THE 2010 WSOP MAIN EVENT NOVEMBER NINE IS SET!

2010 World Series of Poker Presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky

Official Report

DAY EIGHT

Down to Nine:  All Remaining Players Guaranteed at Least $811,823

110-Day Recess Begins – Final Table Begins November 6th

Out of 7,319 Total Starters – Only Nine Dreams Remain Alive

Canada, Italy, and the United States Represented Among Final Nine

Note:  For the tournament portal page for the 2010 Main Event, click HERE.

OVERVIEW
 
Two weeks ago, 7,319 poker players took their seats in the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event.  Among the many hopefuls were 18 former world champions, nearly 150 gold bracelet winners, in addition to professional and amateur poker players from 92 different nations and territories -- all united by one common dream.
 
That dream -- winning the 2010 World Series of Poker Main Event championship -- can and will come true for only one.  Indeed, there can be only one world champion.
 
SEAT 1:  Jason Sentl
Hometown:  St. Louis Park, MN (USA)
Age:  25
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  This is Sentl's first time to ever cash in a WSOP event.  He picked the right tournament and the right year to achieve a poker breakout.
Chip Count:  7,625,000
 
SEAT 2:  Joseph Cheong
Hometown:  La Mirada, CA (USA)
Age:  24
Profession:  Poker Pro  
Note:  Cheong won a WSOP Circuit gold ring and earned a degree in psychology from UC-San Diego.  When Cheong won his victory three months ago, he promised himself he would play in the Main Event.  Here he is, competing on poker's grandest stage.
Chip Count:  23,525,000
 
SEAT 3:  John Dolan
Hometown:  Bonita Springs, FL (USA)
Age:  24
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  Dolan has six WSOP cashes, including three at this year's series.  He has been one of the more consistent performers on this tournament, hanging around the leader board much of the way.    
Chip Count:  46,250,000
 
SEAT 4:  Jonathan Duhamel
Hometown:  Boucherville, Quebec (Canada)
Age:  22
Profession:  Poker Pro  
Note:  This is Duhamel's third time to cash at this year's WSOP.  This has been a big year for Canada, with five gold bracelet winners.  Duhamel hopes to become the sixth.     
Chip Count:  65,975,000
 
SEAT 5:  Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi
Hometown:  Miami, FL (USA)
Age:  29  
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  "The Grinder" is among the most successful tournament performers since the poker boom began.  He won his first WSOP gold bracelet and $1,559,046 in this year's Poker Players Championship.
Chip Count:  14,450,000
 
SEAT 6:  Matthew Jarvis
Hometown:  Surrey, BC (Canada)
Age:  25   
Profession:  Poker Pro/Student
Note:  Jarvis is primarily an online player.  This marks his first time to cash in a WSOP tournament.  Jarvis would become the first Canadian world champion should he win the Main Event.
Chip Count:  16,700,000  
 
SEAT 7:  John Racener
Hometown:  Port Richey, FL (USA)
Age:  24
Profession:  Poker Pro   
Note:  Racener is one of the stars of the national WSOP Circuit, with more than $500,000 in earnings, including the 2007 Main Event championship victory at Harrah's Atlantic City.
Chip Count:  19,050,000
 
SEAT 8:  Filippo Candio
Hometown:  Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy)
Age:  26
Profession:  Poker Pro
Note:  Candio is the first Italian player ever to make it to the Main Event final table.  He has a number of cashes at major tournaments held in Europe.  
Chip Count:  16,400,000
 
SEAT 9:  Cuong "Soi" Nguyen
Hometown:  Santa Ana, CA (USA)
Age:  37  
Profession:  Sales (Medical Supplies)
Note:  Nguyen is the senior player at this final table, at the advanced age of 36.  He is also the only amateur sitting among the final nine.  Nguyen has been near the chip lead during the past three days of competition.  He cashed in the 2008 Main Event (614th place).   
Chip Count:  9,650,000
 
To see a full list of all players who cashed in this year's Main Event, click HERE.

