Coming into the 2009 World Series of Poker, the general consensus was that it would be difficult for this year’s event to top the 2008 WSOP. After all, last year saw numerous records fall including the two biggest ones in the richest total prize pool ($180,676,248) and largest overall attendance ever (58,720 players).
But there have been numerous event sellouts already this year – including the largest non-Main Event field ever in Event #4 (6,012 players) – and this has many thinking the 2009 WSOP could be the biggest ever. With all of these extra players descending on Las Vegas, the competition has been extremely tough for the gold bracelets. Here’s a look at who has already taken home WSOP gold in the first 15 events.
Event # 1: The Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em tournament didn’t exactly start the 2009 WSOP off with a bang, but it was sure fun for the casino employees. And this tournament was especially fun for Palms Casino bartender Andrew Cohen as he grabbed the victory after outlasting Mandalay Bay bar back Paul Peterson in heads-up play. The victory earned him an $83,833 check which may make him consider changing careers.
Event # 2: This was probably the most talked about event entering the WSOP because of the $40,000 buy-in and the fact that it’s commemorating the 40th anniversary of the WSOP. Greg Raymer was able to prove that he is still alive after finishing third in one of the most star-studded events in poker history. However, Vitaly Lunkin was the biggest winner after grabbing first place, and a massive $1,891,012 prize.
Event # 3: One thing was for sure in this Omaha Hi/Lo Split 8-or-Better tournament, and this was that there’s no way Thang Luu could repeat his victory from last year in the same event; no one in the history of the WSOP has ever done such a thing! But Thang Luu defied the odds and made history as he became the first person to win the exact same WSOP event in consecutive years. Perhaps more importantly to him is that he pocketed $263,190 for winning.
Event # 4: A $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tourney in the WSOP is no doubt an attractive prospect to many players. But few thought it would be so attractive that a non-Main Event attendance record would be set at 6,012 players. Steve Sung was undeterred by the large numbers though as he waded through a field of virtual unknowns to add a WSOP gold bracelet and $771,338 to his already impressive poker career.
Event # 5: Few people in the US really know Jason Mercier since most of his poker exploits have taken place on the European Poker Tour. However, Mercier showed it doesn’t matter what continent he’s playing on as he beat Steven Burkholder in heads-up play to make a name for himself on US soil and earn $237,462.
Event # 6: Only 142 players anted up the $10,000 buy-in for the World Championship of Seven Card Stud, but Freddie Ellis is sure glad he was one of them as he took the bracelet and $373,751 as well. Other notable finishes included Max Pescatori in 4th and Daniel Negreanu in 10th.
Event # 7: This No-Limit Hold’em tournament was a low-key affair, but the prize pool wasn’t low at all with $3,809,715 on the table. Travis Johnson earned a bracelet, his first ever WSOP cash, and $666,853 after defeating Steve Karp ($414,116) in heads-up play.
Event # 8: Phil Ivey spent a night away from Bobby’s Room at the Bellagio in order to play in this Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball tournament. The cash may not be what he’s used to getting after a victory ($96,367), but he was definitely happy to add a 6th gold bracelet to his collection. Layne Flack (8th), Tony G (9th), and Freddy Deeb (12th) also had solid finishes.
Event # 9: Neither Carman Cavella or Ken “Teach” Aldridge wanted to relinquish the bracelet that was at stake as the two played heads-up for 3 hours. But in the end it was Aldridge living up to his nickname and teaching Cavella a lesson while winning $428,259 in the process.
Event # 10: Rami Boukai has already had several small cashes in his WSOP career, but none of them even come close to equaling the $244,862 he won after winning this Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha event. Boukai was certainly glad he brought his friends along as they all posed for pictures together afterwards.
Event # 11: Michigan native Anthony Harb has been a solid online pro for years now, but his success on the cyber tables has yet to translate over to the WSOP. All that’s changed now after Harb was able to out-duel Peter Rho and earn a huge cash of $569,254.
Event # 12: The World Championship Mixed event featured another $10,000 buy-in which 194 players were willing to pay. David Chui, who’s quietly building a very impressive WSOP resume with 44 cashes and 4 bracelets, just missed getting a 5th gold bracelet as he was beaten heads-up by Ville Wahlbeck ($492,375). Wahlbeck was able to survive a final table that also included Huck Seed and Todd Brunson en route to the victory.
Event # 13: Ohio country boy and online poker sensation Keven “Stamdogg” Stammen had his best performance in the WSOP after maneuvering through an extremely tough No-Limit Hold’em field to grab the win and $506,786. Heads-up play with Angel Guillen didn’t last long since Stammen went into beast mode while using his 4 to 1 chip advantage to push the Mexico City native around the table.
Event # 14: With the exception of Phil Ivey, everyone up to this point had been a first-time bracelet winner; Daniel Negreanu was looking to change all of this though. Unfortunately, Negreanu wasn’t able to grab number 5 since John “Brock” Parker was on a mission to get his first bracelet. After beating Negreanu heads-up, Parker earned the win in this Six-Handed Limit Hold’em event and cashed for $223,697.
Event # 15: This No-Limit tournament featured another huge prize pool at $3,078,500 and Brian Lemke was more than happy to take the biggest share of it ($692,658). This win is Lemke’s only cash ever at the WSOP, but there’s sure to be more in his future if he plays like he did in this event.
