Meet the 2011
November Nine!
World
Championship Includes – Bou-Nahra, Collins, Giannetti, Heinz, Holden, Lamb,
Makiievskyi, O’Dea and Staszko,
Poker’s
United Nations – Final Table is the Most International in WSOP History
Seven
Different Nations Represented Amongst 2011 November Nine
Martin
Staszko Enters the Finale with the Chip Lead
Czech Poker
Pro Holds Biggest Stack, with Irish Pro Eoghan O’Dea in Second Place
Ben Lamb
Leads 2011 “WSOP Player of the Year” Race
Last Day of
WSOP Summer – Main Event Final Table Comes Next, November 5th to 7th
OVERVIEW
Writer’s Note: The accompanying photo shows the official
2011 World Series of Poker’s “November Nine.”
The players shown are (left to right): Badih “Bob” Bou-Nahra (Belize City, Belize),
Phil Collins (Las Vegas, NV), Matt Giannetti (Las Vegas, NV), Pius Heinz (Cologne,
Germany), Sam Holden (Sussex, UK), Ben Lamb (Tulsa, OK), Anton Makiievskyi
(Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine), Eoghan O’Dea (Dublin, Ireland) and Martin Staszko
(Trinec, Czech Republic).
Las Vegas,
NV (July 20 -- 2:00 PST) – What started as the third-largest live poker
tournament in history is now down to the final nine players at the 2011 World
Series of Poker. Nearly two weeks and
more than half a million hands after the $10,000 buy-in Main Event Championship
initially began, the famed “November Nine” players have finally been
determined.
The decisive moment came when Eoghan O’Dea eliminated John Hewitt (San
Jose, Costa Rica), who ended up as the tenth-place finisher. The final hand was dealt at 2:10 am, eliciting
frustration for Hewitt’s many supporters, while igniting an outburst of screams
and cheers from more than a thousand spectators, including the family and
friends of those who are about to step into the brightest spotlight of their
lives.
No doubt, this final table becomes the most international collection of
any Main Event final table in the 42-year-history of the WSOP. In fact, it’s quite likely the most
cosmopolitan of any poker event ever held in North America. Players from seven different countries will
be represented in the finale. Four
nations – Belize, Czech Republic, Germany and Ukraine have a finalist in
poker’s world championship for the first time.
This year’s November Nine finalists are as follows:
Seat 1: Matt Giannetti (Las Vegas,
NV) – 24,750,000 in chips
Seat 2: Badih Bou-Nahra (Belize
City, Belize) – 19,700,000 in chips
Seat 3: Eoghan O’Dea (Dublin,
Ireland) – 33,925,000 in chips
Seat 4: Phil Collins (Las Vegas,
NV) – 23,875,000 in chips
Seat 5: Anton Makiievskyi (Dnipropetrovsk,
Ukraine) – 13,825,000 in chips
Seat 6: Sam Holden (Sussex, UK) –
12,375,000 in chips
Seat 7: Pius Heinz (Cologne,
Germany) – 16,425,000 in chips
Seat 8: Ben Lamb (Tulsa, OK) –
20,875,000 in chips
Seat 9: Martin Staszko (Trinec,
Czech Republic) – 40,175,000 in chips
Next, the tournament
takes a 108-day recess. In the meantime,
each of the nine finalists will return to their homes and families. Undoubtedly, each is likely to become a local
celebrity. Players will have more than
three months to enjoy and savor a rare experience which can best be described
as every poker’s players dream come true.
The final table will be played November 5-7, 2011 at the Rio in Las
Vegas.
Each of the
players who made it this far are now guaranteed $782,115 in prize money. In fact, eight of the top nine finishers will
become millionaires. But none of the
November Nine players will be content with a ninth-place finish at this point.
Indeed, this
WSOP Main Event winner achieves instant fame, fortune and immortality. He
will collect a whopping $8,711,956 in prize money. The winner will also
be presented with the game's most coveted prize -- the custom-designed WSOP
gold and diamond bracelet. He will also be universally acknowledged as
the reigning world poker champion.
A
complete list of players who finished in the money can be seen HERE.
The Main Event, also known as
poker’s world championship started on July 7th. There were 85 different nations represented
in the huge field. It took eight playing
days – and nearly72 hours – to carve the starters down to nine survivors.
Regardless of what happens in
November and whoever is crowned the 2011 world poker champion, one thing is for
certain. The first week of November promises
to be a thrilling conclusion to what has been a record-smashing 2011 WSOP.
