While we continue to see no name players dominate the small buy in events, the World Championship events and larger buy ins continue to be the professionals playground. While there are some amateurs getting into them, they are not lasting as long because of the talent factor. When they sit down at one of these tables, the ratio of pros to amateurs is about even. This means that not as many people have a target on the pros heads and they are absolutely dominated these events.
Matt Graham took down the Pot Limit Omaha Championship in grand form and dominated the last day of play. He was up against 25 world class players and came out on top. He ended up winning $679,379 and his second WSOP bracelet. In order to do so, he had to take down Vitaly Lunkin who is proving to be quite the force in the poker world. If you have not been watching the live feeds, you have no idea what you are missing. This was one of the most exciting final tables yet.
Ray Foley also took home a bracelet on Monday Night in the $1,500 No Limit event. Another huge field of 2715 started out and after three very long days, Foley was the last man standing. This tournament was one of the longest so far in regards to how many hours they played every day. This was definitely a good training ground for how these guys will hold up during the Main Event. Foley took down a first place prize of $657,787 for his first bracelet win.
In other tournaments…
2 of the biggest players in the game did not make it past the final elimination day of the NL Hold’em Shootout event. Jennifer Harman went out in the first round of the day and while Phil Ivey last longer, he did not satisfy his quest to get his third bracelet of this WSOP. 5 players remain and all will start the day off with 900,000 in chips.
The Mixed Hold’em event is always an entertaining one as it tests the skills in both varieties of hold’em. The winner of this event can truly call themselves one of the best poker players in the world as not many people can manage the nuances of both games at the same time. Jon Turner is the current chip leader with 469,200 in chips.
Event 44 was the late starting tournament and they have barely made a dent in this field. Limit events are always tough in the early stages, but as those blinds fly, so do the players to the rail. While there are not very many familiar names at the top of the leader board right now, expect that to change with this specialty version of 7 card stud. Warwick Mirzikinian is the current leader with 59,400 in chips.
Friday September the 19th the second annual World Series of Poker Europe will get underway. The first event will be a No Limit Holdem, it’s a no re-buy event with each player starting with 6000 in chips. This year there are some changes, namely that the event will be played under one roof. The Casino at the Empire will host all four events at the years World Series of Poker Europe. As in Vegas where all the events are played at the Rio, the hope is to start a tradition in London. For all the North American fans out there ESPN will be airing eight hours of coverage from the tournaments in London. An Event has been added this years, making four bracelets up for grabs. The biggest question coming into this years events is will someone from the other side of the pond be able to walk away with one of the coveted bracelets. Last year Europeans won all three events, and the all the Americans will try be to become the first to win a bracelet in Europe.
Last years winners will be trying to defend there titles and make history by becoming the first player to win two World Series of Poker Europe bracelets. Thomas Bihl won last years HORSE event when he beat Jennifer Harman heads up. Last year the HORSE final table was littered with poker superstars like Jennifer Harman, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson and Kirk Morrison, no doubt the event directors will be looking for a similar showing. You can expect the HORSE tournament to be full of poker greats again this year because it will be the hardest bracelet to win in my opinion. Last years Pot Limit Omaha event was won by Dario Alioto, he also managed to make a final table in Pot Limit Omaha at the World Series in Las Vegas this year. Omaha last year brought out some big names who made big cashes Tony G finished third and Roland De Wolfe had a respectable eleventh place finish.
Last years Main Event in Europe looked as if a familiar face may win his first World Series bracelet ever in Europe. Gus Hansen was cruising, but he busted out tenth, the favorite was gone and it was anybody’s tournament. Up and coming superstar Annette Obrestad, showed her potential by taking home her first bracelet. Annette showed the world her aggressive bluffing style and may just have won the biggest tournament by a women in poker history. No doubt Obrestad will show up at this years World Series looking to build on the success she found last year. There were a lot of big names players in the top thirty last year and the event organizers will be looking for much of the same. Last year Patrik Antonius finished 29th, Erik Lindgren finished 26th, Annie Duke is 21st and Kenny Tran almost made the final table finishing in 16th.
Predictions
Event #1 – No Limit Hold’ em – The North American pros will be geared up and put a lot effort in to trying to win this event. Look for some good showing by top names players like Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu and Erik Lindgren. I think the North Americans will have to wait as Annette Obrestad wins her second World Series of Poker bracelet. Annette will be looking to prove that she is here to stay and be the first player to win two World Series of Poker will do just that.
Event #2 – HORSE – In my opinion the HORSE event is the most intriguing event at every World Series of Poker. The big names always show up and you can be assured that they will be at the final table. Scotty Nguyen won the HORSE world championship in Las Vegas at the World Series and I think you will see a lot of the same names fighting for the win in Europe. Look for another good result from Erik Lindgren, he is a great all around player and is confident after his player of the year at the World Series in Vegas. The first American to win a World Series of Poker Europe will be Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, and it will come in this event.
Event #3 – Pot Limit Omaha – Omaha has become a big game in the poker world, probably fits right behind Texas Hold’ em on the popularity scale. Europeans tend to be well rounded Omaha players and I think they will come away with another bracelet in this tournament. Last years winner Dario Alioto will have a good showing again, but I think he will come up short as Roland De Wolfe takes home the bracelet. Roland is an excellent Omaha player and I think he finally has a big win in this event.
Event #4 – Main Event No Limit Hold’ em – The main event will be everybody’s main goal, all the top pro’s want to win this title. Last year a lot of big names had big showings at this tournament, but I think you will learn a few new ones this year. Jennifer Harman will have a good showing in this tournament and Patrik Antonius will make the final table. With the bitter taste of last years bubble finish Gus Hansen will redeem himself and win the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. Gus will be motivated and he will grind out the victory for his first bracelet.
