Poker's richest and most prestigious event, the World Series of Poker, is now under way. From May 30 to July 14, the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino is the epicenter of the poker world, hosting 55 different bracelet events over 47 action-packed days. The 2008 bracelet race includes a number of new events, and this year, all tournaments with a buy-in of $10,000 or more are designated as official world championship events. Ten tournaments, including the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event and the main event, are in this elite group.
In what many in the poker community would consider long overdue accomplishments, both Erick Lindgren and David Singer won their first World Series of Poker bracelets within the first few events this year. With two more longtime and highly respected pros crossed off the zero-bracelet list, who's next?
David Benyamine first ventured from Paris to Las Vegas with a bankroll of only $4,000 for cash games, and within a few short weeks he had multiplied his money almost tenfold. His tendency to take risks and play the biggest games he can find has quickly become common knowledge throughout the relatively close-knit high-stakes poker community, and he is regarded as a formidable opponent. His aggressive playing style has enabled him to win millions of dollars since his arrival on the scene.
This hand comes from the final table of event No. 4 of the World Series of Poker, $5,000 mixed hold'em. Five players remained: Erick Lindgren, Justin Bonomo, David Rheem, Andrew Robl, and Roland De Wolfe. This was the best final table I have seen yet at this year's WSOP. The level of play was nothing short of phenomenal.
At only 27 years old, Gavin Griffin already holds one of the most impressive collections of poker's most prestigious titles: World Series of Poker, European Poker Tour, and World Poker Tour championships. Now, Card Player is giving its readers a chance to send questions directly to the poker prodigy.
During the 1960s, with his Horseshoe Casino on Fremont Street dominating Glitter Gulch in Downtown Las Vegas, Benny Binion still had to compete with the Rat Pack, the Folies Bergere, Elvis Presley, and all of the Jetsons-esque architecture going up a few miles south on the Strip.
As I write this, we're two weeks into the World Series, and you have to applaud the WSOP officials for the noticeable enhancements made to this year's event. There is no question that the deluge of players over the past two years has caused headaches, long lines, and frustrations for many players, but, overall, things seem to be running much more smoothly this year.
As Eli Elezra tells it, Rene Angelil set up his own wife. You see, Angelil was playing in a high-stakes poker game at Bellagio, and he invited his wife to watch the game on her birthday. Because Angelil's wife is Celine Dion, all of the players at the table invited their spouses or girlfriends to watch the game.
After getting knocked out of the main event of the Irish Open, I was depressed and kind of in a daze. The fact that my blood-alcohol level never dipped below 1.0 during my entire trip may have added to this a bit. Anyway, I was roaming around aimlessly when I ran into my good friend Max Pescatori, whom you may know as "The Italian Pirate."
By the time you read this, I hope to have added some much needed "bling-bling" to my WSOP-naked wrists.
Although I have no clear-cut objectives for this year's WSOP, my intention is to perform even better in the main event than last year's 61st-place finish, and to score at least a final-table finish in one of the 10 other tournaments I am playing.
