Kings, Queens
and Chip Castles
Day Six Ends
-- Only 57 Players Remain Alive
2011 World
Series of Poker Main Event Championship Continues
Ryan Lenaghan
Enters Day Six with Chip Lead
New Orleans
Poker Pro Holds Biggest Stack, with Ben Lamb in Second Place
Ben Lamb
Overtakes Phil Hellmuth in 2011 “WSOP Player of the Year” Race
Day Six Ends,
Day Seven Set to Begin on Monday
Poker History
in the Making: ESPN Live Broadcast Runs
through July 19th
OVERVIEW
Writer’s Note: The accompanying photo shows the unusual chip
stack belonging to Bryan Devonshire, who remains very much alive in the WSOP
Main Event. He has 5,970,000 in chips
entering Day Seven. Devonshire, from
Henderson, NV, created perhaps the most unusual display of chips ever seen
during a WSOP event. He hopes to add a
few new levels to his chip castle over the next two days.
Players
continue to bust out at a torrid pace at the 2011 World Series of Poker.
The Main
Event Championship continues today with Day Seven of the world’s largest,
richest and most prestigious poker tournament. As of the end of Sunday,
only 57 players currently remain alive in the world championship.
The day began
with 148 players who had each survived five grueling days of tournament
competition. But four full levels and eight hours later, well over half
the field has been carved away, leaving just 57 aspiring champions with their
eyes on the ultimate prize – poker’s world championship, a gold and diamond
bracelet and $8,711,956 in prize money.
The end of
Day Six chip leader is Ryan Lenaghan, from New Orleans, LA. He has a gigantic-sized stack. Lenaghan achieved his lofty position by
enjoying what he described as the biggest rush he’s ever had in a poker
tournament. Almost everything he touched
turned to gold. Every pot he entered, he
seemed to win. His stack size went from
about 3 million to 12 million within only a few hours’ time.
The mid-day
chip leader had previously been Phil Collins (Las Vegas, NV). Shortly
before the dinner break, he became the first player in the tournament to cross
the 10 million-chip mark. By contrast, the second-ranked player at the
time had about 6,500,000 in chips. Collins, a 26-year-old professional
poker player originally from Rockford, IL, is a graduate of the University of
South Carolina. Collins ended the day
ranked a respectable fifth in the chip count and remains very much alive in the
coming days ahead.
Other
notable Day Six developments included the elimination of two notable players,
who have made names for themselves in arenas outside of poker. Chamath Palihapitiya
(Palo Alto, CA) finished in 101st place in the tournament. He is a former
venture capitalist who was an original executive with Facebook, until earlier
this year. Another notable player who went out but played well for more
than five days was Matt Salsberg (Studio City, CA), Executive Producer of the
Showtime TV series, “Weeds.” He was also a producer of the HBO series,
“Entourage.” Salsberg exited in 70th
place.
Some notable names that remain
very much alive in the Main Event include – Ben Lamb (Tulsa, OK), David Bach (Athens,
GA), Bryan Devonshire (Henderson, NV), Sam Barnhart (Little Rock, AR), J.P.
Kelly (Aylesbury, UK), John Esposito (Las Vegas, NV), Tony Hachem (Northcote,
Australia), Steve Brecher (Reno, NV), Erick Lindgren (Las Vegas, NV) and
others.
However,
several well-known players were not so fortunate during the first half of Day
Six. Among those who busted out and hit the rail was Joseph Cheong (La
Mirada, CA) -- who finished third in last year’s Main Event. He ended up
in 114th place, which is still a remarkable two-year run. Another notable
player eliminated was Allen Cunningham (Newport Beach, CA), who went out 69th,
as well as well-known high-stakes pro Eli Elezra (Las Vegas, NV), who finished
in 107th place. Former gold
bracelet winner Tyler Bonkowski (Regina, Canada) also hit the rail, finishing
60th.
Every player
remaining in the tournament is now guaranteed to receive at least $130,997 in
prize money. A complete list of payouts can be seen at WSOP.com.
Day Seven will include five more
full levels of play or until we reach 18 players. Play is expected to
conclude at 12:45 a.m. (PST). Players who survive Monday’s session will
then come back on Tuesday.
RESULTS, LIVE UPDATES, and CHIP
COUNTS for all remaining players can be seen at WSOP.com.
QUICK FACTS
Of the 57
remaining players, 44 are aged 29 or younger; 13 are aged 30 or older.
Of the 57
remaining players, 24 are from outside the United States.
There are 16
nations with players remaining. The
breakdown of nations still represented in the Main Event reads as follows:
Austria – 1
Australia – 1
South Africa
– 1
The youngest
player remaining is Andrey Pateychuk, at 21 years.
The oldest
player remaining is Steve Brecher, at 65 years.
There is one
woman still remaining in the Main Event (see more below).
Of the 57
remaining players, six are former WSOP gold bracelet winners.
MEET THE PLAYERS – ALL 57
When Day
Seven begins on Monday, 57 players will take their seats and try to survive
another day in pursuit of the 2011 world poker championship. Here’s a short look at each player still
remaining in the tournament, based on what is currently known:
BY TABLE/SEAT
NUMBER (STARTING DAY SEVEN)
– note there are some empty seats
312-1 John Esposito (Las
Vegas, NV – USA) 1,000,000
Esposito
(a.k.a. “Espo”) is making his seventh Main Event cash, which places him in the
top 10 all-time. He is originally from
Chicago. Esposito is a 57-year-old
professional gambler, who specializes in poker and sports betting. He is married and has three children. Prior to gambling, he used to own and operate
a nightclub.