The championship final table, also known as the November Nine, will be played starting on November 6th, 2010.  The initial session of play will whittle the nine finalists down to the last two survivors.  They will return two days later to play heads-up for the 2010 world championship.
This year’s winner will receive $8,944,138 in prize money, the coveted WSOP gold bracelet, and designation as the official 2010 world poker champion.

Each player who made this year’s November Nine will be paid out the guaranteed prize money which amounts to $811,823 (each).  When the Main Event resumes play on November 6th, players will compete for all additional money in the prize pool, plus interest on the withheld funds.  The prize money payouts are as follows:

1st place –     $8,944,138
2nd place –    $5,545,855
3rd place –    $4,129,979
4th place –    $3,092,497
5th place –    $2,442,960
6th place –    $1,772,939
7th place –    $1,356,708
8th place –    $1,045,738
9th place –     $811,823

Stay tuned.  The best is yet to come.

AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY….

The 2010 WSOP Main Event continued with the play and conclusion of Day Eight.  The day played all the way down from 27 initial survivors to the final nine players, which has become popularly known as the “November Nine.”  Hence, there are nine players remaining in the Main Event.

The current chip leader is Jonathan Duhamel, from Boucherville, Quebec (Canada).

No Canadian player has ever won the WSOP Main Event.

This year, five Canadians won WSOP gold bracelets.

There is only one former gold bracelet winner still alive in the Main Event – Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi.

The oldest player still remaining is 37.

The youngest player still remaining is 22.

Of the surviving players, eight of the nine are age 29 or younger.

There are six Americans remaining in the Main Event.

There are three non-American (international) players remaining in the Main Event.

There are three different nations with players still alive in the Main Event.  The nations are Canada, Italy, and the United States.

There are no women remaining in the Main Event.  A female has not appeared at the championship final table since 1995.

There are no former world champions remaining.  Johnny Chan (Las Vegas, NV) was this year’s top finisher, finishing in 156th place.  The last former winner to make it to a final table was Dan Harrington, back in 2004.

HOW THEY BUSTED:  ELIMINATIONS (27 DOWN TO 9)

27th place – Johnny Lodden (Jorpeland, Norway) was eliminated a few hands into play when he lost a critical race holding     against Matt Affleck’s    .  The turn was a real heartbreaker for Lodden as the ten fell, making a higher pair for Affleck.  The final board showed           which meant the pair of tens scooped the pot over the pair of eights.  Lodden, a top online pro who has enjoyed success in major tournaments held in Europe, accepted $317,161 in his best WSOP finish.  

26th place – Matthew Bucaric (Knoxville, TN), a 25-year-old poker pro, graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Tennessee.  He described his playing style as someone who is “willing to put it one the line at any time.”  Unfortunately, Bucaric put his tournament life on the line at the wrong time when he was all-in holding     against Filippo Candio’s     after the flop came      .  Both players flopped big draws, with Bucaric clearly in the lead holding the middle pair.  The turn was a killer for Bucaric as the   fell, completing a flush for Candio.  Bucaric still had outs drawing to a higher flush, but the   bricked on the river which sealed the fate of the Tennessean.  Bucaric could take some satisfaction in collecting $317,161 for his deep run in the Main Event.

25th place – Mads Wissing (Copenhagen, Denmark) is a 28-year-old online poker pro who has just recently converted to playing in live tournaments.  He had never cashed in a WSOP event before.  Wissing went out on a frustrating hand where he flopped top pair, but lost to a crippling turn card.  William Thorson was dealt     versus Wissing’s    .  Thorson made an aggressive move by check-raising all-in with bottom pair after the flop came      .  Wissing was holding top pair (tens), with a weak kicker.  Wissing made the correct call.  The   on the turn ripped Wissing, giving two pair to Thorson.  A black   on the river meant the two pair held up.  Wissing could take some pride in earning $317,161 in his first WSOP cash.

