The World Series of Poker (WSOP) is the largest set of poker tournaments in the world. It is held annually in Las Vegas, and since 2007 has consisted of 55 events, of which all but the "Main Event" are finished in just over a month. The 2008 World Series of Poker began on May 30, 2008, with all but the main event scheduled to end by July 15. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For the domestic fireplace tool, see fireplace poker. ... An amateur poker tournament in progress. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ...

The winner of each event wins a World Series of Poker bracelet and a prize based on the number of entrants. Most of the major poker variants are featured, though in recent years over half of the events have been variants of Texas hold 'em. Non-Main Event gold bracelets given to the event winners during the 2005 WSOP The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet is the biggest non-monetary prize a poker player can win. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Rule variations (poker). ... Texas hold em involves community cards available to all players (pictured here on the left). ...

The series culminates with the $10,000 no-limit hold'em "Main Event", which since 2004 has attracted entrants numbering in the thousands, with the victor receiving a multi-million dollar prize. USD redirects here. ...

Since 2005 the WSOP has been sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment. ‹ The template below (Citations missing) is being considered for deletion. ...

Format

Johnny Moss, Becky Binion, and Puggy Pearson at the 1974 World Series of Poker.

Since 1971, all WSOP events have been tournaments with cash prizes. In 1973 a five-card stud event was added. Since then, new events have been added and removed. In 2006 there were 45 events at the WSOP, covering the majority of poker variants. Currently, Texas hold 'Em, Omaha hold 'em and Seven-card stud and their lowball variants (if any) are played. H.O.R.S.E. has been played in the past and returned in 2006. Also, S.H.O.E. has been played in the past, and returned in 2007. Other events played in the past include Chinese poker, Five card stud, and many others. This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... For other persons of the same name, see John Moss. ... Walter Clyde Puggy Pearson (January 29, 1929 in Tennessee – April 12, 2006) was an American professional poker player. ... The 1974 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1973 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) began on June 25, 2006 with satellite events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29. ... The game of poker has many variations, most of them created in the United States in the mid-1900s. ... Omaha hold em (or Omaha holdem or simply Omaha) is a community card poker game (often referred to as a flop game) similar to Texas hold em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 The horse (Equus caballus, sometimes seen as a subspecies of the Wild Horse, Equus ferus caballus) is a large odd-toed ungulate mammal, one of ten modern species of the genus Equus. ... Plastic hoses. ... Chinese poker is a card game that has been played in the Asian community for many years. ...

Like most tournaments, the sponsoring casino takes an entry fee (a percentage between 6% and 10%, depending on the buy-in) and distributes the rest, hence the prize money increases with more players. In the 2005 main event US$52,818,610 in prize money was distributed among 560 players, with US$7.5 million to first prize. The large and growing jargon of poker includes many terms. ...

Highlights

The number of participants in the WSOP has grown almost every year, and in recent years the growth has exploded. In 2000 there were 4,780 entrants in the various events, but in 2005, the number rose to over 23,000 players. In the main event alone, the number of participants grew from 839 in 2003 to 8,773 in 2006. The 2000 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ...

Phil Hellmuth has the most bracelets with eleven. Runners-up Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan have each won ten bracelets. Doyle's son, Todd Brunson, won a bracelet in a $2,500 Omaha Eight-or-better event in 2005, making them the first (and so far only) father/son pair to win at least one event at the WSOP. Crandell Addington is the only player to place in the top ten of the World Series of Poker Main Event eight times. Phillip J. Hellmuth, Jr. ... Below is a list of all poker players who have won multiple bracelets at the World Series of Poker (WSOP), together with the year(s) in which the bracelets were won. ... Doyle Brunson, also known as Texas Dolly, (born August 10, 1933 in Longworth, Fisher County, Texas) is an American poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. ... For the actor, see Johnny Chan (actor). ... Todd Alijondro Darkhorse Brunson is the son of poker legend Doyle Brunson. ... Crandell Addington one of the founders of the World Series of Poker, is one of the old school poker players who cropped up from Texas. ...

