulx, winner of the $2,500 PLO event earlier this WSOP, collects $482,265 for the runner-up finish. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report coming soon at wsop.com.

Huck Seed, TOC winner

The final day of the WSOP Tournament of Champions concluded with 1996 Main Event winner Huck Seed defeating Howard Lederer heads-up, winning $500,000. Lederer adds $250,000 to his results, with Johnny Chan earning $100,000 for third. Full results at wsop.com.

1k, 2.5k final tables today

The final two preliminary bracelet events will be awarded this afternoon, both with a start time scheduled for 3pm, but the Main Event may throw a hitch in those plans. Follow the updates at PokerNews or wsop.com. First, here’s the final table for the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem:

Seat 1: Henrik Tollefsen – 1,878,000
Seat 2: Paul Kerr – 784,000
Seat 3: Marcel Vonk – 2,253,000
Seat 4: Dustin Dorrance-Bowman – 794,000
Seat 5: Mehul Chaudhari – 789,000
Seat 6: Espen Moen – 443,000
Seat 7: Nathan Jessen – 990,000
Seat 8: Matthew Lupton – 973,000
Seat 9: David Peters – 2,653,000

Here’s the final table for the $2,500 No-Limit Holdem:

Seat 1: Mike Wattel – 365,000
Seat 2: Salvatore Bonavena – 4,505,000
Seat 3: Ali Alawadhi – 670,000
Seat 4: Joseph Curcio – 1,205,000
Seat 5: Tomer Berda – 3,410,000
Seat 6: Bryan Porter – 740,000
Seat 7: Alfonso Amendola – 910,000
Seat 8: Hungcheng Hung – 740,000
Seat 9: Vladimir Kochelaevskiy – 2,025,000

a) Hold the TOC at the very beginning of the WSOP, under some premise like who’s gonna kick off the Series with a little extra freeroll juice?

b) Hold the TOC during the November Nine. Add a little Harrah’s-branded excitement to that week, ya know, and give top pros a reason to make sure they’re part of it all? Also would give some eligible winners a chance to qualify while their stock is hot …

With this and three other final tables going on today … WTF happened to that “day off” we were promised?

Dan showed up to the Rio super early for a Sunday just in case the the DOJ decided to bust Full Tilt honchos Howard Lederer and Jesus Ferguson. Pauly compared his morbid fascination of the potential perp walk to watching a NASCAR race in order to see a big wreck.

Dan and Pauly recap the brief events of Day 1 of the TOC, and the slight confusion surrounding the change in schedule.

Be sure to catch up with all the episodes you’ve missed in the TOP podcast archives.

Kelly wins 25k 6-max, Brunson 10 Deal

The final table of the $25,000 No-Limit Holdem 6-max took less than four hours to complete, as 21-year old Dan “djk123″ Kelly took down the bracelet along with $1,315,518 when his A-10 ran down Shawn Buchanan’s pocket jacks with an ace on the river. Kelly also became the 7th member of the Brunson 10 with the win, as he was part of a competition during the WSOP to award the spot. Buchanan earned $812,941 for his second place finish, he also won a big hand on the river a few minutes earlier, when the money went in on an open-ended straight draw against Frank Kassela’s flopped two pair. The straight on the river meant a 3rd place finish for Kassela ($556,053), along with 60 POY points to give him a stranglehold on the title. Jason Somerville ($386,125), Mikael Thuritz ($272,804) and Eugene Katchalov ($194,559) rounded out the final table. Full results and Nolan Dalla’s tournament report at wsop.com.

Proulx leads 10k PLO, Hellmuth’s chips throw TOC into chaos

What was expected to be the final day of the $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship is currently on a dinner break with 18 players remaining. Miguel Proulx, who won the $2,500 PLO event earlier in the WSOP, holds the chip lead with 1,966,000, with Ludovic Lacay (830,000), Jason Mercier (794,000), Tom Dwan (501,000) and Phil Hellmuth (181,000) among the notables remaining. Live updates available at wsop.com.

