WSOP 2011: Week in Review.

[sen8taur]

UK Best Bet Betting and Poker Forum

Weekly World Series of Poker Recap
Jake Cody Wins Triple Crown, Eugene Katchalov Wins First Bracelet

The first week of the 2011 World Series of Poker has been nothing short of spectacular. After Tournament Director Jack Effel kicked off the festivities with the $500 Casino Employees Event the 42nd Annual summer series was officially underway.

Later that night, Phil Ivey shocked the poker world when he released an official statement from his facebook page, stating that he was boycotting the WSOP and filing a lawsuit against Full Tilt Poker for failing to pay back their U.S. customers after Black Friday. Tiltware then issued a followup statement, calling Ivey’s actions “frivolous and self serving.”

Despite the stunning announcement, the poker world pressed on with the WSOP which featured two grudge matches from former final table heads up matches. In the rematches, Johnny Chan got revenge on Phil Hellmuth and Chris Moneymaker once again defeated Sam Farha.

Card Player was also able to get a look at the official charity of the WSOP for 2011, which is Phil Gordon’s Bad Beat on Cancer. The poker world was then informed of another charity opportunity from members of the high-stakes community, when it was announced that 2012 will see the world’s first $1 million buy-in tournament, to benefit the One Drop Foundation.

Take a look at all of the major happenings from the first week of the WSOP.

Sean Drake

Event No. 1 — Sean Drake Claims Summer’s First Bracelet

Sean Drake, a part-time poker dealer who works in Folsom, California, overcame a massive field of 850 to win this summer’s first WSOP bracelet in the $500 Casino Employees Event.

Drake was primarily an online player before Black Friday and had won more than $150,000 this year on the virtual felt before being forced back into the live arena.

For his victory, the 27-year-old claimed $82,292. The runner-up, Jason Baker from Saskatchewan, Canada, picked up $50,807.

Jake Cody

Event No. 2 — Jake Cody Wins Poker’s Triple Crown

After battling through a tough field that included 128 of the world’s best poker players, England’s Jake Cody emerge with the victory in the $25,000 Heads Up Championship Event.

Cody defeated Gus Hansen in the final four and online superstar Yevgeniy Timoshenko in the finals to secure the $851,192 payday.

Even more impressive, Cody picked up his first career bracelet, which along with an EPT and WPT win, makes him poker’s third ever Triple Crown winner. Cody joins Roland De Wolfe and Gavin Griffin as the only three player to earn the honor.

Francesco 'Cheech' Barbaro

Event No. 3 — Cheech Barbaro Wins Largest Omaha Eight-Or-Better Event In WSOP History

A total of 925 entrants turned up for the biggest Omaha Hi-Lo tournament in WSOP history. After three long days of play, Chicago’s own Francesco “Cheech” Barbaro claimed the title, along with $262,283 and his first bracelet.

The 37-year-old entered the final day as the chip leader and cruised to the victory once five-handed play began. Incredibly, this was the first WSOP event that Barbaro had ever entered.

Event No. 4 — Allen Bari Wins First Career Bracelet

It took an unanticipated, extra day of play, but Allen Bari finally got the monkey off his back with his first WSOP gold bracelet in the $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Event, defeating 865 players for $874,116, the largest prize of the summer thus far.

Bari topped a stacked final table that included runner-up Maria Ho, as well as the red hot Farzad Bonyadi, and online pros Ricky Fohrenbach, Sean Lefort and Nicholas Blumenthal.

Ho picked up the biggest score of her career for the second place finish, earning $540,020, but was understandably upset that she couldn’t close out the tournament.

You can read more about Bari’s victory in Card Player’s official recap or watch his victory video below from Card Player TV.

Eugene Katchalov

Event No. 5 — Eugene Katchalov Wins First Career Bracelet

Eugene Katchalov made three WSOP final tables in 2010, but his first bracelet eluded him. After tearing up the rest of the tournament circuit, it was only a matter of time before he won summer gold.

