BILLIRAKIS, BRUNSON & MOON HEADLINE DAY 1D ACTION: THINGS SHAPING UP WELL
Official Report
Event #57
Day 1-D
No-Limit Hold’em
World Championship
Buy-In:  $10,000
Number of Entries (1-D Only):  2,391    
Total Number of Entries: (1-A; 1-B; 1-C; 1-D):  7,319
Number of Survivors (All Days):  5,146
Total Net Prize Pool:  $68,798,600
Number of Places Paid:  747
First Place Prize:  $8,944,138
July 5th to November 9th, 2010

TOURNAMENT HEADLINES

2010 WSOP Main Event is Second-Biggest Event in Poker History
 
Day 1-D Complete
 
2010 World Series of Poker Main Event Championship Continues

Steve Billirakis is the Chip Leader at End of Day 1-D

Corwin Cole (Las Vegas, NV) is the Overall Chip Leader Entering Day Two

2,391 Players Enter Day 1-D

1,716 Players Survive the Day – 72 Percent of Field

Thursday’s Survivors Return on Saturday, July 10th for Day 2-B

Out of 7,319 Total Starters – 5,146 Dreams Remain Alive

Note:  For the tournament portal page for this event, including the day’s chip counts, click HERE.

OVERVIEW
 
The 2010 WSOP Main Event continued Thursday with the play and conclusion of Day 1-D.  This is the fourth and final starting day of this year’s world poker championship.

To no one’s surprise, this day attracted the largest field size, so far.  There were 2,391 entrants.  Contrast this with 4,928 combined players who entered Days A, B, and C.  With registration closed and four starting days now complete, 7,319 players entered the WSOP Main Event.

This is the second-largest live poker tournament in history.  Only the 2006 WSOP Main Event was larger, at 8,773 entrants.  The second largest live tournament had previously been the 2008 WSOP Main Event.  That year, there were 6,844 players.

Here are the five largest live poker tournaments in history:

2006 WSOP Main Event – 8,773 players
2010 WSOP Main Event – 7,319 players
2008 WSOP Main Event – 6,844 players
2009 WSOP Main Event – 6,494 players
2007 WSOP Main Event – 6,358 players
 
The end of Day 1-D chip leader was former gold bracelet winner Steve Billirakis.  He is best known for winning his WSOP victory at the age of 21, which at the time was the youngest gold bracelet winner in history.  The record set by Billirakis in 2007 was broken by Annette Obrestad when she won the WSOP Europe championship a few months following Billirakis' victory.

The cumulative Day One chip leader (all starting days combined) is Corwin Cole, from Las Vegas, NV.

The are 5,146 players still alive in the Main Event.  Play will continue on Day Two, which is divided into two playing sessions – designated as 2-A and 2-B.  Day 2-A is made up of the 1-A and 1-C survivors and will be played Friday, July 9th.  Day 2-B is made up of the 1-B and 1-D survivors and will be played Saturday, July 10th.

The Main Event continues through July 17th when the final table players will ultimately be determined, otherwise known as the “November Nine.”  

A Reminder:  Prior to the start of play on Day 1-B, organizers of “Put a Bad Beat on Cancer” were given a few minutes to make an important plea.  All Main Event participants have been asked to donate 1 percent of their WSOP winnings to cancer research.  To date, “Put a Bad Beat on Cancer” has raised more than $3.3 million since it was formed.  This is the ninth straight year this fine organization has worked with the WSOP.  In particular, the co-founders Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst, are to be commended for their selfless efforts on behalf of this important cause.  All proceeds from this go directly to the Nevada Cancer Institute, and all donations are 100 percent tax-deductible.

THE MAIN EVENT BEGINS (DAY 1-D)

The Main Event began with opening festivities for Day 1-D.  WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel recited the customary instructions and rules to all players.  Effel also thanked players, fans, and the entire staff at the WSOP.  Next, Effel introduced retired American pro football icon Emmitt Smith to the crowd, who performed the customary “Shuffle Up and Deal” announcement.  Smith had some fun being the honorary host.  When he was introduced as the winner of the “Dancing with the Stars” hit television show, Smith raised his arms into the air and did a ballerina twirl.  When it came time to Smith to utter the famous phrase, he said, “All right, let’s shuffle up and PLAY.”  The crowd groaned, and Smith realizing his mistake grabbed the microphone quickly and yelled, “I mean, let’s shuffle up and DEAL!”