Hellmuth’s stack is causing problems for the Tournament of Champions, which was scheduled to resume at 7pm. With Hellmuth still in the TOC, the other 16 players were hoping for Hellmuth’s elimination tonight to get the field down to a final table and avoid a long day on Sunday. After Hellmuth made the dinner break, there was discussion about playing one level during the PLO dinner break, but with Joe Hachem asleep and Huck Seed unable to be found, that idea was scrapped and the TOC will be played out starting at 11am, unless some other problem arises in the next few hours.

Phil Gordon wins Ante Up for Africa

A field of 83 poker pros and celebrities, took the felt in the $5,000 Ante Up for Africa charity tournament, with Phil Gordon beating Shannon Elizabeth heads-up, with Gordon donating the entire $129,086 to Ante Up for Africa. Erik Seidel and Jerome Bettis also appeared at the final table. Annie Duke tweeted that over $300,000 was raised in total from the event. Full results and Dalla’s tournament report at wsop.com.

$2,500 NL nears the money

After a delay in the $2,500 No-Limit Holdem due to a shortage of available dealers, 222 players remain for day 2, with the final 196 making the money. James Mackey is the current leader with 240,000 in chips, followed by Isaac Baron (170,000), David Singer (144,000), Andy Philachack (100,000), Jamie Gold (82,000), Tom Franklin (74,000) and Jason Dewitt (63,700). Updates and chip counts available at PokerNews.

1k NL makes the money

Less than 200 players remain in the $1,000 No-Limit Holdem with at least four more levels scheduled for tonight. Check the results and updates at wsop.com.

Word was leaking to interested parties that it would indeed be at the Bike in California, with the Gold-Strike Tunica all but ready to be locked down, too. But now we know the plans for sure — the Bike it is, November 12-17, right after the November Nine — as does any else who might have an extreme stake in the future success and expansion of the North American Poker Tour presented by PokerStars.net.

THE POKERSTARS.NET NAPT ANNOUNCES AN EXCITING NEW STOP FOR SEASON 1

The PokerStars.net North American Poker Tour (NAPT) today announced the addition of a new stop to its Season 1 schedule. The NAPT will visit beautiful sunny Southern California for NAPT Los Angeles, a festival scheduled for November 12 – 17, 2010 at one of the largest poker rooms in the world, the incredible Bicycle Casino, aka ‘The Bike’.

“I’ve played at The Bike in the past and there is a strong local presence in LA,” comments poker legend and Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreaunu. “It’s always really important for a tournament’s success to have a strong core of local players as it gives even more incentive to travel to the events when you know there will be big money on the line. I’m looking forward to playing.”

Others scheduled to be on hand for the new stop include highly renowned Team PokerStars.net Pros such as Vanessa Rousso, Barry Greenstein, Bertrand ‘ElkY’ Grospellier, 2004 WSOP Main Event winner Greg Raymer, plus returning WSOP champion; 2009 Main Event winner Joe Cada.

The festival will feature a five-day Main Event with a US$5,000 buy-in. There will also be a broad range of fun and exciting side events catering to players of all bankroll levels. Up-to-date information on the events and schedules will be posted on www.napt.com

Haig Kelegian, Managing Partner of The Bike, states, “We are very enthusiastic to secure the West Coast Tour stop. We clearly recognize the NAPT as the next major happening in the evolution of poker, and we have no doubt this Tour will entice and attract players from all over the world.”

Season 1 of the PokerStars.net NAPT has proven to be a resounding success. The NAPT’s first three festivals of Season 1 enjoyed tremendous support from players. Sixty different countries were represented in fields that numbered from 700 to 1,500.

The NAPT PokerStars.net Caribbean Adventure drew in a record-breaking 1,529 players with US based player Harrison Gimbel taking home $2.2 million for first prize. The NAPT Venetian title was won by 22-year-old online player Tom Marchese for $827,648 and the NAPT Mohegan Sun saw local Vanessa Selbst beat 716 players to win her biggest live tournament pay day to date of $750,000.