Finally, in the $1,500 Stud Event, Katchalov broke through for the win and a first-place prize of $122,909. Amazingly, Katchalov was down over 5-1 heads-up against second-place finisher Alessio Isaia before storming back for the title.

Katchalov has now amassed over $7 million in career earnings after topping the 357-player field.

Event No. 6 — Harrison Wilder’s Wild Ride To a Bracelet

Harrison Wilder not only sought a career in poker, he was encourage to by his parents. The 29-year-old has been a professional since he decided to quit school at the University of Oregon and the move has finally paid off in the form of a WSOP bracelet.

Wilder topped 675 players in the $1,500 Limit Hold’em Event to pick up $205,065, the largest score of his career. Wilder is normally a $40-$80 player in the Las Vegas cash game scene, but likes to take some shots at tournaments when the WSOP rolls into town.

Wilder defeated a final table that included Scott Clements, Mitch Schock, John Myung and Thomas Jamieson, who finished runner up for $126,605.

Event No. 7 — Amir Lehavot Wins Pot Limit Hold’em Championship

The first $10,000 event of the summer went to Florida’s Amir Lehavot, who bested 249 of the world’s best players in the Pot Limit Hold’em Championship. Lehavot picked up $573,456 for the win, narrowly topping the $421,680 he earned for making the final table of the WPT L.A. Poker Classic main event. He now has over $1.5 million in career earnings.

As with most $10,000 event, this final table was chock full of notables including Michael Benvenuti, Mclean Karr, Eric Cloutier, Nicolas Levi, Stephen Chidwick, Sam Stein and eventual runner up, Jarred Solomon.

With his victory, Lehavot has moved into the top ten of the Card Player Player of the Year race.

_{Courtesy of:    cardplayer.com}

[sen8taur]

UK Best Bet Betting and Poker Forum

Pavilion Room at the Rio
World Series of Poker -- First Week by the Attendance Numbers
Overall Attendance Growth so Far with a Few Events below Last Year’s Total

One week of tournaments has now taken place at the 2011 World Series of Poker and attendance at most events has increased from 2010. It would appear that more players are looking for live action at the Rio, whether it is in the cash games in the packed Pavilion room, or the bracelet events running daily. Here is a look at the gainers and losers so far from the bracelet events. Read on below to also see how the bracelet winners from the first week of the summer stack up.

Attendance Rises in Six Events

Six of the nine repeat events have experienced year-over-year growth from the 2010 WSOP this summer. The largest gain so far was seen in the $500 casino employee’s event, which experienced 17.9 percent growth over last year. Double-digit growth was also booked by the $1,500 six-handed no-limit hold’em event (14.4 percent growth), $1,500 Omaha eight-or-better event (13.1 percent growth), and the $1,500 deuce-to-seven lowball event (10 percent growth).

The other tournaments that grew the first week were the $5,000 no-limit hold’em event (9.2 percent growth), and the $1,500 limit hold’em event (8 percent growth). There is not a true pattern to be discerned from the attendance numbers so far. Hold’em events have seen both growth and decline, while events with low and high buy-ins have shown growth and decline as well.

The turnout for the $25,000 heads-up no-limit hold’em championship at least met but more likely exceeded expectations given the Black Friday environment. A field of 128 players participated in the first marquee event of the summer. The tournament was capped at 256 players, but with the hefty price tag, attendance was expected to fall from the 256 players who participated in the tournament last year, when it cost just $10,000 for an admission ticket.

Three Events Have Declined

Not every event has shown increased attendance so far and in one case a tournament declined by double-digit figures. That tournament was the $1,500 seven-card stud tournament that fell by 12.5 percent from 2010. The other two tournaments that saw decreased attendance were at the two extremes of the WSOP buy-in spectrum. The $10,000 pot-limit hold’em world championship fell by 7.1 percent, while the first of the low buy-in tournaments ($1,000 no-limit hold’em) targeted at the weekend warrior poker player saw a 3.8 percent decline.