RESULTS, LIVE UPDATES, and CHIP COUNTS for all remaining players can be seen
at WSOP.com.
MEET THE 2011 NOVEMBER NINE!
When the
final playing session comes in November, the nine finalists will seats in the
biggest game of their lives. At stake is
the 2011 world poker championship.
Here’s a brief look at this year’s November Nine:
Seat
1: Matt Giannetti (Las Vegas, NV) –
24,750,000 in chips
Giannetti is
a 26-year-old poker pro from Las Vegas.
Prior to playing full time, Giannetti attended the University of
Texas. He was short-stacked during much
of the later stages of Day Eight, but managed to survive a number of all-ins
and comes to the final table right in the top three (third of nine players)
Seat
2: Badih Bou-Nahra (Belize City, Belize)
– 19,700,000 in chips
Bou-Nahra becomes the first player from Belize ever to make it to the
Main Event final table. He is a
49-year-old businessman. Bou-Nahra was
actually born in Lebanon, but is proud to now call Belize City his home. Bou-Nahra was very low on chips on Day Six,
but ran well late and survived. Now, he
has an average-size stack.
Seat
3: Eoghan O’Dea (Dublin, Ireland) – 33,925,000
in chips
O’Dea is a
26-year-old poker pro. This is his fifth
WSOP cash, four of which have taken place this year. He has cashed in several major tournaments,
mostly in Europe. He is the son of
famous Irish poker player and gambler Donnacha O’Dea, who won a WSOP gold
bracelet in 1998. O’Dea was second in
chips when Day Eight began. He remains
second in chips.
Seat
4: Phil Collins (Las Vegas, NV) –
23,875,000 in chips
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 few days.
Seat
5: Anton Makiievskyi
(Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine) – 13,825,000 in chips
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. This marks the
first time a Ukrainian player has ever appeared at the Main Event final table. He is one of the lowest two stacks, but is
not in serious danger of busting soon because he has several rounds of blinds
and antes.
Seat
6: Sam Holden (Sussex, UK) – 12,375,000
in chips
Holden is a
22-year-old professional poker player.
He is playing in his first WSOP this year. He holds the lowest stack, but (like
Makiievskyi) is not in serious danger of busting soon because he has enough
chips to make it through several rounds of blinds and antes.
Seat
7: Pius Heinz (Cologne, Germany) –
16,425,000 in chips
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. He becomes the first player from Germany ever
to make it the Main Event finale. He’s
seventh in chips at the moment.
Seat
8: Ben Lamb (Tulsa, OK) – 20,875,000 in
chips
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 has now made the final table in
the Main Event. He currently ranks fifth
in chips. Lamb is playing as well as, if
not better than, any player in the world at the moment.
Seat 9: Martin Staszko (Trinec, Czech Republic) –
40,175,000 in chips
Staszko is a
35-year-old professional poker player.
He becomes the first player ever from the Czech Republic to make it to
the Main Event final table. He will
resume play at the chip leader when the November Nine begins.
Note:
the proper spelling of the player in seat five’s name is -- Anton
Makiievskyi. His name has been spelled
in many different ways. But this is the
spelling according to official records.
The chip
leader entering the finale is Martin Staszko, from the Czech Republic. He will resume play with 40,175,000 in
chips. Chip leaders are 1 for 2 (wins) the
last two years – with a first and a second-place finish. Here’s a comparison with the previous chip
leaders entering the finale since the Main Event incorporated a 30,000-starting
stack concept:
2009 – Darvin
Moon (58,930,000 in chips)
2010 – Jonathan
Duhamel (65,975,000 in chips)
The remaining
players are ages – 26, 49, 26, 26, 21, 22, 22, 26 and 35. The average age of players remaining is 28.1 years.
The oldest
player still remaining is Badih Bou-Nahra – at 49-years-old.
The youngest
player still remaining is Anton Makiievskyi – at 21-years-old, who has a chance
to become the youngest champion in the WSOP’s 42-year history in the Main Event.
Note:
A more thorough profile of each player will be posted to WSOP.com in the
coming days. An interview with each
player will also be available.
