By BJ Nemeth
Las Vegas, NV

Four weeks down, and one more to go until the Main Event begins on Monday, July 5th. I’m BJ Nemeth, and I’ll be guiding you through the biggest stories each week and the stats that summarize the rest.

TOP STORYLINES OF WEEK 4

1. Gavin Smith & Chris Bell Win Back-to-Back Bracelets

Gavin Smith and Chris Bell have seen many of their close friends win WSOP bracelets in recent years, but they kept knocking on the door without getting in. Gavin had a runner-up finish in 2007 in $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em, and Chris had a runner-up finish in 2008 in $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em.

Gavin, in particular, was one of the most prominent names on the list of “Best Players Without a WSOP Bracelet” — there are certain expectations when you have $5 million in career tournament earnings and a WPT Player of the Year award under your belt. But as WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla said in the official report, “It’s time to destroy the list. Rip it up. Burn it. Torch it.” (Unfortunately for Andy Bloch, that only applies to Gavin’s name; the list itself still exists.)

On Saturday night, Gavin Smith won Event #44 ($2,500 Mixed Hold’em), ripping through the final table mostly in the limit hold’em rounds, where he held a clear advantage. While Gavin was on the verge of winning his bracelet, Chris Bell was going deep in Event #46 ($5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo). Chris said he was more interested in watching the scoreboard (Gavin’s final table) than in his own tournament. But by the time Gavin won his bracelet on Saturday night, Chris was at the final three tables. When Gavin showed up for his bracelet ceremony on Sunday afternoon, Chris was ready to start his own Day 3. And 12 hours later, Chris Bell was heads-up playing for a bracelet of his own, and this time Gavin Smith was in the stands to support his friend that had supported him a day earlier.

At 5:15 am Monday morning, Chris Bell won his first WSOP bracelet, made that much sweeter because it immediately followed Gavin’s. Gavin summed it up well on his Twitter feed. “Chris Bell, one of my closest friends just won his first bracelet, I think I am as happy now as I was last night!”

There are a couple of interesting tidbits to tack onto the end of this story –

If Gavin hadn’t been so eager to have his bracelet ceremony Sunday afternoon (many players put it off for a day), they could have taken the Pavilion Room stage together, which would have been an incredibly special moment.

Someone made a comment about Erick Lindgren’s horses doing so well, and Gavin joked, “Yeah, his horses are one bracelet away from breaking even for the Series!”

With this bracelet, I think Gavin Smith will easily be voted into next year’s WSOP Tournament of Champions. He’s one of the most popular players in the game, and I’ve never seen as many players, fans, media, and staff come out to congratulate a player after winning a tournament. It seems that Gavin is loved by everyone. There is often a group shot taken with a bracelet winner’s friends, and I’ve always turned down invitations to join in. But not this time — I was in the friends-and-family victory shots for both Gavin and Chris.

One last note — Gavin Smith and his girlfriend Kayce (pronounced “K.C.”) are expecting their first child this November (shortly after the WSOP Main Event returns for the November Nine). Kayce’s expected delivery date happens to fall on the birthday of Chris Bell’s son, who tragically died at a very young age. Bell seemed to find strength in the coincidence, and it would mean a lot to both of them if Gavin’s child was born that day.

2. Phil Ivey Wins His 8th Bracelet

Some people will be shocked that I list Phil Ivey’s eighth WSOP bracelet as only the second biggest story of the week, but it’s become almost predictable. If Ivey doesn’t win any more bracelets this year, his career average will be one bracelet every 1.375 WSOPs (8 bracelets in 11 years). As Scott Huff said on our radio show, “Ivey won a bracelet. In other news, the sun rose this morning.”

Not only that, but it’s Ivey’s next bracelet (if it comes before the end of 2012) that will mean the big $5 million payday in his bet with Howard Lederer. According to Barry Greenstein, the terms of the bet were two WSOP bracelets in three years (from 2010 to 2012), and WSOP Europe bracelets can force a draw but can’t win the bet for Ivey.

Yes, this is big news, and yes it’s historic that this 33-year-old player is the best in the world and the fastest since Johnny Moss to win eight bracelets. But what else can we say about Phil Ivey at this point? It’s simply a question of when he will pass Phil Hellmuth for the most bracelets of all time as he continues to distance himself from the pack on the all-time money list.

