We pick up our annual recap (Part I is available at CardPlayer.com) with the eyes of the poker world focused on Harrah's Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. There, in the expansive Amazon ballroom, players seeking instant fame and long-lasting wealth merged from all over the world to participate in the 46 events. Fan frenzy and unprecedented media interest permeated the playing area at the 2006
WSOP.
Ripping Through Records at the Rio
Harrah's Entertainment made what Howie Mandel would classify "a great deal" when it purchased all rights to the
World Series of Poker (
WSOP) for the relative pittance of $30 million three years ago. Between licensing and sponsorship agreements, increased hotel revenue, tournament entry fees, satellites, side-action rake, and immeasurable brand recognition, the astute gaming company has established a large, lucrative poker footprint.
When the chips settled on Aug. 10, more than $158,000,000 had been distributed from the prize pools, with $31,573,992, along with coveted
WSOP bracelets, going to the event winners. Here are several highlights from the preliminary contests:
•David Williams, wealthy and well-known from his two huge second-place finishes ($3.5 million in the 2004
WSOP main event and a $573,800 payday in the 2004
Borgata Poker Open), broke through to win a cherished major in the $1,500 seven-card stud event, besting 477 opponents. The 26-year-old, who has cashed more than 30 times in his short career, outlasted three tough Johns (Chan, Cernuto, and Hoang) at the final table to capture the $163,118 prize. When handed the gold bracelet, Williams echoed the sentiments of many, saying, "It's really all I have thought about or cared about."
• If you believe in the expression, "It's not bragging if you can back it up," then Phil Hellmuth Jr. doesn't boast. The 42-year-old Palo Alto resident won his 10th bracelet and took down $631,863 in a $1,000 no-limit hold'em rebuy tourney. All 10 triumphs have been in hold'em, despite the facts that Hellmuth enters many different events and has a decent all-around tournament game. His live tournament proceeds now exceed $8 million.
• Allen Cunningham, as modest as Hellmuth is conceited, continued his ferocious assault on the record books. The 2005
WSOP Player of the Year picked up his fourth gold bracelet and $625,830 by winning a $1,000 no-limit hold'em rebuy tourney. Cunningham cashed in five more tourneys, including the championship contest. On day three of the main event, Allen was asked, what are your plans for the remainder of the tourney? He responded, "I'm just going to play my game and see what happens." His game is so strong that what happened is that he reached the final table and finished fourth, despite going card dry during the last few hours of play. Cunningham's tourney winnings are a Lexus GS300 short of $8 million, and he won't be 30 until March 24, 2007.
• An even younger competitor, 21-year-old Californian Jeff Madsen, became the shooting star of the 37th-annual
WSOP by winning two bracelets and cashing four times. The youngest winner in
WSOP history took home $1,467,852 in prize money. The film student's extraordinary achievements garnered him the 2006
WSOP Player of the Year award.
• The veteran players lobbied for a throwback to the old
WSOP days. They sought a competition that would separate the pros from the masses who now contend. After numerous discussions with Harrah's officials, the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. - (H) hold'em, (O) Omaha eight-or-better, (R) razz, (S) seven-card stud, (E) stud eight-or-better - tournament was born. The winner was expected to be a well-known professional with diversified skills. Affable, soft-spoken, Ohio-born David "Chip" Reese, often described as the best all-around player in the game, certainly fit that bill. Reese outlasted 142 adversaries during a grueling affair that included a 19-hour day two and a seven-hour, 268-hand marathon heads-up battle with Andy Bloch on day three. Reese won $1,784,640 and solidified his reputation.
Gold Shines on the Felt
A record 8,773 players (representing a 56 percent year-over-year increase) vied for sports' grandest purse and largest winner's share ($12 million). When the chips stopped moving, Californian Jamie Gold had them all, along with fame, fortune, and poker's most prestigious bracelet. Remarkably, the 36-year-old knocked out seven of his eight adversaries at the final table. In another unusual occurrence, Gold, sponsored by Bodog, assumed the chip lead on his fourth day of play and never relinquished the top position on the leader board. He appeared to be flying on adrenaline during the last two days of play. He often chatted with opponents during play, telling them to fold to his better hand. More times than not, he was being truthful. Referencing his table-talk, Gold stated, "I was playing the best poker of my life. I was in a zone where I just felt like I could manipulate people."