THE UNLUCKY 13 – HOW THEY BUSTED OUT
Day Eight
began with 22 players. Play ended with
nine survivors. Here’s how the unlucky
13 players were eliminated from the Main Event:
22nd Place – Lars Bonding
(Las Vegas, NV -- USA) went
out about 20 minutes into Day Eight. He
went bust holding pocket aces, which lost to pocket fours after a four flopped
– good for a set. Bonding is a
31-year-old professional poker player, originally from Denmark. He is married and has two children. He is mostly an online player, but is playing
much more live poker in recent months.
Bonding is also a serious backgammon and former champion. Bonding collected $302,005 in prize money.
21st Place – Chris Moore
(Willowick, OH -- USA)
was eliminated about 35 minutes into play.
He was dealt a big hand, but got very unlucky. Moore was all-in with pocket kings, which got
clipped by Ace-Ten after an ace flopped – good for a higher pair. Moore ended up with $302,005 in earnings for
a fine effort. He is a 28-year-old poker
pro and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
20th Place – Gionni Demers
(Jackson, NJ -- USA),
a 23-year-old professional poker player, went out in 20th
place. On what turned out to be his
final hand, he made a button all-in shove with Ace-5, hoping to steal a round
of blinds and antes. Unfortunately, his
timing could not have been worse. His
opponent picked up pocket kings in the big blind and ended up busting out Demers. He collected a nice consolation prize
amounting to $302,005.
19th Place – Aleksandr Mozhnyakov
(Himki -- RUSSIA) had
been near the top of the leaderboard for three days. But he went card dead late on Day Seven and failed
to rebound on Day Eight. Mozhnyakov was
eliminated when he shoved what remained of his stack holding King-Queen suited,
which ended up losing to an ace-high. He
collected $302,005 in prize money.
Mozhnyakov is a 25-year old lawyer, who recently graduated from law
school.
18th Place – Kenny Shih (Taipei
-- TAIWAN) exited the
final table about 90 minutes into play.
He lost a race on what became his final hand. Shih moved all-in holding pocket eights,
which got crunched by a club flush. Shih
is originally from Taiwan. But he now
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 which was to be used to play in a few tournaments. He won a small tournament held at another
casino and decided to use that prize money to play in the Main Event for the
first time ever. That turned out to be a
very lucrative decision as he ended up with $378,796 in prize money.
17th Place – Sam Barnhart (Little
Rock, AR -- USA) came
into Day Eight ranked in the bottom third of the chip count. He managed to double up once, but then
suffered some misfortune when he moved all-in holding pocket nines, which ran into
pocket kings. The two cowboys held up,
leaving Barnhart with $378,796 and some wonderful WSOP memories. Barnhart is a 50-year-old data analyst for a
software specialist. He won the
first-ever WSOP Circuit National Championship held this past May, which earned
him his first WSOP gold bracelet. Barnhart
enjoyed a huge year -- with a WSOP Circuit win in Tunica, MS, a national
championship, a gold bracelet and a deep run in the Main Event.
16th Place – Ryan Lenaghan
(New Orleans, LA -- USA) had
the chip lead at the end of Day Six. It
appeared he would be a favorite to make the November Nine, but then disaster
struck towards the end of Day Seven when his stack was cut in half. By the third hour of Day Eight, Lenaghan was
one of the shortest stacks. He moved
all-in with Ace-8 suited, but was snapped called by Ace-Queen suited, which
left him in serious trouble. The Ace-Queen
made a flush, which was overkill to Lenaghan’s hopes of doubling up. He exited in 16th place, which
paid $378,796. Lenaghan is originally
from Mobile, AL. He now lives in New
Orleans. Lenaghan is a graduate of LSU
(general studies), where he also starred on the track team. 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.
15th Place – Andrey
Pateychuk (Moscow -- RUSSIA) decided
he had to take a coin flip for all his chips when he was dealt Ace-Queen
suited, which was tested by pocket jacks.
Pateychuk missed all his draws and ended up in 15th place,
which paid $478,174. Pateychuk is a 21-year-old college
student and part-time poker player. He
was born in Vladivostok, Russia. He was
the youngest player in the tournament when there were 100 players
remaining. He will clearly be a player
to watch at the WSOP in coming years.
14th Place – Scott
Schwalich (West Carrollton, OH -- USA)
played great poker but lost a late hand against Bryan Devonshire in the fourth
hour of Day Eight, and then went out a few hands later. Schwalich’s disastrous hand took place when
he shoved all-in holding Ace-5 suited, which was called by Devonshire holding
pocket tens. The paid held up, which put
Schwalich on life support. He went out
three hands later. Schwalich is a
24-year-old professional poker player who was mostly an online player and is
now playing more live poker. He
collected $478,174 in prize money.
