THE WSOP DAILY SHUFFLE: WED., JUNE 27, 2012
Photo Caption:  Poker goes Hollywood.  Movie star Jennifer Tilly returned to this year’s World Series of Poker in grand style.  The Academy-Award nominated actress has been a consistent presence at every WSOP since 2005.  Tilly won the Ladies World Championship and a gold bracelet back in 2005.
 
To see more photos from the 2012 WSOP, please visit the official WSOP PHOTO BLOG.

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DAILY HEADLINES

Rocco Palumbo Becomes Sixth Italian WSOP Gold Bracelet Winner in History

Ruble Rowser:  Nine Cashes for Konstantin Puchkov – Russian Seizes Lead and is Now One Away from Evdakov’s All-Time Record

“Ante-Up No-Limit Hold’em” Makes WSOP Debut on Wednesday

Ladies World Championship Two Days Away – Big Turnout Expected for Friday’s Action

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ROCCO PALUMBO TOPS 3,000-PLAYER FIELD AND WINS $1,500 BUY-IN NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM (EVENT #44)

Another massive crowd turned out for the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, classified as Event #44.  The three-day competition began with 2,949 entrants on Sunday, and concluded on Tuesday night on the ESPN Main Stage, in front of a large crowd and a worldwide viewing audience following final table action the WSOP.com live stream broadcast.

Rocco Palumbo added his name to this year’s extraordinary list of gold bracelet champions, by winning his first WSOP title tonight at the Rio, in Las Vegas.  He not only received the game’s most coveted prize – the gold bracelet – but a whopping $464,464 in prize money, as well.
 
Palumbo is a 23-year-old professional poker player from the Mediterranean seaport city of Genoa.  He became only the sixth Italian person in history to win a WSOP gold bracelet.  He joins fellow countrymen Jeffrey Lisandro (Salerno),* Max Pescatori (Milan), Dario Alioto (Palermo), Dario Minieri – (Rome), and Valter Farina (Genoa).  Farina was the first Italian champion, who won his breakthrough victory back in 1995.
 
The runner up was American poker player Nelson Robinson, from Winston-Salem, NC.
 
Note:  Jeffrey Lisandro enjoys duel citizenship in both Italy and Australia and refers to both nations as him home.

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RUBLE ROWSER:  RUSSIAN KONSTANTIN PUCHKOV BECOMING “MR. CASH”
 
Gold bracelet winner Konstantin Puchkov is not known to have a poker nickname.  Perhaps he should consider “Mr. Cash.”  That’s all the former champion from Moscow seems to do these days.  
 
Puchkov just cashed for the ninth time this year, with his deep run in Event #46.  He remains very much alive entering the final day.  His nine cashes surpasses Terrence Chan (with eight cashes) who had been the early frontrunner and public favorite to catch, if not surpass, the all-time record of ten cashes.
The record holder is the late Nikolay Evdakov, from Russia.  He cashed ten times at the 2008 WSOP.
 
No doubt, Puchkov is likely to be a favorite to bust the record, since there are about 20 gold bracelets still to be played this year (the cashes number includes the gold bracelet events played at WSOP Europe, as well).

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WSOP TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY

Question of the Day:  Here’s an odd question.  During the $50K buy-in Poker Players Championship, one very well-known player was reading a thick book during the first day.  He spent many hours absorbed in the pages of the book, when he was not involved in a hand.  The book was on political and social commentary by the late controversial author Christopher Hitchens.  Who was this poker player who was reading Hitchens while at the poker table?  

Answer coming in tomorrow’s WSOP Daily Shuffle.

Yesterday’s Question of the Day:  Why was the WSOP Main Event Championship not televised (or recorded in any way) between the years 1984 and 1988?
 