3. Frank Kassela Survives a Blackout to Win His 2nd Bracelet

It seems like winning two bracelets in a single WSOP should be a rare and difficult feat, but there has been at least one multiple-bracelet winner in each of the last 11 WSOPs (2000-2010). This year, the first player to do it was Frank Kassela, who won Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo) and Event #40 ($2,500 Seven Card Razz). Kassela had to battle some familiar faces — both final tables included Jennifer Harman and Vladimir Schemelev, and both times, Kassela came out on top.

Two things made this final table notable — other than the fact that it was razz. (There is only one razz event each year.) With seven players remaining, six of them wanted to delay the final table so they could play in the $10,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship. Harrah’s refused to reschedule the table, so a few players started talking about a potential deal. But Jennifer Harman said, “I don’t buy bracelets; I win them.” (She’s the only woman in history with two WSOP bracelets in open events.) For his part, Kassela said he wouldn’t deal either, because he had a shot to become the first multiple-bracelet winner of 2010, and he wouldn’t want a deal to compromise the validity of his accomplishment.

The other notable thing? The Razz Final Table was in action when the power went out at the Rio. (And reportedly, along a large portion of the Las Vegas Strip.) The lights were out (complete darkness except for cellphones) for a good 10 seconds before they came back on. With about five minutes left in the level, the tournament director had the four remaining players at the Razz final table play in the dim light, and they would sort out the situation at the break. The TD’s iPhone served as the tournament clock since the computers were down. When the final four players came back from break, they were moved to the main ESPN stage (which had full lighting) to finish their final table.

Kassela was short-stacked when the lights went out (and when they came back on), but he credits the blackout with helping him to refocus his efforts, buckle down, and win his second WSOP bracelet of the Series.

QUICK RECAP OF COMPLETED EVENTS

Event #32, $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed
568 players (last year: 928)
Winner: Jeffrey Papola, $667,433

Event #33, $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha
482 players (last year: 453)
Winner: Jose-Luis Velador, $260,552

Event #34, $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em
3,142 players (last year: 2,707)
Winner: Harold Angle, $487,994

Event #35, $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em
256 players (last year: 256)
Winner: Ayaz Mahmood, $625,682

Event #36, $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em
3,102 players (last year: 6,012)
Winner: Scott Montgomery, $481,760

Event #37, $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.
478 players (last year: 452)
Winner: Phil Ivey, $329,840

Event #38, $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em
268 players (last year: 275)
Winner: Valdemar Kwaysser, $617,214

Event #39, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout
1,397 players (last year: 999)
Winner: Steven Kelly, $381,927

Event #40, $2,500 Seven Card Razz
365 players (last year: 315)
Winner: Frank Kassela, $214,085

Event #41, $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
847 players (last year: 762)
Winner: Steve Jelinek, $245,871

Event #42, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
2,521 players (last year: 2,715)
Winner: Dean Hamrick, $604,222

Event #43, $10,000 H.O.R.S.E.
241 players (last year: 194 for $10K 8-Game Mix)
Winner: Ian Gordon, $611,666

Event #44, $2,500 Mixed Hold’em
507 players (last year: 527)
Winner: Gavin Smith, $268,238

Event #45, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
3,097 players (last year: 2,781)
Winner: Jesse Rockowitz, $721,373

Event #46, $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo
284 players (last year: 198)
Winner: Chris Bell, $327,040

WINNERS BY NATIONALITY

WSOP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Entering the final week of the WSOP preliminary events, there are 23 players who are within a bracelet victory (100 points) of POY points-leader John Juanda. Here’s a look at the top 13:

1. John Juanda: 225 pts
1. Frank Kassela: 225 pts
3. Vladimir Schemelev: 210 pts
4. Dan Heimiller: 200 pts
5. Michael Mizrachi: 190 pts
5. Men Nguyen: 180 pts
5. Richard Ashby: 180 pts
5. Jeffrey Papola: 180 pts
5. James Dempsey: 180 pts
10. David “Bakes” Baker: 170 pts
10. David Chiu: 170 pts
10. Michael Chow: 170 pts
10. Allen Kessler: 170 pts

A few of the other notables within a bracelet of the lead are Dave “Not Bakes” Baker (150 pts) and Phil Ivey (130 pts).

Keep in mind that the Main Event also awards POY points, and Ivey has a history of doing pretty well in that one — he has reached the final three tables 50% of the time in the last eight years (23rd in 2002, 10th in 2003, 20th in 2005, and 7th in 2009).

