Photo Caption: The World Series of Poker is the land of dreams. On Saturday at noon, the dreams of thousands of poker players from all over the globe will be realized with the start of the $10,000 buy-in Main Event Championship – recognized universally as the game’s premier title. Even though there will only be one Champion, each and every participant is a winner in their own right. Consider that out of the hundreds of millions of poker players worldwide, just playing in the Main Event represents the pinnacle of all those hopes and dreams of players scattered around the planet who won’t get the chance. In a sense, all dreams are alive on Day One. Moreover, everyone is a "winner" in their own right, just for taking part in poker's greatest event.
....................
DAILY HEADLINES
2012 WSOP Main Event Championship Starts Saturday – Day 1A Set to Start at Noon
2012 WSOP National Championship Underway – Circuits Top-Ranked Players Join WSOP’s Best in Gold Bracelet Competition
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Gregory Merson Does! -- Wins First Gold Bracelet and $1,136,197 Top Prize
Viacheslav Zhukov Wins Second Gold Bracelet in Two Years – Russia’s First Victory of 2012
Photo Caption: The World Series of Poker is the land of dreams. On Saturday at noon, the dreams of thousands of poker players from all over the globe will be realized with the start of the $10,000 buy-in Main Event Championship – recognized universally as the game’s premier title. Even though there will only be one Champion, each and every participant is a winner in their own right. Consider that out of the hundreds of millions of poker players worldwide, just playing in the Main Event represents the pinnacle of all those hopes and dreams of players scattered around the planet who won’t get the chance. In a sense, all dreams are alive on Day One. Moreover, everyone is a "winner" in their own right, just for taking part in poker's greatest event.
....................
DAILY HEADLINES
2012 WSOP Main Event Championship Starts Saturday – Day 1A Set to Start at Noon
2012 WSOP National Championship Underway – Circuits Top-Ranked Players Join WSOP’s Best in Gold Bracelet Competition
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Gregory Merson Does! -- Wins First Gold Bracelet and $1,136,197 Top Prize
Viacheslav Zhukov Wins Second Gold Bracelet in Two Years – Russia’s First Victory of 2012
Konstantin Puchkov Hits 11th Cash of 2012 – Breaks All-Time Record for Most Cashes in a Year
.....................
2012 WORLD POKER CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS TODAY
The day.
The moment every poker player waits for like Christmas morning is upon us on Saturday -- when thousands of poker players from all over the world will be opening their proverbial poker presents on the game’s grandest stage.
Several hundred poker players are likely to be quite pleased with what they find under their tree. About ten percent of the Main Event field will collect prize money – estimated to be $20,00 or more.
However, nine poker players will be absolutely ecstatic when they open up their gifts, which ultimately takes place on July 16th, when poker’s “November Nine” are finally determined. Those fortunate few will experience a magic sleigh ride like no other and will likely collect a million dollars each, or more.
Then, one very lucky winner will open poker’s ultimate prize – several million dollars and the coveted title of “2012 world poker champion.”
It all begins Saturday. It’s poker’s most thrilling morning.
And it’s here. Now.
Deal the cards and let the excitement begin!
....................
2012 WSOP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP UNDERWAY
The second annual WSOP National Championship began on Friday, with 157 pre-qualified participants. At the end of the first of three playing sessions, the end of Day One chip leader is Brian Rast
The WSOP National Championship is a mix of the WSOP’s most successful poker players. In order to qualify for a seat, players must have earned their way in one of two ways. The first route to seat was by playing during the 2011-2012 WSOP Circuit, which included 17 tour stops. There were many ways to qualify by achieving various performance thresholds in the Circuit. The other way to gain a seat was to be ranked among the top-100 players in the “WSOP Player of the Year” race. However, the later route into the finals required entrants to post a $10,000 entry fee.
With $1 million dollars added to the prize pool via the WSOP Circuit and the lure of ESPN coverage, the next few days should be an exciting conclusion of what has been a record-setting year on the Circuit (overall attendance was up nearly 40 percent!).