312-2 David “Gunslinger” Bach (Athens, GA – USA) 1,985,000
Former gold
bracelet winner Bach won the prestigious Poker Players Championship in
2009. He was a professional bowler
before turning to poker, and has since won more than $2.2 million at the WSOP. Bach was the chip leader at the end of Day
Five, but suffered a tough Day Six and now sits with an average-sized stack.
312-3 David “Doc” Sands (Las Vegas, NV – USA) 2,765,000
Sands is
having a huge year, as this is his eighth major tournament cash. He has more than $800,000 in career live
tournament earnings. Sands took third
place in a Pot-Limit Omaha tournament at this year’s WSOP. Interestingly, his
girlfriend is the sole female player – Erica Moutinho – remaining in the field.
The two played briefly together at the ESPN feature table toward the end of Day
6.
312-4 Ryan Lenaghan (New
Orleans, LA – USA) 12,865,000
Lenaghan is
originally from Mobile, AL. He now lives
in New Orleans. Lenaghan is a graduate
of LSU (general studies). He has been
playing poker professionally for about two years. Lenaghan has recorded about $120,000 in
WSOP-related earnings, most of which took place on the WSOP Circuit. He enters Day Seven as the chip leader in the
Main Event.
312-5 Pius Heinz (Cologne – GERMANY) 5,695,000
Heinz is a
22-year-old student and poker player. He
is playing at his first WSOP this year.
He finished seventh in one of the earlier $1,500 NLHE events. If he makes it to the November Nine, he would
become the first player from Germany ever to do so.
312-6 Stephane Albertini (Bastia – FRANCE) 2,635,000
Albertini is
a 29-year-old professional poker player from France. This is his first time to cash at the WSOP.
312-8 Martin Staszko (Trinec – CZECH REPUBLIC) 2,550,000
Staszko is a
35-year-old professional poker player.
Should he make it to the November Nine, he would be the first player
ever from the Czech Republic to make it to the Main Event final table.
312-9 Hilton Laborda (Manaus – BRAZIL) 7,160,000
Laborda is
from the Amazon region of Brazil. He is
playing at the WSOP for the first time.
He hopes to become the third Brazilian gold bracelet winner in history
and the first Main Event champion from South America. No South American has ever made it to the
final table of the Main Event.
314-2 Matt Giannetti (Las Vegas, NV – USA) 7,940,000
Giannetti is
a 26-year-old poker pro from Las Vegas.
He is self-taught. Prior to
playing full time, Giannetti graduated from the University of Texas.
314-3 Fabio Sousa (Rio de Janeiro – BRAZIL) 2,150,000
Sousa is one
of two Brazilians remaining in this tournament.
He is 35-years-old and has three children.
314-4 J.P. Kelly (Aylesbury – GREAT BRITAIN) 3,750,000
Kelly is a
two-time gold bracelet winner and a 25-year-old poker pro. He won two WSOP titles in 2009 – including a
41,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em event and a $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event. This will be his 10th career WSOP
cash. He currently has $656,499 in WSOP
earnings.
314-5 Tom Koral (Skokie, IL – USA) 3,390,000
Koral is a
27-year-old professional poker player.
He was previously a college student studying finance. Koral has several major tournament cashes and
final table appearances. His WSOP
earnings to date total $423,170.
314-6 Andrey Pateychuk (Moscow – RUSSIA) 7,255,000
Pateychuk is
a 21-year-old college student and part-time poker player. He was born in Vladivostok, Russia.
He is the youngest player still remaining in
the tournament.
314-7 Frank Sinopoli (Hollywood, FL – USA) 1,105,000
Sinopoli is
from Florida. This is his 16th
WSOP in-the-money finish. He currently
has $178,524 in WSOP earnings. His best
previous finish was a 9th-place finish in 2004.
314-8 Minh Nguyen (Columbus, OH – USA) 1,000,000
Nguyen has
been around the poker tournament scene for 20 years. He owns two WSOP gold bracelets – won in 2003
and 2004. This will be his 27th
career cash. He has in excess of $1 million
in WSOP earnings. He was born in
Vietnam.
314-9 Zohair Karim (Orlando, Florida – USA) 1,240,000
Karim is a
24-year-old self-employed man who is originally from Pakistan. He is/was mostly an online poker player. This is Karim’s fourth time to cash at this
year’s WSOP.
324-1 Phil Collins (Las Vegas, NV – USA) 7,240,000
Collins is a
26-year-old pro poker player. He was
previously a college student. He
attended the University of South Carolina.
He met his wife Katie while in school.
She lived across the hall from him.
They were married last year. He played
a lot of online poker until the developments of April 2011. He has been at or near the top of the
leaderboard during much of the last two days.
324-2 Konstantinos Mamaliadis (Durban – SOUTH AFRICA) 5,065,000
Mamaliadis is
a 34-year-old shipping professional from South Africa. He hopes to become the second final table
player in history from the continent of Africa, after Raymond Rahme made the
first such appearance in 2007.
324-3 Nelson Robinson (Winston-Salem, NC – USA) 6,420,000
Robinson is a
25-year-old professional poker player.
He has three previous WSOP cashes and four WSOP Circuit cashes. His career earnings at the WSOP total $19,159,
which means he will make at least six times that amount in this
tournament. He is also in great chip
position entering Day Seven.
324-4 James Page (Lexington, SC – USA) 4,045,000
Page is a
29-year-old professional poker player.
