Poker Articles

We’re only a few events into the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP) and, already, several longstanding records have been shattered. In an era when the worldwide economy is largely in shambles, poker has been able to thrive. During the 40th running of the WSOP, players have turned out in droves to the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. You can follow all of the action on PocketFivesLive.com, which provides WSOP coverage of online poker players. In the meantime, let’s take a look at some of the records that were broken just a few days into the world’s most prestigious tournament series.

To say that the WSOP has grown over the past five years would be an enormous understatement. In 2004, the year after Chris Moneymaker’s victory over Sam Farha ignited the poker boom, the WSOP generated a total of 13,036 player registrations. In 2005, that number nearly tripled to 32,341. In 2006, Jamie Gold bested the largest Main Event field in tournament history, 8,773 players, en route to a record-breaking $12 million paycheck. That same year, players generated 48,364 registrations at the Rio. In 2007, the total number of sign-ups grew again, this time to 54,288. Last year, 58,720 registrations were recorded, another WSOP record. Many fondly remember Danish poker pro Peter Eastgate becoming the youngest WSOP Main Event Champion ever at age 22, shattering UltimateBet pro Phil Hellmuth’s (pictured at left) standing record by two years.

All indications point to the 2009 WSOP once again breaking the record for total number of entrants. Event #4 of this year’s festivities, the $1,000 buy-in Stimulus Special, set the record for the largest non-Main Event field ever at 6,012 players. In fact, the total would have been even greater had Harrah’s officials not capped the number of runners who could take to the felts. Every nook and cranny of the Rio was used for the event, with poker players spread among the Amazon, Brasilia, and Miranda rooms. Some entrants headed to Buzio’s to hit the felts at the hotel’s seafood restaurant. Even the rapper Nelly showed up for the fun donning a hoodie. The $1,000 buy-in Stimulus Special awards over $770,000 to its winner.

The 6,000 players who turned out for Event #4 bested the 3,929 that hit the felts for a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament last year, the previous record for the largest non-Main Event field. If you take out your calculators, you’ll find that it amounts to a 53% increase in the number of entrants. To boot, every single person at the final table will turn their $1,000 buy-in into over $100,000. Not too shabby for the first open $1,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event since 2006.

Event #2, the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP, generated the largest non-Main Event prize pool in Series’ history. The 201 players who turned out created a massive $7.7 million purse. The previous record was $7.1 million, set in the $50,000 buy-in HORSE event during the 2007 WSOP. The $600,000 difference represented an 8% growth and yet another record smashed. The tournament’s winner will receive $1.9 million and the top 15 spots paid over $100,000.

The $1,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better tournament (Event #3) also set a record. It is now officially the largest Omaha High-Low Split tournament ever offered at the WSOP, weighing in at 918 players. The previous record was 833, representing an increase of 10%. The top finisher in the $1,500 buy-in event will take home $263,000, while the last three players standing will pocket at least five-figures. The tournament played out at the same time as the $1,000 Stimulus Special event on the Rio’s 295 poker tables.

Although no official numbers have been released, the international growth of poker is a trend that’s likely to continue in 2009. In 2004, just 21 nations were represented at the WSOP. In 2005, that number doubled to 41. In 2006, the number of countries with players in WSOP events mushroomed to 54. In 2007, there were 87 and last year, a whopping 124 countries were represented, more than the number of nations that sent teams to the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

A total of 57 bracelets will be handed out during the 2009 WSOP. Visit PocketFivesLive.com for the progress of online poker players in this massive event.