24th place – Ronnie Bardah (Stoneham, MA) is a 27-year-old poker pro from Brockton, MA.  He has been a winning poker player for seven straight years, enjoying success in both tournaments and cash games.  This marked his biggest cash ever.  Bardah took his final dive when he was dealt     which was steamrolled by Filippo Candio’s    .  The pocket rockets held up as the blank board ran out          .  Bardah pocketed more than $300,000 in his first-ever WSOP in-the-money finish.  

23rd place – Robert Pisano (Las Vegas, NV) enjoyed a strong run in the Main Event.  He was one the winning side of one of the tournament’s most exciting hands when he destroyed Johnny Chan’s giant stack, two days earlier (holding pocket Aces versus Chan’s pocket Kings on Day Six).  Pisano’s momentum finally expired when he was short stacked and was dealt    .  The flop provided Pisano several extra possibilities as the       appeared.  But his opponent Pascal LeFrancois held    , giving the Canadian top pair.  The final two cards were the   and  , which meant LeFrancois had a pair of Queens (and deuces), besting Pisano’s Jacks up.

22nd place – William Thorson (Varberg, Sweden) a 27-year-old poker pro was eliminated when he made a final stand holding    .  The all-in move came at a bad time, since John Dolan was sitting on a monster    .  The board cards brought no help to Thorson who watched helplessly as the board ran          , giving Dolan’s kings the pot.  Thorson became the highest-finishing Scandinavian player this year and ended up with $317,161 for a fine effort.        

21st place – Redmond Lee (London, UK) is a 26-year-old poker pro.  He was the last British player remaining in the Main Event until busting out on a dominated hand.  Lee was dealt the underdog     and shoved all in hoping to steal a round of antes and blinds.  He was called instantly by Michiel Sijpkens, holding    .  The board ran out          , which meant the higher pair (tens) won the pot.  Lee earned $317,161.

20th place -- Patrick Eskandar (Gulfport, MS) is a 28-year-old poker pro who made his final stand with     against Soi Nguyen’s    .  The flop was ugly for Eskandar, coming      .  The   and   on the turn and river gave Nguyen two pair and the large pot.  Meanwhile, Eskanfar had to settle for the $317,161 payout for his two weeks of poker playing.  He won his way into the Main Event via a $500 buy-in satellite tournament played at the Rio.  Eskandar certainly enjoyed a huge return on his initial investment.

19th place – Michiel Sijpkens (Rotterdam, Netherlands) is a 21-year-old student.  He could have become the youngest Main Event winner in history (besting Cada’s record by about two weeks) with a victory.  But instead, the Dutchman had to settle for the two-table bubble spot.  Sijpkens went bust with     against John Racener’s    .  The flop essentially killed Sijpkens shot of doubling up, as the       came.  That was followed by the   and  , giving Racener the pot.  Sijpkens enjoyed an incredible first WSOP by finishing 19th, which paid $317,161.

18th place – Scott Clements (Mt. Vernon, WA) is a 29-year-old poker pro.  He is also a two-time gold bracelet winner, with victories in Pot-Limit Omaha (2007) and Omaha High-Low Split (2006).  Clements made his deepest Main Event run ever, but was the first player to bust when play went down to two tables.  Clements was low on chips and moved all in with    .  He picked the wrong hand to make his final stand, since Matthew Jarvis made a quick call with    .  The board came          , which gave both players top pair.  But Clements lost the kicker battle.  Clements, one of the game’s best performers over the last five years added $396,967 in prize money to his WSOP winnings.  Clements now has 18 cashes and more then $1.5 million in career WSOP earnings.

17th place – David Baker (Katy, TX) is a 38-year-old poker pro.  He has enjoyed a breakthrough WSOP this year, capped by a 17th-place finish in the Main Event.  Baker finally went out with     when he missed a flush draw.  He moved all in after the flop came      .  Jonathan Duhamel called and tabled    .  Two blanks fell on the turn and river and the   and   gave Duhamel the pot.  Baker ended up with $396,967 in prize money.