13th Place – Konstantinos
Mamaliadis (Durban – SOUTH AFRICA)
was never able to establish any momentum during the final stages of the closing
days. He played remarkably well
considering he had few double-up opportunities.
He finally went out in 13th place, which paid $478,174. Mamaliadis is a 34-year-old shipping
professional. He nearly became the
second final table player in history from the continent of Africa -- after
fellow countryman Raymond Rahme made the first such appearance in 2007.
12th Place – Bryan
Devonshire (Henderson, NV – USA) endured a roller coaster day. But he ultimately went out after taking a major
hit to his chip stack, which left him as the lowest player in chips. On “Devo’s” final hand he was dealt King-Queen. When his pre-flop raise was called by Eoghan
O’Dea, Devonshire knew he was in trouble.
He was up against Ace-Queen. Both
players caught a queen, but Devonshire’s kicker problem was his doom. He ended up collecting $607,882. 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 more than $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.
11th Place – Khoa
Nguyen (Calgary, Alberta – CANADA) hovered around the bottom of the chip
rankings much of the day, but still managed to move way up the prize money
ladder. He finally went out when his
pocket tens were no match to the pocket Kings held by Staszko and the board
didn’t improve things. Nguyen is a
29-year-old poker pro and businessman.
He plays both live and online. He
has a college degree in electrical engineering.
Eleventh place paid $607,882 in prize money.
10th Place – John Hewitt (San Jose – COSTA RICA)
was low on chips and decided to shove hoping to either steal a round of blinds
and antes, or perhaps double up. He
moved all-in with pocket 3s. Eoghan
O’Dea had plenty of chips and made the call with King-Jack. The big cards managed to connect with an
ace-high straight, which was the last WSOP hand of the summer played in Las
Vegas. Hewitt collected $607,882 as the
unfortunate November Nine bubble finisher.
ESPN COVERAGE
ESPN conducted 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 more than doubled in size
and scope, including – for the first time in history – comprehensive
daily/nightly overage of the majority of the Main Event.
For the first
time ever, the WSOP enjoyed semi-live coverage on ESPN (with 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 as has been the customary ritual, an additional 34 hours of
semi-live coverage has aired, which means players and fans were exposed to more
poker played than ever before. Content was spread across ESPN, ESPN2
and ESPN3.com. WSOP.com streamed
ESPN3.com content in those countries/territories not served by ESPN.
TOURNAMENT PLAY
Play on Day
Eight started at 12:05 p.m. Play ended
about 2:10 am. The day included a
two-hour dinner break. Players were also
given an unscheduled 70-minute break between 3:20 and 4:30 pm. The unusual playing schedule (unscheduled
breaks and longer dinner time) was implemented in order to accommodate the
strict time windows for ESPN’s live television coverage.
The last
three tournament days played very fast in comparison to recent years, which
lasted considerably longer. Day Six
started with 148 entries and ended with 57 players (8 total hours of play). Day Seven started with 57 players and ended
with 22 (10 total hours of player). Day
Eight started with 22 players and ended with 9 players (10 total hours of
play).
At this point
in the tournament, participants have completed 35 full levels (plus one hour
and 25 minutes of Level 36), meaning more than 71 total tournament hours have
been played.
The Main
Event includes ten separate playing days/sessions. The breakdown is as follows:
Day One began
with four flights of 6,865 total (combined) players.
Day Two began
with two flights of 4,521 total (combined) players.
Day Three
began with 1,865 players.
Day Four
began with 853 players.
Day Five
began with 378 players.
Day Six began
with 142 players.
Day Seven
began with 57 players.
Day Eight
began with 22 players.
Day Nine will
begin with 9 players (November 5th)
Day Ten will
begin with 2 players (November 7th).
COMING NEXT: THE NOVEMBER NINE
This is the
fourth year of the “November Nine” concept.
Prior to 2008, all Main Event final tables were played as a continuum
tied to the bulk of the Main Event.
However, starting in 2008, WSOP officials decided to delay the play of
the final table and postpone the conclusion until November. For this reason, the Main Event finalists are
known as the November Nine.
While the
decision to delay the conclusion of the Main Event was initially controversial,
most players and fans have come to accept and support the change. This year, the delay will be particularly
helpful to players, since the vast majority reside outside the United
States. The 108-day hiatus allows players
to gather and bring their supporters to Las Vegas in November for what promises
to be one of the most exciting days of their lives.