Four players have won the main event multiple times: Johnny Moss (1971 and 1974), Doyle Brunson (1976 and 1977), Stu Ungar (1980, 1981 and 1997) and Johnny Chan (1987 and 1988). For other persons of the same name, see John Moss. ... The 1971 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1974 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Doyle Brunson, also known as Texas Dolly, (born August 10, 1933 in Longworth, Fisher County, Texas) is an American poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. ... The 1976 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1977 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Stuart Errol Ungar (September 8, 1953 – November 22, 1998) was a professional poker and gin rummy player, considered to be the best in history at both games. ... The 1980 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1981 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1997 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... There are several people named Johnny Chan, including: Johnny Chan (actor), star of numerous Hong Kong martial arts movies. ... The 1987 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1988 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ...

Bracelet winners who first achieved fame in other fields include French actor/singer Patrick Bruel (in 1998), Danish soccer player Jan Vang Sørensen (in 2002) and American actress Jennifer Tilly (in 2005). Patrick Bruel (born Patrick Maurice Benguigui, on May 14, 1959 in Tlemcen, Algeria) is a Jewish French singer, actor, and professional poker player. ... The 1998 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Jan Vang Sørensen[1] (born Jan Vang Hansen in 1960?) is a retired Danish football player, turned professional poker player from Odense. ... The 2002 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Jennifer Tilly (born September 16, 1958)[1] is an Academy Award-nominated American actress and a World Series of Poker bracelet winner. ... The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. ...

History

The 2002 World Series of Poker in progress.

The World Series of Poker began in 1968 as an invitational event sponsored by Tom Moore of San Antonio, Texas, and held at the Holiday Hotel and Casino in Reno. This inaugural event was won by Crandell Addington. The set of tournaments that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) would evolve into was the brainchild of Las Vegas casino owner and poker player Benny Binion. This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... The 2002 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Reno redirects here. ... Crandell Addington one of the founders of the World Series of Poker, is one of the old school poker players who cropped up from Texas. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... Benny Binion at the 1979 World Series of Poker Lester Ben Benny Binion (November 20, 1904 - December 25, 1989) was a well known American casino owner and poker enthusiast. ...

In 1970, the first WSOP at Binion's Horseshoe took place as a series of cash games that included five-card stud, deuce to seven low-ball draw, razz, seven-card stud, and Texas hold 'em. The format for the Main Event as a freeze-out Texas hold 'em game came the next year. The winner in 1970, Johnny Moss, was elected by his peers as the first World Champion of Poker and received a silver cup as a prize. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Five-card stud is the earliest form of the card game, stud poker, originating during the American Civil War,[1] but is less commonly played today than many other more popular poker games - clear from its absence from the World Series of Poker. ... // This article refers to standard poker hands only, otherwise refer to non-standard poker hand In poker, certain combinations of cards, or hands, outrank other hands, based on the frequency with which these combinations appear. ... Some forms of poker, often called lowball, sometimes called low poker, reward poor poker hands (in the traditional sense). ... RAZZ: (noun) a slut with humor and chivalrous qualities. ... Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. ... Texas hold em involves community cards available to all players (pictured here on the left). ... For other persons of the same name, see John Moss. ...

Since acquisition by Harrah's

A Binion's poker table signed by WSOP Champions and other professional players after the casino hosted its final WSOP.

In 2004, Harrah's Entertainment purchased Binion's Horseshoe, kept the rights to the Horseshoe and World Series of Poker brands, sold the hotel and casino to MTR Gaming Group, and announced that the 2005 Series events would be held at the Harrah's-owned Rio Hotel and Casino, located just off the Las Vegas Strip. The final two days of the main event in 2005 were held downtown at what is now the MTR operated "Binion's" in celebration of the centennial of the founding of Las Vegas. It also added a made-for-television $2 million "freeroll" invitational "Tournament of Champions" (TOC) event first won by Annie Duke as a "winner-take-all" event. ‹ The template below (Citations missing) is being considered for deletion. ... MTR Gaming Group Inc. ... The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino is located off the Las Vegas Strip in Clark County, Nevada, USA. It is better known as The Rio and is owned and operated by Harrahs Entertainment. ... The south end of The Strip; approximately one third of the entire Strip is represented here The Las Vegas Strip (also known as The Strip) is an approximately 4 mile (6. ... A centennial is a 100-year anniversary of an event, or the celebrations pertaining thereto. ... The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions is an invitational freeroll poker event. ... Annie Duke (born September 13, 1965) is a professional poker player and author. ...

