Saturday, June 20, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
There comes a point during the seven weeks of the World Series of Poker where you stop counting how many days you’ve been there and switch to counting down the days till it’s over. We’re not quite there yet–for me it’s the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. tournament that acts as the demarcation line. When the H.O.R.S.E. champion is crowned, that’s when you you know it’s time to gear up. Because that means the Main Event is just a few days away, and the Main Event is…well, it’s the Main Event. It’s the biggest poker tournament in the world, but of course it’s much, much more than that.
The Main Event is one of the great spectacles in all the world. Thousands of people from all over the globe, from all walks of life, converge on Las Vegas in the full furnace fury of the desert summer. They come to play a game that’s enjoyed by millions around the world, who play poker in card rooms and around kitchen tables and online while wearing their pajamas. And they play for a gargantuan prize pool, one fully funded by the players themselves, a pot of gold that dwarfs the prize money awarded to the winners of the U.S. Open golf tournament, Wimbledon, The Daytona 500 and the Indianapolis 500. Combined.
The 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event starts on July 3rd. Maybe it’s too soon for me to look ahead to the Main Event–there’s too much poker to be played today, tomorrow, and over the next two weeks for that. But for you, it’s not too soon. Especially if you want to PLAY in the Main Event. Because tomorrow at 5:30pm ET UltimateBet is hosting our 50-Seat Guaranteed Tournament. Fifty players, at least, will win their Main Event seat (plus $2,000 for travel and accomodations) in tomorrow’s event. The buy-in is $500+30 and no matter what UB will be sending 50 of those players to the Main Event. If the prize pool swells above the guaranteed, more Main Event packages will be awarded. It’s your chance to lock up your Main Event seat for $530, and you don’t even have to win the tournament to snag the big prize.
The Biggest Game in Town the World starts in less than two weeks. And you can take your first step toward Vegas tomorrow at 5:30pm ET at UltimateBet.
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Friday, June 12, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
The $10,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven World Championship will play today until a champion is crowned, and still in the running is UltimateBet’s Michael Binger. They’re down to ten players (and they’ll play five-handed until the final table of seven is reached) and Michael is second from the bottom in chips, but it’s a no-limit game, one double up could provide all the momentum required to power Binger to his first WSOP bracelet. Play will resume at 2pm and will no doubt draw a big crowd on the rail for this star-studded, action-packed gambling game.
Tags: 2009 world series of poker, 2009 wsop, deuce to seven, Michael Binger, ub, ub world series of poker, ub wsop, ultimatebet, ultimatebet world series of poker, world series of poker, WSOP
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Monday, January 26, 2009 - Gene Bromberg
We may be five months away from the start of the 2009 World Series of Poker but it’s never too soon to start making your plan for the biggest event in the game. Harrah’s has released this year’s schedule and there are a number of significant changes that will no doubt spark some discussion.
Well, one thing that wasn’t changed is delaying the final table until November. The Main Event begins on July 3rd and runs until the 15th, at which point the nine remaining players will scatter around the globe before reconvening at the Rio on November 7th. The bracelet will be awarded on November 10th, so it looks like there will be a day off for the final two players before they begin the heads-up battle.
But while the November Nine returns for 2009, rebuy events will not. There had been talk that the rebuy events might disappear because many people felt that it gave deep-pocketed players a chance to “buy” a bracelet. I can’t say that I agree with that philosophy–once the rebuy period ends you still have to figure out a way to get all the chips. Plus the rebuy events usually featured extremely tough fields some kray-zee gambling that was loads of fun to write about. But the rebuy events are gone, replaced by several new tournaments that will be of considerable interest to poker players and fans alike.
And there’s a big one right off the bat–the first open-field event of the 2009 WSOP (on May 28th) will be a $40,000 No-Limit Hold-Em event, and that’s not typo–the buy-in is $40K. That number was picked to celebrate this being the 40th anniversary of the World Series of Poker and no doubt that event will draw a small and elite crowd. For those of us unable to easily scrounge up forty big dimes, especially in these tough economic times, Harrah’s is offering a $1,000 “Stimulus Special” tournament beginning on May 30th. Harrah’s is hoping that this will be the biggest non-Main Event field in history and is expecting a total prize pool of near $5 million.
There are ten $10,000 “World Championship” events this year (including the Main Event) in various forms of poker, as well as the $50K H.O.R.S.E tournament. There are also seven $1,500 tournaments for those of us who want to play in the WSOP but aren’t quite ready to play a $10K event. In all there will be 57 tournaments at the 2009 World Series of Poker–and that doesn’t even include the celebrity-laden Ante Up for Africa tournament that Annie Duke and Don Cheadle will once again host the day before the Main Event starts.
So that’s five months to peruse the schedule, make your travel plans, and build up your bankroll. And believe me, those five months will fly by faster than you can imagine. Plan ahead, and don’t be standing on the rail when the Amazon Room once again becomes the center of the poker Universe.
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