World Series of Poker 2008: First New Record

Date: Sat, May 31, 2008

The first No Limit Hold'em event of the 2008 World Series has just set a new record for entries. Last year one of the later $1,500 NLHE events had 3,151 players, which set the then record for most entries in a non-main event WSOP tournament. Just moments ago player #3152 entered today's Event #2: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em and we have a new record.

The total for Event #2 will not be known until tomorrow because there are two Day Ones for this event, which is another first: an event other than the $10,000 main event with multiple Day Ones. Clearly the WSOP staff anticipated this record when they added the second Day One and opened registration two days before the Series actually began. The plan seems to have worked with over 2,900 players registered by midnight last night and the record broken nearly an hour before cards are in the air.

The "no alternates" announcement several weeks ago has also gotten the players attention; more than one player in line last night cited that new rule as the reason for their early registration. Several players also were veterans of last year's enormous registration lines and they too seem to have learned a lesson.

With the record now broken, the prop bets seem to be hovering at around 2400 for the new record. Looking at the registration windows, I would take the over.
____________________________________________________

2008 Event #2
$1,500 No Limit Hold'em
Number of Entrants: 3,452+

2007 Reigning Champion: CIARAN O’LEARY $727,012
2007 Entries 2,998
(the record 3,151 was set in Event #49 last year)

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World Series of Poker 2008: First Look

Date: Fri, May 30, 2008

Well it seems that the returning players, professional and amateur, are very happy with the 2008 version of the Amazon Room at the Rio Hotel and Casino. There is a lot more room between the tables and there are two side rooms, one to serve as a satellite venue and the other for overflow tables for any event.

Remember one priority at the WSOP is to get the scheduled events started on time; all the events, all the time. Today that was Event #1: $10,000 Pot Limit Hold'em, but as we move on through the seven weeks of the Series, we will have days of two tournament starts and two second day restarts and a couple of final tables. Those days can get very busy and empty tables can be at a premium. Add to this the cash games, Super and Mega-Satellites and everyone can be thankful there are more tables in more rooms for the 2008 World Series of Poker.

The first real test will come tomorrow when Event #2: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em goes off but the WSOP staff has anticipated the huge field that last year was still registering as the first level ended. No alternates at the Series this year, so Event #2 will have two Day Ones on Saturday and Sunday. Already over 1100 players are signed up for Saturday. Event #2 will in all likelihood be the biggest non-Main Event field ever at the WSOP, but it appears the WSOP staff is ready.

All-in-all a good first day for the Series; evidence of some good planning and preparation since last summer.

_________________________________________________

2008 Event #1
$10,000 Pot Limit Hold'em
Number of Entrants: 352

2007 Reigning Champion: ALLEN CUNNINGHAM $487,287
Number of 2007 entries: 398
(the 2007 event was a $5,000 buy-in)

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Another Million Dollar Party Poker Event

Date: Thu, May 29, 2008

Another $1,000,000 Guarantee Event is underway this weekend at Party Poker. As the countdown to this Saturday’s $1 million guaranteed tournament continues, Party announced that 200 SEATS are up for grabs on Friday. In addition, seats will be available EVERY HOUR on Saturday morning in the build up to the main event.

The tournament takes place on Saturday 31st May at 12.45pm ET (5.45pm BST, 6.45pm CET), with a championship style blind structure. There are still many ways to qualify for the tournament on a daily basis, starting from as little as $1, with other options such as freerolls.

The $1 million guaranteed is the finale to ‘May Madness.’ Throughout the month of May, PartyPoker.com guaranteed the prize pool of EVERY TOURNAMENT run on the site meaning a staggering $12 million was up for grabs! Saturday’s tournament brings the promotion to a close. Blind levels for the $1 million guaranteed start at 25/50, with the starting chips 20,000 and blind levels every 20 minutes.

To view all the ways to qualify for Saturday’s showpiece; See the entire schedule here.

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What's Wrong with Poker on Television?

Date: Sun, May 25, 2008

If you are reading this article, you are not the audience that television executives and advertisers are seeking to grab with their poker programming. If you are interested enough in poker to be on this web page, you are part of the royal poker family and you are going to watch poker on television. But television needs viewers to be attracted to a program who are generally not poker players and certainly not poker blog readers. And despite all the noize on various poker forums, the viewer numbers for televised poker are down and down even more among the "sports" viewers who buy beer and sign-up for online poker sites. The Game Show Network is about to dump the World Poker Tour; the World Series has had to try moving the Main Event final table to November; if you can't see the writing on the screen, then you could be related to an ostrich.

