2006 WSOP Wrap-up
9/27/2006 6:49:05 PM
If the “poker boom” is over, nobody alerted the organizers of the 2006 World Series of Poker. The recently completed series was the biggest in the history of the game of poker, and undoubtedly one of the richest contests in any sport or game. Forty-seven separate tournaments played out over the course of 47 days, from June 26 to August 11. The contest with the fewest entrants was the Tournament of Champions held to kick off the WSOP. It was a by-invitation only event featuring winners of WSOP Circuit Events, last year’s final table, and a handful of legends chosen by the WSOP sponsors. The largest field was the WSOP World Championship Main Event, which hosted a record-setting 8,773 players. The total number of players in this years’ WSOP was 48,403, and if that number isn’t enough to impress, perhaps the total prize money pool will: $161,359,192.
This year’s Main Event eclipsed all previous poker tournaments at the WSOP and everywhere else, by the sheer size of the purse. Event 39, the World Championship No-Limit Hold’em Tournament, boasted a purse of $82,512,162. The winner of this contest, Jamie Gold, earned the biggest payday in the history of poker, $12 million. Everyone who made it to the final table (and 3 others as well) collected at least $1.1 million, and a total of 876 players made it into the money. Although the Main Event was decided on an astounding scale, it was by no means the only highlight of the WSOP. Here are some of the others.
At a $50,000 buy-in, this year’s inaugural HORSE tournament was closely followed by the media and poker fans alike. This was the first mixed-format tournament held at the WSOP. HORSE games offer consecutive rounds of limit Hold’em, limit Omaha hi-low, Razz (which is 7 Card Stud played for low), 7 Card Stud high, and finally 7 Card Stud hi-low. Once the field had been reduced to a final table, the tournament was completed as a no-limit Hold’em game. The event was won by Chip Reese, a legendary high-stakes cash game player and winner of 2 other WSOP championship bracelets, in 1978 and 1982, both in 7-Card Stud variants.
Phil Helmuth won his 10th championship bracelet in event #34, the $1000 buy-in no-limit Hold’em unlimited rebuy event. Helmuth had a very successful WSOP run in 2006, cashing in 5 separate events for a total of $709,193, but winning that 10th bracelet vaulted him back into a tie for most WSOP bracelets with 2 other legends of the game, Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan.
Speaking of Brunson and Chan neither had a particularly strong showing this year considering their superstar status. Brunson cashed twice this year, including an 8th place finish in the HORSE tournament. Chan also placed in the money twice this year, his best showing was in Event #10, 7-Card Stud, where he placed 7th. Brunson’s close friend Mike Caro made it into the money 4 times this year, proving that genius is impossible to suppress.
Last year’s champion, Joe Hachem, cashed 4 times in this year’s series, making 2 final tables and finishing in 238th position in the Main Event. His earnings totaled nearly $400,000. Greg Raymer, 2004 World Champion, cashed twice this year including a 2nd place finish in the 2-7 Lowball event. And the player who has been credited with starting the poker boom, 2003 World Champion Chris Moneymaker, cashed in the only event he entered, taking 28th place in Event 36, the $1500 limit Hold’em Shootout.
Fans of televised poker will surely recognize the following players. Although their results are impressive in most cases, it can be seen from these capsules that 2006 was another year of the unknown (almost always Internet) players dominating the play at the WSOP.
Dutch Boy’s return to the WSOP was impressive. He won event #5, Short handed NL Hold’em and earned over $425,000
Annie Duke’s WSOP was another solid performance. She finished in 88th position in the Main Event and had 1 other cash for a total of $51,129
Annie’s brother, Howard Lederer, finished in the money once, taking 33rd in $1500 Limit Hold’em Shootout.
Chris Ferguson finished the WSOP with 4 cashes; including a 7th in the Tournament of Champions. His total earnings for the Series were approximately $68,500.
John Juanda cashed 5 times including 1 final table in the $1500 Pot Limit Hold’em event for a total over $37,000.
TJ Cloutier’s WSOP resulted in 3 cashes including 5th in the Tournament of Champions. His series earnings topped $480,000
Phil Ivey’s 3 cashes included 2 final tables, one of which was a 3rd place finish in the HORSE event for almost $618,000; the other was a 2nd in the $5000 Omaha High Low 8/B for over $219,000. His series total earn was just over $845,000.
Daniel Negreanu stayed busy. He had 6 cashes with 2 final tables including 2nd in the Tournament of Champions for $325,000 and 7th in the $2000 limit Omaha High Low 8/B for almost $49,000. The series netted him over $470,000.
Mike Matusow finished with 3 cashes, 2 final tables including 3rd in the Tournament of Champions for $250,000 and 7th in $2000 NL Hold’em for $89,000. His total payday for the series was almost $349,000.
Gus Hanson’s WSOP was anything but standard. The low point for him had to be the very first event in which he played, the Tournament of Champions. His 10th place finish was the “bubble.” He made the final table and was the first player eliminated. The other 9 players split the $2 million prize pool. It was as close to the money as Gus came this year, making him perhaps the most popular poker superstar to be shut out of the money for the series.
Marcel Luske had 2 money finishes including 1 final table: 4th at Event 9, the $5000 NL Hold’em. His earnings topped $209,000 for the series.
Jennifer Tilly has graduated from the “ladies-only events” and her series resulted in 2 small cashes. Her boyfriend Phil Laak narrowly avoided the goose egg with his 1 small cash.
Even diehard TV poker fans didn’t know many of the names they read on leaderboards, but this year’s no-names will have their chance to etch their likenesses into our memories. Jamie Gold has already begun. Not only has he been asked to join the playing lineup for the next season of High Stakes poker on the Game Show Network, he stands to garner some unwelcome publicity as he goes to court facing a backer who alleges that he promised 50% of his winnings in exchange for that person’s help in securing celebrity players for Team Bodog before the WSOP.
WSOP fans and future competitors have already begun planning to enter qualifying tournaments. Whether you play online or prefer live casino action, circuit-qualifying events have already begun. See you in Las Vegas next summer!