MOST CASHES: 7
Shawn Buchanan and Allen Kessler lead the WSOP this year with seven cashes each. Kessler, who is known as a min-cash grinder, has been going deep, with only one of his cashes being for the minimum. Is Kessler riding a lucky streak, or has his career turned the corner?

There are also five players with six cashes each: Pat Pezzin, Dan Heimiller, Tad Jurgens, Amnon Filippi, and Michael Glasser.

In recent years, the most cashes in a single WSOP have belonged to Daniel Negreanu (2009: 8 cashes), Nikolay Evdakov (2008: 10 cashes), Michael Binger (2007: 8 cashes), and Chad Brown (2007: 8 cashes). (Note: These figures do not include cashes in the WSOP Europe — WSOP-E would give Negreanu 9 cashes in 2009.)

THE YEAR OF THE WOMAN?
We’ve now had six women who have reached final tables — an improvement over last year, but anything less than a bracelet in an open event is a bit below expectations — women have won 14 non-ladies event bracelets in the last 14 years. The media is already shopping around for a new “Year of the Blank” headline.

Here are the six women who have reached final tables:

J.J. Liu: 3rd place, $86,512
Event #9 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em)

Jennifer Harman: 3rd place, $173,159
Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)

Christine Pietsch: 2nd place, $86,756
Event #21 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud)

Karina Jett: 4th place, $60,588
Event #27 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)

Mandy Thomas: 6th place, $40,169
Event #41 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Lo)

Jennifer Harman: 6th place, $33,890
Event #40 ($2,500 Seven Card Razz)

Annette Obrestad just missed her first WSOP final table in Las Vegas, making it to the third round of Event #39 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout), but busting in 11th place. It’s not officially a final table, but reaching the third and final round of a shootout should be enough to quiet most of the critics (like me) who were saying that Annette wasn’t living up to (unfairly high) expectations.

Vanessa Rousso finished fifth in Event #35 ($10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold’em). While that would count as a final table in any other hold’em event, I’ve had discussions in the past with other tournament reporters, and decided that players need to make the Final Four in a heads-up event to get credit for a final table. (At the WSOP, it’s also literally true, as two matches are played side-by-side on a single table.)

MULTIPLE FINAL TABLES
Twenty-eight players have made multiple WSOP final tables so far this year, and five have made three or even four final tables.

John Juanda
4th in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
5th in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)
4th in Event #19 ($10,000 2-7 No-Limit Draw)
3rd in Event #37 ($3,000 2-7 H.O.R.S.E.)

Vladimir Schmelev
2nd in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
7th in Event #10 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud)
7th in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)
4th in Event #40 ($2,500 Seven Card Razz)

Michael Mizrachi
1st in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
6th in Event #10 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud)
8th in Event #29 ($10,000 Limit Hold’em)

Jameson Painter
5th in Event #7 ($2,500 2-7 Triple Draw)
7th in Event #12 ($1,500 Limit Hold’em)
4th in Event #29 ($10,000 Limit Hold’em)

David Chiu
4th in Event #7 ($2,500 2-7 Triple Draw)
9th in Event #29 ($10,000 Limit Hold’em)
2nd in Event #33 ($2,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha)

The following 23 players have made two final tables each: Frank Kassela, Dan Heimiller, Men Nguyen, Richard Ashby, Jeffrey Papola, James Dempsey, Michael Chow, David “Bakes” Baker, Dave Baker, Maxwell Troy, Al Barbieri, Matt Matros, Blair Rodman, Derric Haynie, Daniel Idema, Eugene Katchalov, Robert Mizrachi, Stuart Rutter, Jennifer Harman, Michael Michnik, Jarred Solomon, Erik Seidel, and Rob Hollink.

While Frank Kassela is the only player who has won two bracelets this year, he is one of six players who has two top-two finishes. The others are Men Nguyen (1st, 2nd), Richard Ashby (1st, 2nd), Jeffrey Papola (1st, 2nd), James Dempsey (1st, 2nd), and Maxwell Troy (2nd, 2nd).

LIFE COACH SAM CHAUHAN’S “TEAM”
Last week, I pointed out that the six players who have hired life coach Sam Chauhan were collectively having a disappointing WSOP. (The six players are Phil Hellmuth, Gavin Smith, Antonio Esfandiari, Josh Arieh, Paul Wasicka, and David Williams.) But that all changed on Saturday night when Gavin Smith won his first WSOP bracelet.