During Emmitt Smith’s introduction, someone from the crowd yelled, “How ‘bout them Cowboys?’ the catchphrase made famous by former NFL head coach Jimmy Johnson when the Dallas Cowboys were Super Bowl champions.  Smith couldn’t resist the bait.  He paused in mid-sentence and replied, “That’s right!  How ‘bout them Cowboys?”  

The WSOP has featured a variety of celebrities, politicians, and poker champions over the years who have performed the customary “Shuffle Up and Deal” announcement.  This was the first time a pro football player has done the honors.
 
This is the fifth consecutive year the WSOP has been guided by Tournament Director Jack Effel.  He assumed the top floor position in 2006 and has now overseen operations for the five largest live poker tournaments in history.  In fact, Effel has now overseen more WSOP events than any Tournament Director in the 41-year history of the tournament.

The day officially began with cards in the air at 12:10 pm.

The total number of players who participated on Day 1-D was 2,391.

There were 1,125 players who participated on Day 1-A.  Day 1-B had 1,489 players.  Day 1-C had 2,314 players.  Day 1-D had 2,391 players.  This means 7,319 players participated in this year’s Main Event.

TOURNAMENT PLAYERS

Former world champions who participated on this day included:  Doyle Brunson (1976/1977), Chris “Jesus” Ferguson (2000), Robert Varkonyi (2002), and Joe Hachem (2005)

Doyle Brunson enjoyed one of his best first day in years.  The poker legend had not managed to survive past the first day in recent years, but Brunson appears positioned to make things interesting as he enters Day Two with an above-average stack size of 52,426.  He finishes the day in the top third of the field.

Robert Varkonyi too, enjoyed a good day.  He currently stands with an average-sized stack.  His wife, Olga Varkonyi was eliminated, however.

Joe Hachem was not as fortunate.  The first Australian poker champion in history was eliminated during the middle of Day One.  The runner up in 2005 when Hachem won was Steve Dannenmann, who also went bust.

Notable non-pros who played on Day 1-D included:

Emmitt Smith (retired pro football star – Dallas Cowboys)
Shannon Elizabeth (actress – American Pie)
Trishelle Cannatella (actress – Real World-Las Vegas)
Hank Azaria (actor – The Simpsons)
Jason Alexander (actor – Seinfeld)
Bruce Buffer (announcer -- UFC)

Poker Hall of Fame members who played on Day 1-D included:

Doyle Brunson
Lyle Berman

Lyle Berman, a three-time former gold bracelet winner, also known for his work as a casino owner and executive played on this day, and survived.  However, Berman has only 17,550 and will need to make a move on Day Two to continue hopes for a deep run in the Main Event.

The ESPN Main Stage hosts the feature table.  The star of Day 1-D was last year’s runner up in the Main Event – Maryland lumberjack Darvin Moon.  

The ESPN Secondary Stage often attracts a large crowd or spectators, as well.  This was certainly the case on this day as poker legend and two-time world champion Doyle Brunson played on the secondary stage.  Brunson wore his trademark cowboy hat most of the day.

Jack Ury, from Terre Haute, IN made it back for another year at the WSOP.  This was his fourth straight year to play at the WSOP.  What makes Ury’s return special?  He is now 97-years-old and is the oldest player ever to play in any WSOP Main Event.

Current Status of Former WSOP Main Event Champions:

1975/1976:  Doyle Brunson -- Survived Day 1-D
1978:  Bobby “the Owl” Baldwin -- Survived Day 1-A  
1983:  Tom McEvoy – Survived Day 1-C
1986:  Berry Johnston – Survived Day 1-A
1987/1988:  Johnny Chan – Survived Day 1-C (among chip leaders)
1989:  Phil Hellmuth – Eliminated Day 1-C
1993:  Jim Bechtel – Survived Day 1-C
1995:  Dan Harrington – Survived Day 1-A
1996:  Huck Seed – Eliminated Day 1-C
1998:  Scotty Nguyen – Survived Day 1-C
2001:  Carlos Mortensen – Survived Day 1-C (very low on chips)
2002:  Robert Varkonyi – Survived Day 1-D
2003:  Chris Moneymaker – Survived Day 1-A (among chip leaders)
2004:  Greg “Fossilman” Raymer – Eliminated Day 1-A
2005:  Joe Hachem – Eliminated Day 1-D
2006:  Jamie Gold – Eliminated Day 1-B
2007:  Jerry Yang – Eliminated Day 1-C   
2009:  Joe Cada – Survived Day 1-C

