2008 World Series of Poker

Last updated
2008 World Series of Poker
Location Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada
DatesMay 30 – July 15
Champion
Flag of Denmark.svg Peter Eastgate
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2009  →

The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold 'em Main Event, the most prestigious of the WSOP events, ended by July 15th. [1] As has been the WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners received a championship bracelet in addition to that event's prize money, which (after the casino's rake) ranged from $87,929 to $9,119,517.

Contents

Highlights of the 2008 series include the selection of Erick Lindgren, 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 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), was suspended once the event was down to the 9 players needed for the final table; the Main Event was resumed on November 9, and concluded with the heads-up final between Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov the next day. This year was the first in which the Main Event was suspended in this fashion, a change introduced at ESPN's request to allow the TV 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, while Mabuchi held quad aces. One of the broadcasters, Lon McEachern, mentioned on air that the chances of such a showdown occurring were 1:2.7 billion. Ray Romano had just sat down at the table when this hand played itself out. [2]

Event schedule

#EventEntrantsWinnerPrizeRunner-upResults [3]
1$10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold'em352 Nenad Medic $794,112 Andy Bloch Results
2$1,500 No Limit Hold'em3,929 Grant Hinkle $831,462 James Akenhead Results
3$1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em713 David Singer $214,131Jacobo Fernandez Results
4$5,000 Mixed Hold'em332 Erick Lindgren $374,505 Justin Bonomo Results
5$1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/rebuys 766 Michael Banducci $636,736 Jeff Williams Results
6$1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better 833 Thang Luu $243,356Spencer Lawrence Results
7$2,000 No Limit Hold'em1,592 Matt Keikoan $550,601 Shannon Shorr Results
8$10,000 World Championship Mixed Event192Anthony Rivera$483,688 James Mackey Results
9$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed1,236 Rep Porter $372,929Nathan Templeton Results
10$2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better388 Freddy Rouhani $232,911Tom Chambers Results
11$5,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout360Phil Tom$477,990 Greg Mueller Results
12$1,500 Limit Hold'em880Jimmy Shultz$257,105Zac Fellows Results
13$2,500 No Limit Hold'em1,397Duncan Bell$666,777Steve Merrifield Results
14$10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud158Eric Brooks$415,856Fu Wong Results
15$1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em World Championship1,190 Svetlana Gromenkova $244,702Anh Le Results
16$2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better553Andrew Brown$226,483 Ted Forrest Results
17$1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout1,000Jason Young$335,565Mike Schwartz Results
18$5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/rebuys85 Mike Matusow $537,862 Jeff Lisandro Results
19$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha759 Vanessa Selbst $227,965Jamie Pickering Results
20$2,000 Limit Hold'em480 Daniel Negreanu $204,874Ugur Marangoz Results
21$5,000 No Limit Hold'em731 Scott Seiver $755,891Dave Seidman Results
22$3,000 H.O.R.S.E. 414Jens Vortmann$298,253Doug Ganger Results
23$2,000 No Limit Hold'em1,344 Blair Hinkle $507,563Mark Brockington Results
24$2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha457 Max Pescatori $246,471Kyle Kloeckner Results
25$10,000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Hold'em256 Kenny Tran $539,056 Alec Torelli Results
26$1,500 Razz 453 Barry Greenstein $157,619Chris Klodnicki Results
27$1,500 No Limit Hold'em2,706 Vitaly Lunkin $628,417Brett Kimes Results
28$5,000 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys152 Phil Galfond $817,781Adam Hourani Results
29$3,000 No Limit Hold'em716 John Phan $434,789Johnny Neckar Results
30$10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em218 Rob Hollink $496,931Jerrod Ankenman Results
31$2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed1,012 Dario Minieri $528,418Seth Fischer Results
32$1,500 No Limit Hold'em2,304 Luis Velador $574,734Chris Signore Results
33$5,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better261 Sebastian Ruthenberg $328,756 Chris Ferguson Results
34$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys320 Layne Flack $577,725Daniel Makowsky Results
35$1,500 Seven Card Stud381Michael Rocco$135,753Al Barbieri Results
36$1,500 No Limit Hold'em2,447 Jesper Hougaard $610,304Cody Slaubaugh Results
37$10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better235 David Benyamine $535,687Greg Jamison Results
38$2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em605 Davidi Kitai $244,583 Chris Bell Results
39$1,500 No Limit Hold'em2,720David Woo$631,656Matt Wood Results
40$2,500 2-7 Limit Triple Draw Lowball238 John Phan $151,896Shun Uchida Results
41$1,500 Mixed Hold'em731Frank Gary$219,508Jonathan Tamayo Results
42$1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em World Championship2,218Dan Lacourse$368,832Dale Eberle Results
43$1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better720Martin Klaser$216,249Casey Kastle Results
44$1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/rebuys879Max Greenwood$693,444Rene Mouritsen Results
45$50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. 148 Scotty Nguyen $1,989,120 Michael DeMichele Results
46$5,000 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed805Joe Commisso$911,855Richard Lyndaker Results
47$1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better544 Ryan Hughes $183,368Ron Long Results
48$2,000 No Limit Hold'em2,317 Alexandre Gomes $770,540 Marco Johnson Results
49$1,500 No Limit Hold'em2,718 J.C. Tran $631,170Rasmus Nielsen Results
50$10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha381 Marty Smyth $859,549 Peter Jetten Results
51$1,500 H.O.R.S.E.803James Schaaf$256,412Tommy Hang Results
52$1,500 No Limit Hold'em2,693 David Daneshgar $625,443Scott Sitron Results
53$1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout823 Matt Graham $278,180 Jean-Robert Bellande Results
54$10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em Main Event6,844 Peter Eastgate $9,119,517 Ivan Demidov Results
55$500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em930Jonathan Kotula$87,929Kevin 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 8 was held by 5 players: Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Humberto Brenes, Michael Binger, and Chad Brown. 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. Scotty Nguyen 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. Brazilian Alexandre Gomes won Event 48 to become the first South American player to win a WSOP bracelet since Ecuadorian-born Carlos Mortensen won the 2001 Main Event. [4] Rob Hollink won Event 30, becoming the first Dutch WSOP bracelet winner, and Davidi Kitai won Event 38, becoming the first Belgian 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. [5]