Players at all three events were treated to luxurious accommodation, amazing parties, and well-designed, professionally-run poker tournaments.

The easiest path to NAPT Los Angeles is by winning a free tournament package on PokerStars.net. Packages for the festival will include the US$5,000 entry fee for the Main Event, accommodation for the duration of the festival and a stipend for travel expenses.

About PokerStars.net:

PokerStars.net is the world’s largest online poker school with over 36 million members. It’s the premier destination for the world’s top players – with numerous tournaments running every day. PokerStars.net is renowned for offering the best software and security in the online poker world.

PokerStars.net is the official sponsor of the European Poker Tour, PokerStars.net Caribbean Adventure, Latin American Poker Tour, Asia Pacific Poker Tour and The World Cup of Poker. For more information please visit www.pokerstars.net

We’re just two weeks into the 2010 WSOP and the Amazon Room is already filled with people walking around like zombies. Don’t believe me? Just take a good look at the players, the floor staff and the media the next time you head to the Rio. Everyone’s got a 1,000-yard stare and there are still five weeks worth of tournaments left to play.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love poker as much as the next guy, but I have to wonder if we’ve finally gone too far.

This year’s WSOP features 57 different events with price points ranging from $1,000 to $50,000. If you were rich enough — and crazy enough — to play every open event, that would mean plunking down more than $500,000 on tournament entries over a seven-week period. While this is unlikely to happen, there will certainly be some pros who drop close to this amount in search of the ever-elusive gold bracelet.

The WSOP is one more manifestation of our culture’s desire to “Super Size” everything from soft drinks to shopping malls. If it’s bigger, it must be better, right? That’s the Vegas way.

And while the majority of players will spend considerably less over the course of their WSOP visits, they still won’t be getting off cheap. With transportation, hotel, tournament fees and other miscellaneous “entertainment” expenses, most out-of-towners who come to Vegas for a week or two will find themselves going home with some great stories and at least 10 thousand fewer dollars in their wallets. Call it a vacation or the world’s most expensive lottery ticket. Harrah’s calls it a prize pool. And we know to them that also represents ever-important revenue.

The fact is, the WSOP is just one more manifestation of our culture’s desire to “Super Size” everything from soft drinks to shopping malls. If it’s bigger, it must be better, right? Of course it must. And, using that logic, I fully understand Harrah’s desire to constantly “improve” the WSOP by adding new events and more wow factor so that they can separate players from their money with ever greater efficiency. Dazzle them with brilliance and baffle them with bullshit. It’s the Vegas way and who am I to question how things are done?

Still though, I find myself growing more and more uneasy each and every time I set foot in the Rio and see players telling bust-out stories to complete strangers in the Bad Beat Bar or hitting their friends up for “just one more buy in.” But with so many tournaments at the Rio and in competing venues around town — not to mention the cash games — seven weeks of the WSOP can be like a crack binge for desperate poker degenerates from around the world. There’s always just one more pot to play… one more tournament to enter… one more shot at greatness and redemption.

With so many tournaments at the Rio and in competing venues around town — not to mention the cash games — seven weeks of the WSOP can be like a crack binge for desperate poker degenerates from around the world. There’s always just one more pot to play… one more tournament to enter… one more shot at greatness and redemption.

I wasn’t around the industry before the WSOP moved from Binion’s to the Rio nor before Chris Moneymaker changed the face of poker as we know it, but I know plenty of people who were. Back then — less than a decade ago — the World Series was still predominantly played by professionals who got together each year to determine who was the best of the best. Sure, some talented amateurs had worked their way into the fields, but the Series belonged to the pros. They played for money, of course, but bragging were just as important.

Since then, ESPN and the Internet have taken poker out of the back rooms and made it a mainstream game, which has been great for prize pools, but I believe, somewhat detrimental to the WSOP’s soul. Nowadays, the WSOP is as much about getting lucky and making a name for yourself as it is about poker. Sure, there are some pros who are established and wealthy enough that they’re actually playing for the glory of victory. But, for every one of them, there are tens, hundreds, and even thousands more who are playing for nothing more than a quick payday and, maybe, a deal with an online poker site.