So, what is wrong with poker on television?

None of the shows have changed to keep up with their audience. Viewer retention has not been given any perceivable thought that I can see. Viewers actually do learn how the game is played and they find the same simple action played over and over gain to be boring. "We" who know and study the game can glean more from the hands and are not so easily turned off by the stale presentation but, again, "We" are not the audience the programs are after. Here are some obvious examples:

World Poker Tour: At first the simulated live format attracted viewers but anyone paying attention will soon catch on that many hands are being left out. More importantly, in this respect WPT is the main offender, there are some great storylines at those six player final tables but instead of following them and developing them; we get Vince talking over the players. I wrote about one instance of this at the Bellagio Cup last year. Mike Matusow had a running conversation about the beauty of true deep stack poker. Every other player at the table was in the conversation at one time or another and still Mike Sexton and Vince never mentioned it. Clearly a production decision not to include the players in the show.

At the WPT tapings they have an entrance room with a bar and the direct feed from the table. You hear everything the players say and nothing Mike or Vince says. Back in the days when I covered WPT final tables for PokerPages, I never sat in media row, you couldn't hear the players from there. I hung out in the room where I got the table feed. The "real stories" of the WPT final tables are told by the players but the WPT television show has never once delivered that story. A story, I believe, that would capture and grow a television audience.

The World Series of Poker and ESPN have also found a way to turn the 55 event WSOP into tedious television. First, while I cannot stand Norman Chad, he is good for the audience they need to attract, so what "We" say about Norman should not matter. But ESPN does not cover 55 events. This year they are coming in at the beginning of the Series to catch a few events (1, 2, 3 or 4 & 5); they will be back around the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament (events 45 & 50) and then again back for the Main Event. So if Phil or Doyle or Johnny or Mike or Daniel makes a final table, we have a 1 in 7 chance of ever seeing it. They choose which events to cover before the Series begins. They did not cover Phil Hellmuth's 11th bracelet last summer because it was not on the schedule. They do cover final tables with no name players and nine silent amateurs because it is on the schedule. Surprisingly what ESPN seems not to understand is that this is television. You need conversation and animation from the players; otherwise you might as well show hockey or horseshoes.

The WSOPE tournaments were even worse but this was their first year, so they get some credit for start-up blues. Still, more international players need to be identified and followed early in those events. Hire some "player spotters" from countries other than the UK.

Let's group all of the other "invitation only" shows together. What they lack is just more of what the WPT and WSOP telecasts lack. For example:
-If someone is a great poker player but never speaks at the table, then you do not invite them to play. This is a television show. Invite: Phil and Mike and Daniel and the other Phil (Laak not Ivey) and every other player who "gets" it that they are poker players but also entertainers and if you can't do both--stay home!

Next, if you are going to edit, you have to let the audience know. There is a show out there, where Phil Hellmuth has the button on the first hand and the announcers explain the button and the blinds naming the players who have each position in the first hand. On the very next hand (on the show that is) Phil has the button again and on the third hand he has the big blind. Do you think this might confuse the audience you are seeking to win over?

For several years the late night poker shows in the UK seemed to understand the line between entertaining and playing poker but alas on recent viewing they too have fallen into the same boring patterns. Poker is not a perfect fit for television. Hockey doesn't make it because there is not enough scoring. The phenomenon of NASCAR is based partially on the potential for injury and death. Maybe poker needs a big guy with a baseball bat to administer a real "bad beat" when your aces get cracked.

Or just maybe some fresh eyes and fresh minds in the production booth.

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World Series Bits

Date: Fri, May 23, 2008

I've been collecting some bits and pieces about the World Series of Poker that begins next week. Time to pass them on to you.

