2008 World Series of Poker - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker

World Series of Poker

The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...

(WSOP). Held in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino

Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino

The Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino is located off the Las Vegas Strip in the unincorporated area of Paradise, Nevada, USA. It is better known as The Rio and is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Inc. The Rio was the first all suite resort in the Las Vegas area...

, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker

Poker

Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...

championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold 'em

Texas hold 'em

Texas Hold 'em is a variation of the standard card game of poker. The game consists of two cards being dealt face down to each player and then five community cards being placed face-up by the dealer—a series of three then two additional single cards , with...

Main Event, the most prestigious of the WSOP events, ended by July 15. As has been the WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners received a championship bracelet

World Series of Poker bracelet

The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...

in addition to that event's prize money, which (after the casino's rake

Rake (poker)

Rake is the scaled commission fee taken by a cardroom operating a poker game. It is generally 5 to 10 percent of the pot in each poker hand, up to a predetermined maximum amount. There are also other non-percentage ways for a casino to take the rake. Some cardrooms will not take a percentage rake...

) ranged from $87,929 to $9,119,517.

Highlights of the 2008 series include the selection of Erick Lindgren

Erick Lindgren

Erick A. Lindgren is an American professional poker player. He has won two World Poker Tour titles, one World Series of Poker bracelet, and more than seven million dollars in tournament earnings during his poker career.-Poker career:He won his first major tournament at the Bellagio in 2002 and...

, who won a bracelet and made three final tables, as recipient of the "Player of the Year Award". Nikolay Evdakov led all players with a record 10 money finishes, and Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...

set a WSOP record of 41 career final tables. The Main Event, which began with 6,844 participants (a level exceeded only by the number of participants at the 2006 event

2006 World Series of Poker

The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...

), was suspended once the event was down to the nine players needed for the final table

November Nine

The November Nine is the name used to refer to the final nine contestants, or final table, at the Main Event of the World Series of Poker since 2008. The winner of the WSOP Main Event is considered to be the World Champion of Poker....

; the Main Event was resumed on November 9, and concluded with the heads-up final between Peter Eastgate

Peter Eastgate

Peter Eastgate is a poker player from Denmark, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. At the time, he became the youngest player ever to win the event. He was consequently surpassed by Joe Cada in 2009.-Early life:Eastgate was raised in Dalum, a suburb of...

and Ivan Demidov

Ivan Demidov

Ivan Demidov is a professional poker player from Moscow, Russia.Demidov is one of the original 'November Nine', having made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008. He reached the heads-up stage along with Peter Eastgate, and took second place for $5,809,595...

the next day. This year was the first in which the Main Event was suspended in this fashion, a change introduced at ESPN

ESPN

Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....

's request to allow the television network to do a same-day Main Event broadcast. In a stunning statistical improbability, Justin Phillips knocked out Motoyuki Mabuchi in the Main Event. Phillips held a Royal Flush, Mabuchi held quad aces. One of the broadcasters, Lon McEachern

Lon McEachern

Lon McEachern is an American sports broadcaster, who is most known for his hand-by-hand commentary on The World Series of Poker. McEachern, who graduated from the University of California Santa Barbara with a bachelor’s degree in communications, is also the host of Fox network's On the Pole. He has...

, mentioned on air that the chances of such a showdown occurring were 1:2.7 billion. Ray Romano

Ray Romano

Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He recently starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.-Early life:Romano was born in Queens, New York to Italian...

had just sat down at the table when this hand played itself out.