Is this wrong? Of course not. But it is kind of sad.

Harrah’s is all about expansion. Over it’s 73-year history, the company has grown from a single bingo parlor in Reno to an entertainment behemoth, with more than 50 properties on five continents and countless ancillary companies. There’s no doubt that all that overhead costs money and that putting on events like the WSOP aren’t cheap. But trust me, with the millions of dollars Harrah’s is making in rake, tournament fees, room charges and food consumption — not to mention additional revenue from various corporate sponsorships — no one is crying poverty and no one is speaking (publicly, at least) about downsizing the WSOP in order to control costs.

And that’s too bad because more and more, I’m hearing people talk about the fact that the WSOP may have finally reached its sensible size limit. In fact, 2010 is the first year since Harrah’s took control that the number of bracelets hasn’t increased and I’ve heard rumor (unconfirmed as of now) that some people within the WSOP organization would like to scale it back to a smaller, more manageable and, perhaps, more prestigious series by decreasing the total number of events and increasing buy-ins. I applaud their thinking if it’s true, but I also suspect that it will never happen.

Time marches on and, like everything else in Vegas, progress means growth and growth means more revenue.

That’s the bottom line and nothing is going to change it.

Specifically, what jumped out was:

No Betfair. Nothing scandalous or controversial here. Harrah’s and Betfair simply finished out their three-year contract (’07-’09). Pokerati lost its deal with Betfair, too, around the same time. Bummer, but all good. The peeps we worked with at Betfair were some of the finest we’ve encountered in the industry … and we were happy to create the “WSOP World Standings” with them — a year before anyone else — even though it inevitably would get co-opted WSOP.com. (Just meant less work for me!) Harrah’s reports a similarly pleasant and positive relationship. Suppose all Betfair’s absence really means is that we might be seeing fewer emails about a Queen made of Legos or Buckingham Palaces of cards.

Online satellites / WSOP.com. Hmm, you’d think this might be the most important component — the first ever official online satellites for WSOP bracelet events on WSOP.com — but I almost missed it down in paragraf #10:

For the first time since WSOPE was formed, real money poker is available online to UK residents at WSOP.com.  Unique and exciting offers will be tied to WSOP Europe participation for UK residents including satellites.  If you are a UK resident, check out WSOP.com for the latest details on how to qualify for the 2010 WSOP Europe.

I guess it only makes sense now, why the new HIE wouldn’t try to extend a relationship with one of their most cooperative, non-litigious table-felt sponsors … at a time when any additional sponsorship money might seem extra-desirable. I suppose there’s only so much space around the final table with Harrah’s self-sponsoring this year — with WSOP-E officially presented by WSOP.com, CaesarsCasino.com, and CaesarsBingo.com.

Those are the real “sponsors” in London this year; Harrah’s officials told me as much  – even though we haven’t yet gotten press releases championing the landmark signage possibilities.

Partnering with mini-Harrah’s-UK. Actually, the relationship between Harrah’s and London Clubs International isn’t new at all either — it’s been around since December 2006, when Harrah’s acquired LCI for about $530 million. I guess I’ve just never noticed it before, nor seen quotes from their CEO, and info about their Player Rewards (a la Total Rewards). Interesting … 10 casinos in the UK, two in Cairo, and one in Jo-berg, South Africa.

Lots of PLO. It’s just one bracelet event, a big one at £5k, sure, but it’s nothing new … I just notice PLO happenings these days more than before. If you’re not already dabbling in Texas Hold’em’s 4-card cousin, you really should be … and Pokerati’s 1/2 NL/PLO at the Hard Rock is the perfect place to get your feet wet with the game.  We play round-of-each, with small initial buy-ins, sporadially recurring $50 splash pots, and run-it-twice. We had a great turnout last week, so good that I’m thinking about hosting the game on Tuesday, too. Feel free to weigh in on said matter, and send me a text or email if you’d like to start a virtual interest list.

