2009 WSOP Main Event Day 5 Photos

Date: Fri, Jul 17, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 5 photos direct from the tournament floor at the Rio Resort in Las Vegas. Flipchip has been recording the images of this year's historic 2009 World Series of Poker and shares another group of his favorites for those that can't make the journey to Las Vegas. Almost as good as being there. 407 players began Day 5 and in only three levels, 6 hours of play, the number was cut to 107.

More Flipchip photos from Day 5 after the jump.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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2009 WSOP Main Event Day 4 Photos

Date: Tue, Jul 14, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 4 began with 789 hopefuls and ended with 407 finalists, all in the money. Day 4 was the shortest Main Event day to date after the fall out rate swelled as the players made the money and then shifted gears to began accumulating chips for a big finish. Many of the fearless young Internet players continued an agressive style of shoving more often than not.

More Flipchip photos from Day 3 after the jump.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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2009 WSOP Main Event Day 3 Photos

Date: Tue, Jul 14, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 3 of the World Series of Poker was the first day all the players remaining in the tournament played together in different rooms with all hoping to make the final room. Play began with 2,044 players taking the deal and when day 3 ended there were 789 remaining. Bertrand 'ElkY' Grospellier was the end of day chip leader with 1,380,500 followed by Frenchman Ludovic Lacay holding 896,000.

More Flipchip photos from day 3 after the jump.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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2009 WSOP Main Event Day 2B Photos

Date: Fri, Jul 10, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 2 is now complete after the second of two flights completed late Wednesday night with 1,436 players remaining. Day 2A left 608 players with chips making a total of 2,044 players returning on Friday for Day 3, the first time all the Main Event players will play together.

The 2009 WSOP Main Event drew 6,494 players and collected a prize pool totaling $61,043,600. The winner and 2009 World Champion of Poker will walk away with $8,546,435 in cash plus the unique white gold and diamond championship bracelet. The top 648 finishers will receive prize money. All of the November Nine finalist will become WSOP millionaires.

The total entrants could have been hundreds more if the distribution of players had been equal during the four Day 1's. It is estimated that between 500 and one thousand potential players were turned away on Day 1D after the cap was reached. WSOP Boss, Jeffrey Pollack, promised the disappointed shutouts that the problem would be addressed and resolved before the 2010 WSOP next summer.

All of today's photos were shot on the tournament floor on Day 2B. Many more Day 2B photos after the jump.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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2009 WSOP Main Event Day 2A Photos

Date: Fri, Jul 10, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Flipchip's favorite photos from Day 2A of the 2009 WSOP. 1,478 players from Day 1A and 1B are combined for the first of two Day 2's of play. Of the 1,478 players only 607 made it through to play Day 3 on Friday. The over all chip leader at the end of the day was Andrew Gaw. The average chip stack is just over 97K.

More Day 1D photos after the jump.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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2009 WSOP Main Event Day 1D Photos

Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 1D of the 2009 WSOP the big story was not the people playing in the event; instead, it was the people not playing in the event. As advertised for days/weeks/months, when the capacity cutoff (308 tables-2,809 seats) was reached, registration would close for the 2009 WSOP Main Event and that's exactly what happened. Poker players are noted for procrastinating and this very trait left hundreds milling about in the corridors mumbling and grumbling about being shutout.

WSOP Poker Commish, Jeffrey Pollack, held a hasty news conference and apologized to the disgruntled late comers, then assured them this will not happen again in the future. How he plans to alter the average poker player's space/time continuum remains a mystery. Perhaps a schedule that does not include the 4th of July?

More Day 1D photos after the jump.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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2009 WSOP Main Event Day 1C Photos

Date: Tue, Jul 7, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 1C of the 2009 WSOP recorded an increase in players from the previous day's low of 873 to 1,696 on Sunday. It would appear that most poker players would rather spend the 4th of July holiday doing something other than playing poker. Perhaps we will see a different set of Day 1's next year that will address the uneven distribution of player fields.

The large Day 1C field prompted tournament officials to play an additional level (5 total vs 4 total for days 1 A and B) to avoid a conflict of not being able to seat everyone on Day 2B.

More photos after the jump.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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2009 WSOP Main Event Day 1B Photos

Date: Mon, Jul 6, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

More Flipchip photos from the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event Day 1B. A smaller turnout marks the second day of round #1 with 873 players entered into Saturday's field. Keep in mind that two days of first day play remain so the overall numbers should dramatically increase and this flight was played on the 4th of July. Sunday's flight #3 is predicted to be much larger and Monday's final Day 1 could be a sellout.

