Round-up of the World Series Of Poker 2010
Almost a month and a half of gruelling poker comes to an end with the start of the Main Event on the 5th of July, 2010 at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The World Series of Poker events cover a wide variation of poker games divided into different events and buys in categories. There are 57 events including the Main Event that took place this year starting from the 28th of May, 2010. On the 17th of July, one should expect to have the final nine players who will then sit on the final table in November later this year. But while we have time to see how the field pans out, let’s have a quick look at some of the major players who took the WSOP winners bracelet in the events prior to the big day.
Praz Bansi was able to win his second ever WSOP bracelet in Event 5 which was the $1500 No Limit Hold ‘Em event. The event got him a winning pot of $515,501 as he took on a field of 2,092 players and won the final hand with an ace and jack of spades. Bansi’s only other bracelet came in the $1,000 No Limit Hold ‘Em event in 2006. The British player, who is part of the London-based poker group called The Hitsquad, might only be claiming his second win but he has cashed out in every World Series of Poker tournament since 2006; the most notable one being the Main Event of the WSOP Europe where he came in the third position.
Men Nguyen, the Vietnamese poker veteran won his seventh WSOP bracelet as he finished at the first place in Event 10 of the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship. This was his first win in WSOP since 2003 for a man who is dubbed as ‘The Master’. He is a well known figure in the world of poker and is the best teachers of the game and his students have gone on to win many tournaments. He, himself, has been named as the ‘Card Player Magazine Player of the year’ on four occasions and is widely regarded as one of the best tournament players in the world.
Dutch Boyd was also able to claim his second bracelet this year in the $2,500 Limit Hold ‘Em Six Handed event. Boyd has always been known as the prodigy who took an interest in poker and abandoned his law career after graduating at the age of 18. The 30-year-old has a lot of poker left in him and will be hoping to do better in the main event after he finished twelfth in 2006.
David Warga was also able to claim his second bracelet after an 8-year drought as were Matt Keikoan and Luis Velador. Sammy Farha was able to bag his third title of the year when he won the $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship. Farha has won all his Bracelets in Omaha games but his most notable performance came in the 2003 WSOP Main Event where he finished second after he made a remarkable recovery. At one point in the tournament, he was down to 10 percent of the average pot and was about to quit but he persisted and made it to the final table and finish one shy of the best.
Frank Kassela was the only player to win two bracelets this year for his efforts in the $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 and the $2,500 Razz events. The American now has a live tournament winning amount of over $2.2 million and 9-money finishes in WSOP events.
Phil Ivey added to his total by bagging his eight bracelet of the career. He won two bracelets last year and won three bracelets in 2002 and is no stranger to success and fame. It is no surprise that he was listed as the highest money winner of all time in poker and the poker superstar continues to grow from strength-to-strength after his finish in the seventh place in last year’s main event.
It been a good build-up for exciting poker in the days to come as we head into the final stages of the season and the question on everyone’s mind is the same: Who will be crowned the World Poker Champion for 2010?
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