Starting in 2005, the WSOP began a tournament "circuit" at Harrah's-owned properties in the United States where in addition to the $10,000 buy-in tournament at each site, qualifying players became eligible for a revamped Tournament of Champions. The 2005 TOC, made up of the top twenty qualifying players at each circuit event, along with the final table from the 2005 Main Event and the winners of nine or more bracelets (Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth) would participate in the revamped TOC at Caesar's Palace. Mike "The Mouth" Matusow won the first prize of $1 million (US), and all the players at the final table were guaranteed a minimum of $25,000 for the eighth and ninth place finishers. During a break in the final table of the 2005 Main Event on July 16, Harrah's announced that eleven properties — including the recently added Bally's and Caesar's properties — would host 2005-06 WSOP Circuit events that started on August 11 in Tunica, Mississippi. One event, that was scheduled for Biloxi, Mississippi was canceled after the Grand Casino Biloxi, which was scheduled to host the event, suffered major damage from Hurricane Katrina. Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. ... Michael Matusow (born April 30, 1968 in Los Angeles, California) is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. ... is the 197th day of the year (198th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 223rd day of the year (224th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Biloxi redirects here. ... This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2005. ...

The Rio also hosted the 2006 World Series of Poker, which began on June 25 with satellite events and formally began the day after with the annual Casino Employee event, won in 2006 by Chris Gros. 2006 featured the "Tournament of Champions" on June 25 and 26, won by Mike Sexton. Various events led up to the main event, which was held from July 28 until August 10. The first prize of $12 million was awarded to Jamie Gold. The 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) began on June 25, 2006 with satellite events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions is an invitational freeroll poker event. ... is the 176th day of the year (177th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Mike Sexton (born September 22, 1947) is an American professional poker player and commentator. ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 222nd day of the year (223rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jamie M. Gold (born August 25, 1969)[1] is an American television producer, an experienced talent agent, and poker tournament player, based in Malibu, California. ...

Main Event

The Main Event of the WSOP has been the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'Em (TXHE) tournament since 1972. (In 1971, the buy-in was $5,000.) Winners of the event not only get the largest prize of the tournament and a gold bracelet, but additionally their picture is placed into the Gallery of Champions at Binion's. The 1972 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1971 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ...

The winner of the Main Event has traditionally been given the unofficial title of World Champion. However the game's top professionals^[who?] have stated that the recently-added $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event is the one which ultimately decides the world's best player. The H.O.R.S.E. tournament was won by Chip Reese in 2006 and Freddy Deeb in 2007. The $50,000 buy-in, being five times larger than the buy-in for the Main Event, has thus far tended to deter amateurs from playing in the H.O.R.S.E. tournament. H.O.R.S.E is a form of poker commonly played at the high stakes tables at casinos. ... David Edward Chip Reese (born March 28, 1951) is an American professional gambler from Centerville, Ohio. ... Kassem Freddy Deeb (born November 27, 1955[1] in Beirut, Lebanon) is a professional poker player who emigrated from Lebanon to the United States at the age of 19. ...

The Gallery of Champions in 1979

There have been many memorable moments during the main events, including Jack Straus's 1982 comeback win after discovering he had one $500 chip left when he thought he was out of the tournament. This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons, a repository of free content hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. ... Jack Treetop Straus (1930 - August 1988) was a professional poker player. ... The 1982 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ...

The end of the 1988 main event was featured in the movie Rounders. Rounders was a 1998 film starring Matt Damon as a professional poker player. ...

Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, the winners in 2003 and 2004, both qualified for the main event through satellite tournaments at the PokerStars online cardroom. Christopher Bryan Moneymaker (born November 21, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). ... Gregory Raymer (born on June 25, 1964) [1] is a professional poker player. ... The 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe after Harrahs Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January. ... Screenshot of the Pokerstars GUI at a real-money table game. ...

