DAILY HEADLINES
Shattered! Biggest Weekend in Poker History! 4,128 on Friday, 2,811 on Saturday, 2,798 on Sunday – Three-Day Attendance Record Obliterated
A Third Tidal Wave – 2,795 Players Turn Out for Event #33
A Triple Play Today! Three Final Tables!
Seniors World Championship Extends to Fourth Day as Four Players Remain -- Dennis Phillips Enjoys Chip Lead
Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman Becomes Third Family Member this Week to Make a Final Table
Larry Wright Wins His First WSOP Victory -- Champion Pledges Majority of Winnings to Charity
Wright Defeats Stellar Final Table Lineup – Outlasts Michael Mizrachi, Brandon Cantu, Rep Porter and Erick Lindgren
22 of 29 Gold Bracelets Won By Americans – To Date
Early Winner "Angry John" Monnette Leads $10K HORSE -- 15 Remain
2010 World Champion Joe Cada Leads $1500 Buy-In No-Limit Hold’em -- 18 Remain
Yet Another Cash for Terrance Chan – Now Stands at 7 (Russian Evdakov’s Record of 10 Cashes in a Year in Danger)
BANG! BANG! BANG! WSOP ATTENDANCE RIGHT ON TARGET
Let’s do some quick math: 4,128 + 2,811 + 2,795 = 9,734
Oh well, just another nearly 10,000-player weekend.
Oh wait. It’s never happened before.
Never. As in – never in poker history.
If there’s any doubt the WSOP remains the most popular poker attraction in the history of the planet, take a look at the astronomical numbers for the last three days at the Rio.
Friday’s Seniors World Championship drew 4,128 players – the most in history for this event. It was also the biggest single-start day in poker history.
Saturday’s $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament drew 2,811 entrants – up 22 percent from the same event held the week before.
Sunday’s $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament attracted 2,795 players, right on par with the same buy-in event held earlier at this year’s WSOP, which was 2,799.
Then, there were the Deep-Stack tournaments, which broke all previous records this week at the WSOP. The non-gold bracelet events drew more than 4,000 players overall – including the largest turnout in the event's history on Sunday.
SENIORS CHAMPIONSHIP EXTENDS TO FOURTH DAY
Almost everyone saw this coming.
With a record-pulverizing 4,128 entrants, there was no way this monster-sized tournament was going to play out in just three days. On Sunday, the field size was trimmed down to the final four. Final table play resumes on Monday, starting at 11 am.
Among the final four are two-time Hoyt Corkins, who is aiming for a third victory. Also of note is Dennis Phillips, best known as one of the 2008 “November Nine” finalists. He's the current chip leader. Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman is still in too, with a shot to win her first gold bracelet. She is the third member of the Shulman Family this week to make it to a final table (husband Barry and step-son Jeff were the others). And then, there's Bob Phelps, who hopes to be the spoiler and win the biggest poker prize of his life.
The surviving players and exact chip counts can be seen here.
LARRY WRIGHT WINS GOLD BRACELET IN DEUCE-TO-SEVEN LOWBALL
Fact is, Doyle Brunson, Crandell Addington, T.J. Cloutier and all the other crusty and crafty Texans know Wright already. He’s been coming to the WSOP since the 1970s. He started playing Lowball at the old Stardust, and fondly recall the first time he sat down in such a game back in 1975.
The part-time poker player and retired businessman from McQueeney, TX – located near San Antonio -- triumphed in the Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball (No-Limit) tournament, which finished up Sunday night at the Rio.
Wright topped a stacked tournament field of 285 players, including many of the world’s top pros, en route to his first gold bracelet victory. He pocketed $101,975 in prize money. Despite the six-figure score (much of which will be donated to charity), the money was secondary to the validation bestowed by winning poker’s ultimate prize.
The tournament was played over a three-day period. The final table included a powerhouse lineup – including four former WSOP champions. Brandon Cantu, who finished runner up in this event, was shooting for what would have been a third gold bracelet. Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi (4th) and Rep Porter (6th) were in a similar state as two-time winners, but came up short. Erick Lindgren, another former champ, ended up in fifth place.
TERRENCE CHAN FAST APPROACHING YEARLY CASHES RECORD
Terrence Chan often gets teased about “not being Johnny Chan.” Sounds ridiculous. It’s a long story, worth telling and even more worth hearing. We’ll tell it late sometime –perhaps if The Great Terrence manages to break one of the more coveted WSOP records.
