WSOP 2009. Info, Chip Counts, & & stuff. Feed your wild side.

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Winner Quotes (John Kabbaj) --

 

·        On winning his first WSOP gold bracelet:  “I’m still a bit dizzy right now.  I can’t believe this has happened.”

 

·        On coming to the WSOP the last 13 years:  “I always come out here for seven or eight weeks every year.  I am used to it now.  This is part of my life.”

 

·        On his passion for soccer (football):  “I am a big fan of football.  I watch all the games.  If I am not playing poker, I am betting on the games.”

 

·        On finishing second the last time he had a shot at winning a gold bracelet:  “When it got short-handed, I played bad.  I gave all my chips away.  It took me a long time to get over it. 

 

·        More in the previous second-place finish and motivation to win this time:  “In 2004, it was the first time in the history that the WSOP went to a day three.  We were so tired and exhausted.  When we got three handed, it was all over in 15 minutes.  It was like – bang, bang, and it was over.  Afterward, I didn’t pick up my money for a week.  I didn’t talk to anyone for about three days.  I was really down.  It was the biggest score of my career at the time, but I thought I let myself down heads-up.  There were a few demons here, but I dealt with it.”

 

·        On his confidence in this event:  “Sometimes in poker, you just know when it is your day.  To me, it was my day, and I was right.”

 

·        On what the victory means:  “Poker has changed in the last five years, or so.  Bracelets are a big thing now.  In previous years when I came to the World Series, I really did not play in that many tournaments.  I was a cash specialist.  Pot-Limit is my game and live action is where all the money was.  I won a few big tournaments in Europe.  But I never put a big effort here.  The last few years I really tried, and now it has paid off.”

 

·        On having his wife with him to witness his WSOP victory:  “She came out to Las Vegas a week ago.  I made the final table of the Pot-Limit Omaha and finished eighth, and she wasn’t here.  But this time it was different.  She was there and I had a lot of support, and that meant everything to me.  To win this and share it with her is just great.”

 

·        On his plans to celebrate his victory:  “I am just going to go to the bar with my wife and a few friends and celebrate quietly.”
 

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The Final Table --

 

·        The final table included three former WSOP gold bracelet winners – Jason Lester, Davidi Kitai, and Eric Baldwin.

 

·        There were players from five different nations represented at the final table – including Belgium, England, Mexico, Russia, and the United States.

 

·        The runner up was Kirill Gerasimov, from Moscow, Russia.  This was his ninth WSOP final table appearance.  He collected $391,369 in prize money.

 

·        Gerasimov’s ninth final table appearance without a win places him into unique territory as the player with the most final tables without a victory.  Coming into this year. Gerasimov was one spot behind Andy Bloch (with .  Gerasimov’s two final tables this year now give him the lead in that category.

 

·        The third-place finisher was Eric Baldwin, from Henderson, NV.  Baldwin won his gold bracelet a week ago in a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event, good for $521,000.  With this cash, he has now won nearly $800,000 at this year’s WSOP. 

 

·        The fourth-place finisher was David Kitai, from Brussels, Belgium.  He is the only player in WSOP history from Belgium ever to win a gold bracelet – which came in last year’s $2,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event.

 

·        The fifth-place finisher was J.C. Alvarado, from Mexico City, Mexico.  He came close to becoming the third Mexican WSOP gold bracelet winner in history, but was eliminated about midway through the final table.

 

·        The sixth-place finisher was Jason Lester, from Miami, FL.  He won his gold bracelet in 2006 playing Pot-Limit Hold’em.  Lester is perhaps best known for his fourth-place finish in the 2003 WSOP Main Event win by Chris Moneymaker.  NOTE:  Jason Lester became the all-time WSOP cashes leader in Pot-Limit Hold’em with this finish.  He currently has 9 lifetime cashes in this form of poker.

 

·        The seventh-place finisher was Eugene Todd, from Brooklyn, NY.  He finished third at a WSOP final table three years ago and now has 19 career cashes.

 

·        The eighth-place finisher was Isaac Haxton, from Las Vegas, NV.  He was the runner up in the 40th Annual $40,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em championship (Event #2).  This was his third WSOP final table appearance.

