# \[Discussion\] World Series of Poker **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 31, 2009, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247 "2009-05-31T07:52:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![straggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@straggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straggler)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/61 "2009-07-01T03:14:40Z")
> [@Gadarene](#): > > I just busted 18th in Event 52. That was a lot of fun. Nice work! Will you be having a stab at the 10k Main Event? ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/62 "2009-07-01T06:28:37Z")
Well son of a bitch. Seed out in 5th. Time to drown my sorrows at midnight with some Dr Pepper. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/63 "2009-07-04T15:47:12Z")
The Main event began yesterday. With the first of four Day 1a. Some notable names busted out the first day including Allen Cunningham, Andy Bloch and Freddie Deeb. Johnny Chan made it to Day 2 but he will be shortstacked with 7,800 chips One interesting knockout was Orel Herchiser, who gave his opponent an autograph baseball. The guy was from England and had no idea who Hershiser was. George Constanza is in the top 10% of chip stack of Day 1a. There were 1116 players in Day 1a which seems small compared to last years field of ~6600. Day 1a are usually smaller but that is only 17% of the total from last year. the players started the day with 30,000 in chips, which IIRC, an increase from 20,000 last year. Blinds started at 50/100. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/64 "2009-07-07T04:05:44Z")
hmmm the World Series thread is dieing when the main event starts, one mor attempt to resurrect: 6494 total players in the Main event. First place a cool 8.46 Million, 648 players will cash. some other notables out early: Kid Poker, Doyle Brunson. Hellmuth made to Day 2, but he has less chips than what he started with. Phil Ivey’s table was supposed to be a TV feature table but he used some clout to get out of it. Apparently the other players at the table were denied an opportunity to wear online poker hats and shirts, losing about 10K apiece. I’d be pissed. the last of the four Day 1’s is about to end. ---
**Author:** ![straggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@straggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straggler)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/65 "2009-07-07T05:50:27Z")
I am still following it pretty closely. Here’s a question that occurred to me today: How come Tom Dwan doesn’t have a poker site sponsorship? Also, can anyone confirm if [Luke Schwartz](http://www.bluffeurope.com/interview/en/ __FullFlush1__ -Luke-Schwartz-lets-rip-_4644.aspx) is playing in the Main Event? ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/66 "2009-07-07T05:58:29Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Phil Ivey’s table was supposed to be a TV feature table but he used some clout to get out of it. Apparently the other players at the table were denied an opportunity to wear online poker hats and shirts, losing about 10K apiece. I’d be pissed. I heard they’ve been threatening to do this for a couple of years now. I believe there was a controversy a couple of years ago where ESPN blurred out logos that didn’t sponsor their program and everyone had a fit. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/67 "2009-07-07T06:33:05Z")
> [@straggler](#): > > I am still following it pretty closely. Here’s a question that occurred to me today: How come Tom Dwan doesn’t have a poker site sponsorship? I’m guessing the money wouldn’t be worth enough to him for any exclusivity agreements - he probably wants the freedom to go where the games are best. He also doesn’t have a lot of name recognition among casual players, I’m guessing. He’s not a poker celebrity from ESPN. There may be some metagame reason I can’t think of offhand. ---
**Author:** ![straggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@straggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straggler)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/68 "2009-07-07T06:58:38Z")
> [@SenorBeef](#): > > I’m guessing the money wouldn’t be worth enough to him for any exclusivity agreements - he probably wants the freedom to go where the games are best. But if that’s a reason to not take up a sponsorship, then wouldn’t it be something that _all_ poker players would prefer? > [@](#): > > He also doesn’t have a lot of name recognition among casual players, I’m guessing. He’s not a poker celebrity from ESPN. Hmm.. I think I would disagree with your assessment that he’s not much of a “name” or “poker celebrity”. He’s been a regular feature on televised shows like Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker, NBC National Heads Up Championship, Premier League Poker.. but most notably, there are far lesser-knowns with lucrative poker site deals. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/69 "2009-07-07T07:27:44Z")