It’s impossible to determine how Chauhan’s coaching contributed to Gavin’s victory, but it’s worth noting that Gavin didn’t mention the life coach at all during his post-victory interview. I’ll be asking Gavin specifically about this in the next week, to see whether or not he feels Chauhan’s influence was a major factor.

As for me, I’m still skeptical. Whether or not Gavin credits Chauhan with an assist, most of us expected Gavin to win his first WSOP bracelet any year now.

JUSTIN BONOMO’S PANORAMA BET
Justin Bonomo laid 10-to-1 odds (he put up $10,000 to anyone else’s $1,000) that one of the 68 players who lives in Panorama Towers would win a bracelet this year. To see all the names, check out Justin Bonomo’s post in the 2+2 thread by clicking here.

Bonomo has already won this bet, due to the victory by David “Bakes” Baker in Event #19. But worth tracking Panorama’s results to help set a proper line for next year’s bet. (Bonomo offered the same bet last year with 7-to-1 odds, and won with a Greg “FBT” Mueller bracelet.)

There have been eight final table appearances by Panorama players so far: David “Bakes” Baker (1st, 6th), Ray Coburn (2nd), Nick Binger (3rd), Nenad Medic (4th), Brock Parker (5th), Ben Lamb (5th), and David “Doc” Sands (8th).

There’s your recap for the fourth week of the 2010 WSOP, with one week to go until the start of the WSOP Main Event. Thanks again to Pauly for letting me get my geek on and run down the stats and the big stories. This summer I’m working for Greasie Wheels, which is providing the official WSOP photography for Harrah’s. Check out my official WSOP Photo Blog on WSOP.com. I’m also recording the award-winning “Poker Beat” podcast for PokerRoad.com.

Check out previous installments of The BJ Report… Week 1 and Week 2 and Week 3.

Tags: 2010 WSOP | birthday | ept | europe | friends | geek | life | news | united-states | woman

By Pauly
New York City

I’m alive an well after a relaxing weekend away from the grind. I return to action on Tuesday. In the meantime, here’s the first three weeks of WSOP recaps…

Day 1: The Cold Open
Day 2: Not So Easy Rider
Day 3: Scandi Mafia and Donkulus’ Comet
Day 4: Band of Brothers and Here Come the Russians Reprise
Day 5: Redemption Song – The Grinder Wins Player’s Championship
Day 6: Welcome to the Sausage Factory and the Return of Triple Draw Fargis
Day 7: The Marvelous British Invasion
Day 8: Darth Hellmuth
Day 9: God Save the Queen and Seven for Men
Day 10: Most Likely You Go Durrrr’s Way (And I’ll Go Mine)
Day 11: Durrrr Hangover, Hooker Quota, and Orange Tossing
Day 12: The Kassela Chainsaw Massacre
Day 13: The Carter Phillips Show
Day 14: No Soup for Yellow Sub
Day 15: Dude Looks Like a Lady and Get Baked
Day 16: God Save the Queen… Thrice
Day 17: Durrrr’s Grandma, Dutch Boyd 2.0, and the French Win…a Bracelet
Day 18: Sammy Farha Wins Bracelet, Flushy Leads POY Race, and Orphaned Notes
Day 19: Shorthanded Eels, the Russian Surge, and Year of the Yang
Day 20: Femme Fatales, Hallway Punches, and the Bubbling Eel
Day 21: Papa Johnny Road

Tao All Stars:
The WSOP Fashion Report: Alarming Trends by Change100
The BJ Report – Week 1 by BJ Nemeth
The BJ Report – Week 2 by BJ Nemeth
The BJ Report – Week 3 by BJ Nemeth

And don’t forget to check out the Tao of Pokerati archives. We have 35 episodes to date with at least as many yet to come before the WSOP is over.