Event schedule

#	Event	Entrants	Winner	Prize	Runner-up	Results
1	$10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold'em	352	Nenad Medic Nenad Medic Nenad Medić is a Serbian-Canadian professional poker player with a World Series of Poker bracelet and World Poker Tour Championship title. He resides in Niagara Falls, Ontario...	$794,112	Andy Bloch Andy Bloch Andrew Elliot Bloch is a professional poker player. He holds two electrical engineering degrees from MIT and a JD from Harvard Law School.-Poker:...	Results
2	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	3,929	Grant Hinkle Grant Hinkle Grant Hinkle is an American poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event. He earned $831,462 at the event, bringing his total live tournament winnings to $857,983....	$831,462	James Akenhead James Akenhead James Akenhead is a professional English poker player, sponsored by Full Tilt Poker. and part of the London based poker group The Hitsquad...	Results
3	$1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em	713	David Singer David Singer (poker player) David Singer is an American professional poker player and former attorney.-Law career:Singer is a former environmental lawyer who worked on issues and lawsuits related to cleaning up the Long Island Sound for a non-profit organization.-Poker career:He has been playing poker professionally since...	$214,131	Jacobo Fernandez	Results
4	$5,000 Mixed Hold'em	332	Erick Lindgren Erick Lindgren Erick A. Lindgren is an American professional poker player. He has won two World Poker Tour titles, one World Series of Poker bracelet, and more than seven million dollars in tournament earnings during his poker career.-Poker career:He won his first major tournament at the Bellagio in 2002 and...	$374,505	Justin Bonomo Justin Bonomo Justin Bonomo is an American professional poker player who was a sponsored member of Team Bodog until January 2010. -Poker:...	Results
5	$1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/Rebuys Buying in (poker) In poker and gaming "buying in" is the process of entering a tournament that requires an up-front payment. The size of the payment, otherwise known as the "buy In", determines the total winning prize pool and also contains a fee, otherwise known as the rake, that is paid to the house.For example, a...	766	Michael Banducci Michael Banducci Michael Banducci is an American professional poker player who won a 2008 World Series of Poker bracelet event., his total live tournament winnings exceed $959,000...	$636,736	Jeff Williams Jeff Williams (poker player) Jeff Williams is an American poker player from Dunwoody, Georgia. He graduated from Dunwoody High and University of Georgia....	Results
6	$1,500 Omaha Omaha hold 'em Omaha hold 'em is a community card poker game similar to Texas hold 'em, where each player is dealt four cards and must make his best hand using exactly two of them, plus exactly three of the five community cards... Hi-Low Split-8 or Better High-low split In traditional poker games, the player with the best traditional hand wins the whole pot. Lowball variations award the pot to the lowest hand, by any of several methods...	833	Thang Luu Thang Luu Thang Luu is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better event and repeated as champion in the same event at the 2009 World Series of Poker...	$243,356	Spencer Lawrence	Results
7	$2,000 No Limit Hold'em	1,592	Matt Keikoan Matt Keikoan Matt Keikoan is an American professional poker player who has won two World Series of Poker bracelets; his first was in the 2008 World Series of Poker $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em event and his second was in the 2010 World Series of Poker $10,000 Limit Hold'em Championship.- World Series of Poker...	$550,601	Shannon Shorr Shannon Shorr Shannon Shorr is a professional poker player from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Shorr grew up in Birmingham, where he was a baseball player at Shades Valley High School....	Results
8	$10,000 World Championship Mixed Event	192	Anthony Rivera	$483,688	James Mackey James Mackey For the former Toronto Chief of Police see James Page MackeyJames Mackey attended the University of Missouri before dropping out of a pre-med program to pursue a career in professional poker...	Results
9	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed	1,236	Rep Porter Rep Porter Ralph "Rep" Porter is an American professional poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Six-Handed event.Porter graduated from the University of Washington and worked as an equity options trader prior to becoming a professional poker player.- World Series of Poker...	$372,929	Nathan Templeton	Results
10	$2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Seven-card stud Seven-card stud is a variant of stud poker. Until the recent increase in popularity of Texas hold 'em, seven-card stud was the most popular poker variant in home games across the United States, and in casinos in the eastern part of the country. Two to eight players is common, though eight may... Hi-Low-8 or Better	388	Freddy Rouhani Freddy Rouhani Farzad "Freddy" Rouhani is an American professional poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better event....	$232,911	Tom Chambers	Results
11	$5,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout	360	Phil Tom	$477,990	Greg Mueller Greg Mueller Greg Mueller is a professional poker player from Vancouver, British ColumbiaMueller, a former professional hockey player, was drawn to poker after one of many long road trips during his hockey career...	Results
12	$1,500 Limit Hold'em	880	Jimmy Shultz	$257,105	Zac Fellows	Results
13	$2,500 No Limit Hold'em	1,397	Duncan Bell	$666,777	Steve Merrifield	Results
14	$10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud	158	Eric Brooks	$415,856	Fu Wong	Results
15	$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em World Championship	1,190	Svetlana Gromenkova Svetlana Gromenkova Svetlana Gromenkova is a poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $1,000 Ladies - No-Limit Hold'em. As of 2008, her total WSOP tournament winnings exceed $240,830....	$244,702	Anh Le	Results