It sounds as though Phil Ivey is really keeping his head down and focusing big time on his play. You heard it here first folks, I’m picking Ivey to win the whole shebang and it’s not even Day 2 yet (technically). Face it, he’s a **[bad ass](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3628068209_d84d7773a8_o.jpg)**. You can’t look at that pic and be like “Damn, that guy is awesome.” ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/70 "2009-07-07T07:37:17Z")
> [@straggler](#): > > But if that’s a reason to not take up a sponsorship, then wouldn’t it be something that _all_ poker players would prefer? I don’t know how lucrative those deals are. Durr multitables the highest stakes you can play in the world, often in highly volatile shorthanded PLO games. He can have monthly swings in the millions. If the endorsement deals are only, say, in the thousands per month, or even tens of thousands, it’s a drop in the bucket for him. I don’t know what they require of you, also. They may require so many hours playing in promotional tournaments, or have certain standards when talking to other players (so you can’t tell people to go fuck themselves), etc. On the other hand, a lot of big name players have ownership stake in full tilt - so the sponsorship comes easily. OTOH, some of the lesser known sponsored players are lucky to take anything a site is willing to give them. > [@](#): > > Hmm.. I think I would disagree with your assessment that he’s not much of a “name” or “poker celebrity”. He’s been a regular feature on televised shows like Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker, NBC National Heads Up Championship, Premier League Poker.. but most notably, there are far lesser-knowns with lucrative poker site deals. You may be right. I don’t know how the exposure of each show is. HSP is by far - FAR - the best poker on TV, but does it have 1/10th the audience of the WSOP coverage? The PAD cash game weeks are good, but they’ve had, what, 2 or 3 of those over their entire show? Maybe you’re right. But I get the impression that casual interest in poker among the public is all about tournaments and Durr doesn’t bother with them. I wouldn’t guess he’s among the top 25 most well known players among the general public. But this is just my own speculation. ---
**Author:** ![straggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@straggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straggler)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/71 "2009-07-07T09:02:26Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > It sounds as though Phil Ivey is really keeping his head down and focusing big time on his play. > > You heard it here first folks, I’m picking Ivey to win the whole shebang and it’s not even Day 2 yet (technically). > > Face it, he’s a **[bad ass](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3628068209_d84d7773a8_o.jpg)**. You can’t look at that pic and be like “Damn, that guy is awesome.” Looks like he took a huge hit somewhere near the end of the day.. dropping about a third of his stack. He appears to have finished the day on 60 odd thousand, he was up over 100 thousand at one stage. ---
**Author:** ![straggler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@straggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straggler)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/72 "2009-07-07T09:06:15Z")
Check out this [highlight](http://www.pokernews.com/wsop/2009/event-57/day1d/page2.htm) from today’s play: > [@](#): > > **Some Folks Really Want to Get to Day 2** > > The following curiosity just took place with about half an hour left in the last level of the night. > > A player under the gun limped, then the player in the cutoff raised to 4,050. It folded to the player in the big blind who reraised to 12,000, leaving himself 29,000. The UTG player folded, then the player in the cutoff reraised all in for his stack of 45,000. > > The player in the big blind considered a bit, then folded his {K-Clubs}{K-Hearts} face up. ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/73 "2009-07-07T17:32:03Z")
> [@straggler](#): > > Looks like he took a huge hit somewhere near the end of the day.. dropping about a third of his stack. He appears to have finished the day on 60 odd thousand, he was up over 100 thousand at one stage. Nah he’s still good. At 84K More than two and a half times the starting stack, though I don’t know the chip average. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/74 "2009-07-07T19:08:17Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > Nah he’s still good. At 84K More than two and a half times the starting stack, though I don’t know the chip average. 46,300 should be avg stack for Days 1C & 1D. They both played 5 levels. 40,500 should be avg stack for Days 1A & 1B. They only played 4 levels. Ivey has nearly twice the avg stack. Day 2B is going to have 2922 players. they closed entries of Day 1D at 2809 because it was “full” players. They got to fit another 113 players in tomorrow. (14 tables?) ``` Players Players Started Ended ``` Day 1A 1116 821 Day 1B 873 653 Day 1C 1696 1106 Day 1D 2809 1816 ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/75 "2009-07-07T20:28:57Z")