Regular recaps resume on Wednesday morning. Until then…

Tags: before-the-wsop | Chainsaw | download-poker | femme-fatales | french | orphaned-notes | sausage-factory | save-the-queen

By Pauly
Las Vegas, NV

Ready to fuck around for an hour before you begin the week’s grind? Here you go…

Jen Tilly. Oooooh la la. Los Hombres interviewed her for their latest podcast. Listen in to Part 1 and Part 2. (Wicked Chops Poker)

We give shit about Michalski never being around the Rio, but he’s actually fetching real stories like stuff about… Everest Poker Fires Second Bullet with New Harrah’s Lawsuit and Cereus Closing Down Kahnawake Offices? (Pokerati)

One week ago, I thought a vuvuzela was a sex toy used in a Brazilian gang-bang porn shoot. Now, I know it’s the sound of death. Will the demon horns be banned? (Deadspin)

I forgot to post this yesterday… Ten Years Ago Today I Was in Nagoya, Japan. (Coventry Music)

* * * * *
In case you missed the last leek week of recaps here on Tao of Poker…

Day 10: Most Likely You Go Durrrr’s Way (And I’ll Go Mine)
Day 11: Durrrr Hangover, Hooker Quota, and Orange Tossing
Day 12: The Kassela Chainsaw Massacre
Day 13: The Carter Phillips Show
Day 14: No Soup for Yellow Sub
Day 15: Dude Looks Like a Lady and Get Baked
Day 16: God Save the Queen… Thrice

Tao All Stars:
The WSOP Fashion Report: Alarming Trends by Change100
The BJ Report – Week 2 by BJ Nemeth

That’s it. Have a great week. I’ll be like you this week… counting down to the weekend… which will be my first days off in three weeks. NGTFOOMO.

Tags: BJ Report | brazilian | coventry-music | durrrr-hangover | fashion | fashion-report | fires-second | Link Dump | Music | orange-tossing | pokerstars | queen-thrice | Vegas

By BJ Nemeth
Las Vegas, NV

The first two weeks of the WSOP are now in the record books, and there are about five weeks left before we reach the November Nine. I’m BJ Nemeth, and I’ll be guiding you through the biggest stories each week and the stats that summarize the rest.

TOP STORYLINES OF THE SECOND WEEK

1. Tom “Durrrr” Dwan Comes One Spot Away From Winning the Biggest Bet of the Year

Even with five weeks left in the WSOP, it’ll be tough to top Tom “Durrrr” Dwan’s final table as the biggest night of the 2010 WSOP. It was an electric night when all eyes in the poker world were focused on one thing — would Durrrr win his first bracelet and cash in an estimated $10 million or so in prop bets?

Durrrr was the chipleader with 21 players left at the start of the final day, and still had the chip lead when they reached the final table. As Durrrr was coasting, Eli Elezra bought Huck Seed’s action at a reduced rate, which made Elezra one of a few players who is betting more than $1 million that Durrrr fails to win a bracelet this year. (There are quite a few bets in the six-figure range too.)

Durrrr lost the chip lead at the final table, and became the short stack when there were three players left. Still, it was a heavy sweat for the high-stakes players who bet against Durrrr, many of whom were playing less than 50 yards away in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo), and following the action via Twitter and PokerNews live updates.

Durrrr checks his cards while he is playing heads-up for the bracelet against
New Zealander Simon Watt
When heads-up play began, Durrrr faced a 2.5-to-1 chip deficit against New Zealander Simon Watt. He was never able to close the distance much beyond that, and after losing a bunch of his stack on a board of Jh-10h-2d-Ah (he bet big on the turn, but quickly folded to Watt’s all-in), Durrrr open-shoved for 13 big blinds with Qd-6c. Watt called with pocket nines, and they held up to give him the victory.

And, according to Mike Matusow, save the high-stakes poker economy.

It was the most dramatic sweat yet for the high-stakes prop bettors, made sweeter for them because Durrrr fell short. The fans in the crowd (and on the internet) seemed to be rooting heavily for Durrrr to win, which would have been a much bigger story.

But with 30-something events left, the question is whether or not Durrrr will make another final-table run at winning this bet. It seems that the only story that will be able to top Durrrr’s near-bracelet is a Durrrr bracelet.

2. John Juanda and Vladimir Schmelev Make Final Tables Look Easy

Like Ville Wahlbeck did a year ago, John Juanda and Vladimir Schmelev keep crushing championship WSOP events ($10,000 or higher buyins). They’ve each reached three final tables in championship events, on their way to matching Wahlbeck’s record of four.

In fact, out of Juanda’s last nine WSOP cashes (dating back to his victory in the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event), eight have been final tables — an amazing streak. (Thanks to Eric “Willing2Die” Sonstegard from the PokerRoad forums for the tip on Juanda’s streak.)

Vladimir Schmelev shakes hands as he busts in seventh place in Event #15
($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo). This was his third final table in $10,000 or
higher buy-in events.