More photos of Day 1B action after the jump.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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2009 WSOP Main Event Day 1A Photos

Date: Sun, Jul 5, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

A few favorite photos from Day 1A of the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event. The Friday Noon start of the Main Event attracted 1,116 hopefuls putting up $10K each for an opportunity to win poker's biggest prize, poker immortality.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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Matt Hawrilenko Takes Last of Summer's WSOP Bracelets

Date: Sun, Jul 5, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Matt Hawrilenko only needed four hands of heads-up play to defeat Josh Brikis and claim the final gold WSOP bracelet of the summer. Hawrilenko became the latest 2009 WSOP millionaire after receiving the winner's purse totaling $1,003,163.

Josh Brikis completed the tournament in second place to take down a very respectable $619,609. Faraz Jaka was eliminated in third for $400,526 in cash. The event attracted a field of 928 players and paid the top 90 finishers.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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Historic WSOP Poker Table for Sale

Date: Tue, Jun 30, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Want to own a piece of poker history? How about the main event TV table used when Greg Raymer won in 2004, Joe Hachem in 2005, and Jamie Gold in 2006? That's right, the very table where many of poker's elite traded chips in their quest to become a part of poker history.

Check out the auction on eBay for this historic poker table. According to the auction details you'll receive a table cover signed by Jamie Gold when he took down the record $12 million purse in 2006 for a WSOP Main Event.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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Carsten Joh wins $664,426 for $1,500 Investment at 2009 WSOP

Date: Tue, Jun 30, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Carsten Joh topped a field of 2781 poker players to capture his first WSOP bracelet and $664,426 in cash. The German native played a conservative game during most of the Monday's final table as he slowly accumulated enough chips to remain in the contest. His game plan worked well as he avoided the traps while those around him fell victim to their aggressive play. Heads-up found Joh facing a tough Andrew Chen holding almost the same number of chips; but, this was to be Joh's day of fame. He caught the cards needed in critical hands to finally defeat Chen.

Andrew Chen was obviously disappointed to come so far and get so close to the WSOP gold, then be denied the win in the final hands. Of course, the $412,632 payday will help to keep his spirits up for another day at the WSOP poker tables. Third place and $272,405 goes to David Walasinski.

The event begin with a sell-out crowd of 2,781 players building a prize pool of $3,796,065 distributed to the last 297 players to be eliminated.

The 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event is scheduled to kick off on Noon Friday with the first of four Day 1's. Many are predicting a record crowd for this year's championship event. Will you be one of them?

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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Greg Mueller Wins Second 2009 WSOP Bracelet

Date: Mon, Jun 29, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Greg Mueller became the fourth player in this year's WSOP to win two events and take down two gold bracelets. Heads up he faced another 2009 player going for double gold, Marc Naalden. In the end it was the more experienced Muelller that finally held all the chips and scored the repeat. Greg Mueller also received $194,854 in cash to add to his earlier win in 2009 WSOP Event #33.

Marc Naalden received takes home $120,614 as runner-up. Millie Shiu hit the gate in third to collect $77,138 in cash.The event attracted a field of 572 runners including many of poker's biggest names. The top 64 finishers walked away with cash.

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

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Brandon Cantu Takes WSOP Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-Better

Date: Sun, Jun 28, 2009

photo by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Brandon Cantu takes a gold bracelet for his playing abilities in Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 8-or-Better plus a nice chunk of change, $228,867.On Day 1 Brandon was just 1 in 762 hopefuls taking the felt at the 2009 World Series of Poker;r and, this was no pushover crowd. Many of the poker biggest pros and Omaha specialists were in the mix.

When the final two players met heads-up across the final table it was Brandon Cantu facing seasoned professional Lee Watkinson for the gold. In the initial going it appeared that Cantu was on the short list to leave the building, actually falling behind to the tune of 6 - 1. He then staged one of the classic WSOP comebacks and took down his first bracelet of 2009 giving him a total of two.

Lee Watkinson just missed taking the match and probably will spend some private time contemplating how very close he came before the cards turned against him. While he's sulking he can enjoy the benefits of the $141,873 collected for second. Jocqmin Mathieu completed the top three for $92,946 in cash.

The event pulled in 762 Omana fanatics and built another WSOP million dollar prize pool, $1,040,130 to be exact, paid out to the last 72 lucky players.

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