Day Two begins at 1 pm. The day will end when the final nine players have been determined. Then, the final table takes place on Sunday. This is gold bracelet event. The top 18 finishers will receive prize money. The new champion collects $416,051.
..................
GREG MERSON WINS SIX-HANDED NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM TITLE (EVENT #57)
Who wants to be a millionaire? Gregory Merson does! The 24-year-old poker pro from Laurel, Maryland won the $10,000 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em tournament, which concluded on Friday afternoon. The heads-up finale extended to an unscheduled fourth day of play, due to some extraordinarily-tough play on Day Three.
However, the tournament ended in just one hand, when Merson rivered his way to a staggering amount of prize money and a WSOP gold bracelet. Merson caught a straight on the last hand of the tournament, busting Keith Lehr, a former gold bracelet winner, in second place.
The competition attracted 474 entrants – nothing out of the ordinary in the modern poker era. However, Merson earned a whopping $1,136,197 in prize money – which is the third-largest prize of this year’s WSOP.
………………….
VIACHESLAV ZHUKOV WINS POT-LIMIT OMAHA HIGH-LOW SPLIT TITLE (EVENT #58)
One of the most star-studded fields of the year turned up for the latest World Series of Poker tournament, which was the $3,000 Buy-In Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low Split Championship. The high-caliber four-day competition finally concluded today with the crowning of a new gold bracelet champion.
The winner was Viacheslav Zhukov, from Stary Oskol, Russia. He is a 23-year-old professional poker player. Zhukov became only the second Russian to ever win multiple WSOP gold bracelets. Vitaly Lunkin is the other Russian duel champ.
Zhukov’s first victory took place last year’s $10,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split event. At the time, he was only the fourth Russian in history to win a gold bracelet. But two other Russians won last year, bringing the total number to six. Now, he is in even more elite territory.
This was the 58th event (of 61) on this year’s WSOP schedule. The tournament attracted 526 entries.
………………..
KONSTANTIN PUCHKOV BREAKS FELLOW RUSSIAN NIKOLAY EVDAKOV’S RECORD FOR MOST WSOP CASHES IN A YEAR
Friday was huge day for Russian poker players. Just as Viacheslav Zhukov was earning his second gold bracelet victory, across the room, his comrade Konstantin Puchkov cashed for the 11th time at this year's WSOP. That plateau broke the all-rime record for most cashes in a single year at the WSOP. Fittingly, the old record (at ten) was held by another Russian, also from Moscow -- the late Nikolay Evdakov.
However, Puchkov isn’t finished yet. He may add to this record number, since about ten events remain (including 2012 WSOP Europe, which takes place in Cannes, France).
There’s also a chance that other players could catch Puchkov. Several players are sitting on the 8 and 9 mark – which is still within striking distance of the record.
.....................
Editors Note: This will be the final “WSOP Daily Shuffle” of this year’s series. This format will be replaced by official daily reports from each playing session, in addition to regular features and updates.
.......................
WSOP QUESTION OF THE DAY
Yesterday’s Question of the Day: All but one of the gold bracelets awarded in Las Vegas were handed out at the Binion’s Horseshoe or the Rio. Who is the one player who didn’t win his bracelet at one of these two venues?
Answer: San Barnhart. He won last year’s WSOP Circuit National Championship, which was an official gold bracelet event. The championship took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
....................
DAY 37: THE WSOP TODAY – SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
10:00 AM
Today’s first tournament is a $550 buy-in MEGA-SATELLITE to the WSOP Main Event.
12:00 PM
The $10,000 buy-in WSOP MAIN EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP (EVENT #61) begins with the play of Day One (Session A). Registration remains open (for this session) during the first four levels, and is expected to close at about 4:40 pm. This is the first of three sessions. Action takes place inside Amazon and possibly Brasilia. Event updates will be available on WSOP.com.
1:00 PM
EVENT #59, the massive $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event with 4,620 entrants, continues with Day Three. There are 51 players remaining. The Day 1 chip leader, Alex Cordero still leads the pack with 822,000. Action will take place in the Amazon Room. Chip counts of the Day Two survivors are available HERE.