The attendance figures at the 2011 WSOP will continue to be closely watched this summer as a barometer for the poker world post-Black Friday, and you can get a look at those numbers each week here at CardPlayer.com.

2011 WSOP Completed Events Attendance Numbers:

Event No. 1 ($500 casino employees no-limit hold’em) – 850 players 2010 – 721 players (17.9 percent growth)

Event No. 2 ($25,000 heads-up no-limit hold’em championship) – new event 128 players

Event No. 3 ($1,500 Omaha eight-or-better) – 925 players 2010 – 818 players (13.1 percent growth)

Event No. 4 ($5,000 no-limit hold’em) – 865 players 2010 – 792 players (9.2 percent growth)

Event No. 5 ($1,500 seven-card stud) – 357 players 2010 – 408 players (12.5 percent decline)

Event No. 6 ($1,500 limit hold’em) – 675 players 2010 – 625 players (8 percent growth)

Event No. 7 ($10,000 pot-limit hold’em championship) – 249 players 2010 – 268 players (7.1 percent decline)

Event No. 8 ($1,000 no-limit hold’em) – 4,178 players 2010 – 4,345 players (3.8 percent decline)

Event No. 9 ($1,500 deuce-to-seven lowball) – 275 players 2010 – 250 players (10 percent growth)

Event No. 10 ($1,500 six-handed no-limit hold’em) – 1,920 players 2010 – 1,663 players (14.4 percent growth)

2011 WSOP Statistics — Week 1:

NOTE: Official statistics provided by WSOP.com.

Through the conclusion of Event #9 (sans Event #8 which is still being played at press time), the 2011 WSOP has attracted 4,424 entries. $13,831,800 in prize money has been awarded to winners, so far.

Through the conclusion of this tournament, the nationality of gold bracelet winners has been:

United States (6)
Great Britain (2)

Through the conclusion of this tournament, the national origin (birth place) of winners has been:

United States (4)
Great Britain (2)
Ukraine (1)
Israel (1)

Through the conclusion of this event, the home-states of winners have been:

California (1)
Illinois (1)
New York (1)
New Jersey (1)
Florida (1)
Nevada (1)

Through the conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:

Professional Players (6): Jake Cody, Cheech Barbaro, Eugene Katchalov, Allen Bari, Harrison Wilder, Matt Perrins

Semi-Pros (2): Sean R. Drake, Amir Lehavot

Amateurs (0): None

_{Courtesy of:  cardplayer.com}

[chris]

TOURNAMENT HEADLINES:

Wanted!  French Poker Bandits Strike Again!
ELIE PAYAN WINS LARGEST POT LIMIT OMAHA TOURNAMENT IN POKER HISTORY


Back-to-Back WSOP Victories for France

Fellow Frenchman Elie Payan Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet One Day Following ElkY’s Victory

European Poker Pro Collects $292,825

WSOP Hosts Largest Live Pot-Limit Omaha Tournament in History!

Full House at the 2011 WSOP-- Tournament Attendance Still up Double Digits over Last Year

22 Gold Bracelets Won – 36 More Still to Go

OVERVIEW

WANTED!

French poker players have struck again!  They are looting Las Vegas of currency and treasure!

The poker bandits reportedly landed at Las Vegas McCarran two weeks ago.  Until yesterday, the band of stealthy desperados remained inconspicuous.  No one at the Rio in Las Vegas seemed to notice or paid any attention to them.  Tens of thousands of poker players who gathered for the 2011 World Series of Poker didn’t see them coming. 

Then yesterday, one of the sneaky bandits won the Seven-Card Stud World Championship, thereby earning his first-ever WSOP gold bracelet.  During the raid, the ingrate (identified as Bertrand Grospellier) demonstrated little respect toward his fellow competitors.  He avariciously devoured the chips of his tablemates, who were mostly Americans.  The thief even had the audacity to snatch a gold bracelet from the 2011 WSOP collection and later show it off to hundreds of witnesses.  Reports surfaced that afterwards he boasted the gold bracelet as his own.  He was even seen wearing the spoils of his heist.  The impertinence was appalling.