3. Men the Master Wins Bracelet #7

Any time a player wins their seventh WSOP bracelet, it’s big news. Yes, Men “The Master” Nguyen is unpopular within the poker industry, and received comparatively little coverage for his accomplishment. But Nguyen is now sixth on the all-time bracelet list, tied with Billy Baxter and Phil Ivey.

While the circumstances (and ages) were vastly different, contrast the hype around Nguyen’s seventh bracelet with the hype around Ivey’s seventh bracelet last year. By the end of the WSOP, Nguyen’s victory will seem like an afterthought.

Brandon Adams buys Men Nguyen drinks when they are heads-up in Event #10
($10,000 Seven Card Stud)

* * *

QUICK RECAP OF COMPLETED EVENTS

Event #8, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
2,341 players (last year: 2,506)
Winner: Pascal LeFrancois, $568,974

Event #9, $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em
650 players (last year: 633)
Winner: James Dempsey, $197,470

Event #10, $10,000 Seven Card Stud
150 players (last year: 142)
Winner: Men “The Master” Nguyen, $394,807

Event #11, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
2,563 players (last year: 2,638)
Winner: Simon Watt, $614,248

Event #12, $1,500 Limit Hold’em
625 players (last year: 643)
Winner: Matt Matros, $189,870

Event #13, $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em
3,042 players (last year: 6,012)
Winner: Steven Gee, $472,479

Event #14, $1,500 2-7 Draw
250 players (last year: 147, with a $2,500 buying)
Winner: Yan Chen, $92,817

Event #15, $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo
170 players (last year: 164)
Winner: Frank Kassela, $447,446

Event #16, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em (6-handed)
1,663 players (last year: 1,459)
Winner: Carter Phillips, $482,774

Event #17, $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em
792 players (last year: 655)
Winner: Jason Dewitt, $818,959

Event #18, $2,000 Limit Hold’em
476 players (last year: 446)
Winner: Eric Buchman, $203,607

Event #19, $10,000 2-7 No-Limit Draw
101 players (last year: 96)
Winner: David “Bakes” Baker, $294,321

* * *
WINNERS BY NATIONALITY

United States: 13
Canada: 2
England: 2
Hungary: 1
New Zealand: 1

WSOP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The WSOP Player of the Year race is finally taking shape with 19 events completed, and there are 14 players who have accumulated more points than a single bracelet winner. Here are the top five POY contenders after 19 events:

1. John Juanda: 160 pts
2. David Baker: 145 pts
3. Vladimir Schmelev: 155 pts
4. Michael Mizrachi: 145 pts
5. Matt Matros: 130 pts

It’s interesting to note that Juanda and Schmelev haven’t won bracelets this year, but they have both reached three final tables in events with buyins of $10,000 or more. (For the record, higher-buyin events receive the same POY points as the $1,000 and $1,500 events — but it’s an impressive achievement worth noting in the top stories of the week.)

MOST CASHES: 4
Last week, nobody had reached the three-cash mark, and now we have two who have cashed four times — Ted Lawson and Chris Viox. There are 30 players who have three cashes under their belt, which is too many to list here. The record for cashes in a single WSOP is 10, set by Nikolay Evdakov in 2008. Min-cash master Allen Kessler already has three — could this be the Year of the Chainsaw?

THE YEAR OF THE WOMAN?
Last week, I mentioned that the earliest a woman could final table an event would be Event #9 ($1,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em), because that was the earliest event that still had women in the field. As it turned out, there were nearly three women at that final table. But Melissa Hayden slightly missed the mark by finishing 13th, and Julie Farkas bubbled the final table in 10th. That left J.J. Liu, who went deep and managed to finish third.

Liu’s feat was matched three days later by Jennifer Harman, who finished third in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo). Harman is the only woman who has won two WSOP bracelets in open events — it would have been fantastic to see her win a third.

Jennifer Harman is one of the best players in the world, male or female. She
finished third in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo).
All eyes were on Annette Obrestad coming into this year’s WSOP, but so far, she has only managed a single cash (72nd place in Event #17, $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em). Obrestad will need to step up her game if she doesn’t want the media and the fans to label her first WSOP in Las Vegas as a disappointment.

MULTIPLE FINAL TABLES
Last week, nobody had made more than one final table. This week, there are five, and two of them have already made three. We know the record is at least five (notably achieved by Daniel Negreanu in 2004 on his way to WSOP Player of the Year), but I need to do more research to find out if anyone has ever reached six in a single Series.

