/ Short-Stacked Shamus / 25 June 2010 / Leave a comment

It has been an action-packed couple of weeks at the Rio. We've pushed past the halfway mark of the 2010 World Series of Poker, with more than 40 of the 57 bracelets having already been won. With four, five, or six events going every single day, there's always something noteworthy happening, it seems, either in the Amazon or Pavilion ballrooms where the Series is being played out.

I've been busy, reporting nearly every day from various events for PokerNews. My duties are such that whenever I go in on a given day, I am always assigned to a single event (rather than to report on the WSOP as a whole). That means there are times that while I'll be up to my eyeballs covering what I can of one event, I won't necessarily have a broader view of other big stories happening elsewhere at the Rio.

There have been a few big stories, however, that have stood out thus far at the WSOP -- stories which have been impossible to miss, and which will probably stand out down the road when people look back on the 2010 WSOP.

LOL Durrrraments

Tom "durrrr" Dwan is back again at this year's series, trying once more to secure that first bracelet. The celebrated online shark and (now) poker television personality is a fascinating figure, both for his poker-playing prowess and his predilection for prop betting.

That combination made for quite a spectacle when Dwan made the final table of Event No. 11, a $1,500 no-limit hold'em event in which 2,563 entered. Things got even more interesting when Dwan built a big chip advantage, then made it to heads-up with Simon Watt of New Zealand. The winner stood to receive a handsome $614,248 first prize to go along with the bracelet. But everyone following the event soon became aware that much, much more was riding on the outcome.

Some estimates suggested that Dwan stood to earn as much as $8-10 million in side bets should he manage to win the bracelet. Alas, Dwan came up short, thereby preventing what some of my colleagues in the poker media (only half-jokingly) described as a collapse of the poker economy.

I've had the chance to cover Dwan in a couple of other events, but he's busted relatively early in both. All will be watching, however, should he come close to a bracelet -- and those millions in bonus dollars -- again.

Dude Looks Like a Lady

Every year since 1977, there has been a ladies-only bracelet event at the WSOP. And every year the event provokes a lot of discussion, both about its place on the Series schedule and about numerous other issues concerning women and poker. This year those debates became even more heated when about ten men actually entered the Ladies event -- a first in WSOP history.

At least some of the men had reportedly entered as a kind of protest against having a non-open event on the Series schedule. One, Shaun Deeb, even dressed as a woman for the event, a decision that got interpreted in various ways that further complicated the message the men may have been trying to send. That another man tried to use a tampon as a card protector seemed only to complicate the situation further -- not to mention add still more fuel to the fiery debates being waged. In the wake of their entry, Harrah's suggested plans to punish the men for having entered the event, although it was unclear how exactly they could legally do so.

I ended up covering Days 2 and 3 of the Ladies event. Only one man was still in the field on Day 2, and he busted early, at which point it seemed to me the focus shifted toward poker and the players left competing for the bracelet. Indeed, in my estimation, by the time we reached the final table the overall vibe of the event had utterly changed from that of controversy to celebration. But when people look back on the 2010 WSOP Ladies event, it will likely be the ruckus stirred up by the men entering the event that will be first noted.

The Ivey League, Where Only One Belongs

Phil Ivey won his eighth WSOP bracelet this week, besting a field of 478 to take down Event No. 37, the $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. As was the case with Dwan, Ivey also likely had a lot of side action riding on the outcome, meaning the $329,840 he earned for taking first perhaps represented only a small percentage of his actual gain for winning the event.

The final table for this one was perhaps the most remarkable of the Series thus far. One player -- Albert Hahn, who finished seventh -- was making his first WSOP cash. But check out the other seven: Ivey, Bill Chen (two WSOP bracelets), John Juanda (four bracelets, including the 2009 WSOPE Main Event title), Kenneth Aldridge (one bracelet), Jeffrey Lisandro (four bracelets), Chad Brown, and Dave Baker!

I was covering a different event while this final table played out right in front of my seat in the media box. A huge crowd gathered, creating quite the spectacle, and Ivey played masterfully, overcoming a big chip disadvantage while heads-up with Chen to take it down. Not that Ivey needed further confirmation of his elite status in poker, but this event certainly added significantly to his already well-deserved reputation as being in a league of his own.

More to Come

There have been other notable stories thus far as well. Frank Kassela has won two bracelets, one in Stud/8 and the other in razz. The much-hyped Tournament of Champions' field of 27 has been set and begins this weekend. Annette Obrestad made the final day of Event No. 39, the $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout, but came up short of the final table. And the start of the Main Event is only a little over a week away!

An exciting time, to be sure, for those who love poker, with many more stories waiting to be told.