Want to know where the professionals will be playing; I mean other than the ones who play every event, every day and sometimes two at a time. Here is the list of "Championship" events on the 2008 WSOP schedule:

* $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold’em, May 30-June 1
* $10,000 World Championship Mixed Event, June 4-6
* $10,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud, June 7-9
* $10,000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em, June 13-15
* $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em, June 15-17
* $10,000 World Championship Omaha 8 or better, June 19-21
* $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E., June 25-29
* $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha June 29-July 1
* $10,000 World Championship No-Limit Hold’em, July 3-14 and Nov. 9-10

Big lines for registration has been a problem in past years, so they have had a pre-reg. window open at the Rio for over a week and there is the online registration on the WSOP website. The problem with the online registration is that they cut it off two weeks before the event. So the really big $1,500 Event #2 has been unavailable for online registration for over a week now. It would seem in a world of nanoseconds and micro-processing that the online registration could remain open a lot closer to the actual event, maybe 48 hours but two weeks?

If you want to register online, here is the link.

The most popular non-main event tournaments are the $1,500 No Limit events. This year there will be seven of those:

Saturday May 31st (4 day event)
Saturday June 14th (3 day event)
Tuesday June 17th (3 day event)
Thursday June 19th (3 day event)
Saturday June 21st (3 day event)
Saturday June 28th (3 day event)
Monday June 30th (3 day event)

... and the Main Event $10,000 No Limit Hold'em will have four starting days to choose from, each with a maximum of 3,000 players:

Day 1A: Thursday July 3rd (moves on to Day 2A on July 8th)
Day 1B: Friday July 4th (moves on to Day 2A on July 8th)
Day 1C: Saturday July 5th (moves on to Day 2B on July 9th)
Day 1D: Sunday July 6th (moves on to Day 2B on July 9th)
Day 3: Thursday July 10th (entire remaining field plays)

The Main Event Final Table will play:
From nine players down to 2 on November 9th @ 10 AM.
Heads Up play on November 10th @ 10PM.

Finally, Short-Stack Shamus makes a good point when he notes that the World Series of Poker (Europe) will play before the WSOP final table. He wonders if the "Final Nine" might not go over to London to play the WSOPE as a promotion for the WSOP final table. Harrah's/Caesars are you listening?

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Mermoralble WSOP Main Event Winning Hands

Date: Thu, May 22, 2008

Has anyone ever won the World Series of Poker main event with pocket aces?

No. Well as far as we know because what Johnny Moss won with was not saved for posterity. But for the 35 winners we do know about, no one has won with pocket rockets.

Has anyone ever lost the WSOP main event with pocket aces?

Yes,in fact it has happened twice.

In 1979, Bobby Hoff had AA and lost to Hal Fowler's 7s6d.
In 2001, Dewey Tomko had AA and lost to Carlos Mortensen with KcQc.

Other notable final hands:

Greg Raymer (2004) and Jerry Yang (2007) both had pocket 8s on the final hand.

In both 1976 and 1977, Doyle Brunson's winning hand was 10-2.

Dan Harrington (1995) and Huck Seed (1996) won back-to-back with 9d8d.

In 1999, Noel Furlong held 55 and Alan Goehring had 66 but the fives won.

Bobby Baldwin (1978) and Tom McEvoy (1983) both won with pocket queens.

Sailor Roberts (1975) and Phil Hellmuth (1989) held 99 on their final hand.

And the worst starting hand to ever win?

Well we know a lot of the "final" hands involve big stacks calling with any two but that being acknowledged-in 1992, Hamid Dastmalchi held 8h4s and won the first prize of a million dollars.

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Frequent Flyer Poker Tournament

Date: Wed, May 21, 2008

Lots of talk on the internet forums about when poker "jumped the shark". I think I have another nomination for that moment. In August at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, you can enter a tournament with frequent flyer miles. Yes, Continental Airlines will hold a tournament with an entry of 50,000 frequent flyer miles. The winner will receive 21 Million miles.

I leave the frequent details to the press flyer:

To mark the 21st birthday of its OnePass® frequent flyer program, Continental Airlines announced that it has invited its top customers to participate in a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament where they will bet frequent flyer miles to gamble on the chance to win the tournament's grand prize, 21 million OnePass miles. The four day event begins on Aug. 6, 2008, and will take place at the legendary Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The entry fee to participate in the tournament is 50,000 OnePass miles and registration is limited. Participants must book the event package with the Golden Nugget Casino.

What would the Fonz say?

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Frequent Flyer Poker Tournament

Date: Wed, May 21, 2008

Lots of talk on the internet forums about when poker "jumped the shark". I think I have another nomination for that moment. In August at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas, you can enter a tournament with frequent flyer miles. Yes, Continental Airlines will hold a tournament with an entry of 50,000 frequent flyer miles. The winner will receive 21 Million miles.