From Live Reporting at Poker News: “All in and a call!” yelled the dealer over at table 240 in the Brasilia room. Mark Landgraf was all in holding **A-C Q-D** against Alexander Yaroshetskiy’s **AH-JH.** With a dominating position in the hand, Landgraf improved to trip queens on the flop of **KH QH QS**. Yaroshetskiy did pick up a royal flush draw though. The turn hit the , **QC** giving Landgraf quads and leaving Yaroshetskiy drawing to only one out. The poker gods must have been looking down on Yaroshetskiy today because the **10H** landed on the river giving him the royal flush! The table erupted and one player even fell back out of his chair as he was leaning back in it. Yaroshetskiy is now up to 240,000 and Landgraf dropped all the way to 14,300. Yikes what a way to lose most of your chips. and Maybe he wouldn’t qualify for some casinos Bad Beat jackpot because he didn’t have the pair in his hand. But the ACE would have played ---
**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/76 "2009-07-07T20:42:06Z")
Fucking a! Do you think Alexander is going to have enough luck left to finish high in the tournament? Or quite the opposite, do you think if he goes out to the parking lot he’ll get struck by lightning since he likely has a _negative_ luck score right now? Going out and buying a ton of lottery tickets might be a faster, and more likely, way of winning a ton of money. I \<3 royal flushes. So pretty. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/77 "2009-07-07T22:48:31Z")
> [@Covered\_In\_Bees](#): > > I \<3 royal flushes. So pretty. I played in a small daily weekly touranment in a casino this past winter. i was at the final table with 7 other players. I was the small blind and middle position player raised and the guy to my right (the button) raised All-in. I fold along with the Big blind and the Middle position calls. Middle postion has KQ suited and the button has pocket jacks. Middle Position player flops a Royal Flush, the button makes trips and is drawing dead. He ended up making four jacks. the casino’s bad beat jackpot was at $200,000 but since this was a tournament, we weren’t contributing to the BB jackpot. 50% to the loser, 30% to the winner, and 20% to the table. Sigh Well, I at least I ended up in a 5-way tie for first place. the last five players had about the same stacks so we split 1st through 5th place rather than wasting time. the blinds were getting high for the amount of chip we all had and every bet by everyone was basically an “All-in” bet at the time. Not much skill in that. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/78 "2009-07-08T15:49:26Z")
Day 2a is complete, with 648 out of the original 1989 players remaining. that should be an average stack of ~90,000. Day 2b starts later today, and the average stack is about 46,000, so the players need to double their stack to maintain their position relative the average chip stack. Management at the Rio is probably not looking forward to squeezing nearly 3000 people into tables today at noon local time. Interesting that the Day 1D leader has nearly as many chips as the day 2A chip leader. PokerNews mis-reported that the Day 1A chipleader was Eric Cloutier at ~150,000. he actually only had ~15,000. Ironically this guy is the current chip leader at ~380,000. I wonder if it has been misreported again? ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/79 "2009-07-08T16:05:33Z")
Day 2B starts with ~2922 players. if this day hold form to final day 2A results. They should wittle this field down to ~1460 players and that will be approximately 2100 players going into day 3. everyplayer started the event at 300 times the big blind. they will start day 3 at Level 10.At an average stack of 90,000 going into Day 3 and level 10’s blinds are 600/1200, then the avg stack only has 75 times the Big Blind. And throw in the 200 ante, the knockouts should go a lot faster. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247/80 "2009-07-08T20:08:18Z")
On Day 1D, organizers closed registration because the tournament was full. TJ Cloutier was one of the players on the outside looking in. How does a Big Name pro like TJ Cloutier not pre-register? It is not like he hasn’t been around the block a few times? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-world-series-of-poker/498247.md?page=5)