John Juanda
4th in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
5th in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)
4th in Event #19 ($10,000 2-7 No-Limit Draw)

Vladimir Schmelev
2nd in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
7th in Event #10 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud)
7th in Event #15 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo)

Michael Mizrachi
1st in Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)
6th in Event #10 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud)

Matt Matros
1st in Event #12 ($1,500 Limit Hold’em)
9th in Event #18 ($2,000 Limit Hold’em)

Jameson Painter
5th in Event #7 ($2,500 2-7 Triple Draw)
7th in Event #12 ($1,500 Limit Hold’em)

JUSTIN BONOMO’S PANORAMA BET
Justin Bonomo is laying 10-to-1 odds (he’ll put up $10,000 to your $1,000) that someone who lives in Panorama Towers will win a bracelet this year. That list of players was frozen before the WSOP began (to be fair), and it includes 66 players, plus another 2 who will qualify starting June 18th. To see all the names, check out Justin Bonomo’s post in the 2+2 thread by clicking here.

With a bracelet victory by David “Bakes” Baker Friday night, Bonomo won his bet. However, I thought it would be interesting to continue tracking Panorama’s results, which might help people set a line for next year. (In 2009, Bonomo offered 7-to-1 odds on the same bet, and the only Panorama resident to win a bracelet was Greg “FBT” Mueller, who won two.)

Here are the Panorama players who have reached a final table so far in 2010:

David “Bakes” Baker: 6th place, $272,275
Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)

David Sands: 8th place, $67,221
Event #5 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold’em)

Nick Binger: 3rd place, $37,857
Event #14 ($1,500 2-7 No-Limit Draw)

David “Bakes” Baker: 1st place, $294,321
Event #19 ($10,000 2-7 No-Limit Draw)

* * *
All photos by BJ are courtesy of Greasie Wheels.

There’s your recap for the second week of the 2010 WSOP. Thanks to Pauly for giving me an outlet for my creative non-photographic juices (sounds disgusting). I’m working for Greasie Wheels this summer, which is providing the official WSOP photography for Harrah’s. Check out my official WSOP Photo Blog on WSOP.com.

You can also read BJ’s WSOP Report: Week 1.

Tags: cards | europe | event | game | limit-hold | poker | pokerstars | seven-card | summer | Tao All Stars | united-states | Vegas | wsop | year

By BJ Nemeth
Las Vegas, NV

The first week of the WSOP is in the record books, and there are a little more than six weeks to go. I’ll be writing a weekly statistical rundown of the action to keep you up to date, along with highlighting a few of the biggest stories along the way so they don’t slip through the cracks.

TOP STORYLINES OF THE FIRST WEEK

1. Grinder Wins the $50,000 Poker Players Championship

Everyone who follows Pauly’s blog probably knows by now that the Mizrachi family had some very public financial problems publicized in the media recently. And while Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi has won millions and millions ($4.2 million) on the World Poker Tour, he has somewhat underperformed in the WSOP, with a spot on the best-players-without-a-bracelet list.

Well, you can scratch his name off that list — with authority. This is no fluke bracelet that he won, it’s considered to be one of the most difficult and prestigious tournaments in the world. Michael Mizrachi’s name will be permanently engraved on the David “Chip” Reese Trophy.

Mizrachi had a backer (and a surprising one at that), so he won’t get the full winnings, but his cut should be enough to cover his recent financial issues.

P.S. — Michael Mizrachi is the chipleader with 88 players remaining in Event #10 ($10,000 Seven Card Stud).

P.P.S. — The player with the second-most chips in that event? Vladimir Schmelev, the Russian Banker who finished runner-up to Mizrachi in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship.

2. Phil Hellmuth Goes For Bracelet #12

This story is way too early to call, but even the potential of it is big enough to make it the second-biggest story of the WSOP.

With 25 players remaining in Event #8 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold’em), Phil Hellmuth is fifth in chips. There is still a long way to go before the final table, but Hellmuth pursuing his record 12th bracelet will draw eyes on the WSOP today — until he busts.

If/when Hellmuth busts very deep in a bracelet event, will he handle it like a gentleman, will he throw a Hellmuth-ian tantrum, or will he quietly curl up in a ball like he did at the WPT Final Table a few months ago? As many people are watching for that reason as are watching hoping he makes history.

