Tournament: News and notes from the 2009 World Series of Poker
As the World Series of Poker winds down toward the US$10,000 buy-in World Championship No-Limit Hold’em Main Event, the established pros continue to rack up some great results.
Event: US$5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Shootout While the final table in this event is devoid of bracelet winners or big-name pros, Phil Ivey continued to prove his dominance this year by finishing in eighth place, winning just over US$16,000 and making his fifth cash finish in this year’s Series. With this finish, he ties four other players with five cashes and takes the lead in the WSOP Player of the Year race.
Event: US$10,000 buy-in World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha Russian poker pro Vitaly Lunkin, who won the US$40,000 buy-in 40th Anniversary event earlier this month, came up short in his attempt to be the fourth double bracelet winner this year. He lost to American Matt Graham in a marathon heads-up session to take down US$419,832. The final table included such poker superstars as Josh Arieh and Barry Greenstein.
Event: US$1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Young poker pro Brandon Cantu also came up just short in winning his second career WSOP bracelet. His opponent, Ray Foley, crippled Cantu when he went all-in with a pair of tens and Cantu called with king-nine. A king came on the flop to improve Cantu’s hand, but a ten on the turn gave Foley three tens and demolished most of Cantu’s stack. Cantu earned over US$400,000 for his second-place finish.
Can Ivey repeat his 2002 WSOP performance and win three bracelets, or will another player hit the poker trifecta?
Will a big-name pro step up and win the Main Event this year, or will another unknown shine on the game’s biggest stage?
Keep checking back with us for the latest news from the World Series of Poker.
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