OK, here’s the press release accompanying the 2010 WSOP-Europe schedule many have been clamoring for:

World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE)

Announces 2010 Tournament Schedule & Dates

EVENT RETURNS TO CASINO AT THE EMPIRE IN LONDON

WSOPE Set for September 14^th to 28^th in London

LAS VEGAS – June 7, 2010 – The fourth annual World Series of Poker Europe^sm has solidified its tournament schedule, Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., owner and operator of the world’s most prestigious poker tournaments announced today.

The 2010 World Series of Poker Europe will feature five bracelet tournaments this year – the most ever offered at this prestigious event.

“We held steady at 57 events in Las Vegas despite last year’s record attendance,” said WSOP vice president Ty Stewart.  “The increase here is thoughtful and consistent with the growing stature of this event.”

Capitalizing on excitement created for the Las Vegas championship of the discipline, a special Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em event will kick off the tournament on Tuesday, September 14, and feature a £2,500 buy-in and a 3-day structure.

The popular £5,000 Pot Limit Omaha and £1,000 No Limit Hold’em events will be the 2^nd and 3^rd bracelet events on the schedule and then a new £10,000 Heads-Up tournament has been added on Tuesday, September 21 to precede the fifth and final event, the £10,000 Main Event Championship.

The £10K heads-up will be the highest buy-in heads-up tournament ever contested in Europe and even higher than the Las Vegas counterpart.

“We are really excited about the 2010 schedule for WSOP Europe,” said Stewart.  “The WSOPE has found its place as a tournament about prestige, where the best of the best come together to  HYPERLINK “http://www.wsop.com” play poker.  We think the new heads-up event will resonate with the worlds top players and the six-handed event is something that is becoming synonymous with the WSOP. “

The WSOPE will be held from September 14-28, 2010 in the heart of Leicester Square at the Casino at the Empire in London, England.   The Casino at the Empire has been a hotbed of poker activity since hosting the WSOPE, with regular cash games and tournaments running around the clock.  The casino now stays open 24-hours a day and has begun offering satellite tournaments for the WSOPE.  Visit HYPERLINK www.lciclubs.com www.lciclubs.com for more details.

“We are so excited to welcome the  HYPERLINK “http://www.wsop.com/players/index.asp” top poker players from all over the world to WSOPE 2010 – Europe’s most prestigious poker tournament and the only event outside of Las Vegas at which players can win a coveted WSOP bracelet,” said Michael Silberling, CEO of London Clubs International. “This is the fourth year we have hosted the event at Casino at The Empire, which has rapidly become London’s premier poker venue, and we have every expectation that the 2010 event will be bigger and better than ever before.”

Players can pre-register for the WSOPE at any London Clubs International (LCI) venue in the UK or at the Rio All-Suites Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

For the first time since WSOPE was formed, real money poker is available online to UK residents at WSOP.com.  Unique and exciting offers will be tied to WSOP Europe participation for UK residents including satellites.  If you are a UK resident, check out WSOP.com for the latest details on how to qualify for the 2010 WSOP Europe.

These five tournaments will be sanctioned gold bracelet events.  Non-stop cash games will also be scheduled during the tournament, as well as a bevy of satellite tournaments in the weeks leading up to each event.   The Casino at the Empire does not require membership for admission.

The 2009 World Series of Poker Europe was broadcast on ESPN/ESPN2 in the United States, Channel 4 in the UK and various broadcasters around the world.

During the WSOP in Las Vegas (May 27 – July 17), players can pre-register for WSOP Europe at the tournament cage.

WSOPE in London complements the WSOP held annually in Las Vegas.   During the first three years of the WSOPE, eleven gold bracelets have been awarded along with £15,110,500 in prize money.