16th place – Benjamin Statz (Brooklyn, NY) is a 32-year-old stock trader.  His final hand took place when he was dealt    .  Statz had the advantage when he got a call by Matthew Jarvis, with    .  But the flop destroyed Statz’s hopes of making a double up.  The       hit the felt, which was all but a knockout blow to Statz.  The   meant Statz was drawing dead, and the   on the river was a final fitting nail in the coffin of Statz’s dream.  He earned a well-deserved $396,967.         

15th place – Matt Affleck (Mill Creek, WA) is a 23-year-old poker pro.  Prior to playing for a living, he was a student at the University of Washington.  Affleck went out on a brutal beat.  He was dealt     against Jonathan Duhamel’s    .  After the flop came      , the pot was up to 10 million.  The   fell on the turn, giving Duhamel an outside straight draw to go along with his pair.  Affleck still held the best hand with pocket aces and made a grueling call for most of his chips after the turn card was shown.  With a 25 million pot hanging in the balance, one of the tournament’s most extraordinary hands was completed when the   rained down on the river, wiping out Affleck’s dreams of a championship.  He received a nice consolation prize amounting to more than half-a-million dollars.

14th place – Hasan Habib (Downey, CA) is a 48-year-old professional poker player.  He was the oldest player among the final 27 and brought the most experience of any player to the last three tables.  In fact, Habib was the only player among the late survivors with any Main Event final table experience.  Habib finished fourth in the 2000 championship, won by Chris “Jesus” Ferguson.  Habib struggled with a low stack for about seven hours on Day Eight before finally busting out on what turned out to be a tough beat.  Habib was dealt     on his final hand.  He was a big underdog to John Racener’s    .  The flop of       gave Habib some hope and slight edge, with a pair of nines.  The   on the turn gave Racener some extra outs, and when the river brought the  , that made Racener two pair with the better kicker (aces and tens).  Habib collected $500,165.  He won his gold bracelet in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split (2004).

13th place – Duy Le (San Jose, CA) is a 27-year-old poker pro.  He went out in a battle of the blinds that escalated to the point of elimination.  John Dolan tried to pick up a round of blinds and antes when he moved all in with    .  Le called instantly and tabled the better hand,    .  The flop was not kind to Le, who watched helplessly as the       gave Dolan a pair of Kings.  The   and   on the turn and river sealed his fate, which was the unlucky position of 13th place.  Le collected $500,165 in his biggest WSOP cash ever.
 
12th place – Adam Levy (Los Angeles, CA) is a 28-year old poker pro.  He ran deep in the 2008 Main Event, finishing in 48th place.  Levy ran into a roaring freight train on what became his final hand of the tournament when he was dealt     and looked at the horrifying sight of seeing an opponent (Jonathan Duhamel) call and table    .  The board gave Levy little hope as the cards ran out          .  Levy’s pair of Kings were not good enough to take the pot, which resulted in him walking the poker plank off the final two tables in 12th place.  Levy accepted a whale of payday, ending up with $635,011.  

11th place – Pascal LeFrancois (Rosemere, Quebec-Canada) is a 24-year-old poker pro.  He won a gold bracelet earlier this year in a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event.  LeFrancois’ bid to become the first Canadian world champion in WSOP history was wrecked on a tough final hand.  LeFrancois was dealt     and moved all in with top pair after the flop came      .  But he was called and easily covered by Joseph Cheong, holding the    .  When the   fell on the turn followed by the  , LeFrancois waved “au revoir.”  The Quebec champ enjoyed a huge WSOP this year, adding $635,011 in winnings from this tournament to an overall profit amounting to more than $1 million.

10th place – Brandon Steven (Wichita, KS) is a 35-year-old owner and operator of an automobile dealership.  He was one of only two amateurs among the final ten.  Aside from poker, Steven had done a lot of charity work.  He was cited for his work raising money for leukemia research.  Steven ended up as the unfortunate N9 “bubble” player in this tournament.  He lost a late race holding     which was cracked by Matthew Jarvis’    .  The final board showed          , which meant Jarvis’s pocket pair (queens) held up.  Steven lost his last 8 million in the hand and the chance for immortality.  The consolation prize was $635,011.
The final hand of the night was dealt at 5:45 am.  Day Eight lasted 17 hours and 45 minutes.