He previously worked in the insurance field. He is a graduate of Presbyterian College,
where he earned a degree in history and political science.
324-5 Erika Moutinho (Easton, CT – USA) 2,075,000
The last
woman sitting in the tournament is Erika Moutinho. Remarkably, her boyfriend (David Sands) is
still in also and has plenty of chips.
Should Moutinho and Sands last much longer, there will undoubtedly be
one of the headlines of this tournament. Interestingly, they played together
briefly at the ESPN feature table toward the end of Day 6.
324-7 Gionni Demers (Jackson, NJ -- USA) 1,625,000
Demers is a
23-year-old professional poker player.
He has been playing poker most of his life.
324-8 Tri
Huynh (Vancouver, BC – CANADA) 6,295,000
Huynh is a
33-year-old venture capitalist and investment consultant. He was born in Vietnam. He says he watched poker on television, which
taught him much about the game.
324-9 Stefan Huber (Schlieren -- SWITZERLAND) 1,789,000
Huber has
accumulated more than $500,000 in live tournament winnings, to date. He won an event at the Caribbean Adventure a
few years ago, which was his biggest career win. He is a 25-year-old poker pro and student.
326-1 Bryan Devonshire (Henderson, NV – USA) 5,970,000
Devonshire is
a 27-year-old professional poker player originally from Southern
California. He was previously a youth
pastor and a wilderness guide. He
discovered poker in 2003 and has since earned nearly $2 million in live and
online tournaments. He intends to get
married to his fiancée sometime in 2012.
Devonshire won a WSOP Circuit championship gold ring last year at
Harrah’s Rincon, near San Diego.
326-2 Scott Schwalich (Beavercreek, OR – USA) 2,940,000
Schwalich is
a 24-year-old professional poker player.
He was previously a college student.
He was mostly an online player and is now playing more live poker. Schwalich is originally from Minnesota.
326-3 Ben Lamb (Tulsa, OK – USA) 9,980,000
Lamb is enjoying
a monster run and is unquestionably the player who is on the hottest streak of
anyone at this year’s WSOP. He leads the
2011 WSOP “Player of the Year” race. He
has a gold bracelet win, a second place finish and eighth- and twelfth-place
showings in his four cashes – and is now making a very deep run in the Main
Event. He currently ranks second in
chips. Lamb is playing as well as, if
not better than any player in the world at the moment.
326-5 Nicolas Fierro (Santiago – CHILE) 3,800,000
A player from
Chile is making the deepest run ever in the WSOP Main Event. Fierro is a 29-year-old professional poker
player. He studied industrial
engineering, but now mostly plays poker, concentrating on online play. He lives in Chile’s capital city, Santiago.
326-6 Eoghan O’Dea (Dublin, Ontario -- CANADA) 2,535,000
O’Dea is a
26-year-old student. This is his fifth
WSOP cash, four of which have taken place this year.
326-7 Matthew Kay (Waterloo,
Ontario – CANADA) 1,295,000
Kay is a
23-year-old student and stock trader. He
is single. Kay ranked second as Card
Player magazine’s “Online Player of the Year,” in 2007.
326-8 Sam Barnhart (Little Rock, AR – USA) 3,145,000
Barnhart is a
50-year-old data analyst for a software specialist. He won the first-ever WSOP Circuit National
Championship this May, which gave him his first WSOP gold bracelet. Barnhart is enjoying a huge year, with a WSOP
Circuit win in Tunica, MS, a national championship, a gold bracelet and now a
deep run in the Main Event.
326-9 Ahtoh Makiievskyi (Dnipropetrovsk – UKRAINE) 3,385,000
Makiievskyi
is a 21-year-old aspiring poker pro.
This is his first trip to the WSOP in Las Vegas. Four Ukrainians have already won gold
bracelets this year. Makiievskyi hopes
to become the fifth.
334-1 Feming Chan (West
Windsor, NJ – USA) 631,000
Chan is 30-years-old.
He lives in New Jersey and is one of the shortest stacks going into Day Seven.
334-2 Jody Howe
(Delta, BC – CANADA) 1,062,000
Howe is
32-years-old. He claims to currently be
unemployed, but won’t have to get a job if he goes much deeper in the Main
Event. He used to work in inventory. He is the oldest of five children. This marks his second time to play in the
Main Event.
334-3 Lars Bonding (Las Vegas, NV – USA) 3,370,000
Bonding is a
31-year-old professional poker player who is originally from Denmark. He is married and has two children. He is mostly an online player, but is now
playing much more live poker. He is a
former backgammon champion.
334-5 Kyle Johnson (Edmonton – CANADA) 5,970,000
Johnson is a
22-year-old student. He was born in
Saskatoon. Johnson is/was a top
high-stakes online poker player, who played for what he refers to as “nosebleed
stakes.”
334-6 Steve Brecher, a.k.a. “Brec” (Reno, NV – USA) 1,805,000
Brecher is a
65-year-old retiree and touring poker professional. He plays numerous events throughout the year
and has accumulated more than $2 million in tournament earnings. Brecher is a former software engineer and
executive. He is originally from San
Diego. Brecher is the most senior player
of those remaining in the Main Event.
334-7 Jerry Van Strydonck (Rochester, NY – USA) 3,985,000
Van Strydonck
is a 25-year-old poker pro.
334-8 Aleksandr Mozhnyakov (Himki – RUSSIA) 6,070,000
Mozhnyakov
has been around the top of the leaderboard the last three days. He is a 25-year old lawyer, who recently
graduated from law school.