I leave the frequent details to the press flyer:

To mark the 21st birthday of its OnePass® frequent flyer program, Continental Airlines announced that it has invited its top customers to participate in a Texas Hold'em Poker Tournament where they will bet frequent flyer miles to gamble on the chance to win the tournament's grand prize, 21 million OnePass miles. The four day event begins on Aug. 6, 2008, and will take place at the legendary Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

The entry fee to participate in the tournament is 50,000 OnePass miles and registration is limited. Participants must book the event package with the Golden Nugget Casino.

What would the Fonz say?

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World Series of Poker Betting Lines

Date: Mon, May 19, 2008

OK, I admit it, I like to gamble, to bet, to wager. My sports betting habits are however a bit strange. I am bored by whether the Tigers will defeat the Falcons or if the Bruins can beat the spread against United.

I like prop bets! And when those aren't available I really like nonsense bets against the odds, like the lines on various aspects of the World Series of Poker that came out today. Here are a few of my favorites:

Number of Entrants in the Main Event:

Under 2000 33 - 1
2000-2499 250 - 1
2500-2999 200 - 1
3000-3499 125 - 1
3500-3999 80 - 1
4000-4499 40 - 1
4500-4999 25 - 1
5000-5499 11 - 1
5500-5999 6 - 1
6000-6499 5 - 1
6500-6999 7 - 2
7000-7499 4 - 1
7500-7999 5 - 1
8000-8499 13 - 2
8500-8999 9 - 1
9000+ 7 - 2

I gotta go with the favorite here, right around 6700.
The under 2,000 number must be in case of terrorist attack.
The over 9,000 folks have been drinking heavily.

To Make the Final Table of the Main Event:

Just my personal favorites here and a few "Necessary Notables".

Carlos Mortensen 100 - 1
Daniel Negreanu 100 - 1
Gus Hansen 100 - 1
Phil Hellmuth 100 - 1
Phil Ivey 100 - 1

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Las Vegas Summer Poker Tournaments

Date: Sun, May 18, 2008

There are many tournaments running in Las Vegas this summer either in competition with the World Series of Poker or in an attempt to pick up some lower limit tournament players who may be in town as fans or satellite players at the WSOP.

Here is an integrated list for all of these tournaments.

Thursday May 29th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $500 WPA Mega Satellite 1 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE (Casino Employees) 2 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day

Friday May 30th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 Pot Limit Hold'em 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day

Saturday May 31st
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 4 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Pot Limit Hold'em 1 Day

Sunday June 1st
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $1,060 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $540 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Limit Omaha 8 or better 1 Day

Monday June 2nd
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 PLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $200 NLHE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $5,000 Mixed Hold'em 3 Day

Tuesday June 3rd
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,000 NLHE w/rebuys 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $250 Omaha 8 / Stud 8 1 Day
3:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE Seniors 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 Omaha 8 3 Day

Wednesday June 4th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,000 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) 5:00 PM NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Limit HE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 Mixed (8 different games) 3 Day

Thursday June 5th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 6-handed 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 Omaha 8 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $250 NLHE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,500 Stud 8 / Omaha 8 3 Day

Friday June 6th
11:00 AM Binion's Poker Classic $100 NLHE Ladies 1 Day
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $5,000 NLHE Shootout 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $200 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $200 Omaha 8 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 Limit HE 3 Day
6:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $1,060 NLHE Charity Event 1 Day

Saturday June 7th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,500 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE Shootout 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 7 Card Stud 3 Day

Sunday June 8th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,000 NLHE Ladies 2 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $1,060 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $540 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Pot Limit Omaha 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,000 Omaha 8 3 Day

Monday June 9th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $330 NLHE Ladies 1 Day
12:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $500 NLHE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $5,000 2-7 Lowball w/ rebuys 3 Day

Tuesday June 10th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $200 NLHE 1 Day
3:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 Omaha 8 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,000 Limit HE 3 Day

Wednesday June 11th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $5,000 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $330 Pot Limit Omaha 8 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Razz 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. 3 Day

Thursday June 12th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,000 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $25,000 PLHE / PLO 3 Day

Friday June 13th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 NLHE Heads Up 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $2,500 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $330 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $300 NLHE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 7 Card Razz 3 Day