Now, it turns out this crime story is a double feature.

Elie Payan, won the $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha championship.  He has been identified as a 27-year-old man from Orleans, France.  He claims to be a “Project Manager.”  According to data obtained from various poker websites, Payan has plundered other tournament prize pools in the past.  Most of his earlier heists took place in Europe.

Payan is believed to have removed the grand sum of $292,825 from the depleted bankrolls of 1,070 other poker players.  The weapons used by Payan to commit his gross misdeed included several cards, chips, and an intimidating poker face.

Like his audacious fellow-Frenchman the night before, Payan also paraded around with the loot from his shameless act.  He was last seen at midnight on the ESPN main stage pumping his fists into the air and singing Le Marseillaise.  He was joined in unison by nearly two dozen unidentified French bystanders.  It was not immediately known whether the compatriots were involved in the crime.

There's speculation that these two brazen acts are part of a much larger conspiracy.  With WSOP Europe coming to France for the first time later this year, many believe French poker players are now determined to take as much loot out of the U.S. as possible, in preparation for seven upcoming gold bracelet events to be played in their home country.  The 2011 edition of WSOP Europe will be played in Cannes (France) in October.

Someone stop them!  French bandits are leaving the country with WSOP gold bracelets!  They are seizing the cash of thousands of hard-working poker players from more than 100 different nations!  They must be stopped!

For a comprehensive recap of Event #22, please visit WSOP.com’s official tournament portal page HERE.

EVENT #22 CHAMPION – ELIE PAYAN

The 2011 World Series of Poker $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha champion is Elie Payan, from Orleans, France.

Payan is a 27-year-old project manager.

Payan studied at a university and earned a B.A. in engineering.

Payan is fluent in his native language, French.  He has a working-knowledge of English.

Payan previously cashed six times in major tournaments held in Europe.  However, he had never won a live tournament until this point.  This was his first time to cash at the WSOP.

Payan plays a lot of online poker.  His player name is “Punisher934.”

Remarkably, this was the first WSOP tournament Payan had ever entered.  He became the seventh player so far this year to cash in what was their first-ever WSOP entry.

For his victory, Payan collected $292,825 for first place. 

According to official records, Payan now has 1 win, 1 final table appearances, and 1 in-the-money finish at the WSOP. 

Payan currently has $292,825 in career WSOP winnings.

Payan is to be classified as an amateur poker player (in WSOP records and stats), since he has a full-time job and plays poker recreationally.

Payan becomes the second consecutive player from France to win a WSOP gold bracelet.  Approximately 22 hours earlier, Bertrand Grospellier won his first WSOP title on the same ESPN stage.  Many of the same supporters were in the crowd during both nights, cheering on the French players.

Payan becomes only the fifth French player to win a WSOP gold bracelet.  The previous winners were Patrick Bruel, David Benyamine, Vanessa Hellebuyck, and Bertrand Grospellier.

WINNER QUOTES (Note: The winner was interviewed at tableside moments after the victory)

What’s it like to win your very first WSOP gold bracelet?

It’s unspeakable.  I do not know how to explain it.  I am very, very happy.

How do you feel being the second player from France to win this year?

For me personally, it is not that special as far as my nationality.  But for poker in France – and for the game to grow there – I am very happy for that.  I am very, very happy to win back to back, after ElkY (Bertrand Grospellier).

THE FINAL TABLE

The official final table was comprised of the top nine finishers.

The final table contained no former gold bracelet winners.

Three nations were represented at the final table – Finland (2 players), France (1 player), and the United States (6 players).

The heads-up battle between Elie Payan and Rafe Kibrit lasted about two hours.  Kibrit took the lead for a while and had Payan all-in a few times, but was never able to finish off his last rival.