The elimination of Brandon Steven left nine surviving players.  The group is the official 2010 November Nine.

DAY EIGHT – WHAT HAPPENED

Play initially went much faster than expected.  Many observers predicted a very long day and night, lasting perhaps 14-16 hours.  This was due to the rapid pace of play during the previous days and relatively low blinds and antes in proportion to the stack sizes later in the tournament.  But the final ten was reached by midnight – 12 hours after play began.  Then, playing the last play of the ten-handed table took another five hours.

Only one player has crossed the 50-million chip mark.  The first player to do so was Jonathan Duhamel, who went on a monster rush during the later stages of Day Eight.  He ended up with 65,974,000 in his stack and the chip lead.

Here is how the chip leaders from each day (of this year’s Main Event) have fared:

1-A:  Corwin Cole, from Las Vegas, NV – Did Not Cash
1-B:  James Danielson, from LaPlata, MD – Did Not Cash
1-C:  Mathieu Sauriol, from Laval, Quebec (Canada) – CASHED in 532nd place
1-D:  Steve Billirakis, from Bourbonnais, IL – CASHED, in 257th place
2-A:  Boulos Estafanous, from Darien, IL – CASHED in 733rd place
2-B:  David Assouline from Hampstead, Quebec (Canada) – CASHED, in 44th place
3:  James Carroll, from Henderson, NV – CASHED, in 96th place
4:  Tony Dunst, Las Vegas, NV – CASHED, in 50th place
5:  Evan Lamprea, Woodstock, Ontario (Canada) – CASHED, in 46th place
6:  Theo Jorgensen, Copenhagen, Denmark – CASHED, in 30th place
7:  Joseph Cheong, La Mirada, CA – SILL ALIVE, in 3rd place
8:  Jonathan Duhamel, Boucherville, Quebec (Canada) -- STILL ALIVE, in 1st place

Play was nine-handed.  This format remained in effect until play reached the final 10 players.  Then play temporarily combined to a 10-handed table.  After one player was eliminated, the “November Nine” was set.

Day Eight played six levels.  Each level is two hours long.  Play began at noon and ended at 5:45 am.

The average stack size is currently 24,936,000 in chips.

When players return for the final table, blinds will be 250,000-500,000 with 50,000 ante.  There is 1:14:46  (hours/minutes/seconds) remaining in Level 36.

With this day now complete, there are nine total players still alive in the Main Event.  

Payouts increase at various intervals.  Every player still alive in the tournament is currently guaranteed at least $811,823 in prize money.  The next jump comes when 8th place is reached, which will pay $1,045,738 in the next increment.

2010 GOLD BRACELET WINNERS (HOW THEY FARED)

There were 56 WSOP gold bracelet winners this year coming into the Main Event.  Here are the players who either cashed, or who remain alive going into Day Eight, along with their current status:

Michael Mizrachi -- STILL ALIVE, currently in 7th place
Pascal LeFrancois – Cashed – 11th place
Tomer Berda – Cashed – 134th place
Matt Keikoan – Cashed – 196th place
Praz Bansi – Cashed – 240th place
Jason DeWitt – Cashed – 274th place
Simon Watt – Cashed – 397th place
Carter Phillips – Cashed – 483rd place
Eric Buchman – Cashed – 554th place
Frank Kassela -- Cashed – 674th place
Gavin Smith -- Cashed – 730th place

NATIONS AT THE WSOP

The following nations (3) still have players alive in the Main Event:

United States – 7 players
Canada – 2 players
Italy -- 1 player

For only the second time ever, there are no residents of Las Vegas, NV at the Main Event final table.  The 2008 Main Event also had no Las Vegas locals.

There were 92 nations and territories represented among all players who entered this year’s WSOP Main Event. (The entire 2010 WSOP attracted participants from 117 different locales).