16	$2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better	553	Andrew Brown	$226,483	Ted Forrest Ted Forrest Ted Forrest is an American professional poker player, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada.- Tournament Wins:...	Results
17	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout	1,000	Jason Young	$335,565	Mike Schwartz	Results
18	$5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball Lowball (poker) Some forms of poker, often called lowball, sometimes called low poker, reward poor poker hands . There are four common variations on this idea, differing in whether aces are treated as high cards or low cards, and whether or not straights and flushes are used. The methods are:* Ace-to-five low:... w/Rebuys	85	Mike Matusow Mike Matusow Michael Matusow is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. Matusow's nickname of "The Mouth" reflects his reputation for trash-talking at the poker table...	$537,862	Jeff Lisandro Jeff Lisandro Jeffrey Lisandro is an Australian professional poker player, now residing in Salerno, Italy. Lisandro is known by many to be a cash game specialist, but is a well-known face on the poker tournament circuit and is regarded as one of the premier Seven Card Stud players in the world...	Results
19	$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha	759	Vanessa Selbst Vanessa Selbst Vanessa Selbst is an American professional poker player who has made five final tables, including two heads-up semi-finals, at the World Series of Poker and won the 2008 World Series of Poker $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event. Selbst also won the main event of the 2010 and 2011 PokerStars.net North...	$227,965	Jamie Pickering	Results
20	$2,000 Limit Hold'em	480	Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu Daniel Negreanu is a Canadian professional poker player. He has won four World Series of Poker bracelets and two World Poker Tour Championship titles. He is currently ranked second in the all-time career earnings list and is the star of poker game show Million Dollar Challenge. He plays a big...	$204,874	Ugur Marangoz	Results
21	$5,000 No Limit Hold'em	731	Scott Seiver Scott Seiver Scott Seiver is a professional poker player from Cold Spring Harbor, New York now residing in Las Vegas, Nevada who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $5,000 No Limit Hold'em event and is the winner of the $25,100 buy-in High Roller event at the 2010 L.A...	$755,891	Dave Seidman	Results
22	$3,000 H.O.R.S.E. HORSE H.O.R.S.E. is a form of poker commonly played at the high stakes tables of casinos. It consists of rounds of play cycling among:Texas Hold 'em,Omaha eight or better,Razz,Seven card Stud, and...	414	Jens Vortmann	$298,253	Doug Ganger	Results
23	$2,000 No Limit Hold'em	1,344	Blair Hinkle Blair Hinkle Blair Hinkle is an American poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em event. He earned $507,613 at the event...	$507,563	Mark Brockington	Results
24	$2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha	457	Max Pescatori Max Pescatori Massimiliano Pescatori is an Italian professional poker player.Pescatori is a regular on the poker tournament scene, often placing high in Card Player Magazine's Player of the Year Race....	$246,471	Kyle Kloeckner	Results
25	$10,000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Hold'em	256	Kenny Tran Kenny Tran Phuong "Kenny" Tran is a Vietnamese American professional poker player from Arcadia, California who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $10,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em World Championship. Tran was born in Vietnam and gives 10% of his winnings to his extended family there. He is married and has 3...	$539,056	Alec Torelli	Results
26	$1,500 Razz Razz (poker) Razz is a form of stud poker that is normally played for ace-to-five low . The object of Razz is to make the lowest possible five-card hand from the seven cards you are dealt. In Razz, straights and flushes do not count against the player for low, and the ace usually plays low...	453	Barry Greenstein Barry Greenstein Barry Greenstein is a professional poker player. He has won a number of major events, including three at the World Series of Poker and two on the World Poker Tour. Greenstein donates his profit from tournament winnings to charities, primarily Children, Incorporated, earning him the nickname "the...	$157,619	Chris Klodnicki	Results
27	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	2,706	Vitaly Lunkin Vitaly Lunkin Vitaly Lunkin is a Russian professional poker player who has won two World Series of Poker bracelets.-WSOP:Vitaly Lunkin started playing at the WSOP in 2006, finishing 829th in the Main Event...	$628,417	Brett Kimes	Results
28	$5,000 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys	152	Phil Galfond Phil Galfond Phil Galfond is an American professional poker player. Galfond won a World Series of Poker bracelet in the $5,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys event at the 2008 World Series of Poker...	$817,781	Adam Hourani	Results
29	$3,000 No Limit Hold'em	716	John Phan	$434,789	Johnny Neckar	Results
30	$10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em	218	Rob Hollink Rob Hollink Rob Hollink is a professional poker player based in Groningen. He has won both a European Poker Tour title and World Series of Poker bracelet, becoming the first person from the Netherlands to do so, first was at the EPT's inaugural Grand Final of the European Poker Tour in Monte Carlo in 2005...	$496,931	Jerrod Ankenman	Results
31	$2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed	1,012	Dario Minieri Dario Minieri Dario Minieri is an Italian professional poker player from Rome, Italy who won a bracelet at the 2008 World Series of Poker at the age of 23, is a member of team PokerStars, is an online poker player who was the first person to collect enough Frequent Player Points to buy an automobile with them,...	$528,418	Seth Fischer	Results
32	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	2,304	Luis Velador Luis Velador José-Luis Velador is a Mexican-American professional poker player from Corona, California, who is a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner...	$574,734	Anthony Signore	Results