Current Status of Last Year’s November Nine:

Joe Cada – Survived Day 1-C
Darvin Moon – Survived Day 1-D
Antoine Saout – Survived Day 1-D
Eric Buchman – Survived Day 1-D
Jeff Shulman – Survived Day 1-D
Steven Begleiter – Eliminated on Day 1-C
Phil Ivey – Survived Day 1-D
Kevin Schaffel – Eliminated on Day 1-B
James Akenhead – Survived Day 1-A

Eric Buchman is in the best chip position of last year's finalists.  However, Darvin Moon is also nursing a healthy stack size and sits in the upper third of the field.

Current Status of former WSOP “Players of the Year”:

Daniel Negreanu – Survived Day 1-C
Allen Cunningham – Survived Day 1-D
Jeff Madsen – Eliminated on Day 1-C
Tom Schneider – Survived Day 1-B
Erick Lindgren – Eliminated on Day 1-B
Jeffrey Lisandro – Eliminated on Day 1-D

Current Status of Non-Poker Celebrities:

Ray Romano – Eliminated on Day 1-A
Rene Angelil – Survived Day 1-A
Orel Hershiser – Survived Day 1-B
Shanna Moakler – Eliminated on Day 1-C  
J-Kwon, a.k.a. Jay Kwon – Eliminated on Day 1-C
Scott Ian – Eliminated on Day 1-C
Anthony Rapp – Eliminated on Day 1-C
Shane Warne – Survived Day 1-C
Emmitt Smith – Eliminated Day 1-D
Jason Alexander -- Survived Day 1-D
Bruce Buffer -- Survived Day 1-D

Emmitt Smith joins former star athletes who have played the WSOP previously in recent years – including Lennox Lewis (boxing), Jose Canseco (baseball), Shannon Sharpe (football), Antonio Tarver (boxing), Paul Azinger (golf), Jordan Farmer (basketball), Shawn Marion (basketball) and many others.  Smith is best known as a former NFL MVP and three-time Super Bowl champion.  He is the NFL’s all-time leading career rusher.  Next month, Smith will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  Smith was eliminated about three hours into play on Day 1-D.

Husbands/Wives Who Entered the Main Event:

Chip Jett/Karina Jett
Harry Thomas/Jerri Thomas
Dr. Max Stern/Maria Stern
Robert Varkonyi/Olga Varkonyi

Defending world champion Joe Cada played Day 1-C, and enjoyed a strong performance.  Admittedly, Cada did not perform well in the pre-Main Event tournaments, failing to cash so far this year.  But Cada appears to have turned his momentum around for a strong run in the Main Event.  He is currently ranked in the top 20 percent of the field.

THE TOURNAMENT

All players began the tournament with 30,000 in chips.

Tables began ten-handed.  The reason play was ten-handed instead of nine-handed was primarily to be able to accommodate a large number of registrants if need be.

This is the second year players were given triple the number of starting chips.  By contrast, all WSOP Main Events played from 1971 through 2005 gave players 10,000 in starting chips.  In years 2006-2008, players began with 20,000 in chips.  

Day 1-D played four-and-a-half levels.  Each level is 2 hours long.  Play ended at 11:55 pm.

The average stack size is currently about 39,000 in chips.

Day 1-D ended with 1,716 players.  This means 72 percent of starters survived the first day.

With this day now complete, there are 5,146 total players are still alive in the Main Event.

Players who survived Day 1-D will return to continue their quest for the 2010 world poker championship on Saturday, July 10th, at 12 noon.  The number of 2-B players will be 2,734.  A total of 2,412 players will take to the felt on Friday (2-A).