The runner up was Rafe Kibrit, from Buffalo Grove, IL.  He previously worked as a floor trader before playing poker professionally.  He is a 25-year-old alum of Indiana University.  He has several online poker wins.  This was his best showing at the WSOP, which paid $181,222.

David Sands (Las Vegas, NV) finished in third place.  At one time, he was the top-ranked online tournament player in the world (source:  PocketFives.com).  Sands has a Masters Degree and works as an Internet marketing analyst when he’s not playing poker.

Juha Vilkki (Espoo, Finland) came in as the fourth-place finisher.  This marked his first time to cash in a WSOP event.

Stephen Wolfe (Dallas, TX) ended up in fifth place.  He is a software consultant.  Wolfe has a lot of previous online cashes, but this was his first live cash in a WSOP event.

Emil Patel (New York, NY) finished in sixth place.  He is a former NYU student with a degree in statistics and finance, who is now a poker pro.  Patel had two previous high cashes at the WSOP (8th and 14th) in 2008.  He improved on those performances in his tournament.

Cody Munger (Jacksonville, FL) finished in seventh place.  He jokingly called himself a “former” professional poker player, in reference to the events of Black Friday.

Jeff Sarwer (Helsinki, Finland) finished in eighth place.  He had performed very well in Europe in the past, racking up more than $500,000 in winnings.  This marked his best WSOP finish, by far.

Roland Israelashvili (Forest Hills, NY) finished in ninth place.  This was his best WSOP finish to date and third time to cash this year.  Israelashvili is a two-time WSOP Circuit gold ring winner.

Final table play began at 2:30 pm on a Wednesday afternoon.  Play ended at midnight.  The finale went for about 9 hours, 30 minutes.

The final table was played on ESPN’s Main Stage.  The new final table set is getting raves in terms of design and appearance.  No stage in the history of poker has ever looked as spectacular.

Action was streamed live over WSOP.com.  Viewers can tune in and watch most of this year’s final tables.  Although hole cards are not shown, viewers can follow an overhead camera as well as a pan-shot of the table.  The floor announcer provides an official account of the action.

OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS

The top 117 finishers collected prize money.

Among the former gold bracelet winners who cashed in this tournament were – Ryan Welch (14), Quinn Do (15), Rob Hollink (70), “Captain” Tom Franklin (84), David Chiu (100), and Peter Smurfit (117).

Ryan Welch (Henderson, NV) won his title last year playing Triple-Chance No-Limit Hold’em.

An interesting occurrence:  Nick Binger finished in 32nd place.  His brother Michael Binger went out a few minutes later in 30th place.

Tournament results are to be included in the WSOP official records.  Results are also to be included in the 2011 WSOP “Player of the Year” race.

“WSOP Player of the Year” standings can be found at WSOP.com HERE.

ODDS AND ENDS

This is the 914th gold bracelet awarded 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.

The final table (Day Three) was played on the same day (and same time) as the decisive Game 7 of the National Hockey League (NHL) finals between Vancouver and Boston.  Each WSOP overlaps major sporting events.  Therefore, many poker players tend to watch games and are tuned into what’s going on elsewhere.  When the WSOP was played in May (1970-2004), the biggest side-attraction was the Kentucky Derby.  When the WSOP moved into the summer months, the NBA finals became the most popular topic of discussion at many tables, aside from what was happening in the tournaments.  Perhaps the most exciting WSOP side action occurs every four years when the World Cup (soccer) is played and games are televised inside the tournament rooms.  Since the WSOP now attracts players from all over the world, many have watched their home-country teams play, as the tournaments are continuing. The last World Cup took place last year.  The next time the World Cup will overlap the WSOP will be in 2014.

The official WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner’s victory (or some hours later when the tournament ends very late).  The ceremony takes place inside The Pavilion, which is the expansive main tournament room hosting all noon starts this year.  The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the first 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 the public and media.  Video and photography is permitted by both the public and members of the media.