Jerry Yang, the winner in 2007, had only been playing poker for two years prior to his victory. He won his seat at a $225 satellite tournament at Pechanga Resort & Casino. This article is about the poker player. ... The 2007 WSOP Championship Bracelet The 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) began on June 1, 2007. ...

With passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 online poker sites have been barred from purchasing entrance directly for their users. Many^[who?] would consider this the cause of the smaller field size in 2007. The Safe Port Act (HR4954) [1] is a piece of United States legislation that covers two principal, unrelated topics: security of ports and online gambling. ...

With the exception of winners of the World Series Of Poker Main Event satellite tournaments (who automatically win a spot in the main event), all remaining players (including former champions, celebrities, and professional poker players) must supply the $10,000 buy-in in order to participate. Satellite tournaments are tournaments organised by the ITF (International Tennis Federation). ... The large and growing jargon of poker includes many terms. ...

Main Event results

Below are the past winners of the main event, together with brief information about each year's main event. For more information, view the article on the WSOP for that specific year.

^* awarded by vote Summary 1970 was the first year that the World Series of Poker was held. ... For other persons of the same name, see John Moss. ... The 1971 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Walter Clyde Puggy Pearson (January 29, 1929 in Tennessee – April 12, 2006) was an American professional poker player. ... The 1972 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Thomas Austin Preston, Jr. ... The 1973 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1974 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Crandell Addington one of the founders of the World Series of Poker, is one of the old school poker players who cropped up from Texas. ... The 1975 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Sailor Roberts at the 1979 World Series of Poker Brian Sailor Roberts was a professional poker player. ... The 1976 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Doyle Brunson, also known as Texas Dolly, (born August 10, 1933 in Longworth, Fisher County, Texas) is an American poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. ... Jesse Alto, an American poker player, best known for his numerous main event final table appearances at the World Series of Poker. ... The 1977 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Gary Berland is a American professional poker player. ... The 1978 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Bobby The Owl Baldwin is a professional poker player and casino executive. ... The 1979 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Categories: People stubs | Poker players ... Bobby Hoff is an American professional poker player from Houston, Texas. ... The 1980 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Stuart Errol Ungar (September 8, 1953 – November 22, 1998) was a professional poker and gin rummy player, considered to be the best in history at both games. ... The 1981 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Perry Green is also the name of parishes in Much Hadham, England and Kimpton, Hertfordshire, England. ... The 1982 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Jack Treetop Straus (1930 - August 1988) was a professional poker player. ... Dewey Tomko (born December 31, 1946 in Glassport, Pennsylvania) [1] is an American former kindergarten teacher turned professional poker player, based in Winter Haven, Florida. ... The 1983 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Tom McEvoy (born November 14, 1944 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA) is a professional poker player and author. ... The 1984 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Gentleman Jack Keller (?