The 2012 WSOP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP continues with Day Two. There are 39 players remaining. Brian Rast currently out front and chip leader. Chip counts of the Day Two survivors are available HERE.
The second WSOP Main Event MEGA SATELLITE begins. The buy-in is $1,060.
2:00 PM
EVENT #60, the $10,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Championship, continues with Day Three – including the final table. There are 10 players remaining from the starting field of 101. The current chip leader is Ashton Griffin. Action will take place in the Amazon Room, then move to the Pavilion Stage for the last live streaming final table of the summer. Chip counts from the end of the second day of play are available 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
There will be no gold bracelet ceremony today.
4:00 PM
The third MEGA-SATELLITE begins. The entry fee is $550
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.
8:00 PM
The fourth and final WSOP Main Event MEGA SATELLITE of the day begins. The buy-in is $2,080.
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.
.......................
* Please note that all listed times are estimates and subject to change
-- by Nolan Dalla
Konstantin Puchkov Hits 11th Cash of 2012 – Breaks All-Time Record for Most Cashes in a Year
.....................
2012 WORLD POKER CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINS TODAY
The day.
The moment every poker player waits for like Christmas morning is upon us on Saturday -- when thousands of poker players from all over the world will be opening their proverbial poker presents on the game’s grandest stage.
Several hundred poker players are likely to be quite pleased with what they find under their tree. About ten percent of the Main Event field will collect prize money – estimated to be $20,00 or more.
However, nine poker players will be absolutely ecstatic when they open up their gifts, which ultimately takes place on July 16th, when poker’s “November Nine” are finally determined. Those fortunate few will experience a magic sleigh ride like no other and will likely collect a million dollars each, or more.
Then, one very lucky winner will open poker’s ultimate prize – several million dollars and the coveted title of “2012 world poker champion.”
It all begins Saturday. It’s poker’s most thrilling morning.
And it’s here. Now.
Deal the cards and let the excitement begin!
....................
2012 WSOP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP UNDERWAY
The second annual WSOP National Championship began on Friday, with 157 pre-qualified participants. At the end of the first of three playing sessions, the end of Day One chip leader is Brian Rast
The WSOP National Championship is a mix of the WSOP’s most successful poker players. In order to qualify for a seat, players must have earned their way in one of two ways. The first route to seat was by playing during the 2011-2012 WSOP Circuit, which included 17 tour stops. There were many ways to qualify by achieving various performance thresholds in the Circuit. The other way to gain a seat was to be ranked among the top-100 players in the “WSOP Player of the Year” race. However, the later route into the finals required entrants to post a $10,000 entry fee.
With $1 million dollars added to the prize pool via the WSOP Circuit and the lure of ESPN coverage, the next few days should be an exciting conclusion of what has been a record-setting year on the Circuit (overall attendance was up nearly 40 percent!).
Day Two begins at 1 pm. The day will end when the final nine players have been determined. Then, the final table takes place on Sunday. This is gold bracelet event. The top 18 finishers will receive prize money. The new champion collects $416,051.
..................
GREG MERSON WINS SIX-HANDED NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM TITLE (EVENT #57)
Who wants to be a millionaire? Gregory Merson does! The 24-year-old poker pro from Laurel, Maryland won the $10,000 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em tournament, which concluded on Friday afternoon. The heads-up finale extended to an unscheduled fourth day of play, due to some extraordinarily-tough play on Day Three.
However, the tournament ended in just one hand, when Merson rivered his way to a staggering amount of prize money and a WSOP gold bracelet. Merson caught a straight on the last hand of the tournament, busting Keith Lehr, a former gold bracelet winner, in second place.
The competition attracted 474 entrants – nothing out of the ordinary in the modern poker era. However, Merson earned a whopping $1,136,197 in prize money – which is the third-largest prize of this year’s WSOP.
………………….