334-9 Gregory Kaplan (Deerfield, IL – USA) 2,760,000
Kaplan became
interested in poker by watching the WSOP on ESPN; he honed his skills playing
against friends in college. The 24-year-old recently lost nearly 100 pounds,
which is sure to help with the stamina he’ll need to make it through the final
stages of the Main Event.
336-1 Tony Hachem (Melbourne – AUSTRALIA) 2,250,000
Hachem is
best known for being the brother of 2005 world champion Joe Hachem. But he has developed into an outstanding
poker player in his own right. He is 40 years
old and is a former accountant-turned business consultant and poker player. He has several final table appearances as
well as a few major wins on the Asian-Pacific Poker Tour.
336-3 Philipp Gruissem (London – GREAT BRITAIN) 2,005,000
Gruissem is a
24-year-old Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter.
336-4 Sam Holden (Canterbury – GREAT BRITAIN) 2,220,000
Holden is a
22-year-old professional poker player.
He is playing in his first WSOP this year.
336-5 Bounahra Badih (Fort Lauderdale, FL – USA) 1,860,000
Badih is
enjoying his second cash at the WSOP, after a min-cash in 2008.
336-6 Mario Silvestri, III (Fort Worth, TX -- USA) 1,725,000
Silvestri is
a 24-year-old poker pro (who is in limbo over the events of April 2011). He is originally from Danbury, CT. He is single.
336-7 Per Linde (Stockholm – SWEDEN) 3,750,000
Linde is a
23-year-old poker pro. He is
engaged. He was nominated as the “Live
Player of the Year” at the Scandinavian Poker Awards. He was also the runner up at EPT Copenhagen
earlier this year.
336-8 Khoa Nguyen (Calgary, Alberta – CANADA) 3,530,000
Nguyen is a
29-year-old poker pro and businessman.
He plays both live and online. He
has a college degree in electrical engineering.
336-9 Ruben Visser (Rotterdam, THE NETHERLANDS) 1,127,000
Visser is a
22-year-old poker pro and student. He
recently received his college degree in business.
340-2 Andrew Brokos (Catonsville,
MD – USA) 2,505,000
Brokos is a
28-year-old poker pro who was previously the executive director of a non-profit
organization. He founded the Boston
Debate League, which launched debate programs in Boston area high schools. He is dedicating 10 percent of his WSOP
winnings to the organization, which serves thousands of students.
340-3 Guillaume Darcourt (Paris – FRANCE) 5,360,000
Darcourt is a
38-year-old professional poker player.
He is married and has three children.
He hopes to become the fifth French gold bracelet winner at the 2011
WSOP.
340-4 Kenny Shih (Taipei
– TAIWAN) 1,240,000
Shih is
originally from Taiwan but also resides in Azusa, CA. He is a 30-year-old poker pro who used to be
a stock broker. He arrived at this
year’s WSOP with about $5,000 and hoped to play in a few tournaments. He won another tournament in town and decided
to use that money to play in the Main Event for the first time. He is primarily an online poker player, who
has played up to 20 tables at one time.
340-5 Stuart Tuvey (Los
Altos, CA – USA) 2,585,000
Tuvey is a
22-year-old poker pro. He was previously
a student. Oddly enough, Tuvey built up
his initial poker bankroll from playing a fair amount of free online
poker. As he accumulated points, he sold
his shares to other players for real money.
340-6 Sebastian Ruthenberg (London – GREAT BRITAIN) 890,000
Ruthenberg is
originally from Hamburg, Germany. He is
a 27-year-old student now residing in the UK.
Ruthenberg has been short-stacked during much of the last few days but
has managed to survive.
340-7
John Hewitt (San Jose – COSTA RICA) 5,045,000
Hewitt is a
23-year-old poker pro who is originally from Chicago. He was previously a student before starting
to play full time. He has a good-sized
chip stack and will be a force in the next day or two.
340-8 Christopher Moore (Willowick, OH – USA) 5,260,000
Moore is a
28-year-old poker pro. He is a graduate
of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
He is originally from Downers Grove, IL.
340-9 Erick Lindgren (Las Vegas, NV – USA) 2,195,000
Lindgren is a
popular touring pro who has more than $2.5 million in WSOP winnings. He won a gold bracelet in Mixed Hold’em in
2008. He now has 28 WSOP cashes and is
making his deepest run to date in the Main Event.
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 and public wish to know details about female participation
and status, the staff is providing this information for media use.
At present,
there is only one woman remaining in the Main Event. Her name is Erika Moutinho (Easton, CT). She has an under average-size chip count
entering Day Seven.
The field
included a total of 242 female players.
This figure represents 3.5 percent of the field. When there were 85 players remaining, there
were 3 females still playing, which was just about in line with the
percentages.
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 (25)
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)
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)
INFORMATION AND DATA FROM PREVIOUS REPORTS:
ESPN LIVE COVERAGE
ESPN is trying a bold new experiment this year that is likely to be viewed as a historic occasion for the WSOP, and for the game of poker. Television coverage is more than doubling in size and scope, including – for the first time in history – comprehensive daily/nightly overage of the majority of the tournament. Daily coverage runs through July 19th, when the “November Nine” finalists will be determined.
For the first time ever, the WSOP enjoyed semi-live coverage on ESPN (there’s a 30-minute delay). No poker tournament has ever been covered to the extent of this Main Event Championship. In addition to the original 32 broadcast hours that will appear as scheduled every Tuesday night on ESPN, an additional 34 hours of semi-live coverage will air, which means players and fans will see more poker played than ever before. Content is spread across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN3.com and runs Day Three through Day Eight.WSOP.com will stream ESPN3.com content in countries/territories not served by ESPN.