This year’s Main Event was comprised of 67.9 percent Americans.  In other words, 32.1 percent of all participants were from other nations and territories.

ODDS AND ENDS

This was the 51st and final day of the bulk of the 2010 WSOP.

WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel estimates the total number of hands dealt out in this tournament from start to finish is about 600,000.

This was the second-largest live poker tournament in history.  Only the 2006 WSOP Main Event, with 8,773 players was larger.

The total prize pool for this year's Main Event totals $68,798,600.  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.

Based on the birthdates of all 7,319 players, the average age of all participants in the Main Event this year was 37 years and 4 months.

Only one of the four Mizrachi Brothers (Michael Mizrachi) remains alive in the Main Event.  All four brothers cashed -- a WSOP first.  But three brothers have now been eliminated, as Eric Mizrachi, Daniel Mizrachi, and Robert Mizrachi went out in 718th, 345th, and 116th places, respectively.

Michael Mizrachi is enjoying a stellar WSOP.  No matter what happens from this point forward, Mizrachi’s victory in the Poker Players Championship in addition to his deep run in the Main Event stands as one of the top storylines and most impressive accomplishments of any player at this year’s World Series.

This is the 57th and final event on the 2010 WSOP schedule which is played in Las Vegas.  Five more gold bracelet events will take place in London, England, at the Empire Casino, to be held September 14 through 28th as part of the Fourth Annual World Series of Poker Europe.    

This marks the sixth consecutive year the WSOP has been held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.  Prior to 2005, the WSOP was held at Binion’s Horseshoe in downtown Las Vegas.  As a testament to the expansion of the WSOP since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed ownership and control of the world most prestigious poker event, more than three quarters of the $1.2 billion in prize money has been awarded to winners within the Rio – three times the amount awarded during the entire 35-year period at the Horseshoe.

This is the 885th gold bracelet event in World Series of Poker history.  Note:  This figure includes every official WSOP event played, including tournaments during the early years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded.  It also includes the 11 gold bracelets awarded to date at WSOP Europe.

In the 41-year history of the WSOP, the total combined amount of prize money that has been awarded amounts to $1,228,375,121.

The total number of entrants in the WSOP Main Event (all years combined) is 50,756.

The WSOP title sponsor the last two years has been Jack Link’s Beef Jerky.  As part of a fun promotion, Jack Links gives away large quantities of their product to Main Event players who make big hands.  This year’s key hand is four jacks.  63 players have made the hand thus far.

COMING NEXT:  THE NOVEMBER NINE

The Main Event takes a 110-day break between Day Eight and the start of the final table.  This marks the third year of a so-called “delayed” final table.  While the decision to suspend Main Event play was initially controversial in poker circles, most poker players and fans now realize the advantages of a recess.

The final table will begin on Saturday, November 6th.  After playing down to the final two, there will be an off day, followed by heads-up play (the final two) on Monday, November 8th.  

For the third consecutive year, the final table will be played inside the Penn and Teller Theatre at the Rio Las Vegas.  Seating is free an open to the public.  However, as excitement builds there may not be enough seats to accommodate all fans.  All poker fans who want to come and see the November Nine are encouraged to enjoy the excitement of the WSOP.

ESPN’s coverage of this year’s WSOP is scheduled to begin July 20th.  Main Event coverage is scheduled to begin airing on August 10th.  Original episodes will air weekly, leading up to the conclusion of the Main Event, which will be broadcast on November 9th.  Most new episodes begin at 8:00 pm EST.  Two new shows will be aired each week.  Each new episode is one-hour long.  This year, ESPN is showing 32 original episodes of WSOP coverage.

WOMEN IN THE MAIN EVENT

Special Note:  The WSOP recognizes that player characteristics such as gender, race, etc. do not typically 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.

Breeze Zuckerman (Moorpark, CA) was the top female finisher this year – cashing in 121st place.

The unofficial total number of females who participated in this year’s Main Event was 216.  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.  This figure represents about 3 percent of the field.

