The First 54: WSOP Highlights

The moment the WSOP started, there were a few glitches. Players entered the Rio to begin on what they knew would be a grueling month and a half and they were met by lines that stretched hundreds of players deep. During the first couple of days, many waited in line to register for tournaments for as long as four hours.

Then, of course, came the card mishap. The new decks of cards that were introduced this year received immediate criticism. They were difficult to read, as the nines and sixes were often mistaken for one another. To make matters worse, the WSOP commissioner's name was spelled wrong on the back of the cards. They were eventually switched out of competition.

Once the ball got rolling, the first few events set the stage for an exciting series. In event No. one, a $5,000 buy-in mixed limit and no-limit hold'em tournament, Steve Billirakis was not only the first to win an event of this kind, but he also beat Jeff Madsen's record for the youngest bracelet winner ever at 21 years and 11 days old. A big online player, Billirakis is known as "MrSmokey1." He received more than $536,000 for his win.

Then in event No. three, a $1,500 buy-in no-limit tournament, Ciaran O'Leary broke the record for defeating the largest non-main event player field in WSOP history. That record was previously held by Card Player's own Jon Friedberg, who won the same event last year. O'Leary beat a field of 2,998 and took home more than $727,000.

A few tournaments later, event No. 7 proved to the poker community that there are other games besides no-limit hold'em that are worth covering. The $5,000 buy-in pot-limit Omaha with rebuys attracted the players with the biggest bankrolls in poker, as it was the most expensive rebuy event of the series. After ESPN realized how large the purse had gotten and all the pros in the field, they decided to add it to the televised final table list. It was Burt Boutin, a long-time poker pro, who eventually clinched the title as well as the nearly $867,000 first place prize.

After a flurry of events won by somewhat unknowns, Allen Cunningham proved that pros can win consistently. He won event No. 13, a $5,000 buy-in pot-limit hold'em event, and his fifth bracelet, after beating a field of 398 players. Cunningham has won one bracelet in the past three consecutive years despite the growth of the player fields in the past few years.

By now, the WSOP and Harrah's have been dealing with complaints from players about the Pavilion. This is the space used to put extra tables when the Amazon room has been filled to capacity. They also had been taking heat from sequestering final tables, which came to be a huge deal in event No. 15.

When Phil Hellmuth made the final table for this event, which was another $1,500 buy-in no-limit event, many were disappointed to find that it was hidden behind black curtains. He was in a race to make history against two other legends of the game, Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan. He was the first of the three to make a final table and come well within reach to claim an eleventh bracelet.

Neither his friends nor family could sweat it out on the rail as Hellmuth battled his way through the last remaining players of the 2,828-deep field. It was a moment engraved in poker history when he won his eleventh bracelet, but a sad day for fans. Hellmuth took received the more than $637,000 first place prize as well as the bragging rights.

Event No. 17 was the $1,000 buy-in ladies event. It broke the record for player field in this event. A total of 1,286 ladies generated a first-place prize of more than $262,000. The winner was Sally Boyer, who was quite a success story. Boyer trained at the first-ever WSOP Ladies Academy with the likes of Annie Duke and Joe Navarro. During the seminar, there was a freeroll for 10 seats into the event but she was eliminated early in the competition. She then studied her booklet and quickly won a tournament at the Gold Coast Casino. She used her winnings to buy- n to the ladies event. Boyer parlayed it into a WSOP bracelet.

Humberto Brenes is often recognizable by his shark card protector but in event No. 19, a $2,500 buy-in no-limit tournament, he was distinctive for his consistency. This was his third cash at this year's WSOP and third final table. He also made the final table in event No. 13, a $5,000 buy-in pot-limit hold'em tournament and event No. 7, which was a $5,000 buy-in pot-limit Omaha with rebuys tournament. Unfortunately for him, he did not win a bracelet in any of these events.

Then, in event number 24, a $3,000 seven-card stud eight-or-better tournament, another name on the list of well-known pros without a bracelet could be crossed off. Eli Elezra slid his first bracelet on his wrist after beating Scotty Nguyen. He took home almost $199,000 when he defeated a field of 236 players.

After that event, a flurry of poker pros captured a coveted WSOP bracelet. First was Katja Thater, a member of team PokerStars. She won event No. 29, the $1,500 buy-in seven-card razz tournament. Thater won nearly $132,000 and her first bracelet. In the very next event, Hoyt Corkins won his second bracelet. He outlasted 847 players in the $2,500 buy-in six-handed tournament. Then, in event 32, Australian pro, Jeffrey Lisandro nabbed his first WSOP title in the $2,000 buy-in seven-card stud.

Event No. 39 was the most anticipated preliminary tournament of the entire series. It was the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tournament. The 148 entrants could arguably have been the toughest field ever assembled. Players must be competent in every game in order to survive, plus have the bankroll to even compete. It was fitting that Chip Reese, one of the most highly regarded players in the industry, won this event last year.

It was also no surprise that another pro and high-stakes cash game player was the winner. Freddy Deeb took down the $2.3 million first place prize along with one of the most prestigious titles in poker.

Doyle Brunson, who was at the final table of last year's $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event, was in contention to tie Phil Hellmuth's record for 11 bracelets when he made the final table of event No. 50, the $10,000 buy-in World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha tournament. However, Brunson was eliminated in sixth place. The eventual winner of that event was Robert Mizrachi. He was the first of the Mizrachi brothers to win a bracelet.

Tom Schneider, a fairly unknown player before this year's World Series, made his mark by becoming the first person this year to win two bracelets after he won event No. 46, a $1,000 buy-in seven-card stud eight-or-better and event No. 5, a $2,500 buy-in mixed Omaha and seven-card stud eight-or-better tournament. He also made the final table in event No. 16, a $2,500 H.O.R.S.E. event in which he finished fourth. Because of his accomplishments, Schneider was awarded the prestigious WSOP Player of the Year Award.

The preliminary events have awarded more than $80 million in prize pool money. The main event is looking to generate millions more. All day ones for the $10,000 main event have been completed and there are thousands left still competing with the hopes of holding bricks of money in the air in triumph. The most prestigious bracelet is on the line and the tension grows thicker with every elimination. Be sure to check back on CardPlayer.com for all your WSOP updates.

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