KINGS, QUEENS, AND A CHIP CASTLE

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 
Brazil – 2

Canada – 6

China – 1

Chile – 1

Czech Republic – 1

Germany – 2

France – 2

United Kingdom – 3

Netherlands – 1

Russia –2

Sweden – 1

Ukraine – 1

United States – 31

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)    
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)  

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.