 

·        The ninth-place finisher was Darryll Fish, from Las Vegas, NV.  He was a top skateboarder before suffering a medical setback which forced him to pursue other avenues of competition.  Fish began competing in Magic: The Gathering and later discovered poker.  Now age 23, he has already won numerous online tournaments and made his first WSOP final table and highest cash in this event.
 

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In-the-Money Finishers --

 

·        Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Jason Lester, Davidi Kitai, Eric Baldwin, Eric Seidel, Keven Stammen, and Keith Lehr.

 

·        Eric Seidel’s 19th-place finish gives him 56 for his career.  This ranks him in a current tie for fourth place with Berry Johnston on the all-time standings.

 

·        Television producer and writer Sam Simon finished 20th.  Simon, who has played in many WSOP events and has now cashed six times, is best known as one of the creators of “The Simpson’s” television show.  He has also written episodes of Taxi, Cheers, and several other popular programs.

 

·        The defending champion from 2009 was Nenad Medic, from Niagara Falls, ON (Canada).  He entered this year’s event, but did not cash.

 

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Odds and Ends --

 

·        This event was the opening tournament of the 2008 WSOP.  It was moved to the fourth week of the schedule this year.

 

·        Pot-Limit poker made its debut at the WSOP in 1984, when two Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments were offered.  There were no Pot-Limit tournaments of any kind played at the WSOP from 1970 through 1983.

 

·        The only Pot-Limit which was played at the WSOP between 1984 and 1991 was Pot-Limit Omaha.  Pot-Limit Hold’em action was restricted to cash games.

 

·        The first Pot-Limit Hold’em tournament at the WSOP took place in 1992.  The game has been a fixture on the WSOP schedule ever since. During most years, it was one of the first tournaments on the schedule.

 

·        Some poker purists consider Pot-Limit to be a greater test of skill than No-Limit.  This is due to Pot-Limit’s emphasis on post-flop play.  Since pots gradually escalate in size in Pot-Limit, the magnitude of every decision is amplified as the hand progresses.  Contrast this with No-Limit, in which players can push “all in” at any time, which tends to create more races and reduces some elements of skill.
 

·        “Pot-Limit” means a player can wager only up to the exact amount of what is contained in the pot at any time.  Contrast this with “No-Limit,” which means a player can wager any or all of his/her chips at any time.

 

·        The official WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner’s victory.  The ceremony takes place on at center stage of the main tournament room and begins during the break of the noon tournament.  The ceremony usually starts around 2:20 pm.  The national anthem of the winner’s nation is played.  The entire presentation is open to public and media.  Video and photography is permitted by both media and the public.

 

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Pot-Limit Hold’em Leaders --

 

·        The player with the most WSOP gold bracelets (wins) in Hold’em events (all variations) is Phil Hellmuth, currently with 11.

 

·        The player with the most lifetime WSOP cashes in Hold’em events (all variations) is Phil Hellmuth, currently with 44.

 

·        No player has ever won more than one WSOP gold bracelet in Pot-Limit Hold’em.  There are 45 players with one gold bracelet each in this form of poker.

 

·        The player with the most lifetime WSOP cashes in Pot-Limit Hold’em events at the WWSOP is Jason Lester, with 9 (including this year’s cash).  Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, T.J. Cloutier, and Ken Flaton all have 8.
 

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The Event --

 

·        The $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em world championship attracted 275 entries.  The total prize pool amounted to $2,585,000.  The top 27 finishers collected prize money.

 

·        All 57 tournaments on the 2009 WSOP schedule (plus WSOP-Europe) are categorized as “gold bracelet” events.  However, this is also known as a World Championship event.  Beginning last year, all $10,000+ buy-in tournaments were and remain designated as official “World Championships.”  There are ten such events in 2009.

 

·        The tournament was played over three consecutive days.

 

·        John Kabbaj came to the final table on Day Three ranked first in chips, by a sizable margin.  But he gradually lost his lead and was behind Kirill Gerasimov when heads-up play began.

 

·        The most critical hand of the match took place when Kabbaj was down by a more than 2 to 1 margin.  He got into a race for all his chips holding A-4 versus Gerasimov’s 3-3.  Kabbaj made a full house, seized the lead, and went on to win the tournament.