The biggest names in poker have participated in WSOPE including:  Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, Daniel Negreanu, John Juanda, Gus Hansen, Eric Seidel, Mike Matusow, Joe Hachem, Vanessa Rousso, Andy Bloch, David Benefield, Ivan Demidov, Sorel Mizzi, Jennifer Tilly, Layne Flack, Andrew Black, Barry Greenstein, Tom Dwan, Chris Ferguson, Scotty Nguyen, Max Pescatori, Chris Bjorin, Allen Cunningham, Phil Ivey, Howard Lederer, Patrik Antonius, John Phan and Annette Obrestad.

ABOUT WSOPE

Launched in 2007 by Harrah’s Entertainment, owner of the World Series of Poker (WSOP), the WSOPE is the first international tournament extension of the world’s richest and most prestigious gaming event.  WSOPE is held in London, England annually at London Clubs International’s (LCI) Casino at the Empire and awards the same coveted gold bracelets that the WSOP awards annually in Las Vegas.  In its first three years, WSOPE has awarded eleven gold bracelets, the first bracelets ever awarded outside the United States, of which nine different nations have claimed.  A total of 2,994 entrants have competed for £15,110,500 in prize money.  Please visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.wsop.com” www.wsop.com for more information.

ABOUT LCI
London Clubs International is a market leader in the UK casino industry, having owned and operated casinos for over 40 years. LCI currently owns 10 casino properties across the UK and also operates two casinos in Cairo, Egypt and one in Johannesburg, South Africa. LCI offers casinos for all tastes and every level of play. LCI casinos in the UK include The Casino at The Empire (London), The Rendezvous (London, Brighton and Southend), The Sportsman (London), Golden Nugget (London), Manchester235 and Alea (Nottingham and Glasgow and Leeds). LCI is focused on offering great value and service to its customers and has recently introduced a new loyalty programme across the group, Player Rewards. The group operates its own Code of Commitment, a public pledge to its employees and customers. In December 2006, Harrah’s acquired London Clubs International. Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc. (Harrah’s) is a casino-entertainment provider.
For more information, please visit  HYPERLINK “http://www.lciclubs.com” www.lciclubs.com.

HYPERLINK “http://www.WSOP.com” www.WSOP.com

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The 2010 WSOP-Europe Schedule.

Five bracelet events this time, instead of four.

With that said, there are two more events at WSOP-NOLA this week … the ladies event and a seniors event … but leading up to those, WSOP clerics have released official “semi-final” statistics for the 2009-2010 WSOP-Circuit season … which awarded more than $20 million in prize money and 150 gold rings across 11 stops held in Hammond, Indiana (Chicago), Southern Indiana, Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City, Tunica, Council Bluffs, Caesars Atlantic City, San Diego (Rincon), St. Louis, Las Vegas, and New Orleans.

For those interested, that accounts for about 1/10 of overall WSOP prize money and more than 2/3 of annual WSOP hardware awarded. Seems Mark “Pegasus” from Georgetown, KY, took down the lion’s share for an unofficial title as Minor League Player of the Year.

Click below for rankings for the 2009-2010 season that came from all that:

MOST GOLD RING WINS:

2 – Mark “Pegasus” Smith (Georgetown, KY)
2 – John ‘Cowboy” Land (Dallas, TX)
1 – (146 players)

MOST FINAL TABLE APPEARANCES:

5 – Mark “Pegasus” Smith (Georgetown, KY)
5 – Christopher Cardenas (Woodridge, IL)
5 – Michael Ashar (Vermilion, OH)
4 – Dwyte Pilgrim (Brooklyn, NY)
3 – (13 players)

MOST CASHES:

8 – Mark “Pegasus” Smith (Georgetown, KY)
8 – Michael Ashar (Vermilion, OH)
6 – Dwyte Pilgrim (Brooklyn, NY)
5 – (10 players)

It should also be noted that “Chicago Johnny” Nowak (Fairview, TX) set a record for most cashes at one WSOP Circuit stop. He recently cashed five times alone at Harrah’s New Orleans.

The top money winner of the season was Dan Livingston (Oak Forest, IL), with $291,749 in earnings. Livingston won the Main Event championship held in Chicago in October 2009. Runner up was Chris Klodnicki (Vorhees, NJ), who accumulated $281,277. Klodnicki won the Harrah’s Atlantic City championship in December 2009.