-December 2003) was a professional poker player. ... The 1985 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Bill Smith was a renowned professional poker player. ... Thomas James [1] (T.J.) Cloutier (born October 13, 1939) is a professional poker player from Albany, California. ... The 1986 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Berry Johnston is a professional poker player. ... Mike Hart (also known as Mike Harthcock) [1] is an American poker player from Escondido, California. ... The 1987 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... For the actor, see Johnny Chan (actor). ... Frank Hollywood Henderson is an American professional poker player from Houston, Texas. ... The 1988 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Erik Seidel (born in New York City) is an American professional poker player. ... The 1989 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Phillip J. Hellmuth, Jr. ... The 1990 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Mansour Matloubi is a professional poker player. ... Hans Tuna Lund is a former American professional poker player, based in Sparks, Nevada. ... The 1991 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Brad Daugherty (born July 5, 1951 in Mountain Grove, Missouri) is a professional poker player. ... The 1992 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Hamid Dastmalchi is a professional poker player. ... The 1993 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Jim Bechtel is a professional poker player. ... The 1994 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Ever since he was five years old, Russ Hamilton has been following the gambling money. ... The 1995 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Action Dan Harrington (born December 6, 1945 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) is a professional poker player. ... Howard Goldfarb is chiefly noted as the runner-up of the 1995 World Series of Poker. ... The 1996 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Huckleberry Seed (born November 30, 1968) is an American professional poker player. ... The 1997 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... The 1998 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Thuan Scotty Nguyen (born October 28, 1962 in Nha Trang, Vietnam) [1] is a Vietnamese American professional poker player. ... The 1999 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Noel Furlong (born in Dublin, Ireland) is a professional poker player. ... Alan Goehring (born February 21, 1962) is a retired American junk bond analyst and trader from Henderson, Nevada. ... The 2000 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Chris Jesus Ferguson (born April 11, 1963, in Los Angeles, CA) is a professional poker player. ... The 2001 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Juan Carlos Mortensen (born April 13, 1972 in Ambato, Ecuador) is a professional poker player, known for his loose play, bluffing tactics, and interesting chip-stacking style. ... The 2002 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Robert Varkonyi (born October 7, 1961) is a professional poker player. ... Julian The Kid Gardner (also known as Julian The Wriggler Gardner) is a poker player from Manchester, England. ... The 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... Christopher Bryan Moneymaker (born November 21, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia) is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker (WSOP). ... Ihsan (Sam) Farha (born in Beirut, Lebanon in 1959) is a professional poker player, based in Houston, Texas. ... The 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe after Harrahs Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January. ... Gregory Raymer (born on June 25, 1964) [1] is a professional poker player. ... David Anthony Williams (born June 9, 1980 in Arlington, Texas) is a professional poker and Magic: The Gathering player. ... The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. ... Joseph (Joe) Hachem (pronounced Ha-shem) (Arabic: جوزف هاشم) (born 3 November 1966 in Lebanon) is a Lebanese-Australian poker player. ... Steven (Steve) Dannenmann (born August 15, 1966 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a CPA from Severn, Maryland who gained notability for his success in the 2005 World Series of Poker, finishing runner-up to Joe Hachem in the Main Event in his first attempt. ... The 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) began on June 25, 2006 with satellite events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29. ... Jamie M. Gold (born August 25, 1969)[1] is an American television producer, an experienced talent agent, and poker tournament player, based in Malibu, California. ... Paul Kwickfish Wasicka (born February 17, 1981 in Dallas, Texas) is a professional poker player, based in Las Vegas, Nevada. ... The 2007 WSOP Championship Bracelet The 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) began on June 1, 2007. ... This article is about the poker player. ... Tuan Lam (born January 1, 1966 in Vietnam) is a Canadian professional poker player from Mississauga, Ontario. ...