Alas, all was not utopia for the outgoing television producer, who was hit with legal entanglements when it was revealed that he had allegedly made a deal to share his winnings with another player who, fearing the worst, had filed suit that resulted in half of the winner's purse being frozen by the Nevada court system.
It is often said that no one remembers who came in second in the main event. The $6,102,499 prize that 25-year-old Dallas native and Colorado resident Paul Wasicka received should soften that obscurity blow.
Lifestyles of the Poker World
The four-day, second-annual Gaming Life Expo at the
WSOP coincided with the opening of the championship event. The free and fabulous display of poker and gaming wares was held in the Pavilion Center, a 55,000-square-foot area adjacent to where the 8,773 players began to compete for a prize pool of $82,512,162. Approximately 235 booths offered state-of-the-art products from giveaways to expensive artwork. Top pros and celebrities stopped by to mingle with the fans, sign autographs, and represent their sponsors.
Colossal Coverage
As we poker folks know, the print and airwave media have fueled our 21st-century big boom. This year was no exception. More than 500 media credentials were provided at the
WSOP. Magazines dedicated to poker sprang up. New, innovative televised events were broadcast.
Card Player, the official magazine and content provider for the
WSOP, expanded its already world-class website and hired more employees dedicated to providing poker fans with live updates and interviews from every major tournament.
The response time for televised coverage of major events also improved, meeting the requirements of our "now" world. No longer do we have to wait six months to see the
WSOP championship on
ESPN. The leading sports network had the main event ready for viewing in six segments (a total of 12 hours) a mere 12 days after the last card was dealt. This year's championship was also available (sans holecard viewing) on cable and satellite pay-per-view at an affordable $24.95.
ESPN and Harrah's have extended their contract through 2010 and agreed on expanding overall coverage. In 2006, 10 preliminary
WSOP tourneys were taped at the Rio, along with five
Tournament Circuit events that emanated from different Harrah's properties.
The Professional Poker Tour Takes Off
After lengthy negotiations, the
Professional Poker Tour (
PPT) finally secured a one-season home on the
Travel Channel and debuted on July 5. Under the auspices of WPT Enterprises, the first league for professional players (at least those who qualify under a plethora of conditions), along with sponsor exemptions, conducted five no-limit hold'em events during its first season. Each winner (John Juanda, Erick Lindgren, Tom McEvoy, Lee Markholt, and Ted Forrest) received $225,000. Places two through six shared $275,000 at each tournament, creating a season prize pool of $2.5 million.
While the prize money does not compete with
World Poker Tour (
WPT) or
WSOP pools, pride is at stake and the players enjoy the relatively small 180- to 230-player fields. The
PPT production is smooth and the tournaments, as TV goes, are good learning tools, since each is divided into five shows consisting of 10 hours of viewing (four quarters and the final table). This provides a representative number of hands at each stage of the event. The
PPT graphics are first-rate learning tools. When Allen Cunningham raised with Q-Q, we were immediately advised: "The odds of being dealt any pocket pair are 16-to-1 (5.9 percent)." When his opponent considered calling, this was flashed: "To call $3,000 into a $5,525 pot, Vinny Vinh's pot odds are 5,525-3,000, or 1.8-to-1." Matt Corboy and Mark Seif handle the commentary. Jan Fisher does an exemplary job as tournament director and house comedienne. Alas, the future of the league is hazy. Several season-two scheduled tournaments have been postponed.
Our World of Women
Considering that women typically comprise approximately 5 percent of the field in a major event, the fair sex did nicely in 2006. Vanessa Rousso and Erica Schoenberg broke through at the
WPT season-four championship. Rousso followed with three cashes at
the WSOP. Clare Miller captured the
WSOP seniors event. Kuei Chi Chang, a spry 80-year-old, cashed twice at the
WSOP. Renowned cash-game player Jennifer Harman took the big boys' chips on
GSN's High Stakes Poker telecasts. Kelli Griggs fought her way past 408 ladies to win $12,345 and an entry into the fourth
WPT Ladies Night event. She played well at the final table, surviving Jennifer Tilly, Rousso, Schoenberg, and Anahit Galajian, but fell in a heads-up battle to J.J. Liu. Versatile Clonie Gowen added to her career tourney winnings while authoring poker articles, lending her time to many charitable causes, handling on-air poker commentary, and appearing in a tasteful
Maxim magazine feature article. Veterans Kathy Liebert and Mimi Tran established a historical first in a
WPT $10,000 event when both made the final table of six in the Foxwood
World Poker Finals main event. In that tourney, Nenad "The Serb" Medic outlasted his 608 opponents to take home $1,717,194. When playing threehanded, the man from Ontario assumed the chip lead by playing the "Doyle Brunson" hand (10-2) and flopping a full house (a 1,086-to-1 shot). Tran came in third and Liebert, making her fifth
WPT final-table appearance, took fifth place.