 

·        The final hand took place when both players tried to outfox each other and Kabbaj ended up on top.  Kabbaj was dealt A-A.  Gerasimov was dealt K-K.  Both players slowplayed their big pairs and once the flop came with three small cards, all the chips went into the pot with a flurry of raises and re-raises.  Kabbaj tabled his pocket aces which held up and dragged the final pot of the tournament.
 

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WSOP Statistics –

 

·        Through the conclusion of Event #45, the 2009 WSOP has attracted 43,904 entries.  $2,585,000 in total prize money has been awarded to winners.

 

·        Through Event #45 – the nationalities of WSOP gold bracelet winners reads as follows:

 

United States – 31

United Kingdom – 3

Canada – 2

Australia – 2

Russian Federation – 1

Finland – 1

Sweden – 1

Mexico – 1

Italy – 1

Holland – 1

Hungary – 1

 

Note:  Last year 19 of the 59 gold bracelet events were won by non-Americans (32 percent).  In, 2007, the number was 15 of 55 (29 percent).  In 2006, the number was 5 of 45 (11 percent).

 

·        Event #45 winner John Kabbaj is to be classified as a professional player.  Accordingly, the “Pro-Am” gold bracelet scoreboard (excluding Event #1 – Casino Employees) currently reads:

 

            Professionals --            33 wins(Thang Luu, Steven Sung, Jason Mercier, Phil Ivey-1, Rami Boukai, Anthony Harb, Ville Wahlbeck, Keven Stammen, Brock Parker-1, Jeffrey Lisandro- 1, Daniel Alaei, Brock Parker-2, John-Paul Kelly, Jeff Carris, Nick Schulman, Phil Ivey-2, Pete Vilandos, Tomas Alenius, Roland de Wolfe, J.C. Tran, James Van Alstyne, Angel, Guillen, Greg Mueller, Eric Baldwin, Jordan Smith, Jeffrey Lisandro-2, Richard Austin, Marc Naalden, Matt Graham, Peter Traply, Jerrod Ankenman, Jeffrey Lisandro-3, John Kabbaj)              Amateurs --      6 wins(Freddie Ellis, Ken Aldridge, Travis Johnson, Zac Fellows, Michael Eise, Michael T. Davis)              Semi-Pros --     5 wins(Vitaly Lunkin, Brian Lemke, Lisa Hamilton, Leo Wolpert, Ray Foley)  ·        Twelve of the 45 winners this year (27 percent) were previous gold bracelet winners.  There have been two double winners in 2009 -- Brock Parker, Phil Ivey.  There has been one triple winner in 2009 -- Jeffrey Lisandro.

 

·        Through the conclusion of Event 45 , the WSOP “Player of the Year” standings reads as follows (with point totals):

 

355 – Jeffrey Lisandro

275 – Ville Wahlbeck

242 – Phil Ivey

220 – Brock Parker

220 – James Van Alstyne

195 – Roland de Wolfe

185 – Vitaly Lunkin

180 – Angel Guillen

175 – Pete “the Greek” Vilandos

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   2009 World Series of Poker            
   Final Results            
   Event #   46         
   Buy In   $2,500         
   Date   Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better         
   Game   24-Jun-09         
   Number of Entries   424         
   Net Prize Pool   $975,200         
   First Place Prize   $229,192          
   Players to Cash   45         

   In the Money Finishers:            
               