Player of the Year

Since 2004, a Player of the Year Award has been given to the player with the most points accumulated throughout the World Series. Only "open" events in which all players can participate count in the standings. Beginning with the 2006 World Series of Poker, the Main Event and the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. competition had no effect on the outcome of the winner of the Player of the Year award.

The 2004 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe after Harrahs Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January. ... Daniel Negreanu (born July 26, 1974 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada) is a Canadian professional poker player. ... The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. ... Allen Cunningham (born March 28, 1977 to Dean and Joanne Cunningham in Riverside, California), United States, is a professional poker player. ... The 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) began on June 25, 2006 with satellite events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions scheduled for June 28 and 29. ... Jeff Madsen (born June 7, 1985 in Santa Monica, California) is the youngest winner of a World Series of Poker event and the 2006 World Series of Poker player of the year. ... The 2007 WSOP Championship Bracelet . The 2007 World Series of Poker (WSOP) began on June 1, 2007. ... Tom Schneider (born December 24, 1959 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is a professional poker player from Phoenix, Arizona. ...

Marketing

Like any event or sports league, the WSOP also has corporate sponsors and licensed products which pay fees to market themselves as an official sponsor and/or licensee and exclusively use the WSOP insignia and cross-promote with their events. Besides the Harrah's properties and ESPN, major sponsors have included Miller Brewing's "Milwaukee's Best" brand of beers, Pepsi's SoBe Adrenaline Rush energy drink (sponsors of the 2005 TOC), Helene Curtis' Degree brand of anti-perspirant/deodorant, United States Playing Card's Bicycle Pro Cards, Bluff magazine, GlaxoSmithKline/Bayer's Levitra erectile dysfunction medicine, and The Hershey Company. Licensees include Glu Mobile, Activision (video games for different platforms such as Nintendo's GameCube, Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's PlayStation 2 and PC featuring computer generated versions of stars like Ferguson among others), and products made by different companies ranging from chip sets, playing cards, hand held games and clothing like caps and shirts. The fees and licenses bring in more than a million dollars to Harrah's. Miller Brewing is a large American piss maker based in Milwaukee. ... This article is about a brand of drink. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with U.S. Playing Card Company. ... GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) plc is a pharmaceutical and healthcare company, one of the largest in the world. ... Bayers logo: the Bayer cross Bayer AG (German pronunciation BYE-er, in US usually pronounced BAY-er) (TYO: 4863) is a German chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in 1863. ... Vardenafil (INN) is a PDE5 inhibitor used in the treatment of erectile dysfunction. ... Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence is a sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis. ... The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY), until April 2005 Hershey Foods Corporation,[5] commonly called Hersheys, is Americas largest chocolate company. ... Glu Mobile (formerly Sorrent, Inc. ... Activision, Inc. ... For the video game system, see Nintendo Entertainment System. ... The Nintendo GameCube (Japanese: ゲームキューブ; originally code-named Dolphin during development; abbreviated as GCN) is Nintendos fourth home video game console, belonging to the 128-bit era; the same generation as Segas Dreamcast, Sonys PlayStation 2, and Microsofts Xbox. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... For the Xboxs successor, see Xbox 360. ... Sony Corporation ) is a Japanese multinational corporation and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue of $66. ... PS2 redirects here. ...

WSOP television coverage

1970s-1980s

The earliest filming of the World Series was a special produced by Binion's Horseshoe in 1973 and narrated by Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder. CBS began covering the World Series in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, the event was again broadcast as specials. In the late 1980s, the World Series returned to television as ESPN took over broadcasting. Initially, coverage consisted of just a single one hour taped delay broadcast of the main event. Jimmy The Greek Snyder (September 9, 1919 – April 21, 1996) was an American sports commentator and Las Vegas bookie. ... This article is about the broadcast network. ... ESPN, formerly an acronym for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, is an American cable television network dedicated to broadcasting and producing sports-related programming 24 hours a day. ...

1990s

ESPN Classic currently airs many of the old broadcasts, especially from the mid 1990s and beyond. The most striking thing about the early coverage is how little was actually shown, since no "pocket cam" existed. Generally, ESPN used poker-playing actors such as Dick Van Patten, Vince Van Patten, and Gabe Kaplan, with either the tournament director (usually Jim Albrecht) or a poker pro like Phil Hellmuth joining the team. Early coverage was relatively primitive compared to what ESPN does now, with no pre-taped interviews or profiles on the players. The commentators were actually on the casino floor itself. The 2002 WSOP was the first with the "sneak peek" (later called the pocket cam, or hole cam). 2003 was the first year that the broadcast covered action preceding the final table. ESPN Classic features reruns of famous sporting events, sports documentaries, and sports themed movies. ... Dick Van Patten (born December 9, 1928 in New York City, New York) is an American actor. ... Vincent Vince Van Patten (b. ... Gabriel Gabe Kaplan (born March 31, 1945) is an American actor, comedian and professional poker player. ... In the game of poker, the tournament director is the individual charged with running the poker tournament. ... Jim Albrecht, (December 8, 1949 - October 16th, 2003), was born in St. ... Phillip J. Hellmuth, Jr. ... The 2002 World Series of Poker (WSOP) was held at Binions Horseshoe. ... In poker, a hole cam (or pocket cam) is a camera that displays a players hole cards (face-down cards) to television viewers. ...

Since then, ESPN has greatly expanded its coverage to include many of the preliminary events of the WSOP, especially Texas Hold 'Em. Also, their coverage of the main event now typically includes at least one hour program on each day. For the first two years of its existence, ESPN was broadcasting one hour programs of the "circuit" events that the WSOP has at various Harrah's-owned casinos, but ESPN did not renew these events. ESPN's coverage now includes many of the trappings of sports coverage, such as lighter segments (called "The Nuts") and interviews.

