It\’s been fun keeping track of the 2008 WSOP by city-nation-state … taught me a lot about something — what exactly, I\’m not yet sure. But I did get a clearer picture of just how significant the main event really is compared to all other poker tourneys. Just a little more than a week ago, I wrote:
Unless something really funky happens in the main event, it looks like Nevada has the edge on California when it comes to home base for the best poker players in the world.
Well I guess something funky did happen, because even with the biggest prize-pool distributions TBD, California poker players absolutely dominated in the 2008 main event (93 cashes, 2 final tableists)… while the Nevadans (mostly Las Vegas-based, of course) seemed to be napping, or perhaps just resting on their laurels (49 cashes, 0 final tableists). Regardless, looking at the 55 events that comprised the 2008 WSOP, I think it\’s clear that the visitors can stake their claim: California is the Poker Capitol of the World … at least for now.
GREAT DANES: Another big surprise (to me) — apparently the Scandis aren\’t so overrated after all. Denmark in particular showed up at the main event ready to play, and not only did they get one of their own on the final table, but also they performed so well in the latter events that they scooched past a bunch of other supposed Europoker powerhouses in the money won. The best non-American players, according to these results, in order: Canadians, Brits, and then the Danes … who actually could move past the Brits come November … and if you add the Danish in with the rest of the Scandis, it\’s clear that Scandinavia and the UK are like the California and Nevada of European poker.
GERMAN ENGINEERING: The Deutsch, of course, also have a legitimate claim to European badassness after the 2008 WSOP — with three bracelets proving that while maybe Germany couldn\’t take home as much money overall, they have at least a few players who know how to close it down when the opportunity is in front of them.
RED DAWN: And really it\’s no surprise that the Russians made their statement this WSOP — we all heard they were coming, and indeed they did. Who is Nikolay Evdakov anyway? I mean other than the guy who smashed the record for most cashes in a World Series. At the same time, like so many who get kinda big heads, the Ruskies pretty much got their asses kicked overall in the main event — only four little cashes, but they do have one (scary) player at the final table,
(By the way, we\’ll have to talk later about why Full Tilt won\’t do business with the Russians.)
COOL RUNNINGS: Rory Chinn became the first and most irie Jamaican to cash in the 2008 WSOP, finishing 533rd in the main event, for $25,090. Pauly et al salute you … and your people every day.
Plausibly related, Steven Rosen from Armonk, New York, finished in 420th place, receiving a very Hammery payout of $27,020.
POSITIVE LATTITUDE: Two other newcomers to the WSOP money: Ecuador and Nova Scotia.
NOTES:
These numbers represent results of the 2008 WSOP through 54.9987 of 55 events. And $180.7 million awarded, with a possible error of + or – $185 (or .0001percent).
There is still $24,527,416 and one bracelet being fought for — by representatives from Ontario(2), California(2), Russia(1), Texas(1), Missouri(1), Denmark(1), and New York(1).
All of the above have been credited with 9th place money – $900,670 – which has been removed from the remaining prize pool.