33	$5,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better	261	Sebastian Ruthenberg Sebastian Ruthenberg Sebastian Ruthenberg is a German professional poker player who is both a World Series of Poker bracelet and a European Poker Tour title winner.- World Series of Poker :...	$328,756	Chris Ferguson Chris Ferguson Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...	Results
34	$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/Rebuys	320	Layne Flack Layne Flack Layne Flack is an American professional poker player, residing in Montana and Nevada.He met up with Johnny Chan who helped him improve his game and, following a big loss, encouraged Flack to ensure he had a lot of rest before a tournament...	$577,725	Daniel Makowsky	Results
35	$1,500 Seven Card Stud	381	Michael Rocco	$135,753	Al Barbieri	Results
36	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	2,447	Jesper Hougaard Jesper Hougaard Jesper Hougaard is a poker player from Copenhagen, Denmark who has won two bracelets at the World Series of Poker.Hougaard won his first World Series of Poker bracelet in a $1,500 No Limit Hold'em event in 2008. Later that same year, he won another bracelet in the £1,500 No Limit Hold'em event at...	$610,304	Cody Slaubaugh	Results
37	$10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better	235	David Benyamine David Benyamine David Benyamine is a French professional poker player with a World Poker Tour title. Benyamine was a professional tennis player in his early career but had to retire because of shoulder pain. He was also a successful top ten billiards player in France. He learned poker at the age of 12 and plays...	$535,687	Greg Jamison	Results
38	$2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em	605	Davidi Kitai Davidi Kitai Davidi Kitai is a Belgian professional poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event, becoming the first Belgian to win a WSOP bracelet....	$244,583	Chris Bell Chris Bell (poker player) Christopher Bell is an American professional poker player from Raleigh, North Carolina who won the 2010 World Series of Poker $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better event. He has also made three final tables at the World Poker Tour...	Results
39	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	2,720	David Woo	$631,656	Matt Wood	Results
40	$2,500 2-7 Limit Triple Draw Lowball	238	John Phan	$151,896	Shun Uchida	Results
41	$1,500 Mixed Hold'em	731	Frank Gary	$219,508	Jonathan Tamayo	Results
42	$1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em World Championship	2,218	Dan Lacourse	$368,832	Dale Eberle	Results
43	$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better	720	Martin Klaser	$216,249	Casey Kastle	Results
44	$1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/Rebuys	879	Max Greenwood	$693,444	Rene Mouritsen	Results
45	$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E.	148	Scotty Nguyen Scotty Nguyen Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship...	$1,989,120	Michael DeMichele Michael DeMichele Michael DeMichele is a professional poker player from East Haven, Connecticut.DeMichele's first major success in poker came in the 2006 United States Poker Championship Main Event, where he finished in 3rd place winning $215,194. Since then, DeMichele has cashed in some World Series of Poker...	Results
46	$5,000 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed	805	Joe Commisso	$911,855	Richard Lyndaker	Results
47	$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better	544	Ryan Hughes	$183,368	Ron Long	Results
48	$2,000 No Limit Hold'em	2,317	Alexandre Gomes Alexandre Gomes Alexandre Gomes is a Brazilian professional poker player born on July 24, 1982 in Curitiba. He is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner, a World Poker Tour champion and a Team PokerStars Pro.- World Series of Poker :...	$770,540	Marco Johnson	Results
49	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	2,718	J.C. Tran	$631,170	Rasmus Nielsen	Results
50	$10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha	381	Marty Smyth Marty Smyth Marty Smyth is a professional poker player from Belfast, Northern Ireland with a track record including wins in the 2007 Irish Poker Open Championship and the 2008 Poker Million. He won his first WSOP bracelet in the 2008 $10,000 Pot Limit Omaha World Championship.-Poker career:Marty Smyth has...	$859,549	Peter Jetten Peter Jetten Peter Jetten is a Canadian professional poker player. Jetten is known for playing online poker under the screen name "Apathy". He has over $2,000,000 in live poker tournament winnings, and in early 2011 signed a sponsorship deal with Full Tilt Poker.-Personal life:Jetten was born in Toronto,...	Results
51	$1,500 H.O.R.S.E.	803	James Schaaf	$256,412	Tommy Hang	Results
52	$1,500 No Limit Hold'em	2,693	David Daneshgar	$625,443	Scott Sitron	Results
53	$1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout	823	Matt Graham Matt Graham (poker player) Matthew Graham is an American professional poker player from Houston, Texas, who is a two time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, He won his first bracelet at the 2008 World Series of Poker in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout event and then the next year at the 2009 World Series of Poker he...	$278,180	Jean-Robert Bellande Jean-Robert Bellande Jean-Robert F. Bellande is an American nightclub owner, promoter, poker player and reality TV contestant.-Background:...	Results
54	$10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em Main Event	6,844	Peter Eastgate Peter Eastgate Peter Eastgate is a poker player from Denmark, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. At the time, he became the youngest player ever to win the event. He was consequently surpassed by Joe Cada in 2009.-Early life:Eastgate was raised in Dalum, a suburb of...	$9,119,517	Ivan Demidov Ivan Demidov Ivan Demidov is a professional poker player from Moscow, Russia.Demidov is one of the original 'November Nine', having made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008. He reached the heads-up stage along with Peter Eastgate, and took second place for $5,809,595...	Results
55	$500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em	930	Jonathan Kotula	$87,929	Kevin O'Harra	Results