Next season’s WSOP Circuit schedule will be released sometime during the WSOP in Las Vegas. More locations and events are planned for 2010-2011 than ever before.

Decent structure, too. 12k chips for $250 ($225+25) … with a $100 rebuy or add-on for 5k chips. (I didn’t take it. My starting table was soft.) Seriously, it’s not a huge tourney, but it’s a good one, with good payout possibilities. Starts at 6 pm. Details here.

And, of course, they’re always happy to spread 1/2 NLH/PLO … and they usually have enough people interested in dipping their toes into 4-card hold’em waters to make it happen. Just ask them to put your name on the list for the Pokerati game and they’ll be sure to accommodate. You can always text “pokerati” to 25827 and you’ll get a text whenever this game is running. I won’t be able to make it this week, but next week I’m back in action, so you probably need some practice.

UPDATE: Tournament didn’t make. Not sure where the fine print may or may not come in for “guarantees”.

One other new not necessarily that new thing this go-round is the Best Overall Player Award. Details from The V:

BEST OVERALL PLAYER AWARD
The four players that accumulate the most player points throughout the entire event will be awarded Best Overall Player cash awards. One-half of one percent will be withheld from the prize pool of each daily tournament and added to the Best Overall Player total prize pool. The standings will be updated daily and posted in The Venetian Poker Room. Super Satellites, 7 pm second chance tournament and the $5,000 NAPT are not part of the overall point’s race.

So it goes for the upcoming Bellagio 5-Diamond event in April — which features a ridiculous 17 rebuy tournaments as its preliminary events. Seriously, someone has lost it here, right? We’ll see if we can’t get a comment from Tourney Director Jack McClelland on what’s the thought process behind this. Because right now, the best we can deduce arbitrarily surmise is that maybe it would be contractually better for him to get fired as opposed to resigning?

Some players were so incensed by this rebuy-crazy sked, supposedly, that they began circulating a petition to change the schedule back to its original set-up — a scheduling revolt supposedly led by Scott Clements. And in it, they proposed an alternative that seemed to make more sense. However, according to 2+2, the Bellagio has said thanks-but-no-thanks to the suggestion — leaving some players already talking about skipping this series, and a few media types excited about the pending collapse.

But the event that’s most intriguing to me: Event #15 — a $1,600 “Ironman” tourney, on Wednesday, Sep 23.

The concept, from a Commerce spokesman:

$1600 Ironman Tournament. 10,000 in starting chips. 1 hour levels starting at 25-50, with slow progressions. Includes 50-75, 250-500, 900-1800 blinds. The key is that there are no breaks! We will play from start to finish without interruption. 3 meals provided as long as you are in the tournament. Must play down to one player. Paying only the final table with 50% for first.

Wow. Awesome. Cool. While part of me thinks this might-should be called the Meth-head Invitational, it will be really interesting to see who plays the best under those conditions. Short-stacked smokers at a disadvantage, but hey … them’s the (only) breaks.

UPDATE: Event #1 seems pretty unique, too. Each Day 1 plays down to 27, and 90 players have already made the money. An additional funky caveat — those who have already busted can re-enter on Day 1B or Day 1C. What-the …

Headed your way for the weekend, was hoping at the last second to get your recommendations on 1) tournaments and 2) sushi places to take guest/client. As for tournaments, playing one Friday somewhere during the day, not sure where yet- thoughts? Used to play the Caesars noon $330, didn’t like it last time so thought I’d branch out.

A slightly embellished version of my response to The Antiscouse:

1) Tournaments (Friday day)

Venetian $150 nooner
7,500 starting chips and 30-minute levels. It’s actually a daily event that usually draws 75-or-so runners throughout the week, but on Fridays it has been running closer to 150 players with first-place payouts around $8k.