Answer:  Blame Tom McEvoy and Rod Peate.  Back in 1983, television cameras were present at old Binion’s Horseshoe to film and record the Main Event final table for a later re-broadcast.  Thinking that poker was like most sporting events, the television crew anticipated a typical 3-4 hour filming schedule.  Indeed, it took about 3-4 hours to get down to heads-up play.  Then, McEvoy and and Peate became entwined in a heads-up death match that lasted nearly seven hours.  The film crew, livid at having to pay overtime, not to mention nearly running out of film (this was before digital technology) vowed never to show poker on television again.  That attitude held for the next five years, before another film crew finally decided to give it one more shot at the 1988 WSOP.  The second television crew was much more fortunate that year, as Johnny Chan and Erik Seidel played one of the most memorable hands in poker history to decide the world championship.
 
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DAY 31:  THE WSOP TODAY – WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2012

9:00 AM
Today’s first tournament is a $75 buy-in TURBO MEGA-SATELLITE.

12:00 NOON
EVENT #49, the $1,500 buy-in ANTE-ONLY NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM tournament, begins with the play of Day One.  Registration will be available up through the completion of four levels, plus two breaks, which is estimated to be about 4:40 pm.  Action takes place inside Brasilia.  This is a three-day event.  This is a first-time event.

EVENT #49 UPDATES can be followed at WSOP.com.  Coverage includes chip counts as well as written updates supplied from the tournament floor by our friends at PokerNews.com.

The official Structure Sheet for EVENT #49 can be viewed HERE.  In this unique event, the player to the left of the button starts the action and has the option to bring it in. The bring in each level is the amount of the smallest chip in play.

1:00 PM
EVENT #46, the $2,500 buy-in NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM tournament, continues with Day Three – including the final table.   There are 25 players remaining from the starting field of 1,607.  Joey Weissman is the current chip leader.  William Reynolds, gold bracelet winner Vanessa Selbst, and cashing machine Konstanstin Puchkov remain as well.  Chip counts from the end of the first day of play can be found HERE.

EVENT #47, the $1,500 buy-in POT-LIMIT OMAHA HIGH-LOW SPLIT tournament, continues with Day Two.   There are 141 players remaining from the starting field of 978.  The top 117 finishers will make the money. Gold bracelet winner Alex Gomes of Brazil is the current chip leader.  Chip counts from the end of the first day of play can be found HERE.

2:00 PM
EVENT #45, the $50,000 buy-in POKER PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP (EIGHT-GAME MIX) tournament continues with the play of Day Four (of five).  There are 26 players remaining from the starting field of 108.  Viktor Blom is the current chip leader in this ultra-prestigious event after a productive Day Three at the tables.

EVENT #48, the $1,500 buy-in LIMIT HOLD’EM tournament, continues with Day Two.   There are 116 players remaining from the starting field of 247.  Reigning WSOP National Champion Sam Barnhart is the current chip leader.  Chip counts from the end of the first day of play can be found HERE.

The first DAILY DEEP STACK NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM tournament begins. The entry fee is $235. Registration is open for four (30 minute) levels, plus one break – which means until about 4:20 pm.

2:20 PM
The official gold bracelet ceremony includes just one recent winner – Rocco Palumbo (Event #44), from Genoa, Italy.  The national anthem of Italy will be played for the first time in four years.

4:00 PM
The first MEGA-SATELLITE begins. The entry fee is $330

5:00 PM
There is no 5 pm tournament today.

6:00 PM
The second DEEP STACK NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM tournament begins. The entry fee is $185. Registration is open for four (30 minute) levels, plus one break – which means until about 8:20 pm.

7:00 PM – SPECIAL EVENT
The BIG ONE FOR ONE DROP ($1 MILLION BUY-IN) tournament is holding a mega-satellite, which costs $200 to enter.  The gold bracelet tournament begins on July 1st.  

8:00 PM
The second MEGA-SATELLITE of the day begins. The game is No-Limit Hold’em, which feeds into Event #50 (Note: This event regularly features different games – so be sure and check the schedule in advance). The entry fee is $550.

10:00 PM
The third and final DEEP STACK NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM tournament begins at 10 pm. The entry fee is $135. Registration is open for four (30 minute) levels, plus one break – which means until about 12:20 am.

3:00 AM
All WSOP gold bracelet tournaments end for the night.
 
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* Please note that all listed times are estimates and subject to change

-- by Nolan Dalla