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)
2009 – Leo Margets, a.k.a. Leonor Margets (27th)
2010 – Breeze Zuckerman (121st)  

MAIN EVENT SUMMARY (NOTABLE PLAYERS)

Here is a final summary of this year's performances of all former WSOP Main Event Champions:

1975/1976:  Doyle Brunson – Eliminated Day 2-B
1978:  Bobby “the Owl” Baldwin – Eliminated Day 2-A  
1983:  Tom McEvoy – Eliminated Day 2-A
1986:  Berry Johnston – Eliminated Day 2-A
1987/1988:  Johnny Chan – CASHED – 156th PLACE
1989:  Phil Hellmuth – Eliminated Day 1-C
1993:  Jim Bechtel – Eliminated Day 3
1995:  Dan Harrington – Eliminated Day 4
1996:  Huck Seed – Eliminated Day 1-C
1998:  Scotty Nguyen – CASHED -- 209th PLACE
2000:  Chris “Jesus” Ferguson – Eliminated Day 2-B
2001:  Carlos Mortensen – Eliminated Day 2-A
2002:  Robert Varkonyi – Eliminated Day 4
2003:  Chris Moneymaker – Eliminated Day 3
2004:  Greg “Fossilman” Raymer – Eliminated Day 1-A
2005:  Joe Hachem – Eliminated Day 1-D
2006:  Jamie Gold – Eliminated Day 1-B
2007:  Jerry Yang – Eliminated Day 1-C   
2009:  Joe Cada – Eliminated Day 3

Hence, only two of 19 former champions cashed in the Main Event.  The top finisher of the group was Johnny Chan.

Here is a final summary of performances by last year’s November Nine:

Joe Cada – Eliminated Day 3
Darvin Moon – Eliminated Day 2-B
Antoine Saout – Eliminated Day 2-B
Eric Buchman – CASHED -- 554th PLACE
Jeff Shulman – Eliminated Day 2-B
Steven Begleiter – Eliminated on Day 1-C
Phil Ivey – Eliminated Day 2-B
Kevin Schaffel – Eliminated Day 1-B
James Akenhead – Eliminated Day 2-A

Hence, only one of nine former final table participants from 2009 cashed in the Main Event.  The top finisher of the group was Eric Buchman.

Here is a summary of former WSOP Players of the Year:

Daniel Negreanu – Eliminated Day 3
Allen Cunningham – CASHED – 581st PLACE
Jeff Madsen – Eliminated Day 1-C
Tom Schneider – Eliminated Day 2-B
Erick Lindgren – Eliminated Day 1-B
Jeffrey Lisandro – Eliminated Day 1-D

Hence, only one of six former Players of the Year cashed in the Main Event.  The top finisher of the group was Allen Cunningham.

WSOP MAIN EVENT ALL-TIME 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.
Most Main Event Wins (Career):

3 – Johnny Moss (*first win was by vote)
3 – Stu Ungar
2 – Doyle Brunson
2 – Johnny Chan

Most Main Event Cashes (Career):

10 – Berry Johnston *
8 – Humberto Brenes -- CASHED THIS YEAR (Now 8)
7 – Bobby Baldwin
7 – Doyle Brunson
7 – Jay Heimowitz
7 – Phil Hellmuth
7 – Mike Sexton
6 – John Bonetti
6 – Johnny Moss
6 – Jason Lester
6 – Steve Lott
5 – 14 players tied with 5 cashes each

* 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 Main Event Final Tables (Career):

5 – Doyle Brunson
5 – Jesse Alto
4 – Johnny Chan
4 – T.J. Cloutier
4 – Dan Harrington
4 – Berry Johnston
4 – Johnny Moss
4 – Stu Ungar
3 – 6 players tied with 3 final tables each

Youngest Winner

Joe Cada (2009) -- 21 years, 11 months, 22 days

Oldest Winner

    Johnny Moss (1974) – 66 years, 11 months, 24 days
 
Oldest Participant

97 years -- Jack Ury (2010)