Since you don’t dig the Caesar’s $330, you might also wanna check out the Bellagio daily events, and if you’re willing to go up against a smaller field with fewer prize payouts, the Hard Rock is in the last few days of their inaugual MegaStacks series — where all the events have been turned into $340s.

For a complete and semi-regularly updated list of Las Vegas daily and weekly tournaments + special events, go here.

2) Sushi

Nobu (at Hard Rock) is my personal favorite. Tasty. Sexy. Fun.

Simon (at Palms Place) is also one of my favorite restaurants in town … though it’s not pure sushi … it’s like Asian fusion with homegrown American steaks and stuff, and it’s away from the casino, which may be more appealing to me than you and your client.

Sushi Roku in Caesar’s Forum Shoppes is great food … but the price-to-portions ratio makes you feel like you’re at more of a French restaurant, and the long walk through a shopping mall to get there may be unappealing to smokers.

The sneaky, ooh, wouldn’t have thought of that place … Koi at Planet Hollywood.

UPDATE: 143 runners at Venetian today — Tagg finished 22nd (18 got paid). Hopefully better results TK for sushi.

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

Sunday brought another three-level day to the WSOP, with just 185 players remaining when play resumes Monday afternoon at 12pm. The current unofficial leader is Warren Zackey, who’s listed from Honeydew, South Africa with 4,977,000 in chips. The most notable name at the top of the leaderboard is 2007 WSOP POY and member of Team Pokerati Tom Schneider at 3,168,000, good for 4th place. More notables, with their unofficial chip counts: Noah Boeken (2,4000,000), Eugene Katchalov (2,1000,000), Ludovic Lacay (1,685,000), Fabrice Soulier (1,450,000), Bertrand Grospellier (1,400,000), Blair Hinkle (1,100,000), Joe Sebok (1,100,000), Joe Hachem (1,000,000), Peter Eastgate (927,000), Blair Rodman (890,000), Joe Serock and Prahlad Friedman (760,000) and Kenny Tran (700,000).

Notable eliminations: Kevin O’Donnell, Mickey Mills, Cornel Cimpan, Kara Scott, Dan Shak, Nick Binger, Bobby Baldwin, Kevin Saul, William Robertie and Can Kim Hua.

Hopefully the official chip counts will be coming shortly, and Pokerati will be the 5th place to find them. Follow Pokerati also for Dream Team Poker updates, when they return from dinner break.

In a surprising move, play ended Saturday after just three levels of play in the main event, as the field is now down to about 400 players after three levels of play, which included nearly two hours of hand-for-hand play. Chip counts are unofficial at the moment, but it appears that Frenchman Ludovic Lacay will be the chip leader with 1,608,000 chips. Tom Lutz is listed in 2nd place with 1,600,000 chips. Other notables returning tomorrow with unofficial chip counts: Jordan Morgan (1,489,000), Blair Hinkle (1,399,000), Bertrand Grospellier (1,250,000), Nichoel Peppe (880,000), Kenny Tran (850,000), Tom Schneider (790,000), Lou Diamond Phillips (755,000), Dennis Phillips (630,000), Kara Scott (580,000), Joe Hachem (570,000), Noah Boeken (515,000), Joe Sebok (412,000) and Joe Serock (400,000). The returning players resume at 12 noon tomorrow, guaranteed at least $27,469.

The bubble was reached after 13 hands during hand-for-hand play. Kia Hamadani had about 160,000 in chips when they were about 20 players for the money, unfortunately for him, he took several hits to his stack until he was all in for his 500-chip ante. His last hand was 4-3o, which was crushed by someone making a large bet on a Q-Q-6 board with 9-2o. A nine on the turn and river meant that Hamadani would finish in 649, consoled by the fact that Jack Link’s Beef Jerky gave him a free entry to the 2010 Main Event.

Notables who can sleep in tomorrow: Phil Hellmuth, Patrick Bruel, Kelly Kim, Surinder Sunar, Matt Brady, Mark Gregorich, and Jesper Hougaard.

Official chip counts will be available in the morning, so return to Pokerati to see what’s turns up next.