Saturday June 14th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 H.O.R.S.E. 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $250 NLHE 6-handed 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $5,000 PLO w/rebuys 3 Day

Sunday June 15th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $3,000 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $1,060 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $540 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 7 Card Stud 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 Limit HE 3 Day

Monday June 16th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,500 NLHE 6-handed 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day

Tuesday June 17th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $230 H.O.R.S.E. 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day
3:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 Pot Limit Omaha 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $5,000 7 Card Stud Hi/Lo 3 Day

Wednesday June 18th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 PLO w/rebuys 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $200 Pot Limit HE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 7 Card Stud 3 Day

Thursday June 19th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $330 Pot Limit Omaha 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 Omaha 8 3 Day

Friday June 20th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,000 Pot Limit HE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) 1,060 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $330 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Mixed Hold'em 1 Day

Saturday June 21st
11:00 AM Binion's Poker Classic $100 NLHE Seniors 1 Day
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $250 H.O.R.S.E. 1 Day

Sunday June 22nd
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $1,060 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $540 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Pot Limit Omaha 8 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 Mixed Hold'em 1 Day

Monday June 23rd
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,000 NLHE Seniors 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $100 NLHE w/rebuys 1 Day

Tuesday June 24th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha 8 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 7 Card Stud 8 1 Day
3:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 Limit HE 1 Day

Wednesday June 25th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,000 NLHE w/rebuys 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 Pot Limit Omaha 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $230 Limit Omaha 8 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $200 NLHE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. 5 Day

Thursday June 26th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $5,000 NLHE 6-handed 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $225 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 7 Card Stud 8 3 Day

Friday June 27th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $2,000 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $1,000 Pot Limit Omaha 1 Day

Saturday June 28th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day

Sunday June 29th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $1,060 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $540 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $550 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Limit HE 1 Day
5:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. 3 Day

Monday June 30th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 NLHE 3 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $500 NLHE 1 Day

Tuesday July 1st
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout 2 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $230 H.O.R.S.E. 1 Day
12:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $500 NLHE 1 Day

Wednesday July 2nd
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $2,500 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $2,100 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $5,000 NLHE Ante Up for Africa 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 NLHE 1 Day

Thursday July 3rd
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 NLHE Main Event Day 1A 7 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $3,120 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $200 NLHE 1 Day

Friday July 4th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 NLHE Main Event Day 1B 7 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $1,060 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $5,180 NLHE 1 Day
2:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $200 Omaha 8 1 Day

Saturday July 5th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 NLHE Main Event Day 1C 7 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $330 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM The Grand (Golden Nugget) $1,080 NLHE The Grand Finale 2 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $2,100 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $200 NLHE 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $100 NLHE Casino Employees 1 Day

Sunday July 6th
12:00 PM World Series of Poker (Rio) $10,000 NLHE Main Event Day 1D 7 Day
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $1,060 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $540 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $3,120 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $200 Omaha 8 1 Day
4:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $150 Pot Limit Omaha 8 1 Day

Monday July 7th
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $1,060 NLHE Mega Championship 3 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $5,180 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $200 Limit HE 1 Day
12:00 PM Binion's Poker Classic $2,000 NLHE Championship Event 2 Day

Tuesday July 8th
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $200 7 Card Stud 1 Day

Wednesday July 9th
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $330 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Mega Stack Series (Caesars Palace) $225 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $5,180 NLHE 1 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $300 NLHE 1 Day

Thursday July 10th
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $300 & Card Stud Hi-Lo 1 Day

Friday July 11th
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $540 NLHE 2 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $15,400 NLHE WPT Event Day 1A 5 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $300 Omaha 8 1 Day

Saturday July 12th
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $15,400 NLHE WPT Event Day 1B 5 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $300 Battle of the Sexes TBA 1 Day

Sunday July 13th
12:00 PM Deep Stack Extravaganza (Venetian) $5,000 NLHE Championship Event 4 Day
12:00 PM Bellagio Cup IV $15,400 NLHE WPT Event Day 1C 5 Day
12:00 PM Orleans Open $330 NLHE Ladies 1 Day

*Orleans Open continues thru July 20th

Schedule does not include any satellites or
evening "Second Chance" tournaments being
run by most of the casinos covered here.
See their website for those details.