The final
table will be played November 5-7, 2011.
The finale includes two sessions.
The first session begins November 5th and will play the nine
initial starters down to the last two players.
Then, the two finalists take a one-day break. The heads-up finale takes place November 7th. Starting times will be announced later. All the action will take place inside the
Penn and Teller Theatre at the Rio in Las Vegas.
The WSOP Main
Event Championship final table has been played at multiple locations, including:
1970-1986 –
Binion’s Horseshoe (original site)
1987-1996 –
Binion’s Horseshoe (new site – formally The Mint)
1997 –
Fremont Street (under giant canopy)
1998 --
Binion’s Horseshoe (new site – formally The Mint)
1999-2005 –
Binion’s Horseshoe (Benny’s Bullpen – second floor)
2006-2007 –
Rio Las Vegas (Amazon Room)
2008-present
– Rio Las Vegas (Penn and Teller Theatre)
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.
The field
included a total of 242 female players.
This figure represents 3.5 percent of the field.
The
highest-finishing female in this year’s Main Event was Erika Moutinho (Easton,
CT). She was eliminated during Day Seven. Moutinho finished in 29th place and
collected $242,636 in prize money.
Three females
finished in the top 85, which was consistent the total number of female entries
(3.5 percent). The top three finishers
were -- Erika Moutinho (Easton, CT) finishing 29th, Amanda Musumeci
(Philadelphia, PA) finishing 62nd and Claudia Crawford (Brookhaven,
MS) finishing 85th.
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 (25th)
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)
2011 -- Erika
Moutinho (29th)
FORMER WORLD CHAMPIONS
There are 35
players in history who have won the WSOP Main Event Championship. Of this number, 27 champions are still
alive. Of the 27 former world champions,
18 participated in this year’s Main Event.
This was the
worst year ever for former world champions.
Three former champions started Day Four, but none survived. The top finisher amongst the former champs
was Robert Varkonyi, who ended up in 514th place. He was the only former winner to cash in the
Main Event.
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.
Here’s how
the non-poker celebrities fared:
Mars Callahan
(actor-director) – Eliminated on Day Six – cashed in 94th place
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
Here’s how
the Poker Hall of Fame members fared:
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
Here’s how
the former WSOP “Players of the Year” fared:
2008 -- Erick
Lindgren – Eliminated on Day Seven – cashed in 43rd place
2005 -- Allen
Cunningham – Eliminated in Day Six – cashed in 69th place
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
The top three
finishing 2011 WSOP gold bracelet winners (there were 57 eligible winners) were
as follows:
Ben Lamb (fifth place
at Final Table)
Sam Barnhart –
Eliminated on Day Eight – cashed in 17th place
Tyler Bonkowski –
Eliminated on Day Seven – cashed in 60th place
There were two new
records tied this year for the Main Event.
Chris Bjorin (London, UK) has defied the notion that poker has become a
young person’s game. The silver fox
originally from Sweden cashed again this year, finishing in 460th
place. This was his fourth straight Main
Event in-the-money finish, which ties the record for the longest streak in
history for cashes in the Main Event.
Also, Diogo Borges (Lisbon, Portugal) cashed in the Main Event for the
fourth consecutive year. Going into next
year’s Main Event, both Borges and Bjorin will both have a chance to break the
record as players with the most consecutive Main Event in-the-money finishes.
DAY EIGHT 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 5th Annual World Series of Poker Europe.
This marks
the seventh consecutive year the WSOP has been held at the Rio All-Suite 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 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 -- Canary
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)
7
-- Chris Bjorin – cashed this year (updated)
6
– John Bonetti
6
– Johnny Moss
6
– Jason Lester
6
– Steve Lott
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
Most
Consecutive Cashes in Main Event
(UPDATED):
4 -- Chris Bjorin (2008 to present)
4
-- Diogo Borges (2008 to present)
4
– Theodore Park (2005 – 2008)
4
– Bo Sehlstedt (2004 – 2007)
4
– Robert Turner (1991 – 1994)
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 and Diogo Borges both cashed in the Main Event for the fourth straight
year – tying the 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. The Nevada Cancer
Institute based in Las Vegas is a benefiting charity from the Bad Beat on
Cancer.
Note:
All results are now official and may be reprinted by media. If you are posting these results on a
website, we would appreciate providing a link back to: WSOP.com