WSOP Breaking Records Despite Struggling Economy by Russ Scott on Creators.com

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WSOP Breaking Records Despite Struggling Economy

The "experts" are reporting scattered evidence that our bleak economy may be turning around. I wonder if their findings include the remarkable early results at the 2009 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.

Consider these happenings:

— The first open tournament had a record-high buy-in ($40,000) for a no-limit hold 'em event. Still, a startling 201 players — mostly pros, admittedly — paid the price, creating the largest prize pool in WSOP history ($8 million) for a tournament other than the main event.

Dark horse contender Vitaly Lunkin of Russia emerged victorious against a stacked final table that included big-name players such as five-time WSOP bracelet-winner Ted Forrest, 2004 world champ Greg Raymer, and accomplished young guns Alec Torelli, Justin Bonomo and Isaac Haxton.

Lunkin pocketed $1,891,012 in the onetime event commemorating the WSOP's 40th anniversary.

— A day later, the $1,500 Omaha high-low event attracted 918 players — an all-time record for a live Omaha tournament, topping last year's turnout of 833.

That alone was cause for excitement in the Rio Casino's Amazon Room, but more history was made when Thang Luu, a 34-year-old Las Vegas resident who moved to the United States from Vietnam, shockingly defended his title in this event from a year ago. "I was surprised I won again," he told reporters after claiming $263,135 for the victory.

Incredibly, Luu finished runner-up in the same event in 2007 against a field of 534. His performance year-to-year in the same event is unprecedented in modern WSOP history.

— Then on Day 4, all heck broke loose.

As a concession to a struggling economy, officials scheduled a onetime "Stimulus Special" no-limit hold 'em tournament featuring a buy-in of $1,000, which is $500 below the normal minimum for an open event.

Sign-ups exploded into a sold-out field of 6,012 — 12 beyond the original cap and the largest-ever non-main-event field.

Seth Palansky, WSOP communications director, said, "We would have had 9,000 players" if a third starting day had been reserved for the tournament.

That would have broken the all-time record of 8,773 set at the 2006 main event. You can expect to see a similar event in 2010, based on the results.

The huge field extended the tourney to five days, but it was well worth it for winner Steve Sung, a young pro from Torrance, Calif., who claimed his first bracelet and a whopping $771,106.

WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack labeled the early results as "amazing" but declined to predict the turnout for this year's $10,000 buy-in main event, set to begin July 3. He told an online reporter he'd be pleased to match last year's total of 6,844.

Given the attendance surge recorded at early events, topping 7,000 players in the championship doesn't seem too far-fetched — despite what the economy does in the next few weeks!

McEVOY, IVEY MAKE WSOP HEADLINES

Aside from record-setting fields and purses, well-known pros Tom McEvoy and Phil Ivey added to the buzz in the early going at the 2009 World Series of Poker.

McEvoy, the 64-year-old author of more than a dozen poker strategy books, claimed the title "champion of champions" by topping a field of 20 past main-event winners vying for the newly minted Binion Cup and a shiny red 1970 Corvette Stingray.

Judging from the crowds gathered to watch high-profile world champs such as Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, Phil Hellmuth and Chris Ferguson, it's possible the Champions Invitational will become an annual event on the WSOP lineup.

Ivey, often labeled the best overall player alive because of his success both in tournaments and high-stakes cash games, added to his resume with a victory in the $2,500 no-limit deuce-to-seven event. The lowball game, in which the best possible hand is 7-5-4-3-2 unsuited, isn't widely played but always attracts a tough field of pros.

The win gave the 33-year-old Ivey his first bracelet since 2005. Curiously, none of Ivey's six bracelets has been won playing the most popular game, no-limit hold 'em.

E-mail your poker questions and comments to russ@luckydogpoker.com for use in future columns. To find out more about Russ Scott and read previous LuckyDog Poker columns, visit www.creators.com or www.luckydogpoker.com.

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