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WSOP Event #8: Mixed Championship

Date: Fri, May 16, 2008

I was looking over the schedules for all the tournaments in Las Vegas this summer and I came across an event I had overlooked when the World Series schedule first came out. On June 4th, World Championship Mixed Event appears on the WSOP schedule. A ten thousand dollar buy-in event, this one has missed a lot of media coverage, which it will definitely get when it is played over the three days (6/4-6/6). Unlike the Mixed Hold'em events which are No Limit and Limit Hold'em or the H.O.R.S.E. events made up of five events: Limit Hold'em, Omaha8, Razz, Stud and Stud8; the World Championship Mixed Event is made up of eight different poker games.

There will be two Mixed Hold'em tournaments this summer ($5,000 and $1,500) and three H.O.R.S.E. events ($3,000, $1,500 and $50,000) but only one $10,000 Mixed Event with all eight games.

Games in order for the Mixed Event will be:

Triple Draw Deuce to Seven Lowball
Limit Hold'em
Omaha 8 or better
Razz
Seven Card Stud
Stud 8 or better
No Limit Hold'em
Pot Limit Omaha

The game changes every eight hands. Levels are 60 minutes. There are three different blind structures for each level to accomodate the different games.

Check out the tournament structure at this WSOP site.

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Summer 2008: Poker at the Crossroads

Date: Tue, May 13, 2008

"It was chance created the poker beast; beancounters will kill it."

.
Economics and Poker will clash this summer among the slightly tarnished gaming glitz of Las Vegas. Dispassionate observers of the poker world realize that this may be the watershed moment in the continuation or the demise of the "poker boom" worldwide.

Let's deal with the jingoism first: the United States is not the center of the universe. However, in some areas the U.S. does lead and one of those areas is 'poker as a recreational fad'. The central elements present in the U.S. that have fueled the poker boom are: the high proportion of casinos and card rooms available to the population; a large middle class with disposable income; high amounts of leisure time to pursue gaming as a hobby; relatively lenient social restrictions on gambling. Add to this the holy trinity of: the internet, television hole card cams and Chris Moneymaker; shake and stir and you have the poker boom of the last five years birthed in the United States.

The first nail in the poker coffin was indisputably the passage of the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act in 2006. While online poker remains available to everyone who is really interested; any trend, craze, furor or fad like all good pyramids needs a constant influx of bodies to provide new fuel and new fodder. The UIGEA strangled that conduit of new poker players in the U.S. and hurt online sites globally that relied on U.S. players. While many internet sites continue to flourish, we all dream of what might have been had the wealth of new U.S. players not been shutoff.

But why will this summer be such a telling moment for poker? Well, the pieces are in place for the perfect storm of economic factors to lay bare the shaky fiscal underpinnings of the poker phenomenon. First and most obviously, the whole world will be watching the World Series, which begins here in Las Vegas in just two weeks. In fact, our first piece of evidence is the change in the WSOP schedule moving the main event final table to November. Clearly, this is an attempt to salvage the declining viewership on ESPN. Sure, sure there are other PR reasons being floated for the experiment but the television numbers don't lie.

Further evidence of the slowly failing interest in televised poker: the World Poker Tour is set to begin its 7th season with the Bellagio Cup in mid-July. At this point there is no television contract for the filming of this season's tournaments. The Game Show Network and WPT have not announced any agreement and speculation is that based on the viewer numbers for season six, the first on GSN, there may be no season seven contract for television. No television would mean few, if any, professionals would travel to the WPT events outside of Las Vegas. For more details on GSN, the WPT and High Stakes Poker check out the story on Pokerati and be sure to read the comments section for Oliver's insightful contribution.

Now there are many arguments to be made about bastardizing poker to the whims of television. Over the past several weeks we have all heard rants and raves about the benefits of television exposure. I feel no need to cover that ground again. If you would like to read two well reasoned expositions on both sides of the TV/Poker divide, I would direct you to Short-Stack Shamus for a moderated view on the whole issue and to my good friend and writing partner Amy Calistri for a sad lament on what television has done to poker.

OK, let's review. UIGEA - bad for poker. Television - good or bad for poker but ratings numbers are falling. The WSOP is about to begin, so why is this summer different from every other WSOP?

The U.S. is in a recession, well someone had to say it. Revenues at Las Vegas casinos was off a whopping 30%, first quarter 2008 compared to first quarter 2007. Fewer tourists and players are visiting Las Vegas. Those who do come are spending less on gaming, food, rooms, entertainment and shopping. Some of the smaller poker rooms in Las Vegas have closed, other rooms are limiting their hours and rumors of more closures are in the air. As the poker world turns its eyes to the World Series, everyone will be looking at the numbers.