VIACHESLAV ZHUKOV WINS POT-LIMIT OMAHA HIGH-LOW SPLIT TITLE (EVENT #58)
One of the most star-studded fields of the year turned up for the latest World Series of Poker tournament, which was the $3,000 Buy-In Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low Split Championship. The high-caliber four-day competition finally concluded today with the crowning of a new gold bracelet champion.
The winner was Viacheslav Zhukov, from Stary Oskol, Russia. He is a 23-year-old professional poker player. Zhukov became only the second Russian to ever win multiple WSOP gold bracelets. Vitaly Lunkin is the other Russian duel champ.
Zhukov’s first victory took place last year’s $10,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split event. At the time, he was only the fourth Russian in history to win a gold bracelet. But two other Russians won last year, bringing the total number to six. Now, he is in even more elite territory.
This was the 58th event (of 61) on this year’s WSOP schedule. The tournament attracted 526 entries.
………………..
KONSTANTIN PUCHKOV BREAKS FELLOW RUSSIAN NIKOLAY EVDAKOV’S RECORD FOR MOST WSOP CASHES IN A YEAR
Friday was huge day for Russian poker players. Just as Viacheslav Zhukov was earning his second gold bracelet victory, across the room, his comrade Konstantin Puchkov cashed for the 11th time at this year's WSOP. That plateau broke the all-rime record for most cashes in a single year at the WSOP. Fittingly, the old record (at ten) was held by another Russian, also from Moscow -- the late Nikolay Evdakov.
However, Puchkov isn’t finished yet. He may add to this record number, since about ten events remain (including 2012 WSOP Europe, which takes place in Cannes, France).
There’s also a chance that other players could catch Puchkov. Several players are sitting on the 8 and 9 mark – which is still within striking distance of the record.
.....................
Editors Note: This will be the final “WSOP Daily Shuffle” of this year’s series. This format will be replaced by official daily reports from each playing session, in addition to regular features and updates.
.......................
WSOP QUESTION OF THE DAY
Yesterday’s Question of the Day: All but one of the gold bracelets awarded in Las Vegas were handed out at the Binion’s Horseshoe or the Rio. Who is the one player who didn’t win his bracelet at one of these two venues?
Answer: San Barnhart. He won last year’s WSOP Circuit National Championship, which was an official gold bracelet event. The championship took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
....................
DAY 37: THE WSOP TODAY – SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
10:00 AM
Today’s first tournament is a $550 buy-in MEGA-SATELLITE to the WSOP Main Event.
12:00 PM
The $10,000 buy-in WSOP MAIN EVENT CHAMPIONSHIP (EVENT #61) begins with the play of Day One (Session A). Registration remains open (for this session) during the first four levels, and is expected to close at about 4:40 pm. This is the first of three sessions. Action takes place inside Amazon and possibly Brasilia. Event updates will be available on WSOP.com.
1:00 PM
EVENT #59, the massive $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event with 4,620 entrants, continues with Day Three. There are 51 players remaining. The Day 1 chip leader, Alex Cordero still leads the pack with 822,000. Action will take place in the Amazon Room. Chip counts of the Day Two survivors are available HERE.
The 2012 WSOP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP continues with Day Two. There are 39 players remaining. Brian Rast currently out front and chip leader. Chip counts of the Day Two survivors are available HERE.
The second WSOP Main Event MEGA SATELLITE begins. The buy-in is $1,060.
2:00 PM
EVENT #60, the $10,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Championship, continues with Day Three – including the final table. There are 10 players remaining from the starting field of 101. The current chip leader is Ashton Griffin. Action will take place in the Amazon Room, then move to the Pavilion Stage for the last live streaming final table of the summer. Chip counts from the end of the second day of play are available 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
There will be no gold bracelet ceremony today.
4:00 PM
The third MEGA-SATELLITE begins. The entry fee is $550
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.
8:00 PM
The fourth and final WSOP Main Event MEGA SATELLITE of the day begins. The buy-in is $2,080.
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.
.......................
* Please note that all listed times are estimates and subject to change
-- by Nolan Dalla