Chan, arguably the best Limit Hold’em player in the world never to win a gold bracelet (that’s another inside joke), is on a current pace to break one of the Holy Grails of WSOP recordom – which is the late Nikolay Evdakov’s high mark for most cashes at a single series. The Russian, who sadly passed away earlier this year, cashed ten times at the 2008 WSOP. It's a record that has been threatened a few times in recent years, but still remains intact.
Chan, from Vancouver, BC (Canada), picked up his seventh cash, taking 20th in the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Event #31 Sunday night. At the midpoint of this summer's schedule, Chan’s chances of making a serious run at the all-time record are quite good indeed, since nearly 30 events still remain. He needs three to tie and four to become the player with the most cashes at a single WSOP.
Oh and one more thing. If anyone is counting, Terraece is ahead of Johnny 7-0 in this year's “Chan Cash” race.
WSOP TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE DAY
Question: Name the $10,000 buy-in WSOP Main Event winners who won the World Championship in what was their very first time to play in any WSOP event. Hint: There are six.
Note: Answer coming in tomorrow’s “WSOP Daily Shuffle.”
Yesterday’s Question of the Day: Who holds the current record as the player that’s cashed the most consecutive years at the WSOP (which means cashing in at least one gold bracelet event every year)?
Answer: This one’s not even close. Berry Johnson has cashed at least once at every single WSOP held since 1982. With another in-the-money finish last week, he has now cashed in 30 straight series. Johnston won the 1986 World Championship and was also inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame. Aside from Johnston, the closest current streak belongs to Erik Seidel – now at 21 straight years.
DAY 23: THE WSOP TODAY – MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2012
9:00 AM
Today’s first tournament is a $75 buy-in TURBO MEGA-SATELLITE.
12:00 NOON
EVENT #29, the $1,000 buy-in SENIORS WORLD POKER CHAMPIONSHIP (NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM) tournament, continues with the play of Day Four. This tournament ran long due to the record field size. There are only four players remaining from the starting field of 4,128. The current chip leader is Dennis Phillips -- the famous 2008 "November Niner" and great ambassador for his home city of St. Louis. Action takes place inside Amazon, with the final table live streaming on the ESPN Main Stage. Updates from the final day of action are available HERE.
EVENT #34 is a $5,000 buy-in SIX-HANDED POT-LIMIT OMAHA tournament that begins with the play of Day One. Late registration will be available for this event up until about 4:40 pm.* Action takes place inside Brasilia. The Pavilion White and Black sections will be used for overflow. This is a three-day event.
EVENT #34 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 #34 can be viewed HERE.
1:00 PM
EVENT #31, the $1,500 buy-in NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM tournament continues with Day Three – including the final table. There are only 19 players remaining from the starting field of 2,811. The current chip leader is Joe Cada -- yes, that Joe Cada -- the 2010 World Champion. Action will take place inside Amazon. The list of survivors and chip counts is available HERE.
EVENT #33, the $1,000 buy-in NO-LIMIT HOLD’EM tournament continues with Day Two. There are 231 players remaining from the starting field of 2,795. The money bubble burst late on Day 1, whcih means all Day 2 survivors are guaranteed a payday. The current chip leader is Brad Libson. Action will take place inside Amazon. The list of survivors and chip counts is available HERE.
2:00 PM
EVENT #32, the $10,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tournament continues with Day Three – including the final table. There are 15 players remaining from the starting field of 178. The current chip leader is John Monnette, who hopes to capture his second victory this year, and third gold bracelet in two years. Action will take place inside Amazon. The list of survivors and chip counts 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
The official gold bracelet ceremony includes two recent winners – Timothy Adams (winner of Event #28) and Larry Wright (winner of Event #30). The Canadian anthem will be played first, followed by the U.S. anthem.
4:00 PM
The first MEGA-SATELLITE begins. The entry fee is $330
5:00 PM
EVENT #35 is a $2,500 buy-in MIXED HOLD’EM (LIMIT/NO-LIMIT) tournament that begins with the play of Day One. Late registration will be available for this event up until about 9:40 pm.* Action takes place inside Amazon. The Pavilion White and Black sections will be used for overflow. This is a three-day event.
EVENT #35 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 #35 can be viewed HERE.
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 second MEGA-SATELLITE of the day begins. The game is No-Limit Hold’em (Note: This event sometimes features other games – be sure and check the advance schedule). 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