ESPN's coverage has been largely driven by Matt Maranz, Executive Producer for the WSOP telecasts. Maranz leads 441 Productions, which produces the telecast under contract to ESPN's unit ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE). Maranz has significant sports production experience, having previously worked on ESPN's football pre-game show, and has also produced taped segments for NBC's Olympic coverage. This article is about the television network. ... The five Olympic rings were designed in 1913, adopted in 1914 and debuted at the Games at Antwerp, 1920. ...

2000s

In 2000 and 2001, the World Series of Poker was broadcast by The Discovery Channel. These hour long programs presented more of an overview or recap of the WSOP as opposed to broadcasting an actual live event with play-by-play analysis and color commentary. The Discovery Channel's broadcast also featured final table players interviews interlaced throughout the show. ESPN would resume coverage the following year.

ESPN's coverage in 2002 was typical of their coverage in the 1990s (recorded in video, little or no post-production commentary or player profiles, no card cams). However, the final table broadcast was expanded over two one-hour episodes.

In 2003, ESPN expanded their coverage to new heights with their coverage of the WSOP. They included coverage of the entire tournament, with a "Featured Table". At this table, the viewers could see the player's hole cards and subsequent strategy. The action was also broadcast as if live, though on tape-delay. This level of coverage arguably led to the popularity boom of No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em.

Coverage would increase in 2004 and 2005 to include preliminary events from the WSOP, in addition to the "Main Event".

ESPN has expanded poker to all-new levels, especially with their coverage of the 2006 WSOP, including providing the entire final table of the 2006 Main Event via pay-per-view airing.

WSOP broadcasters

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World Series of Poker Europe

Main article: World Series of Poker Europe

The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is the first expansion of the World Series of Poker. Since 1970, the event has occurred every year in Las Vegas. In September 2007, the first WSOP championship events outside of Las Vegas, complete with bracelets, were held.^[1] The inaugural WSOPE consisted of three events held in London from September 6-17, 2007. The main event, a GBP 10,000 buy-in no-limit hold 'em tournament, was won by Norwegian online prodigy Annette Obrestad on the day before her 19th birthday. This made her the youngest person ever to win a WSOP bracelet, a record that cannot be broken in the Las Vegas WSOP under current laws because the minimum legal age for casino gaming in Nevada is 21. Obrestad could play in the WSOPE because the minimum age for casino gaming in the United Kingdom is 18. The WSOP logo The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is the first expansion effort of World Series of Poker-branded poker tournaments outside of the United States. ... For further information, see Las Vegas metropolitan area and Las Vegas Strip. ... Non-Main Event gold bracelets given to the event winners during the 2005 WSOP The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet is the biggest non-monetary prize a poker player can win. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... GBP redirects here. ... Annette Annette_15 Obrestad (born September 18, 1988) is a Norwegian poker player. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Nevada. ...

While no definitive plans have been announced, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack has indicated that in the next one to three years that other venues may start holding WSOP events.^{[citation needed]} Two locations that have been mentioned as possible expansion sites are Egypt and South Africa.^[2] Jeffrey Pollack is the Vice President of Sports and Entertainment Marketing at Harrahs Casino and Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. ...

Other information

In 2005, a video game based on the tournament was released for several consoles and the computer. A sequel called World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions came out in 2006. World Series of Poker is a video game based on the popular gambling tournament World Series of Poker. ...

WSOP video poker machines now appear at some Harrah's casinos; the machines are standard video poker machines, but have a bonus feature which allows a player to play a modified game of Texas Hold 'em against the machine.^[3]

Beginning in 2007, Harrah's announced the creation of the World Series of Poker Academy, a poker school aimed at providing poker players with the skills needed to win a WSOP Bracelet. The instructors for the Academy include Phil Hellmuth, Greg Raymer, Scott Fischman and Mark Seif. Initial academies were launched in Tunica, Indiana and Las Vegas.

References

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External links

• Official site
• Yahoo Directory: World Series of Poker
• Commentary on numerous final hands at the WSOP main event from launchpoker.com