   Name   Prize   City   State/Country   
1   Raymond, Derek   $229,192   Portland    ME   
2   Tenner, Mark   $141,647   Northridge   CA   
3   Bohlman, Scott   $93,199   Homer Glen   IL   
4   Coppola, Fabio   $65,094   Rimini   Italy   
5   Schlein, Joshua   $48,028   Owings Mills   MD   
6   Jamshidi, Sirious   $37,350   Broomall   PA   
7   Keiner, Michael   $30,562   Braunfels   Germany   
8   Gregorich, Mark   $26,213   Lacey   WA   
9   Poels, Pat   $23,541   Phoenix   AZ   
10   Monnette, John   $17,007   Irvine   CA   
11   Smith, J.W.   $17,007   Dalton   GA   
12   Boudet, Patrice   $17,007   Le Raincy   France   
13   Tunkel, Jeffrey   $12,667   Chicago   IL   
14   Dempsey, James   $12,667   Brighton   United Kingdom   
15   Smith, Daniel   $12,667   Folsom   CA   
16   O'dell, Frankie   $9,634   Henderson   NV   
17   Hua, Can   $9,634   Rosemead   CA   
18   La, Meng   $9,634   Torrence   CA   
19   Banafato, James   $7,411   Lawrenceville   NJ   
20   Deltoro, Victor   $7,411   Bakersfield   CA   
21   Seewald, Jonah   $7,411   Centennial   CO   
22   Danhesier, David   $7,411   Las Vegas   NV   
23   Matusow, Mike   $7,411   Henderson   NV   
24   Esposito, John   $7,411   Las Vegas   NV   
25   Zimmerman, Jason   $7,411   Arvada   CO   
26   Pescatori, Max   $7,411   Las Vegas   NV   
27   Gold, Benjamin   $7,411   Long Beach   CA   
28   Phillips, Dale   $5,890   Naples   FL   
29   Mavro, Peter   $5,890   Douglaston   NY   
30   Yeh, Wen   $5,890   North Las Vegas   NV   
31   Pacheco, David   $5,890   Fall River   MA   
32   Riesenberg, Jason   $5,890   Las Vegas   NV   
33   Siem, Paul   $5,890   Clearwater   FL   
34   Coren, William    $5,890   Wynnewood   PA   
35   Fitzpatrick, William   $5,890   Indio   CA
36   Randolph, Mel   $5,890   Las Vegas   NV
37   Cohen, Claude   $4,749   Paris   France
38   Grove, James   $4,749   Las Vegas   NV
39   Schock, Mitchell   $4,749   Bismarck   ND
40   Levitt, Bruce   $4,749   Beverly Hills   CA
41   Chen, Steve   $4,749   Skokie   IL
42   Loehde, Jason   $4,749   Costa Mesa   CA
43   Rossi, Simone   $4,749   Barcelona   Spain
44   Darden, Paul   $4,749   Las Vegas   NV
45   Rowsome, Adrienne   $4,749   Edmonton   AB, Canada

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Official Report 

Event #46

Omaha High-Low Split

Buy-In:  $2,500

Number of Entries:  424

Total Net Prize Pool:  $975,200

Number of Places Paid:  45

First Place Prize:  $229,129

June 23-25, 2009

 

 

Tournament Highlights:

 

Event Headlines –

 

1.  Derek Raymond Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet

 

2.  Rookie Poker Player from Maine Pulls-Off Big Upset in First-Ever WSOP In-the-Money Finish

 

3. Derek Raymond Defeats Mark Tenner in Grueling Heads-Up Duel – Final Table Runs Nearly 12 Hours

 

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The Champion --

 

·        The 2009 World Series of Poker $2,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split champion is Derek Raymond, from Portland, Maine.

 

·        Raymond was born and raised in Portland, Maine.

 

·        Raymond is a 24-year-old semi-pro poker player.  He is in the midst of traveling around the world and working various jobs while playing poker to supplement his income.

 

·        Raymond is a graduate of Georgetown University in Washington, DC.  He earned his degree in finance and business management two years ago.

 

·        The day after his graduation, Raymond took second in a major online poker tournament.  He collected a nice payoff and has been playing poker seriously ever since. 

 

·        Raymond has been traveling all over the world in recent months.  He spent time in Australia and New Zealand.

 

·        Raymond has worked various jobs when his poker game did not provide enough money to survive.  His primary job was working for an excavation company.

 

·        Raymond has entered four events at this year’s WSOP.  This was his first time to cash.

 

·        Raymond collected $229,129 for first place.  He was also awarded his first WSOP gold bracelet.

 

·        According to official records, Raymond now has 1 win, 1 final table appearance, and 1 in-the-money finish at the WSOP.  His career WSOP earnings now total $229,129.

 

·        Raymond was cheered to victory by several friends, along with his father.  Raymond dad commented afterward, “This is the best thing in the world – watching my son win.  This is better than winning it myself.”