Here’s a look at ESPN’s upcoming WSOP Main Event schedule (all times are listed PST):
Sunday, July 17 (Day Six)
• Noon-5 p.m. — ESPN3.com
• 7 p.m.-11:30 p.m. — ESPN2/ESPN3.com
Monday, July 18 (Day Seven)
• Noon-4 p.m. — ESPN3.com
• 4-7 p.m. — ESPN2/ESPN3.com
• 9 p.m.-11:30 p.m. — ESPN2/ESPN3.com
Tuesday, July 19 (Day Eight – “Get Down” Day)
• Noon-5 p.m. — ESPN3.com
• 5-7 p.m. — ESPN/ESPN3.com
• 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m. — ESPN2/ESPN3.com
TOURNAMENT PLAY
Play on Day Five started at 12:05. Play ended about 10:55 p.m. There was a 1:50 dinner break. This means eight total hours were played. This unusual playing schedule (short breaks and longer dinner time) was implemented in order to accommodate the strict time windows of live television coverage.
Day Four started with 378 entries and ended with 142 players. Play is considerably further along than what was anticipated. However, players should bust more slowly at this point, since there are so many chips in play and many short stacks have been eliminated.
At this point in the tournament, participants have completed 22 full levels of play, meaning 44 total tournament hours have been played.
Coming next, Day Six will be played on Sunday, July 17th. The restart will be at noon. There are 142 players remaining in the field.
The Main Event continues through July 19th when the final table players will ultimately be determined, otherwise known as the “November Nine.”
THE NATIONS
When play began on Day Five, there were 33 nations which still had players alive in the Main Event:
Australia - 3
Austria - 2
Belgium - 1
Brazil - 5
Bulgaria - 1
Canada - 42
Chile - 1
China - 2
Columbia - 1
Czech Republic - 1
Denmark - 1
Finland - 2
France - 8
Germany - 16
Guatemala - 1
Honk Kong - 1
Hungary - 2
Ireland - 1
Israel - 1
Italy - 5
Japan - 1
Lithuania - 1
Netherlands - 3
Panama - 1
Portugal - 1
Romania - 2
Russia - 11
South Africa - 3
Spain - 1
Sweden - 3
Switzerland - 4
United Kingdom - 20
United States - 230
An updated list of survivors/countries making it to Day Six, and beyond, will be available in the next report.
FORMER WORLD CHAMPIONS
There are 35 players in history who have won the WSOP Main Event Championship. Of this number, 27 champions are still living. Of the 27 eligible former world champions, 18 participated in this year’s Main Event.
Seven former world champions started Day Three. Only three survived – Robert Varkonyi, Phil Hellmuth and Berry Johnson.
Three former world champions started Day Four. None survived. All former champions have now been eliminated. The top finisher amongst the former champs was Robert Varkonyi, who ended up in 514th place. He was also the only former winner to cash this year.
Current Status of Former WSOP Main Event Champions (all eliminated):
2002: Robert Varkonyi – Eliminated on Day Four – cashed in 514th place
1989: Phil Hellmuth – Eliminated on Day Four
1986: Berry Johnston – Eliminated on Day Four
1983: Tom McEvoy – Eliminated on Day Three
2009: Joe Cada – Eliminated on Day Three
1996: Huck Seed – Eliminated on Day Three
2001: Carlos Mortensen – Eliminated on Day Two
2006: Jamie Gold – Eliminated on Day Two
2005: Joe Hachem – Eliminated on Day Two
1978: Bobby “the Owl” Baldwin – Eliminated on Day Two
2010: Jonathan Duhamel – Eliminated on Day Two
1987/1988: Johnny Chan – Eliminated on Day Two
1995: Dan Harrington – Eliminated on Day Two
1998: Scotty Nguyen -- Eliminated on Day Two
1975/1976: Doyle Brunson – Eliminated on Day One
2003: Chris Moneymaker – Eliminated on Day One
2007: Jerry Yang – Eliminated on Day One
2004: Greg “Fossilman” Raymer – Eliminated on Day One
CELEBRITIES AND NOTABLE PLAYERS
The World Series of Poker has attracted celebrities and notable personalities since its inception. This year is no exception.