LEADERBOARD

This chip leader from this day is Steve Billirakis, from Bourbonnais, IL.  He is best known for winning his WSOP victory at the age of 21, which at the time was the youngest gold bracelet winner in history.  The record set by Billirakis in 2007 was broken by Annette Obrestad when she won the WSOP Europe championship a few months following Billirakis' victory.  Billirakis won the $5,000 Mixed Hold'em event, which was televised on ESPN.  Billirakis' chip count stands at 187,150.

This chip leader (from Wednesday) was Mathieu Sauriol, from Laval, Quebec (Canada) with 169,900.

The chip leader (from Tuesday) was James Danielson, from LaPlata, MD with 201,050.

The chip leader (from Monday) was Corwin Cole, from Las Vegas, NV – with 228,200 in his stack.  This means Cole remains the tournament chip leader.

Ranking second in chips from Day 1-D is Khamsy Nuanmanee.

Former gold bracelet winner David Benyamine enjoyed a very strong day, finishing in the top 20.  He appears primed to make his best run ever in the Main Event.

Aaron Kanter, who finished fourth in the 2005 Main Event (won by Joe Hachem) played on this day and finished in the top 50.

Two-time gold bracelet winner and 2004 Main Event finalist Josh Arieh played on this day and ended up ranked among the top 50.

Phil Gordon played on this day.  He won the 2010 Ante Up for Africa charity tournament and donated the entire sum of his winnings ($129,086) to assist relief efforts for the crisis in Darfur.  Unfortunately, Gordon endured another disappointing run the in Main Event and was eliminated from play.

Frank Kassela, the only player to win multiple gold bracelets this year, played on this day.  He had another impressive performance, finishing in the top 120.  Kassela is playing as well as anyone in the game at the moment and is certainly a player to watch over the coming days.

EIght-time gold bracelet winner Phil Ivey played on this day.  He endured a relatively unremarkable 12 hours of play, ending the day with a slightly below average stack.

Archie Karas, famous for making one of the most incredible (and documented) roller-coaster rides in gambling history, played on this day.  Nearly 20 years ago, he ran $50 up to a sum of over $40 million playing blackjack, craps, and poker over a two-year period.  Karas’ run was so fortuitous that he even defeated late poker greats Stu Ungar and Chip Reese in a series of heads-up matches.  Karras has since gone broke (more than a few times) but has still managed to play in the Main Event most of the past two decades.  Karas ended up going out late in the day.

Wendeen Eolis, from New York, NY played on this day but was eliminated.  Eolis was the first woman ever to cash in the WSOP Main Event, which occurred in 1986.

Based on WSOP figures during the mega-era (2003 to present), the Day One chip leader has a slightly less than even chance of cashing in the Main Event.  Since 2003, there have been 23 Day One chip leaders.  The number of chip leaders is higher than number of years, due to multiple starting days.  Of the 23 Day One chip leaders during this period, only 11 finished in the money (48 percent).   Twelve players were eliminated short of the money.

Only a few Day One chip leaders ended up winning the Main Event.  This happened last year, when Joe Cada was the chip leader after Day 1-C.

Based on WSOP figures during the mega-era (2003 to present), the 9/19 Day One chip leaders who cashed finished as follows:

2003 – Barry Greenstein finished 49th
2004 – Chuck Agnew finished 82nd
2005 – Lee Watkinson finished 45th
2005 – Sammy Farha finished 316th
2007 – Josh Evans finished 76th
2007 – Tinten Olivier finished 223rd
2007 – Jeff Norman finished 500th
2008 – Steve Austin finished 552nd
2008 – Henning Granstad finished 553rd
2009 – Redmond Lee finished 444th
2009 – Joe Cada finished 1st

ODDS AND ENDS

This is the 57th and final event on the 2010 WSOP schedule which is played in Las Vegas.  Five more gold bracelet events will take place in London, England at the Empire Casino, to be held in September 14 through 28th as part of the 4th Annual World Series of Poker Europe.    

This marks the sixth consecutive year the WSOP has been held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & 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 Harrah’s 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.