 

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Winner Quotes (Derek Raymond) --

 

·        On his feelings, moments after victory:  “This is not what I was expecting.  It feels great.  It was my fourth event this year, with no cashes.  So, it’s my first cash the year I played at the World Series

 

·        On his see-saw victory:  “At one time I had a million in chips.  But I got down to 120,000.  Then I hit a few big hands and got right back up.  It was a long battle.  There were a lot of good players sitting at the table.” 

 

·        On his final opponent, Mark Tenner, who provided such tough opposition:  “Mark played really great heads-up.  He had a big chip lead on me.  But I thought I could pound away on him.  He played well.  He is certainly not easy to exploit.  I’m just glad to come out on top.  If a couple of cards were different, he (would have won).”

 

·        On the length of the final table and playing heads-up:  “I think I had an advantage, just based on my age.  The later it went, the more I thought it was in my favor.  The match was tough for me, so I think it might have been even harder for Mark.  He stuck in there and played great.  You can never give in, after all – you are playing for a bracelet.  We don’t need to sleep – you can get sleep later.”

 

·        On what the gold bracelet means:  “I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

 

·        On having his father at tableside, watching the victory:  “I think it was meant to be that he was here, and that I won.  He came in and I decided to play in the event.  It worked out.  It was meant to be.  Without him here and his guidance, there was no chance for me.”

 

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The Final Table --

 

·        The final table included two former WSOP gold bracelet winners – Patrick Poels (2 wins) and Michael Keiner (1 win).

 

·        The runner up was longtime poker pro and industry insider Mark Tenner, from Henderson, NV.  Tenner, who is an attorney and businessman who is one of the founders of the Poker Players Alliance (PPA), now has two final table appearances and eight cashes at the WSOP.  This was his highest finish, to date.  Tenner is also an Omaha High-Low Split specialist.  As the runner up, he collected $141,647. 

 

·        The third-place finisher was Scott Bohlman, from Homer Glen, IL.  He now has three final table appearances and 14 cashes at the WSOP.

 

·        The fourth-place finisher was Fabio Coppola, who is originally from Italy and now lives in Las Vegas, NV.  He is an architect-turned poker pro who achieved his best WSOP finish is this tournament.

 

·        The fifth-place finisher was Josh Schlein, from Baltimore, MD.  This was his second WSOP final table appearance, after finishing third in an event three years ago.

 

·        The sixth-place finisher was Sirous Jamshidi, from Philadelphia, PA.  He has won more than $1 million (lifetime) in WSOP events.  Jamshidi’s biggest cash was a 16th-place finish in the largest live poker tournament of all-time, the 2006 Main Event.

 

·        The seventh-place finisher was Michael “the Doc” Keiner, from Braunfels, Germany.  He won his WSOP gold bracelet in 2007 playing Seven-Card Stud.

 

·        The eighth-place finisher was Mark Gregorich, from Las Vegas, NV.  He is considered by many to be the best Omaha High-Low specialist never to have won a WSOP gold bracelet in his favored game.  Gregorich now has 8 final table appearances and 27 cashes at the WSOP.

 

·        The ninth-place finisher was Patrick Poels, from Mesa, AZ.  He won his first gold bracelet in 2005 playing Omaha High-Low Split.  His second win came the following year in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split. 

 

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In-the-Money Finishers --

 

·        Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Michael Keiner, Frankie O’Dell, Mike Matusow, Claude Cohen, Meng La, Paul Darden, John Esposito, and Max Pescatori.

 

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Odds and Ends --

 

·        Omaha High-Low Split has been offered at the WSOP every year since 1990.  Omaha (high) was first seen at the WSOP back in 1983.  As draw poker and lowball games faded in popularity, the number of Omaha-related events increased.  All WSOP Omaha events played between 1983 and 1989 were Limit (high) and Pot-Limit.  However, today Pot-Limit Omaha and Omaha High-Low Split are the most popular forms of this poker game.  Omaha-High tournaments are now rare.  It was last played at the WSOP in 2003.

 

·        Omaha High-Low Split is also called “Omaha Eight-or-Better.”  This means the low hand must be an “eight or better” qualifier to split half of the pot.