Current Status of Poker Hall of Fame members (all eliminated):
Berry Johnston – Eliminated on Day Four
Lyle Berman – Eliminated on Day Three
Mike Sexton – Eliminated on Day Two
Bobby Baldwin – Eliminated on Day Two
Dewey Tomko – Eliminated on Day Two
Dan Harrington – Eliminated on Day Two
Billy Baxter – Eliminated on Day Two
Doyle Brunson – Eliminated on Day One
T.J. Cloutier – Eliminated on Day One
Erik Seidel – Eliminated on Day One
Current Status of former WSOP “Players of the Year” (two players remaining):
2005 -- Allen Cunningham – Playing on Day Six (below average chips)
2008 -- Erick Lindgren – Playing on Day Six (below average chips)
2004 -- Daniel Negreanu – Eliminated on Day Five – cashed in 211th place
2009 -- Jeffrey Lisandro – Eliminated on Day Four
2006 -- Jeff Madsen – Eliminated on Day Four
2010 -- Frank Kassela – Eliminated on Day One
2007 -- Tom Schneider – Eliminated on Day One
Current Status of Non-Poker Celebrities (one player remaining):
Mars Callahan (actor-director) – Playing Day Six (below average chips)
Robert Iler (actor – “The Sopranos”) – Eliminated on Day Five – cashed in 275th place
Sam Simon (creator of “The Simpsons”) – Eliminated on Day Four
Mark Loftouse (former NHL hockey player, Washington Capitals) – Eliminated on Day Four
Brad Garrett (actor and comedian) – Eliminated on Day Three
Jason Alexander (actor and comedian) – Eliminated on Day Three
Shannon Elizabeth (actress) – Eliminated on Day Two
Petter Northug (Two-time Olympic gold medalist/skier from Norway) – Eliminated on Day Two
Patrick Bruel (French singer and actor and former gold bracelet winner) – Eliminated on Day Two
Teddy Sheringham (UK football star) – Eliminated on Day Two
Rene Angelil (music manager – Celine Dion’s husband) – Eliminated on Day Two
David Einhorn (prospective owner – New York Mets) – Eliminated on Day Two
Paul Pierce (NBA’s Boston Celtics) – Eliminated on Day Two
Nelly (singer-performer) – Eliminated on Day One
Ray Romano (actor and comedian) – Eliminated on Day One
Shane Warne (cricketer) – Eliminated on Day One
Jennifer Tilly (actress and former WSOP gold bracelet winner) – Eliminated on Day One
At end of Day Five, the only 2011 gold bracelet winners that survived were the following three players:
Sam Barnhart (above average chips)
Tyler Bonkowski (above average chips)
Ben Lamb (above average chips)
Chris Bjorin continues to defy the notion that poker has become a young person’s game. The silver fox from the U.K. (he’s originally from Sweden) cashed again this year, finishing in 460th place. This was his fourth straight Main Event in-the-money finish, a new record for the longest streak in history for cashes in the Main Event. In between WSOP Main Event cashes, Bjorin also cashed in the WSOP Europe Main Event two years ago. Between the two big events, he has more cashes than any other player from 2008 to present.
DAY FIVE ODDS AND ENDS
This is the 58th and final event on the 2011 WSOP schedule which is played in Las Vegas. Seven more gold bracelet events will take place in Cannes, France, to be held in October 7th through 20th as part of the 5thAnnual World Series of Poker Europe.
This marks the seventh consecutive year the WSOP has been held at the Rio All-Suites Hotel and 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 Caesars Entertainment assumed ownership and control of the world most prestigious poker event, more than twice the money has been awarded to winners within the Rio during the past six years than during the entire proceeding 35-year period at the Horseshoe.
The total number of entrants in the WSOP Main Event (all 42 years combined) is 58,657.
Over the past five years, the average attendance for the WSOP Main Event has been 6,776 entrants. Hence, this year’s figure (6,865 entrants) was slightly ahead of the post-UIGEA average.
The field included a total of 242 female players. This figure represents 3.5 percent of the field.
An official count of remaining female players at the end of Day Five showed three remaining (three were also eliminated on this day). The survivors are – Claudia Crawford, Amanda Musumeci and Erika Moutinho.
The average age of all players who participated in the Main Event was 37.2 years.
This is the 950th gold bracelet tournament event in World Series of Poker history. This figure includes every official WSOP event ever played, including tournaments during the early years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded. It also includes the 16 gold bracelets awarded to date at WSOP Europe (2007-2010). Moreover for the first time ever, one gold bracelet was awarded for this year’s winner of the WSOP Circuit National Championship.
STARTING THE MAIN EVENT – BY COUNTRY
There were 105 different nations represented at the 2011 WSOP in all gold bracelet events.
There were 85 different nations represented in the Main Event Championship.
Based on the total number of entries, non-U.S. players made up 33 percent of the total field. This is the largest percentage of internationally-based players in WSOP history.
If just the international contingent of participants were separated from the total field size, there would be an estimated 2,265 players. The size of this group alone would constitute a larger field than any other live tournament ever held, outside the WSOP.
The breakdown of players – alphabetized by country along with number of entrants – was as follows:
1 -- American Samoa
3 -- Andorra
21 -- Argentina
80 -- Australia
37 -- Austria
2 -- Azerbaijan
1 -- Bahamas
1 -- Bahrain
1 -- Barbados
25 -- Belgium
2 -- Belize
2 -- Bolivia
1 -- Botswana
83 -- Brazil
4 -- Bulgaria
486 -- Canada
7 -- Chile
10 -- China
9 -- Columbia
3 -- Costa Rica
1 -- Croatia
4 -- Cyprus
9 -- Czech Republic
46 -- Denmark
5 -- Estonia
21 -- Finland
213 -- France
1 -- French Polynesia
156 -- Germany
5 -- Greece
1 -- Guam
4 -- Guatemala
8 -- Hong Kong
24 -- Hungary
2 -- Iceland
2 -- India
1 -- Indonesia
35 -- Ireland
18 -- Israel
106 -- Italy
24 -- Japan
2 -- Kazakhstan
7 -- Latvia
4 -- Lebanon
8 -- Lithuania
2 -- Macedonia
1 -- Malaysia
2 -- Malta
1 -- Marshall Islands
12 -- Mexico
3 -- Monaco
1 -- Mongolia
1 -- Montserrat
1 -- Morocco
59 -- Netherlands
5 -- New Zealand
34 -- Norway
1 -- Oman
2 -- Panama
3 -- Peru
3 -- Philippines
1 -- Poland
18 -- Portugal
4 -- Romania
108 -- Russia
7 -- Saint Lucia
1 -- Saudi Arabia
1 -- Senegal
4 -- Singapore
6 -- Slovakia
17 -- South Africa
6 -- South Korea
42 -- Spain
79 -- Sweden
26 -- Switzerland
2 -- Taiwan
2 -- Trinidad and Tobago
4 -- Turkey
1 -- Turks and Caicos
1 -- Turks and Caicos Islands
3 -- Ukraine
288 -- United Kingdom
4,604 -- United States
3 -- Uruguay
20 – Venezuela
TOURNAMENT NUMBERS
This is the third-largest live poker tournament in history. Only the 2006 WSOP Main Event (at 8,773 entrants) and the 2010 WSOP Main Event (at 7,319 entrants) were bigger. Prior to this year, the third-largest live tournament was the 2008 WSOP Main Event -- with 6,844 players.