Most Consecutive Years Played

37 – Howard “Tahoe” Andrew (1974 to present)

Most Main Events Played (Career)

38 – Doyle Brunson (did not play 1999 through 2001)

Most Consecutive Years to Cash (Main Event)

4 – Theodore Park (2005 – 2008)
4 – Bo Sehlstedt (2004 – 2007)
4 – Robert Turner (1991 – 1994)

2010 WSOP STATISTICS (INCLUDING MAIN EVENT)

All-time prize money figures crossed the $1,000,000,000 threshold during last year’s Main Event.  With this year’s money added, the WSOP has paid out $1,041,265,271 during its 41-year history.  Incredibly, more than $800,000,000 has been paid out just in the last six years alone, since Harrah’s Entertainment assumed control of the tournament.  Here is the historical prize pool information for the World Series of Poker.

2010 -- $187,109,850
2009 -- $174,011,894
2008 -- $180,774,427
2007 -- $159,796,918
2006 -- $159,599,815
1970-2005 -- $354,000,000

Tournament attendance is up significantly from last year when there were 60,875 entries (then, a record).  This year, there were 72,966 total entries -- an increase of 20 percent.  Hence, this is the biggest WSOP of all time, measured by total participation.  

Prize money increased from 2008, when the total money awarded was a record $180,774,427.  This year, the total amount of prize money awarded was $187,109,850 – an increase of 3.5 percent.

This year, there were 57 gold bracelet events – which is the same number as last year.

Through the conclusion of Event #56, the nationalities of gold bracelet winners have been:

United States (38)
Great Britain (5)
Canada (5)
Hungary (2)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Russia (1)
Norway (1)
Holland (1)
Israel (1)

Through the conclusion of Event #56, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:

United States (31)
Great Britain (5)
Canada (5)
Vietnam (2)
China (2)
Hungary (2)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Lebanon (1)
Russia (1)
Mexico (1)
Bangladesh (1)
Norway (1)
Holland (1)
Israel (1)

Through the conclusion of Event #56, the breakdown of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:

Professional Players (39): Michael Chow, Michael Mizrachi, Praz Bansi, Josh Tieman, Peter Gelencser, James Dempsey, Men “the Master” Nguyen, Matt Matros, Yan R. Chen, Steve Gee, Carter Phillips, Jason DeWitt; Eric Buchman, David Baker, Richard Ashby, Dutch Boyd, Sammy Farha, David Warga, Will Haydon, Matt Keikoan, Mike Ellis, Luis Velador, Ayaz Mahmood, Phil Ivey, Luigi Kwaysser, Scott Montgomery, Steven Kelly, Steve Jelinek, Dean Hamrick, Ian Gordon, Gavin Smith, Jesse Rockowitz, Chris Bell, Shawn Busse, Sigurd Eskeland, Chance Kornuth, Ryan Welch, Brendan Taylor, Daniel Alaei

Semi-Pros (8): Frank Kassela, Tex Barch, Miguel Proulx, Jeffrey Papola, Frank Kassela, Mike Linn, Dan Kelly, Tomer Berda

Amateurs (9): Duc Pham, Aadam Daya, Pascal LeFrancois, Simon Watt, Vanessa Hellebuyck, Jeff Tebben, Konstantin Puchkov, Harold Angle, Marcel Vonk

Through the conclusion of Event #56, here is the list of repeat WSOP gold bracelet winners:

Praz Bansi
Men “the Master” Nguyen
Russ “Dutch” Boyd
Sammy Farha
David Warga (* his first WSOP win was in a non-open event)
Matt Keikoan
Luis Velador
Phil Ivey
Frank Kassela (two wins this year)
Daniel Alaei

Through the conclusion of 2010 World Series of Poker -- Event #56:

Youngest Winner – Steven Kelly (21), Dan Kelly (21)
Oldest Winner – Harold Angle (78)
Female Winners (open events) – None
Multiple-Event Winners (this year) – Frank Kassela with two wins