2008 records

Nikolay Evdakov set a WSOP record for most cashes at a single World Series with 10. The previous record of eight was held by four players: Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth

, Humberto Brenes

Humberto Brenes

Humberto Brenes is a professional poker player. Brenes currently resides in Miami Lakes, Florida with his wife and three children ....

, Michael Binger

Michael Binger

Michael W. Binger is a part-time professional poker player, based in Atherton, California. He has a brother, Nick Binger, who also has several high-profile tournament cashes....

, and Chad Brown

Chad Brown (poker player)

Chad Lewis Brown is an American actor, poker player and color commentator, based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life & acting career:...

. Evdakov's achievement also represents the most cashes by a player at one WSOP without reaching a single final table. Hellmuth, who made two final tables, established a new WSOP career record of 41 final tables, two more than T. J. Cloutier

T. J. Cloutier

Thomas James "T.J." Cloutier is a professional poker player from Richardson, Texas. He was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in 2006.-Early years:...

. Scotty Nguyen

Scotty Nguyen

Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship...

became the first player to hold both a Main Event and a $50,000 H.O.R.S.E World Championship bracelet.

Several nationals were the first from their country to win bracelets. Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

ian Alexandre Gomes

Alexandre Gomes

Alexandre Gomes is a Brazilian professional poker player born on July 24, 1982 in Curitiba. He is a World Series of Poker bracelet winner, a World Poker Tour champion and a Team PokerStars Pro.- World Series of Poker :...

won Event 48 to become the first South American player to win a WSOP bracelet since Ecuadorian-born

Ecuador

Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...

Carlos Mortensen

Juan Carlos Mortensen is an Ecuadorian professional poker player of Danish descent and the only Hispanic Main Event winner of the World Series of Poker. Mortensen is known for his loose play, bluffing tactics, and interesting chip-stacking style.Mortensen moved from Spain to the United States in...

won the 2001 Main Event. Rob Hollink won Event 30, becoming the first Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

WSOP bracelet winner, and Davidi Kitai

Davidi Kitai

Davidi Kitai is a Belgian professional poker player who won the 2008 World Series of Poker $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em event, becoming the first Belgian to win a WSOP bracelet....

won Event 38, becoming the first Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

player to win a bracelet.

The 2008 Main Event final table took 15 hours and 28 minutes to play, beating the previous record of 14 hours and 2 minutes in 2005

2005 World Series of Poker

The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...

Main event

The $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Hold 'em

Texas hold 'em

Main Event began on July 3 with the first of four starting days. After reaching the final table of nine players on July 14, the final table was delayed until November 9. This change in schedule was made to allow ESPN to broadcast the final table on November 11, shortly after it was played. All final table players were paid ninth place prize money ($900,670) in July, with the remaining prize pool distributed in November. Instead of the Amazon Room, aka "the Poker Room," where all of the events were held, the final table would be held in the Penn and Teller Theatre. On November 9, players played down from nine to two and the winner was decided the next night. The final table consisted of 274 hands in total.

After a large decrease in Main Event participants in 2007 (6358) compared to 2006 (8773), the number increased slightly in 2008 (6844) but was still far from the 2006 number. As in 2007, the payout structure is flatter than in 2006 and before, with the lowest payouts at $21,230 (more than double the buy-in), as compared to $10,616 in 2006.

The "last woman standing" in the 2008 Main Event was Tiffany Michelle

Tiffany Michelle

Tiffany Michelle is an American poker player and actress, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA.Michelle gained fame when she was the last woman remaining out of 6,844 players in the 2008 World Series of Poker Championship Event, making $334,534 for her 17th place finish...

, who finished in 17th place. Celebrities best known from television, music, and professional sports, among other areas, also participated, with two placing in the money. The list includes:

Out in Day 1: Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...

, Nick Cannon
Nick Cannon
Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon is an American actor, comedian, rapper, entrepreneur, record producer, radio, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenage sketch comedian on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent...

, José Canseco
José Canseco
José Canseco Capas, Jr. is a Cuban-American professional baseball manager, outfielder, and designated hitter for the Yuma Scorpions of the North American League and former Major League Baseball player. He is the identical twin brother of former major league player and current teammate Ozzie Canseco...

, Jeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech
Jeff Fenech is a retired Australian boxer and a three-time world champion who is now a boxing trainer.-Boxing career:...

, Larry Flynt
Larry Flynt
Larry Claxton Flynt, Jr. is an American publisher and the president of Larry Flynt Publications . In 2003, Arena magazine listed him as the number one on the "50 Powerful People in Porn" list....

, Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin
Forrest Griffin is an American mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he is a former UFC light heavyweight champion....

, Orel Hershiser
Orel Hershiser
Orel Leonard Hershiser IV is a former right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is currently an analyst for Baseball Tonight and Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN and a professional poker player for...

, Chuck Liddell
Chuck Liddell
Charles David "Chuck" Liddell is a retired American mixed martial artist and former Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champion. Liddell has an extensive striking background in Kempo, Koei-Kan karate and kickboxing, as well as a grappling background in collegiate wrestling.As of his...

, Brad May
Brad May
Brad S. May is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger who played in the National Hockey League . He grew up in Stouffville, Ontario, but played his rep minor hockey in Markham, Ontario. A veteran of over 1,000 NHL games, May was known more for his enforcing skills than his scoring...

, Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Phifer
Mekhi Thira Phifer is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his multi-year role as Dr. Greg Pratt on NBC's long-running medical drama ER and his co-starring role opposite Eminem in the feature film 8 Mile...

, Sam Simon
Sam Simon
Samuel "Sam" Simon is an American director, producer, writer, boxing manager and philanthropist. While at Stanford University, Simon worked as a newspaper cartoonist and after graduating became a storyboard artist at Filmation Studios. He submitted a spec script for the sitcom Taxi, which was...

, Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...

, David Wells
David Wells
David Lee Wells , nicknamed "Boomer", is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. Wells was considered to be one of the game's better left-handed pitchers, especially during his years with the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. He pitched the fifteenth perfect game in baseball history...