Here are the six largest live poker tournaments in history:
2006 WSOP Main Event – 8,773 players
2010 WSOP Main Event – 7,319 players
2011 WSOP Main Event – 6,865 players
2008 WSOP Main Event – 6,844 players
2009 WSOP Main Event – 6,494 players
2007 WSOP Main Event – 6,358 players
WSOP MAIN EVENT ALL-TIME 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
7 – Bobby Baldwin
7 – Doyle Brunson
7 – Jay Heimowitz
8 – Phil Hellmuth – cashed this year (updated)
7 – Mike Sexton
7 – John Esposito – cashed this year (updated)
6 – John Bonetti
6 – Johnny Moss
6 – Jason Lester
6 – Steve Lott
6 – Chris Bjorin
6 – Johnny Chan
5 – 14 players tied with 5 cashes each
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:
38 – Howard “Tahoe” Andrew (1974 to present)
Most Main Events Played (Career):
38 – Tie: Doyle Brunson (did not play 1999 through 2001); Howard “Tahoe” Andrew
WSOP -- FOR THE AGES
The youngest player to enter the 2011 WSOP Main Event Championship was Logan Deen, from Cocoa, FL. He turned 21 on the day he took his seat in the Main Event. This means he now holds a record than can only be tied, but never broken (unless age restriction laws are changed in the future). He was cheered on by his family, who call themselves the “Deen Team.” Unfortunately, he was eliminated on Day Two.
The oldest player to enter the 2011 WSOP Main Event Championship was Ellen “Gram” Deeb, from Troy, NY. She became the oldest female participant in Main Event history at the age of 91. Mrs. Deeb was introduced to the huge crowd, which gave her one of the day’s biggest ovations. After she stood to wave to the crowd, she grabbed the microphone from a tournament official and snapped, “I just have one thing to say! You are all playing for second!” The crowd went wild. Unfortunately, Mrs. Deeb was eliminated on Day One. The WSOP looks forward to welcoming her again in 2012.
OVERALL 2011 WSOP STATISTICS
Through Event #58 (all gold bracelet events), the 2011 WSOP has attracted 75,672 combined total entries. $191,999,010 in prize money has been awarded.
Through the conclusion of Event #57, the breakdown of nationality of gold bracelet winners has been:
United States (35)
Canada (5)
Ukraine (4)
France (4)
Great Britain (3)
Russia (3)
Brazil (1)
Pakistan (1)
Sweden (1)
Through the conclusion of Event #57, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:
United States (31)
Canada (5)
Ukraine (4)
France (4)
Great Britain (3)
Russia (3)
Israel (1)
Honduras (1)
Indonesia (1)
Germany (1)
Brazil (1)
Pakistan (1)
Sweden (1)
Through the conclusion of Event #57, the home-states of (American) winners have been:
California (7)
New York (6)
Nevada (6)
Texas (3)
Florida (2)
Illinois (2)
Connecticut (2)
New Jersey (1)
Tennessee (1)
Indiana (1)
Maryland (1)
Virginia (1)
Michigan (1)
North Dakota (1)
Washington (1)
Ohio (1)
Through the conclusion of Event #57, the breakdown of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets has been:
Professional Players (44): Jake Cody, Cheech Barbaro, Eugene Katchalov, Allen Bari, Harrison Wilder, Matt Perrins, Sean Getzwiller, Viacheslav Zhukov, David Diaz, Andrew Badecker, Tyler Bonkowski, Brian Rast (2 wins), John Juanda, Aaron Steury, Darren Woods, Jason Somerville, Bertrand Grospellier, John Monnette, Elie Payan, Mark Radoja, Chris Viox, Dan Idema, Andy Frankenberger, Chris Lee, Sam Stein, Mark Schmid, Jason Mercier, Mikhail Lakhitov, Fabrice Soulier, Mitch Schock, Matt Jarvis, Justin Pechie, Ben Lamb, Rep Porter, Andre Akkari, Joe Ebanks, Lenny Martin, Athanasios Polychronopoulos, Antonin Teisseire, Matt Matros, Marsha Wolak. Maxim Lykov, Nick Binger
Semi-Pros (6): Sean R. Drake, Amir Lehavot, Oleksii Kovalchuk, Eric Rosawig, Arkadiy Tsinis, Alexander Anter
Amateurs (7): Geffrey Klein, Foster Hays, James Hess, Kirk Caldwell, Ken Griffin, Owais Ahmed, David Singontiko
Since tracking first started in 2005, this year’s WSOP has the greatest disparity of professionals winning over semi-pros and amateurs than any year recorded, so far – with 50 out of 57 events being won by pros or semi-pros.
Through the conclusion of this tournament, the victories of 12 of the 57 winners (21 percent) marked the first time the new champion had ever cashed at the WSOP.