Payan’s gold bracelet ceremony is set to take place on Thursday, June 16th.  The national anthem of France will be played in honor of his victory.

For the first time in history, World Series of Poker gold bracelets will be awarded in France, when WSOP Europe debuts in Cannes this coming October.  Seven gold bracelet events are scheduled.  Now, at least two French players are expected to be among the stars of that event – with a lot more poker still to be played.

EVENT HISTORY

This was the largest live Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in history.  There were 1,071 entries, which topped the previous mark (885) set in this event last year.  So, the old record was shattered by 186 players, representing a 21 percent increase.

Sparked by widespread popularity in Europe, Pot-Limit Omaha tournament attendance at the WSOP continues to grow.  Since the WSOP has been played at the Rio, here are the attendance figures for this event over the past seven years:

2005 – 291 players

2006 -- 526 players

2007 – 578 players

2008 – 758 players

2009 – 809 players

2010 – 885 players

2011 – 1,071 players

Pot-Limit Omaha made its WSOP debut in 1984.  The previous year, a Limit Omaha (High) event was held.  The format changed to Pot-Limit the next year and has been part of the WSOP ever since.

The very first Pot-Limit Omaha champion was William Bennett, who won the $84,000 top cash prize in 1984.

Previous WSOP Pot-Limit Omaha champions (some years included multiple events – all winners are listed):

(1984)   William Bennett

(1985)   “Amarillo Slim” Preston; Zoran Smijanic

(1986)   David Baxter

(1987)   Hat “Deadman” Kant

(1988)   Gilbert Gross

(1989)   Blackie Blackburn

(1990)   “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Shawqui Shunnarah

(1991)   Jay Heimowitz, An Tran

(1992)   Hoyt Corkins; Billy Thomas

(1993)   Buddy Bonnecaze

(1994)   O’Neil Longson; Huck Seed

(1995)   Phil “Doc” Earle

(1996)   Sammy Farha; Jim Huntley

(1997)   Chris Bjorin

(1998)   T.J. Cloutier

(1999)   Donn O’Dea; Hassan Komoei

(2000)   Johnny Chan

(2001)   Hassan Komoei; Galen Kester

(2002)   Robert Williamson III; Jan Hansen; Jack Duncan

(2003)   John Juanda; Johnny Chan; Erik Seidel

(2004)   Ted Lawson; Chau Giang

(2005)   Josh Arieh; Barry Greenstein; Phil Ivey; Rafi Amit

(2006)   Lee Watkinson; Ralph Perry

(2007)   Burt Boutin; Scott Clements; Alan Smurfit 

(2008)   Dario Alioto; Vanessa Selbst; Phil Galfond; Layne Flack

(2009)   Matthew Graham; Jason Mercier; J.C. Tran; Richard Austin

(2010)   John Barch, Miguel Proulx, Chance Kornuth

(2011)   Elie Payan

Players with the most WSOP gold bracelets in Omaha-related events (all variations) are – T.J. Cloutier, Scotty Nguyen, and Phil Ivey, currently with three wins each.

The player with the most career WSOP cashes in Omaha-related events (all variations) is Brent Carter, currently with 21.

Players with the most WSOP gold bracelets (wins) in Pot-Limit Omaha are – “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Johnny Chan, and Phil Ivey, each currently with two.

The player with the most career WSOP cashes in Pot-Limit Omaha is Chau Giang, currently at 16.

TOURNAMENT PLAY

The tournament was played over three consecutive days.

The tournament officially began on Monday, June 13th at noon.  The tournament officially ended on Wednesday, June 15th, at midnight.

2011 WSOP STATISTICS

Through the conclusion of Event #22, the 2011 WSOP has attracted 23,578 entries.  $40,825,960 in prize money has been awarded to winners, so far.