During the mega-era, the eventual WSOP champions and their chip positions at the conclusion of Day One were:

2003 – Chris Moneymaker, 60,475 in chips (ranked 11th)*
2004 – Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, 74,400 in chips (ranked 7th)
2005 – Joe Hachem, 67,350 in chips (not in top 25)
2006 – Jamie Gold, 100,125 in chips (ranked 23rd)
2007 – Jerry Yang, 99,700 in chips (not in top 25)
2008 – Peter Eastgate, 62,325 in chips (not in top 25)
2009 – Joe Cada 187,225 in chips (ranked 1st)

*NOTE:  2003-2005 started with 10,000 in chips.  2006-2008 started with 20,000 in chips.  2009 starts with 30,000 in chips.

The total number of females who participated in this year’s Main Event was 216.  This figure represents about 3 percent of the field.

The number of females who played in the Main Event Day 1-D was 84.

The number of females who played in the Main Event Day 1-C was 67.  

The number of females who played the Main Event Day 1-B was 39.

The number of females who played Main Event Day 1-A was 26.

The oldest player to enter this year’s tournament was Jack Ury, age 97.  Date of birth:  March 22, 1913 (He survived and is playing on Day Two).

The youngest player to enter this year’s tournament was John May, age 21, plus 1 day.  Date of birth:  July 7, 1989 (He survived and is playing on Day Two).

Given the large amount of floor space and hundreds of poker tables at the Rio, some areas are warmer and cooler than others.  One table was quite chilly due to a draft from the air conditioning unit, blasting cold air into the cavernous room.  While the temperature outside soared to 105 degrees, a few players were uncomfortable due to the draft.  One of the players, Aaron Massey, a 26-year-old poker pro from Chicago, IL phone the hotel concierge and had ten sets of Snuggies delivered to the tournament table.  Snuggies are blanket-like coverings normally used by couch potatoes in the wintertime.  All ten players put on a Snuggie, which made for one of the most bizarre scenes ever seen at the WSOP.

One incredible story came from Steve Sanders, who played on this day.  Last year, Sanders went deep in the Main Event, finishing 54th.  Sanders was busted by Dennis Phillips (who final tabled the 2008 Main Event, finishing third).  Sanders was disappointed and left the building a few minutes after being paid.  Sanders then felt pain in his chest and decided to take the precautionary step of going to a nearby emergency room.  When he checked in at the hospital, doctors discovered a severe condition that required immediate surgery.  The gist of the story is that had Sanders not lost the hand against Phillips and continued to play in the tournament, he quite likely would have suffered a life-threatening rupture of a blood vessel.  As it turned out, Sanders received treatment and his health returned to near-normal.  He approached Phillips at this year’s WSOP and told him that the elimination last year actually ended up saving his life.  Whatever the reverse of a bad beat story is, it most certainly applies to Steve Sanders.  He played on this day and made the cut to continue on Day Two.

One of the most profound influences on poker’s growth and development in America was World War II.  Soldiers on both fronts often played poker during the down time between fighting in battle.  Sadly, fewer and fewer WW II veterans are still with us.  Those who remain with us deserve special acknowledgement.  One player who played in this year’s Main Event on Day 1-D was Bill Wachter, who served in the South Pacific.  Wachter survived the day and will continue play on Day Two.

The most dominant Day One Main Event performance in history was by three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner John Bonetti, who passed away three years ago.  Bonetti finished the first day of the 1993 Main Event with 500,000 in chips (the figure is an estimate, since there was no Internet coverage, nor accurate records available from that year).  Since there were 231 players registered, he had a staggering 22 percent of the total chips in play.  Bonetti went on to finished third that year, as Jim Bechtel won the championship.

This is the 885th gold bracelet event in World Series of Poker history.  Note:  This figure includes every official WSOP event played, including tournaments during the early years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded.  It also includes the 11 gold bracelets awarded to date at WSOP Europe.

In the 41-year history of the WSOP, the total combined amount of prize money that has been awarded amounts to $1,228,375,121.

The total number of entrants in the WSOP Main Event (all years combined) is 50,756.

The WSOP title sponsor the last two years has been Jack Link’s Beef Jerky.  As part of a fun promotion, Jack Links gives away large quantities of their product to Main Event players who make big hands.  This year’s key hand is four jacks.  About six hours into play on Day 1-B Brian Kim was the first to hit the magical hand – making four jacks with one hook in his hand to go along with the three on board.  30 players have made the hand in the first four days.

PLAYING DAY A, B, C, or D – DOES IT MATTER?