3. The Almost-Disaster of Day 1b

In the first $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em event, there was a massive carnage on Day 1a, and after 10 levels, there was only 10.6% of the field left. That’s bad, because the next day they would learn that 10.1% of the field was going to finish in the money.

As Day 1b played, there was the possibility they could burst the money bubble before the end of the day, which would have cheated those unknown players who busted late on Day 1a. That’s the kind of problem that gets the Nevada Gaming Commission involved.

In the end, nothing happened, because more than 11% of the field survived on Day 1b, averting a disaster for Harrah’s. A new policy is reportedly in place for future events with multiple starting days where they will stop play on Day 1a if the field hits 15%, and then the following days will play the exact same amount of time before combining on Day 2.

* * *
QUICK RECAP OF COMPLETED EVENTS

Event #1, $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold’em
721 players (last year: 866)
Winner: Hoai Pham, $71,424

Event #2, $50,000 Poker Players Championship (8-Game Mix)
116 players (last year: 95)
Winner: Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi, $1,559,046

Event #3, $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em
4,345 players (last year: 6,012)
Winner: Aadam Daya, $625,872

Event #4, $1,500 Omaha Hi-Lo
818 players (last year: 918)
Winner: Michael Chow, $237,140

Event #5, $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
2,092 players (last year: 2,791)
Winner: Praz Bansi, $515,501

Event #6, $5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout
358 players (last year: 280)
Winner: Joshua Tieman, $441,692

Event #7, $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw
291 players (last year: 257)
Winner: Peter Gelencser, $180,730

* * *
WINNERS BY NATIONALITY
United States: 4
Canada: 1
England: 1
Hungary: 1

WSOP PLAYER OF THE YEAR
The Player of the Year race is currently a six-way tie for first between all the bracelet winners (Event #1 doesn’t count because it isn’t an open event), followed by a six-way tie for second between all the runner-ups. This race won’t really take shape for at least another week or two, but I’ll keep tracking it.

MOST CASHES
There are 34 players tied with two cashes each through the first six events. Joe “Big Egypt” Elpayaa is the only player to have two cashes that include a final table — 4th in Event #6 ($5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout) and 91st in Event #3 ($1,000 No-Limit Hold’em).

THE YEAR OF THE WOMAN?
No women have made any final tables yet. The highest finish by a woman so far is 14th place, which was reached by Ashira Lavine in Event #3 ($1,000 No-Limit Hold’em). Heather Sue Mercer effectively tied for 7th in Event #6 ($5,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout), but the shootout format makes ranking non-final tablists a bit misleading.

There are no women among the final 25 players in Event #8, so the earliest a woman could final table (or win a bracelet) is Event #9.

MULTIPLE FINAL TABLES
No players have made multiple final tables yet. As mentioned earlier, Joe Elpayaa is the only player with one final table that has a second money finish.

JUSTIN BONOMO’S PANORAMA BET
Justin Bonomo is laying 10-to-1 odds (he’ll put up $10,000 to your $1,000) that someone who lives in Panorama Towers will win a bracelet this year. That list of players was frozen before the WSOP began (to be fair), and it includes 66 players, plus another 2 who will qualify starting June 18th. To see all the names, check out Justin Bonomo’s post in the 2+2 thread by clicking here.

Bonomo had a similar bet in 2009 (offering 7-to-1 odds), and the only Panorama resident to win a bracelet was Greg “FBT” Mueller (who won two). Here are the Panorama players who have reached a final table so far in 2010:

David Baker: 6th place, $272,275
Event #2 ($50,000 Poker Players Championship)

David Sands: 8th place, $67,221
Event #5 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold’em)

With 12% of the events completed, these results don’t seem that impressive. But you have to figure that none of these people played in the Casino Employees event, very few played in the $50,000 Poker Players Championship, and the odds of any of them winning a huge-field donkament ($1K or $1,500 NLHE) is extremely slim. The middle of the WSOP schedule is where this group will shine, and I expect them to quickly amass more final table appearances, and before long, a bracelet.

* * *
There’s your recap for the first week of the 2010 WSOP. Thanks to Pauly for giving me an outlet for my creative non-photographic juices (sounds disgusting). I’m working for Greasie Wheels this WSOP, which is providing the official WSOP photography for Harrah’s. Check out my official WSOP Photo Blog on WSOP.com. The current first photo is Grinder and his wife, but new photos will be uploaded today.

Tags: egypt | event | media | mizrachi | money | photo | poker | poker-players | russian