Through the conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of nationality of gold bracelet winners has been:

United States (15)

Great Britain (3)

France (2)

Russia (1)

Canada (1)

Through the conclusion of this tournament, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:

United States (11)

Great Britain (3)

France (2)

Ukraine (1)

Israel (1)

Russia (1)

Honduras (1)

Canada (1)

Indonesia (1)

Through the conclusion of this event, the home-states of (American) winners have been:

Nevada (3)

California (2)

Texas (2)

New York (2)

Illinois (1)

New Jersey (1)

Florida (1)

Tennessee (1)

Connecticut (1)

Indiana (1)

Through the conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets has been:

Professional Players (17):  Jake Cody, Cheech Barbaro, Eugene Katchalov, Allen Bari, Harrison Wilder, Matt Perrins, Sean Getzwiller, Viacheslav Zhukov, David Diaz, Andrew Badecker, Tyler Bonkowski, Brian Rast, John Juanda, Aaron Steury, Darren Woods, Jason Somerville, Bertrand Grospellier

Semi-Pros (2):  Sean R. Drake, Amir Lehavot

Amateurs (3):  Geffrey Klein, Foster Hays, Elie Payan

Through the conclusion of this tournament, the victories of seven of the 22 winners (32 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.  So far, no player has yet won two gold bracelets (this year).

The streak of male WSOP gold bracelet winners has now reached 183 consecutive events.  Aside from the annual Ladies 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 finishes by any female (open events) at this year’s WSOP was by two players -- Maria Ho, who finished second ($5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em), and Kim Nguyen, who also finished as the runner up ($1,500 buy-in Six-Handed Limit Hold’em).

At present, the three top money-winners from the 2011 WSOP are:

Allen Bari -- $877,262

Jake Cody -- $851,192

Foster Hays -- $735,400

New records set at this year’s 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 starting day (3,157 entries) – Event #18

Largest consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,238 entries) – Event #18 and Event #20

Largest live Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in poker history (1,071 entries) – Event #22

Note:  Various categories and statistics will be updated with each gold bracelet event as they are completed.

courtesy of WSOP.com

[cryptic3]

Updates as they happen can be viewed HERE

[cryptic3]

Below are 2 files with the day 3 chip starting stacks and seating

[Danny]

Thought it deserved a mention that Phil Hellmuth has had another 2nd making it 3 seconds this year pretty good going but his 12th bracelet eludes him still his latest 2nd was in the $50k players championship he got a coll $1m for 2nd but must suck for him =)

[cryptic3]

Total main event day 4 seating in pdf

[cryptic3]

Day 5 starters by seating..

[cryptic3]

1Eoghan O'Dea42,050,000        -800,000Dublin-Ireland
2Martin Staszko31,850,000        -3,550,000Trinec-Czech Republic
3Ben Lamb28,275,000        +3,300,000TulsaOKUnited States
4Phil Collins21,350,000        -2,675,000Las VegasNVUnited States
5Pius Heinz19,575,000        +950,000Cologne-Germany
6John Hewitt19,375,000        -2,925,000San Jose-Costa Rica
7Anton Makievskyi15,075,000        -2,050,000Dnipropetrovsk-Ukraine
8Samuel Holden13,425,000        +500,000Sussex-United Kingdom
9Badih Bounahra11,150,000        -1,250,000Belize City-Belize
10Matt Giannetti7,850,000        -2,550,000Las VegasNVUnited States

are the latest chip counts for the remaining 10 players

[cryptic3]

The November 9 are

Seat 1: Matt Giannetti (24,750,000)?
Seat 2: Badih Bounahra (19,700,000)?
Seat 3: Eoghan O'Dea (33,925,000)?
Seat 4: Phil Collins (23,875,000)
?Seat 5: Anton Makiievskyi (13,825,000)?
Seat 6: Samuel Holden (12,375,000)
?Seat 7: Pius Heinz (16,425,000)?
Seat 8: Ben Lamb (20,875,000)?
Seat 9: Martin Staszko (40,175,000)