.
Out in Day 2: Paul Azinger
Paul Azinger
Paul William Azinger is an American professional golfer and occasional on air golf analyst. He spent almost 300 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings between 1988 and 1994.-Early years:...

, Bruce Buffer
Bruce Buffer
Bruce Anthony Buffer is the main octagon announcer for Zuffa main events. On UFC broadcasts, he is introduced as the "Veteran Voice of the Octagon." He is the half brother of the well-known boxing and wrestling ring announcer Michael Buffer, and is President and CEO of their company "The Buffer...

, Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth is an American actress and former fashion model. Elizabeth is well known for her roles in comedy films such as Scary Movie, American Pie, and Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back. She is also well known for her work in horror films such as Thirteen Ghosts, Cursed, and Night of the Demons...

, Sully Erna
Sully Erna
Salvatore Paul "Sully" Erna , is an American vocalist and primary songwriter for the American heavy metal band, Godsmack. Erna is also a guitarist and drummer, performing these both on albums and during live shows. He has a daughter named Skylar Brooke Erna and an older sister named Maria.-Early...

, Ray Romano
Ray Romano
Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He recently starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.-Early life:Romano was born in Queens, New York to Italian...

.
Out in Day 3: Andy Griggs
Andy Griggs
Andrew Tyler "Andy" Griggs is an American country music artist. He has released three albums for RCA Records Nashville and a fourth for Montage Music Group...

, Shane Warne
Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne is a former Australian international cricketer widely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers in the history of the game. In 2000, he was selected by a panel of cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the Century, the only specialist bowler selected in the quintet...

.
Out in Day 4: Steve Davis
Steve Davis
Steve Davis, OBE is an English professional snooker player. He has won more professional titles in the sport than any other player, including six World Championships during the 1980s, when he was the world number one for seven years and became the sport's first millionaire...

(389th place, $28,950).
Out in Day 5: Kara Scott
Kara Scott
Kara Scott is a Canadian TV personality, journalist and poker player.Born in northern Alberta, Canada, Scott moved to the United Kingdom in 1999 and worked in the UK media until 2009 when she moved to California...

(104th place, $41,816).

November Nine

Name	Number of chips
Dennis Phillips Dennis Phillips (poker player) Dennis N. Phillips is a poker player and an account manager for Broadway Trucks, a commercial trucking company in St Louis, Missouri. Phillips qualified for the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event through a $200 satellite tournament at Harrah's St. Louis, his local Harrah's casino...	$26,295,000
Ivan Demidov Ivan Demidov Ivan Demidov is a professional poker player from Moscow, Russia.Demidov is one of the original 'November Nine', having made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008. He reached the heads-up stage along with Peter Eastgate, and took second place for $5,809,595...	$24,400,000
Scott Montgomery Scott Montgomery (poker player) Scott Montgomery is a poker player from Perth, Ontario, Canada who won his first bracelet at the 2010 World Series of Poker in the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Event #36 and was one of the final table players in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. He finished in fifth place earning $3,088,012,...	$19,690,000
Peter Eastgate Peter Eastgate Peter Eastgate is a poker player from Denmark, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. At the time, he became the youngest player ever to win the event. He was consequently surpassed by Joe Cada in 2009.-Early life:Eastgate was raised in Dalum, a suburb of...	$18,375,000
Ylon Schwartz Ylon Schwartz Ylon Schwartz is a chess master and professional poker player from Brooklyn, New York, and a fourth place finisher in the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker , played on November 9, 2008...	$12,525,000
Darus Suharto Darus Suharto Darus Suharto is a poker player born in Indonesia and currently residing in Toronto, Canada, where he works as a Certified General Accountant at York University, and is a member of the Certified General Accountants of Ontario. Suharto finished 6th in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. He...	$12,520,000
David Rheem David Rheem Chino Rheem is a poker player from Los Angeles, California, and a reputed welcher. In November 2008, Rheem finished in seventh place at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, cashing for $1,772,650. He went out of this event on to Peter Eastgate's with Eastgate flopping a pair of queens on a...	$10,230,000
Craig Marquis Craig Marquis Craig Marquis is a poker player from Arlington, Texas, and a final table participant in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.He had three prior WSOP cashes, one in 2008 and two in 2007....	$10,210,000
Kelly Kim Kelly Kim Kelly Kim is a poker player from Whittier, California, primarily known for his 8th place finish at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, earning $1,288,217....	$2,620,000

