The 2009 World Series of Poker Preview
Every year, poker players from around the world flock to Las Vegas, Nevada to raise, re-raise and bluff their way to a World Series of Poker Bracelet and claim that they're the World Champion of poker.
With the World Series of Poker starting soon for the 2009 season, I thought we'd take a look back at this historical tournament on how and where it was started, and preview some of the new things this time around that will keep this tournament the be-all-end-all of poker tournaments in the world.
It seems like historical fiction when you hear the old stories of Benny Binion and the way he ran his mob gambling rackets throughout Texas in the 1930's, but in fact, they're all true. Binion controlled the rackets like no other and was ruthless when it came to his territory. But as the 1940's rolled around, the once convicted murderer felt the need to escape the Dallas area when he became heatedly unpopular with the local policticans and soon pioneered his way to the one place that a known mob boss could effectively run a legit business - Las Vegas.
Once there, Binion turned business man and soon partnered himself with a few local casinos where he began to showcase his ability to appeal to gamblers from around the city by letting them bet at much higher limits than his competitors. When you think about it, Benny had the right idea - what kind of gambler wants to bet at low limits? None. It's all about letting the high-rollers do their thing and flash their bling however they see fit. This is what made Benny popular around town. Soon after in 1951, he bought some property and turned it into Binion's Horseshoe Casino. Now the high-rollers had an official place to bet the higher limits and they loved him for it. Years later, after constantly arranging high-stakes heads-up matches between top card players, in 1970 he invited six of his gambler friends for an evening of poker where they would play for cash and vote on the top player in the end. This was the official start of the World Series of Poker.
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With Johnny Moss taking the first two Main Event titles in 1970 and 1971, poker players around the world soon heard about the legendary games being played by the likes of Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson and Puggy Pearson, and they too wanted a shot. The numbers began to grow year by year throughout the 1970's and when the 1980's came, ESPN had officially brought the annual event more attention as they started broadcasting the event on their network. With coverage of the Main Event becoming a national sport viewed by millions of Americans, the number of entrants steadily increased as poker enthusiasts realized that they could be a part of this World Series of Poker by buying into it themselves or winning a satellite into the event through a lower buy-in.
As the 1990's came and went, the number of entrants to the Main Event grew above 200 players all the way up to almost 400 by the year 2000. The 90's was a relatively modest time for poker as ESPN coverage didn't do anything different as compared to the 1980's broadcasts. There were some in the poker world who believed the game of poker was about to slip away and fade into the old gambling folklore. But then, technology made a breakthrough in the early 2000's. "
Pocket Cams" were invented for tv tournaments that turned a boring poker table match into something that people at home could actually play along with and feel as if they're playing the hands themselves. This was a huge factor in the increase in participants from 2000-2003. But it wasn't until 2003 when casual players from around the world took notice when
Chris Moneymaker won the Main Event by qualifying online through PokerStars at low-stake buy-ins. From the minute Moneymaker won the big money to the start of the 2004 World Series the following year is the time historians believed the great poker boom of the 21st century began.
And the boom boomed. The number of participants for the World Series Main Event jumped from 839 players in 2003 to 2,576 in 2004 thus creating more sponsors, world class attention and of course, the biggest prize pool for everyone to chase after. In 2005, there was another jump of over 100% as 5,619 players graced the Main Event because of another online qualifier
Greg Raymer winning in 2004. It seemed the Main Event couldn't get any bigger, but it did. In 2006, after two years of "regular guys" qualifying through online tournaments and winning millions of dollars, the number of entrants grew to 8,773, creating the biggest first prize in sports history for eventual Main Event Champion,
Jamie Gold. Now with more prize money than
Wimbledon, the
Indy 500, the
Masters, and
The Kentucky Derby combined, Jamie Gold's historic $12,000,000 first place prize took the World Series of Poker into the stratosphere and made it even more than just a household vice for everyone to watch, it turned the World Series of Poker into brand named stream train with no stops in sight.
While the next two years in 2007 and 2008 produced a bit smaller field of players, there was no denying the fact that the World Series of Poker is the place for the best poker players in the world to compete, and with 2009, they're doing it all over again. This year,
Harrah's Entertainment have announced 57 bracelet events that players from all over the world can outwit and outlast their opponents towards an event victory.
One of the highlights of the Series is at the beginning of the tournament where there will be a $40,000 buy-in event that commemorates the tournaments's 40 year anniversary. This event will surely attract the top talent in the poker world and will make for an interesting ESPN final table broadcast. Other events to look out for:
Event #6, June 1st - $10,000 buy-in World Championship of Seven Card Stud - This event will bring out the old schoolers and the talented few who truly appreciate the game. Expect big names like Greenstein, Cloutier, Seidel, and Ivey among others.
Event #29 - June 13th - $10,000 buy-in World Championship Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em - As usual, the biggest names in poker will gather for this prestigious event. Expect last year's champ Kenny Tran to defend his first bracelet win and claim he's still the best reader in the game.
Event #33 - June 15th - $10,000 buy-in World Championship Limit Hold'em - Only poker's greatest players with the most patience gather to claim this bracelet every year. This is always a coveted event to win and this year won't be any different.
Event #49 - June 26th - $50,000 buy-in World Championship H.O.R.S.E - This is where bragging rights come into play as the cream of the crop in poker take part in this new favorite event now held every year. It'll be hard to take those rights away from last year's champion Scotty Nguyen as he defends his title loud and proud.
Non-Event - July 2nd - $5,000 buy-in Ante Up For Africa Charity - This an annual event that attracts the biggest names in both the poker and entertainment worlds. Big name celebrities like Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, George Clooney, and poker stars like Annie Duke, Daniel Negreanu, Phil Hellmuth and Jennifer Harman all participate in this ESPN televised tournament to which all the proceeds benefit the many organizations that help the Darfur region in Africa.
Event # 57 - July 3rd - $10,000 buy-in World Championship No-Limit Texas Hold'em - This is of course, the mother of all poker tournaments ever created. Another large field in the thousands is expected and it will gradually make up another multi-million dollar prize pool with millions going to the first place finisher. This is the Main Event. The one time of the year where amatuers and poker professionals alike compete to become The World Champion of Poker.
So, are you ready for the 2009 World Series of Poker? Will Phil Hellmuth win his record 12th bracelet? Can a pro take down the Main Event this year? What will be the big surprise story of the 2009 World Series? Bookmark my poker
page and keep checking back daily for all the latest WSOP breaking news as it happens on the casino floor with all the recent winners from each and every bracelet event.
Also, don't forget to keep an eye out for my "Road to the 2009 World Series of Poker" article profiles featuring exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in the game as they get ready for the 2009 World Series of Poker!
Read my first "Road to the 2009 World Series of Poker" article featuring an exclusive interview with Jennifer Harman found here.
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