Every WSOP held over the past 11 years has included at least one multiple gold bracelet champion (meaning two or more wins within the same year). The last year the WSOP was comprised exclusively of single-event winners was back in 1999. The record for most multiple gold bracelet winners within a single year was in 2009, when five players managed to win two or more titles. Brian Rast’s victory in two tournaments – Events #15 and #55 -- means the multi-gold bracelet streak will continue for at least another year.
The streak of consecutive male WSOP gold bracelet winners is currently at 213 consecutive events. Aside from the annual Ladies Poker Championship, the last female player to win a WSOP tournament open to both sexes was Vanessa Selbst, in 2008. The longest “cold” streak for female players occurred between years 1982 and 1996, when 221 consecutive open events passed without a female champion.
The highest finish by any female (open events) at this year’s WSOP was accomplished by two players. Maria Ho finished second ($5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em). Kim Nguyen also finished as the runner up ($1,500 buy-in Six-Handed Limit Hold’em).
The highest finish by any defending champion at this year’s WSOP was by David Baker, who after winning the previous $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball World Championship finished in sixth place in defense of his title.
Reigning world poker champions rarely perform well the following year after their victory. Chris “Jesus” Ferguson was the last world champion to win a gold bracelet the next year, which happened in 2001. Perhaps it’s due to the increasing size of the fields. But there’s also great pressure on the champions to do well. What follows is a list of the only world champions in history to win a gold bracelet after winning the championship during the previous year:
Johnny Moss (1975)
Doyle Brunson (1977)
Bobby Baldwin (1979)
Stu Ungar (1981)
Johnny Chan (1988)
Hamid Dastmalchi (1993)
Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (2001)
By contrast, players who make it to the final table of the Main Event Championship (November Nine) one year tend to do quite well in subsequent WSOP years. Consider that last year, three former Main Event finalists won gold bracelets – Eric Buchman, Tex Barch and Scott Montgomery. This year, Matt Jarvis won his first gold bracelet one year after making it to the November Nine in 2010.
New tournament records set at the 2011 WSOP (to date):
Biggest Heads-Up tournament prize pool in history ($3,040,000) – Event #2
Largest live Omaha High-Low Split Tournament in history (925 entries) – Event #3
Largest live Six-Handed tournament in poker history (1,920 entries) – Event #10
Biggest Deuce-to-Seven tournament prize pool in history ($1,184,400) – Event #16
Largest live $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start (3389 entries) – Event #56
Largest live $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start (3175 entries) – Event #20
Largest consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,332 entries) – Event #18 and Event #20
Largest live Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in poker history (1,071 entries) – Event #22
Largest Mixed-Game (Eight-Game Mix) in poker history (489 entries) – Event #23
Largest Seniors tournament in poker history (3,752 entries) – Event #30
Biggest Seniors No-Limit Hold’em championship prize pool in history ($3,376,800) – Event #30
Largest single-day live tournament start in poker history (3,752 entries) – Event #30
Largest consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,580 entries) – Event #30/Event #32 (broke Event #18/Event #20 record from earlier in 2011 WSOP)
Largest four-consecutive days field sizes in poker history (2,500+3,752+2,828+3,144 =12,224 entries) -- Events 28, 30, 32, 34, June 16-19, 2011
Largest Mixed Pot-Limit tournament in history (606 entries) – Event #39
Biggest Pot-Limit Omaha prize pool in live poker history ($3,393,400) – Event #42
New player records set at the 2011 WSOP (to date):
The 35-year span between Artie Cobb’s first cash in this event (1976) and most recent cash in the same event (2011) represents the longest time span in WSOP history. He accomplished this in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split (Event #25).
Phil Hellmuth added to his record as the individual all-time leader in cashes (84) and final table appearances (43).
Howard “Tahoe” Andrew added to his record as the player with the longest consecutive streak of WSOP appearances (entering at least one event), currently at 38 years and counting (1974 to present).
First player in history with three second-place finishes within a single year – Phil Hellmuth
Tony “Top Cat” Cousineau added to his record as the player with the most WSOP cashes, but no wins (49).
Chris Bjorin cashed in the Main Event for the fourth straight year – a new record.
RAISING AWARENESS: BAD BEAT ON CANCER AND THE WSOP
Bad Beat on Cancer was created in 2003 by Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst as an easy and fun way for poker players to donate to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. It all began when Chris Moneymaker pledged 1 percent of his 2003 Main Event winnings and went on to capture the championship, contributing $25,000 when he was awarded the $2.500,000 first- place prize. By taking the pledge, wearing the patch, and joining ‘Team 1%’, players can feel good supporting a cause that only benefits when they win. As the official charity of the WSOP, pledges simply indicate to the payouts staff that they are donating 1 percent of their winnings, and the funds are automatically withheld. A tax receipt is generated and sent to their mailing address. Several high profile professionals have made ‘life pledges’ of 1 percent of all their winnings -- including Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth Jr., Lee Childs, Paul Wasicka, Andy Bloch, Dennis Phillips, and others. Since 2003, the initiative has raised over $3,500,000 for cancer prevention research, education, and community outreach programs. Players can pick up a patch and join Team 1% by stopping by the Bad Beat on Cancer booth, located at the 2011 WSOP opposite the Amazon Room in the concourse. The Nevada Cancer Institute based in Las Vegas is a benefiting charity from the Bad Beat on Cancer.
Note: Various categories and statistics will be updated with each gold bracelet event as they are completed.