It's Back

The opening $2,000 limit hold'em event at the World Series of Poker attracted 615 players, a WSOP record, who vied for a first-place award of $441,400.

After playing for 14 hours the first day, the nine finalists returned on the second day for a shot at the big money. There was a big hand early that made it appear as though Chau Giang was going to run away with the title. He knocked out two players in one hand while holding pocket aces against pocket queens and pocket jacks. Out of nowhere, Nani Dollison, the winner of the 2000 ladies event at the World Series of Poker, made some big hands and took control. After an hour of heads-up play between Dollison and John Pires, it was over. Congratulations, Nani! That was the largest tournament payday ever for a female.

Everyone talks about T.J. Cloutier, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth, Erik Seidel, and others when discussing who they think will be this year's world champion. I decided to come up with a few players who aren't usually mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned players, but who have a good shot of winning this year.

• Padraig Parkinson – Padraig finished third in the 1999 world championship event. When I was in Amsterdam last year, I had the pleasure of sitting next to Padraig for a couple of hours in a no-limit hold'em event. In two hours of play, he showed only one hand, and it was two black aces. As most Europeans know, some of the greatest no-limit hold'em players in the world are from Ireland.

• Billy Gazes – I once wrote a column about the fact that one of the keys to successful no-limit hold'em play is confidence. Not only does Billy have more confidence right now than anyone I have seen, he is someone who always looks for a statistical edge. I don't think Billy will play too many coin tosses. He isn't afraid to go broke if he has a hunch.

• Annie Duke – Annie is the returning 10th-place finisher from last year's championship event. She too has a ton of confidence. Annie is one of the best in the world at putting people on a hand, and making them pay for their bluffs. Another positive aspect of Annie's play is that she understands the flow of a tournament. There are times to play aggressively and there are times to just sit back and wait.

• Chris Tsiprailidis – Chris is due to win a big event. He is known as being one of the better limit hold'em players, but his no-limit play in my opinion is much better. He did very well at the World Poker Open last month, including a win in the $500 no-limit hold'em event. Chris also is very good at putting players on a hand. If he has a king high and thinks it's good, he will put all of his chips in the pot.

• Matt Lefkowitz – Matt is a quiet player who never gets out of line in a hand. He isn't a player who goes for the miracle card. He is deadly in no-limit and pot-limit events. He hasn't had too much success in the championship event, but he always does well in other big events at the World Series. Matt doesn't play in many events throughout the year, but when he does, he scores.

Good luck to everyone. Who will be this year's world champion?