Negreanu Trumps "The Donald"
Just when you might have thought poker had exhausted all possibilities, three-time
WSOP bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu came up with the idea to conduct a search for his apprentice. Naturally, the protégé would be determined by a battle of cards and chips. Connecticut's Brian Fidler survived his opponents to become Daniel's initial Poker Protégé. Part of the 27-year-old's prize was invaluable - personal instruction from Negreanu, the 2004 Player of the Year. In addition, Fidler, a hedge-fund accountant by trade, received four $10,000 buy-ins to major poker tournaments. Did Fidler absorb any of Daniel's magic during the internship? I'd say so! He took the chip lead to the final table in just his second tourney (a
WSOP Tournament Circuit event) and finished second. He won nearly $250,000 during his apprenticeship.
So Many Tourneys, So Little Space
As aficionados realize, I left out many events, but I can't omit my favorite televised tournament,
Poker Superstars, taped at the Golden Nugget in Las Vegas. For me, this third year was the best. For 30 straight Sunday evenings,
Fox Sports Network (
FSN) brought us top players and fast action in one-hour time slots. A field of 24 stars bought in for $50,000 each and competed in a revised format that induced clever play and survival strategy through five preliminary sixhanded rounds. Players were awarded points based on their first- through sixth-place finishes. Each prelim winner pocketed $10,000. The more points accumulated, the better chance a competitor had to make the final 16, and the more chips he or she started with in the quarterfinals, when play became fourhanded and more cash was available. Finally, two emerged to play for the
Poker Superstars III title.
Todd Brunson, capturing the No. 4 seed during the first 20 weeks, made the final pairing for the second straight year. To reach the finals in 2006, he had to knock off
Poker Superstars II Champ Johnny Chan in one of the two semifinal matches. The son of Hall of Fame player Doyle Brunson accomplished that task in comeback fashion by winning the last two heats of the best-of-three match. Chan left with $100,000. Then, Todd, a graduate of Texas Tech, faced the gregarious, good-natured Antonio "The Magician" Esfandiari, a
WSOP and
WPT winner, and the No. 2 seed who survived the many moves of Gus Hansen in the other semifinal battle.
The championship was conducted as a best-of-five clash. Brunson, responding monosyllabically to Esfandiari's questions, won 3-0. Todd prefers to play in relative silence, while Antonio loves to chat. Their playing styles also were different; Antonio was the aggressor and Todd the trapper. In the end, it came down to Todd waiting and pouncing, then holding on in several near coin-flip situations.
Brunson, who has played in the biggest cash games in the world for the last 10 years, took down $515,000, while Esfandiari collected $245,000 for his excellent effort.
A Ravishing Relay Race
The
WPT started Shana Hiatt in leg one. Fair, fetching, and friendly, the former
Playboy model and Miss Hawaiian Tropic winner, now 30, set a blistering pace and lifted ratings (among other things) for three seasons. During season four, Shana handed off to Courtney Friel, an accomplished 25-year-old newswoman with a B.A. in political science who just happened to be gorgeous. Courtney dispensed her duties in a slightly more subdued, albeit professional, manner. In 2006, she passed the baton to Sabina Gadecki, a 22-year-old part-time student (majoring in international business), part-time model/actress, and occasional bartender. Catch the blond, beautiful New Yorker at the start of season-five airings.