Final Table

Place	Name	Prize
1st	Peter Eastgate Peter Eastgate Peter Eastgate is a poker player from Denmark, best known as the winner of the Main Event at the 2008 World Series of Poker. At the time, he became the youngest player ever to win the event. He was consequently surpassed by Joe Cada in 2009.-Early life:Eastgate was raised in Dalum, a suburb of...	$9,152,416
2nd	Ivan Demidov Ivan Demidov Ivan Demidov is a professional poker player from Moscow, Russia.Demidov is one of the original 'November Nine', having made the final table of the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2008. He reached the heads-up stage along with Peter Eastgate, and took second place for $5,809,595...	$5,790,024
3rd	Dennis Phillips Dennis Phillips (poker player) Dennis N. Phillips is a poker player and an account manager for Broadway Trucks, a commercial trucking company in St Louis, Missouri. Phillips qualified for the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event through a $200 satellite tournament at Harrah's St. Louis, his local Harrah's casino...	$4,503,352
4th	Ylon Schwartz Ylon Schwartz Ylon Schwartz is a chess master and professional poker player from Brooklyn, New York, and a fourth place finisher in the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em Main Event of the 2008 World Series of Poker , played on November 9, 2008...	$3,763,515
5th	Scott Montgomery Scott Montgomery (poker player) Scott Montgomery is a poker player from Perth, Ontario, Canada who won his first bracelet at the 2010 World Series of Poker in the $1,000 No-Limit Hold’em Event #36 and was one of the final table players in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. He finished in fifth place earning $3,088,012,...	$3,088,012
6th	Darus Suharto Darus Suharto Darus Suharto is a poker player born in Indonesia and currently residing in Toronto, Canada, where he works as a Certified General Accountant at York University, and is a member of the Certified General Accountants of Ontario. Suharto finished 6th in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event. He...	$2,412,510
7th	David Rheem David Rheem Chino Rheem is a poker player from Los Angeles, California, and a reputed welcher. In November 2008, Rheem finished in seventh place at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, cashing for $1,772,650. He went out of this event on to Peter Eastgate's with Eastgate flopping a pair of queens on a...	$1,769,174
8th	Kelly Kim Kelly Kim Kelly Kim is a poker player from Whittier, California, primarily known for his 8th place finish at the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event, earning $1,288,217....	$1,286,672
9th	Craig Marquis Craig Marquis Craig Marquis is a poker player from Arlington, Texas, and a final table participant in the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event.He had three prior WSOP cashes, one in 2008 and two in 2007....	$900,670

At the age of 22, Peter Eastgate became the youngest Main Event winner, surpassing Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth

who was 24 when he won in 1989 and became the first European to capture the title since Carlos Mortensen

Carlos Mortensen

won in 2001. His winning hand was a five high straight known as a "wheel", made from his hole cards and three of the community cards which were , while his opponent Ivan Demidov lost with for two pair.

Other notable high finishes

NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.

Place	Name	Prize
17th	Tiffany Michelle Tiffany Michelle Tiffany Michelle is an American poker player and actress, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA.Michelle gained fame when she was the last woman remaining out of 6,844 players in the 2008 World Series of Poker Championship Event, making $334,534 for her 17th place finish...	$334,534
20th	Brandon Cantu Brandon Cantu Brandon M. Cantu is an American professional poker player. Upon winning a World Series of Poker bracelet in 2006, Cantu relocated to Las Vegas, Nevada. On March 14, 2007, Cantu became one of only 27 players to ever win both a World Series of Poker bracelet and a World Poker Tour championship...	$257,334
26th	Phi Nguyen Phi Nguyen Hung "Phi" Nguyen is a Vietnamese-American professional poker player who is a two time World Series of Poker bracelet winner with multiple live tournament results adding up to over $1.5 million in career earnings.- World Series of Poker :...	$257,334
30th	Mike Matusow Mike Matusow Michael Matusow is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. Matusow's nickname of "The Mouth" reflects his reputation for trash-talking at the poker table...	$193,000

Performance of past champions

Twenty past WSOP Main Event champions, representing 22 bracelets, participated in the 2008 Main Event. Two champions from the late 1980s finished in the money: Johnny Chan

Johnny Chan (poker player)

Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....

placed 329th for $32,166, and Phil Hellmuth

Phil Hellmuth

finished 45th for $154,400.