Well we all know predictions are just that, predictions. I think Annette Obrestad, Chris Ferguson, Roland De Wolfe and Gus Hansen win the four bracelets. Of course there is the chance amateur players show up and win some tournaments, but there is no way for me to pick them. I truly enjoyed last years World Series of Poker Europe and I look for the same entertainment value this year. It all gets started on Friday September the 19th and without a doubt someone’s dreams will come true.
I’ve been asked by many friends and poker players about which events that they should play at the WSOP and about how much money that they should spend. A lot of what you want to play and how much you will want to spend will depend on several factors. Let’s take a look at a few of those.
First, what is your best game? Many players that are only Holdem Poker players just looked at this article in utter confusion. The World Series of Poker is a set of over 50 tournaments. While No-Limit Holdem Poker is the most popular game in the world, you have many other games to contend with. Omaha Poker, Omaha Hi-Lo Split, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud 8 or Better, Razz Poker, 2-7 Lowball, and H.O.R.S.E. are all events that are played annually at the World Series of Poker.
If you are a holdem player, are you better at Limit or No-Limit. If you are a mediocre No-Limit player and a regular winner at limit, then you will want to play limit holdem. If Stud is your best game, you will want to play stud. Another consideration is where you have the most success in regards to tournaments. Personally, my best game is Stud 8 or Better. However, at the time that I played my first World Series of Poker in 2006, I was showing better overall results in Limit Holdem events. As a result, I played in Event #4, which was Limit Holdem. I made the money of the event.
After you decide what you want to play, you want to decide how much you want to spend. Do you want to buy-in directly to the event or satellite your way in? If you want to satellite your way in, how much does the event cost you want to play. If you want to enter a $1,500 event, you will need to play $175 satellites. If you want to play a $2,000 event, you will need to play the $225. The satellites go up according to the buy-in of the event. I would recommend spending no more than 3 to 4 satellite entries to try and win your way in. If you cannot win your way in, try again for a different event or buy-in directly.
If you want to take off the pressure of having to win a satellite, then put back the money for a buy-in and then play satellites to try and save money. Personally, the later is the approach I take. As a result, I put back around $2,200 for each event. For the 2007 WSOP, I didn’t even play satellites for the first event which was again a Limit Holdem event. Fortunately, I finished very well in the money and was able to pay most of my other entries for the series with the money won.
So to review, play the game that gives you the best chance to do well. Then decide the plan of attack to enter the event. Beyond that, make a budget for the money you want to spend for cash games and souvenirs and stick to that plan. Have fun at the World Series of Poker!
Play Holdem, Omaha, Stud, and Razz Poker on Titan Poker.
Before leaving the Amazon Room, take a look around at the banners hanging from the walls. The banners are all the past Main Event winners and the past Player of the Year winners. Starting with Johnny Moss through the eventually winner of this year’s Main Event, you can see the history of the Main Event with a quick glance.
Now, let’s exit out the doors between the blue and green sections. When you walk out, you may notice a few more booth or poker displays. You will then notice two other things. One is a sign for Registration and one is a sign for Satellites. You will want to remember the registration room location as you will go there for all registrations for both bracelet events and nightly tournaments. Nightly tournaments start at 7 pm and cost $330. These tournaments are setup as normal freezeouts and usually only pay out cash. This year, players playing in these events earned Player of the Year points towards titles such as Bluff, Card Player, and Pokerpages. The WSOP Player of Year points can only be earned through qualifying bracelet events.
Now let’s enter the satellite room. The satellite area is located in the Tropical room. Much like Brasilia, there are dozens of poker tables in this room as well. The main difference is that these are all single table satellites of all varying sizes and games. The predominant game is naturally No-Limit Holdem, but the staff will run satellites for other bracelet events depending on demand and also if there is a bracelet event in a mixed game that day or the next day. Satellites run from $125 to $1,000. The only satellites that are not held in the Tropical room are Mega Satellites and satellites to the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Those are held either in Brasilia or the Amazon room. The locations of those two satellites vary, so you will want to ask when registering.
After leaving the Tropical room, turn left and you will arrive back to the cross section that includes the Total Rewards desk. Take a right and enter the first door to check out the gift shop. Unlike the stands you see in the hallway, this shop is exclusively WSOP merchandise. You will find items in here you will not see in other areas including key chains, mugs, specialized poker sets, and various WSOP clothing. You can also purchase snacks, food, and beverages in this shop. For those of you that play at other Harrahs properties and have built up comp money on your Total Rewards card, you can use that card in this shop to purchase items. I personally had $200 in comps from another property and was able to use it to purchase WSOP merchandise.
Once you leave the gift shop, hang a left and walk all the way to the end of the hall and head outside. This is the location of the poker kitchen. Here you can buy burgers, subs, pizza, fruit, and other items. The food can be a little pricey, but you can usually buy a meal for around $10 to $15. If you play in a WSOP event, you will get a $10 comp towards the poker kitchen.
At this point you have been around to the major areas at the World Series of Poker. Of course, if you get lost, you can always ask someone to point you in the right direction. Another trick is to follow the masses of people walking around. Eventually you will end up where you want to be. Now go out and try and win yourself an entry into an event. Good luck at the tables.
While we continue to see no name players dominate the small buy in events, the World Championship events and larger buy ins continue to be the professionals playground. While there are some amateurs getting into them, they are not lasting as long because of the talent factor. When they sit down at one of these tables, the ratio of pros to amateurs is about even. This means that not as many people have a target on the pros heads and they are absolutely dominated these events.
