World Series of Poker 2010 Drawing Near
Every year in June, thousands of poker players gather in Las Vegas, Nevada, to compete for the World Champion titles.
The 41st edition of the World Series of Poker is set to span over 53 days of intense competition at the green felt in Las Vegas. Big pros and hopeful amateurs fly in from across the globe to play cards.
All the pros are there
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Some players have legitimate expectations of performing well and placing high. They are the pros. They play top-level tournament poker all year long.
They live on the tournament circuit and travel both the US and the rest of the world, challenging their experienced rivals for coveted titles as well as the big money prizes awarded to the winners.
In this group, we find big names like Phil Ivey, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, Doyle Brunson and Daniel Negreanu. Most pros will play in a large number of WSOP events and, when all is said and done, they expect to turn an overall profit.
Other players come to play just one or two events. They have more earthy hopes. If they can survive Day One in this field of world-class opponents, it’s already an achievement.
Surviving Day Two is something to write home about. If a miracle happens they may even have to fly in their buddies to have a cheering cohort when final table play begins.
Favorites to win the Big One
Predicting the winner of the classical WSOP Main Event is more art than science. With starting fields in the 6,000 to 8,000 players, even top-notch players need a healthy amount of good luck to stay alive through eight long days of fierce competition.
Nevertheless, some winners are more likely than others. Let’s have a look at a few names that cannot be overlooked when trying to predict the 2010 WSOP Main Event Champion.
Phil Ivey
Poker’s own Tiger Woods, a uniquely gifted player who is considered the best of all times by many of his peers. With almost 13 million dollars in total tournament winnings, Ivey leads the All Time Money list for poker tournaments. He’s won seven coveted WSOP bracelets. In 2009 he came really close to winning the Big One, the WSOP Main Event, but finished 7th in a field of 6,500 players.
This amazing video clip from the European Poker Tour in Monte Carlo shows why Phil Ivey is one of the best:
Phil Hellmuth
One of the most well known pros, 1989 World Champion Phil Hellmuth has received some criticism lately. People claim his game hasn’t evolved since he won the title. Meanwhile, poker science has taken a huge step forward in the later years.
Be it as it will. Hellmuth has 11 WSOP bracelets, more than anyone else, and he’s constantly hungry for more glory. He’s one of those people who get really excited as soon as the competition starts. The following video clip brings this fact in evidence very clearly:
Greg Raymer
The 2004 WSOP champion has won $1.7 million since becoming the world champion, which goes to prove that his win in 2004 wasn’t a stroke of luck. With his massive physical presence, a very solid game and the wildly disturbing gaze of his patented lizard-eye hologram glasses (see clip), Raymer is a top force at any poker table in the world.
Since his win in 2004, Raymer has made it to five WSOP final tables. He took a very honorable third place in last year’s spectacular $40,000 no-limit holdem event. His deep run in the 2007 $50,000 HORSE event shows that this man masters other games besides no-limit holdem, something that earns him added respect among his fellow pros.
Increasing popularity, tough challenge
The World Series of Poker has seen an increase in interest since its humble beginnings in 1970. Both the number of attending players and the media attention has gone steadily upwards. Last year, the WSOP saw a record-breaking 60,000 entrants over 57 events. Buy-ins to the tournaments ranged from $1,000 to $50,000.
Among all these players, only 53 went all the way and won an event. Two players won two events, and one single player managed to win three events. Jeff Lisandro, born in Australia, living in Italy was the man of the year in the 2009 WSOP.
At one point in recent year, poker was the third most watched sport on US television, after baseball and basketball. That may have changed since then, but the invention of the hole card camera definitely turned poker into great TV entertainment.
The 2010 World Series of Poker is right around the corner, and for all of us who’re not lucky enough to spend the summer in Las Vegas, following this huge battle of the minds on TV is something to really look forward to.
For more on the World Series of Poker, check out this WSOP live coverage.
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