Main Event

The 2008 World Series of Poker Championship Bracelet 2008 WSOP Championship Bracelet.jpg
The 2008 World Series of Poker Championship Bracelet

The $10,000 World Championship No Limit 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. [5]

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. [6] 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, 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:[ citation needed ]

November Nine

NameNumber of chips
(percentage of total)		WSOP
Bracelets		WSOP
Cashes*		WSOP
Earnings*
Flag of the United States.svg Dennis Phillips 26,295,000 (19.2%)000
Flag of Russia.svg Ivan Demidov 24,400,000 (17.8%)01$39,854
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Scott Montgomery 19,690,000 (14.4%)03$73,700
Flag of Denmark.svg Peter Eastgate 18,375,000 (13.4%)000
Flag of the United States.svg Ylon Schwartz 12,525,000 (9.2%)011$124,580
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Darus Suharto 12,520,000 (9.1%)01$26,389
Flag of the United States.svg David Rheem 10,230,000 (7.5%)05$474,843
Flag of the United States.svg Craig Marquis 10,210,000 (7.5%)03$35,759
Flag of the United States.svg Kelly Kim 2,620,000 (1.9%)03$38,750

*Career statistics prior to the beginning of the 2008 Main Event

Final table

PlaceNamePrize
1st Peter Eastgate $9,152,416
2nd Ivan Demidov $5,790,024
3rd Dennis Phillips $4,503,352
4th Ylon Schwartz $3,763,515
5th Scott Montgomery $3,088,012
6th Darus Suharto $2,412,510
7th David Rheem $1,769,174
8th Kelly Kim $1,286,672
9th Craig Marquis $900,670

At the age of 22, Peter Eastgate became the youngest Main Event winner, surpassing Phil Hellmuth who was 24 when he won in 1989 and became the first European to capture the title since Carlos Mortensen won in 2001. His winning hand was a 5 high straight known as a "wheel", made from his hole cards A♦ 5♠ and 3 of the community cards which were 2♦ K♠ 3♥ 4♣ 7♠, while his opponent Ivan Demidov lost with 4♥ 2♥ for two pair.

Other notable high finishes

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

PlaceNamePrize
15th Owen Crowe $436,201
17th Tiffany Michelle $334,534
20th Brandon Cantu $257,334
26th Phi Nguyen $257,334
30th Mike Matusow $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 placed 329th for $32,166, and Phil Hellmuth finished 45th for $154,400.

NameChampionship
Year(s)		Day of
Elimination
Doyle Brunson 1976 and 1977 1-d
Bobby Baldwin 1978 1-a
Tom McEvoy 1983 1-b
Berry Johnston 1986 1-a
Johnny Chan 1987 and 1988 4
Phil Hellmuth 1989 6
Brad Daugherty 1991 2-b
Jim Bechtel 1993 1-c
Dan Harrington 1995 1-a
Huck Seed 1996 1-c
Scotty Nguyen 1998 2-a
Noel Furlong 1999 1-d
Chris Ferguson 2000 1-d
Carlos Mortensen 2001 2-b
Robert Varkonyi 2002 2-a
Chris Moneymaker 2003 3
Greg Raymer 2004 1-b
Joe Hachem 2005 2-b
Jamie Gold 2006 1-b
Jerry Yang 2007 2-b

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References

  1. ↑ "2008 World Series of Poker Set for May 30 through July 15 in Las Vegas". WorldSeriesofPoker.com. Archived from the original on 16 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  2. ↑ [ failed verification ] "ESPN to Televise Seventeen Consecutive Tuesday-Night Shows..." pokerpages.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-20. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
  3. ↑ "2008 World Series of Poker Events Schedule". PokerNews.com. Retrieved 2008-06-10.
  4. ↑ "Alexandre Gomes Player Profile". WorldSeriesOfPoker.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008. Retrieved 5 July 2008.
  5. 1 2 Milhoces, Gary (2008-11-11). "Eastgate calm as he wins World Series of Poker". USA Today . Retrieved 2008-11-12.
  6. ↑ Lee, Bernard (2018-07-11). "The WSOP legacy of the November Nine". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2024-11-12.
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