Will the first $1,500 NLHE event on Saturday May 31st draw a monster field? Well, yes it will.

Will the main event numbers hold up? Maybe, perhaps a few more then last year or a few less.

The real numbers will come from the 53 events in between those two tournaments. How many players will make the commitment to a summer in Las Vegas this year? Sure the professionals will be here, that is not in question, this is what they do for a living. What we will discover is whether the second and third tier players still have the bankroll to play the Series in this economic climate. Will a bunch of poker buddies from Chicago still make the trip to try their skills against the best in the world or will they instead go to a local casino back in the Midwest and play some $100 tournaments? Remember when Chris Moneymaker won his bracelet in 2003 there were 36 events in the Series not the 55 there are today. Chris defeated 839 entrants in the main event not six or seven thousand players of the past several years.

So why will the summer (and one Tuesday night in November) of 2008 be so significant to poker? The World Series of Poker remains the premiere event in poker. Whether Harrah's/Caesars keeps the WSOP franchise or sells it off or moves it to a truly "World" Series by holding it in various international locations; a lot of those decisions will be based on what happens this summer. If the numbers are down, then the franchise is worth less. If the numbers are steady and the new final table format is a rating success, then we should expect more expansion and innovation from the WSOP brain trust.

What is likely to happen? I honestly don't know, I am in the reporting business not the prognosticating game but I will be here all summer bringing you news from the WSOP and from the entire Vegas poker scene. We are going to focus on background stories and player contact away from the tables. We will find out how the players think and feel about the current state of poker. Is the boom over? Who is playing more? Which players are planning for a life after poker? Is the death of poker in the wind or is the boom still booming?

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Brits Mock French for Online Gaming Ban

Date: Sun, May 11, 2008

While nearly all of the European Union members could be and perhaps should be arguing over the myriad of byzantine online poker regulations; it appears that historical antagonists are now going to verbally spare over the dispute.

The UK House of Lords has condemned the French government and the gambling laws that protect their monopoly on gaming and poker, calling the laws "atrocious." Interestingly, the French have recently given signs of moderating their position and there are certainly more intractable members of the EU on this issue. The French government has certainly delayed its response to pressure from the EU commission on the free trade aspects around online gaming. But one wonders why now? And why point out that the punishment for online gambling is the same as for child pornographers?

Lord James of Blackheath pointed out that the punishment for a French national to place a bet with a British online bookmaker is one year in prison and a Euro 75,000 fine, the same punishment given pedophiles that download child porn.

One wonders if the European Union must now step up and actively pursue one or more countries whose online gaming laws leave them outside the statutory mandates of the EU for free and fair trade.

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Party Poker Millions VI Cruise Final Table

Date: Thu, May 8, 2008

A final table battle on the high seas takes place today aboard the Party Poker Millions Cruise VI. Germany’s Dominik Stopka enters as chip leader, but only by a single chip over Alexander Jung also from Germany. The final nine also include Sweden ’s 2008 PartyPoker Late Night Poker winner Andreas Jorbeck, Johannes Strassmann and Mika Paasonen. All have tasted recent success on the European circuit. Amongst those to miss out on the final table include Thomas Bihl, Mike ‘Timex’ McDonald, Florian Langmann and Christop Haller.

For a summary of all the final table action check the PartyPoker Blog.

Here are the final table players with beginning chip counts, we will add the finishers as they bust out down to the champion.

SEAT 1 – KENNETH GREGERSEN – Denmark - 44,000 9th place

SEAT 2 – RAYMOND ESTALL – UK - 187,000 5th

SEAT 3 – JOHANNES STRASSMANN – Germany - 182,000 7th

SEAT 4 – ALEXANDER JUNG – Germany - 326,000 CHAMPION

SEAT 5 – MIKA PAASONEN – Finland - 236,000 4th

SEAT 6 – DOMINIK STOPKA – Germany - 327,000 2nd

SEAT 7 – CORY ALBERTSON – United States - 90,000 3rd

SEAT 8 – PETER STEINLESBERGER – Austria - 132,000 8th

SEAT 9 – ANDREAS JORBECK – Sweden – 182,000 6th

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