Mizrachi Is The Man Of The Year
Shortly before 1 p.m. on Dec. 18, it became official. John Hoang, the last man with a chance to reel in Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi, was felted in 32nd place in the
Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic, and Tournament Director Jack McClelland informed the throng that the
Card Player 2006 Player of the Year (POY) award would go to Mizrachi. The Grinder led virtually wire to wire. Before the year was six weeks old, Michael had pocketed more than $1.7 million. He toured the world, making 11 final tables, cashing 22 times, and earning more than $2.3 million. Fierce on the felt (he has won more than $5.5 million in tournaments) but highly approachable when venturing behind the ropes, the 25-year-old family man became a fan favorite as his bank account soared. How did the affable star come so far, so fast? The marquee player at AbsolutePoker.com attributes his rapid rise to playing online. The Grinder said, "I've learned by seeing so many flops and having to handle every situation in the best possible way. I learn from my mistakes and move on, hoping to play as close as possible to a perfect game someday."
Hachem Hits Big - No Déjà Vu For Negreanu
In 2004, Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu claimed his
Card Player POY award with a victory at the same
Five-Diamond Doyle Brunson North American Poker Classic, a
World Poker Tour event hosted by Bellagio. This year, 583 players entered, all shooting for the $2,182,070 first prize. With competitors receiving $30,000 in chips, more than 60 percent of the field survived day one. But, after four days of action, only six remained, and "Kid Poker" sat on top of the heap, as he had in 2004. This year, final-table action was fast (only 80 hands were dealt) and 2005 World Champion Joe Hachem was equal to the task. After Negreanu fell in third place (Daniel's $592,000 prize established him as the leading all-time
WPT money earner), Australia's finest went up against former New Orleans Saints nose tackle Jim Hanna, who was enjoying his first major poker competition. Hachem, now 40, eluded Hanna on his way to the end zone in just nine heads-up hands. Joe joined Jamie Gold as the second player to break through the $10 million prize-money barrier in tourneys. In addition, Hachem became only the fourth player to win the
World Series of Poker main event and a
WPT title (for trivia fans, the others are Doyle Brunson, Scotty Nguyen, and Carlos Mortensen).
Another Strong Year in the Books
Overall, we enjoyed a banner 2006. Player participation, prize money, charitable contributions, educational tools, sponsorship offerings, and income in the industry continued to trend upward, spiking in many instances. Network and cable television provided great tourney entertainment, and innovative new shows such as
High Stakes Poker debuted.
Looking Forward to 2007
• We will join the
WPT at the
PokerStars Caribbean Poker Adventure for the 11th of 19 stops (a new record) in season five.
• The
WSOP will continue to spread its
Tournament Circuit events, commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and crew will fine-tune the six-week extravaganza at the Rio, and Harrah's will brainstorm a way to overcome the potential loss of online qualifiers.
• The political battlefield will be worth watching. Will elected representatives allow constituents to enjoy personal freedoms or will they legislate against gaming for personal gain? Will they finally realize that regulation is the way to go? Look for continued growth in watchdog organizations such as the Poker Players Alliance.
• The courts may hear and adjudicate contract issues involving players and production companies when the two entities disagree on intellectual property rights - such as the wording governing promotion, film releases, distributing likenesses, and reaping potential peripheral compensation resulting from players' televised appearances.
• Many tournament professionals will struggle. Television has given up-and-coming players insight into the tricks of the trade that greats such as Doyle, Daniel, Chip, "The Grinder," and "The Master" deploy. The fields have gotten huge. Literature, Internet shows, and teaching tools abound, increasing the skill level of participants. This all adds up to greater variance for the pros.
• Technology will continue to creep into poker. Along with the proliferation of electronic waiting lists, computer tracking for comps, and automatic shuffling machines, we may see microchip-imbedded tournament chips and electronic poker tables. The latter will ameliorate a casino's greatest cost (employees and their benefits), give us absolute pot-splitting accuracy, and speed up the game by providing lightning card distribution while eliminating card collection, shuffling, and dealer error. You can check out a "dealer-free" table by entering http://www.pokertek.com into any search engine.
• Look for more heads-up format tourneys to spring up. Players and fans like them.
• Poker camps, seminars featuring top players and experts from peripheral fields, along with innovative ideas (hey, how about a fantasy league that would be tracked at CardPlayer.com?) will continue to proliferate.
• More poker rooms will open. Existing establishments will follow the Borgata (the Atlantic City casino added 51 tables in 2006) and expand, to accommodate the increased demand for poker. More tournaments will surface. New players will enter the game.
May your new year be filled with good health, good news, and good river cards!
You can e-mail Lee with comments, questions, or suggestions for feature articles at [email protected].