Does picking one starting day over another matter when it comes to cashing in the Main Event?  The numbers make a convincing case that answer is “no.”

For 2009:

Day 1-A…..121 cashes out of 1,116 entrants -- 10.84%
Day 1-B…..84 cashes out of 873 entrants -- 9.62%
Day 1-C…..162 cashes out of 1696 entrants -- 9.55%
Day 1-D…..281 cashes out of 2809 entrants -- 10.00%
 
For 2008:

Day 1-A…..122 cashes out of 1299 entries -- 9.39%
Day 1-B…..117 cashes out of 1158 entries -- 10.1%
Day 1-C…..187 cashes out of 1936 entries -- 9.66%
Day 1-D…..240 cashes out of 2461 entries -- 9.75%

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
7 – Bobby Baldwin
7 – Humberto Brenes
7 – Doyle Brunson
7 – Jay Heimowitz
7 – Phil Hellmuth
7 – Mike Sexton
6 – John Bonetti
6 – Johnny Moss
6 – Jason Lester
6 – Steve Lott
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

37 – Howard “Tahoe” Andrew (1974 to present)

Most Main Events Played (Career)

38 – Doyle Brunson (did not play 1999 through 2001)

2010 WSOP STATISTICS (THROUGH EVENT 56)

Tournament attendance is up significantly from last year when there were 60,875 entries (then, a record).  This year, there were 72,966 total entries -- an increase of 20 percent.  Hence, this is the biggest WSOP of all time, measured by total participation.  

Prize money increased from 2008, when the total money awarded was a record $180,774,427.  This year, the total amount of prize money awarded was $187,109,850 – an increase of 3.5 percent.

This year, there were 57 gold bracelet events – which is the same number as last year.

Through the conclusion of Event #56, the nationalities of gold bracelet winners have been:

United States (38)
Great Britain (5)
Canada (5)
Hungary (2)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Russia (1)
Norway (1)
Holland (1)
Israel (1)

Through the conclusion of Event #56, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:

United States (31)
Great Britain (5)
Canada (5)
Vietnam (2)
China (2)
Hungary (2)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Lebanon (1)
Russia (1)
Mexico (1)
Bangladesh (1)
Norway (1)
Holland (1)
Israel (1)

Through the conclusion of Event #56, the breakdown of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:

Professional Players (39): Michael Chow, Michael Mizrachi, Praz Bansi, Josh Tieman, Peter Gelencser, James Dempsey, Men “the Master” Nguyen, Matt Matros, Yan R. Chen, Steve Gee, Carter Phillips, Jason DeWitt; Eric Buchman, David Baker, Richard Ashby, Dutch Boyd, Sammy Farha, David Warga, Will Haydon, Matt Keikoan, Mike Ellis, Luis Velador, Ayaz Mahmood, Phil Ivey, Luigi Kwaysser, Scott Montgomery, Steven Kelly, Steve Jelinek, Dean Hamrick, Ian Gordon, Gavin Smith, Jesse Rockowitz, Chris Bell, Shawn Busse, Sigurd Eskeland, Chance Kornuth, Ryan Welch, Brendan Taylor, Daniel Alaei

Semi-Pros (8): Frank Kassela, Tex Barch, Miguel Proulx, Jeffrey Papola, Frank Kassela, Mike Linn, Dan Kelly, Tomer Berda

Amateurs (9): Duc Pham, Aadam Daya, Pascal LeFrancois, Simon Watt, Vanessa Hellebuyck, Jeff Tebben, Konstantin Puchkov, Harold Angle, Marcel Vonk

Through the conclusion of Event #56, here is the list of repeat WSOP gold bracelet winners:

Praz Bansi
Men “the Master” Nguyen
Russ “Dutch” Boyd
Sammy Farha
David Warga (* his first WSOP win was in a non-open event)
Matt Keikoan
Luis Velador
Phil Ivey
Frank Kassela (two wins this year)
Daniel Alaei

Through the conclusion of 2010 World Series of Poker -- Event #56:

Youngest Winner – Steven Kelly (21), Dan Kelly (21)
Oldest Winner – Harold Angle (78)
Female Winners (open events) – None
Multiple-Event Winners (this year) – Frank Kassela