Name	Championship Year(s)	Day of Elimination
Doyle Brunson Doyle Brunson Doyle F. Brunson is an American professional poker player who has played professionally for over 50 years. He is the first two-time World Series of Poker main event champion to win consecutively, a Poker Hall of Fame inductee, and the author of several books on poker.Brunson is the first player to...	1976 1976 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:... and 1977 1977 World Series of Poker The 1977 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Final table:...	1-d
Bobby Baldwin Bobby Baldwin Bobby Baldwin is a professional poker player, off-road racer and casino executive. As a poker player, Baldwin is best known as the 1978 world champion, becoming the youngest main event champion at that time....	1978 1978 World Series of Poker The 1978 World Series of Poker was held in May 1978 at Binion's Horseshoe. and was the first WSOP that wasn't a winner-take-all prize.Instead the tournament had a progressive prize structure, as follows 50% for the Winner then 20% for second, 15% for third, 10% for fourth and 5% for fifth...	1-a
Tom McEvoy Tom McEvoy Thomas K. McEvoy is a professional poker player and author. He is best known for his win in the 1983 World Series of Poker main event.-Early life:...	1983 1983 World Series of Poker The 1983 World Series of Poker was held May 9th to May 12th, 1983 at Binion's Horseshoe.-Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 108 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. Doyle Brunson fell just short in his attempt to win the main event for a third time when he...	1-b
Berry Johnston Berry Johnston Berry Enfield Johnston is an American professional poker player. He is best known as the 1986 World Champion, but he has also won four other bracelets at the World Series of Poker in addition to cashes and wins in many other tournaments throughout his career.- Poker career :Johnston won the 1986...	1986 1986 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 141 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....	1-a
Johnny Chan Johnny Chan (poker player) Johnny Chan rather than his Chinese birth name. born in Guangzhou, China in 1957) is a Chinese American professional poker player. He has won 10 World Series of Poker bracelets, including 1987 and 1988 World Series of Poker main events consecutively....	1987 1987 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 152 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.... and 1988 1988 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....	4
Phil Hellmuth Phil Hellmuth Phil Hellmuth is an American professional poker player. He is best known for holding a record 11 World Series of Poker bracelets, for winning the Main Event of the 1989 World Series of Poker and for his temperamental, "poker brat" personality...	1989 1989 World Series of Poker The 1989 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe. The 1989 Main Event was won by 24-year-old Phil Hellmuth, defeating defending champion Johnny Chan, and also breaking the record for the youngest player to win the WSOP Main Event . Had Johnny Chan won, he would have tied Johnny...	6
Brad Daugherty Brad Daugherty (poker player) Brad Daugherty is a professional poker player.Daugherty began playing poker in 1969 on a high school trip. Following high school he worked in the construction industry, but after hearing of large prize money for tournament winnings, in 1978 he moved to Reno, Nevada...	1991 1991 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 215 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament. This was the first Main Event to offer a top prize of 1 million dollars.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:...	2-b
Jim Bechtel Jim Bechtel James Gary "Jim" Bechtel is an American cotton farmer and poker player, based in Gilbert, Arizona. He is best known for winning the 1993 Main Event at the World Series of Poker .- Poker career :...	1993 1993 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 220 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry....	1-c
Dan Harrington Dan Harrington Dan Harrington is a professional poker player, best known for winning the main event world championship at the 1995 World Series of Poker. He has earned one World Poker Tour title, two WSOP bracelets, and over six million dollars in tournament cashes in his poker career...	1995 1995 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...	1-a
Huck Seed Huck Seed Huckleberry Seed is an American professional poker player best known for winning the main event of the 1996 World Series of Poker.-Early Life:...	1996 1996 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...	1-c
Scotty Nguyen Scotty Nguyen Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship...	1998 1998 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...	2-a
Noel Furlong Noel Furlong J. J. Furlong is an Irish businessman and recreational poker player who won the 1999 World Series of Poker main event.-Early life:Furlong was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland...	1999 1999 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Final table:-Other High Finishes:NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.-External Links:*...	1-d
Chris Ferguson Chris Ferguson Christopher Philip Ferguson is an American professional poker player. He has won five World Series of Poker events, including the 2000 WSOP Main Event, and the 2008 NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship. On September 20, 2011, the U.S...	2000 2000 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 512 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.Ferguson had a 10 to 1 chip lead when starting his heads-up vs Cloutier. After a see-saw battle, Ferguson decided to call Cloutier's AQ all-in with his own A9...	1-d
Carlos Mortensen Carlos Mortensen Juan Carlos Mortensen is an Ecuadorian professional poker player of Danish descent and the only Hispanic Main Event winner of the World Series of Poker. Mortensen is known for his loose play, bluffing tactics, and interesting chip-stacking style.Mortensen moved from Spain to the United States in...	2001 2001 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 613 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a non-online casino at the time.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:...	2-b
Robert Varkonyi Robert Varkonyi Robert Varkonyi is an American poker player, best known for winning the main event of the 2002 World Series of Poker.-Early years:Varkonyi was born in and raised in New York...	2002 2002 World Series of Poker The 2002 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams were installed to allow broadcasters to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event...	2-a
Chris Moneymaker Chris Moneymaker Christopher Bryan Moneymaker is an American poker player who won the main event at the 2003 World Series of Poker . His 2003 win is said to have revolutionized poker because he was the first person to become a world champion by qualifying at an online poker site...	2003 2003 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time...	3
Greg Raymer Greg Raymer Gregory Raymer nicknamed "Fossilman," is a professional poker player. He is best known for winning the 2004 World Series of Poker Main Event.-Early life:...	2004 2004 World Series of Poker The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January...	1-b
Joe Hachem Joe Hachem Joseph Hachem is a Lebanese-Australian professional poker player known for winning the main event of the 2005 World Series of Poker. He was the first Australian to win the main event, which earned him $7.5 million, then a record for all-time biggest tournament prize.The next year, Hachem won his...	2005 2005 World Series of Poker The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the...	2-b
Jamie Gold Jamie Gold Jamie M. Gold is an American television producer, a talent agent, and poker player, based in Malibu, California. He is known for winning the 2006 World Series of Poker Main Event and currently divides his time between his activities as president of production for the entertainment company,...	2006 2006 World Series of Poker The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29...	1-b
Jerry Yang Jerry Yang (poker player) Xao "Jerry" Yang is an ethnic Hmong poker player from Temecula, California and the 2007 World Series of Poker Main Event champion.Yang started playing poker in 2005. An amateur player at the time, Yang entered the 2007 World Series of Poker after winning a $225 satellite at the Pechanga Resort...	2007 2007 World Series of Poker The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18...	2-b

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