https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/2013/05/ en Copyright 2026 Fri, 31 May 2013 15:16:00 +0100 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification The 2013 World Series of Poker is well underway, with the first events having kicked off on Wednesday. The daily schedule is already starting to get crowded with four different events in action today and five tomorrow. Meanwhile just hours ago the first bracelet of this summer's Series has been won, with the winner being someone very familiar to those us who spend our time covering the tourney circuit, as PokerNews Senior Editor Chad Holloway took down Event No. 1, the $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em event. While the record-keeping from three decades ago is somewhat sketchy, an early, initial version of the Casino Employees Event took place from 1983 to 1985 as a $1,000 buy-in tournament then labeled the "Casino Operators" event. Ted Binion (son of Benny) won the tournament in 1983 and 1985, triumphed over a field of 10 players each time, and Sandy Stupak (wife of Bob) bested 14 in 1984. The event appears to have been discontinued thereafter, then returned in 2000 and has remained part of the schedule ever since. The buy-in has been kept at $500 since its reintroduction, making it the lowest buy-in bracelet event on the schedule. Most years it has appeared as the first event of the WSOP, thereby giving the tournament and its winner special prominence. (Only in 2008 was the Casino Employees Event saved until the very end of the Series.) In 2000 the event was called the "Dealers Championship," then the next couple of years it was called the "Employee Event" before being permanently changed to the "Casino Employees Event" in 2003. From 2000-2003 it was played as a fixed-limit tournament, then in 2004 became a no-limit hold'em tournament, the format in which it has been played ever since. Turnouts for the event followed the general trend of rapid growth from 2000 to 2006, starting at just 109 entrants in 2000 and peaking at 1,232 entrants in 2006. Recent years have seen 700-800 players participating, with a jump this year to 898 to create a total prize pool of $404,100. As the event's name indicates, eligibility to participate is limited to those who are work in some capacity for a casino. As contractors for Caesars Entertainment during the WSOP, PokerNews employees are allowed to play as well, and over the last couple of years several have done so.   Both Holloway and Josh Cahlik, another PokerNews reporter, were among the 55 players making it to Thursday's second and final day of play in the event, with Cahlik eventually going on to finish 12th for a $5,010 cash.   Squeezing a large-field tournament into just two days usually means a long second day for the Casino Employees Event, and this year was no exception as it was already past 9 p.m. local time last night when the final table began, with the final nine players all hailing from the United States. Bobby Rooney enjoyed the chip lead by a wide margin at that point with more than 700,000 chips, nearly 300,000 ahead of Allan Kwong in second position while Holloway sat in third with just under 380,000. Three eliminations rapidly followed, including Holloway knocking out Michael Trivett in eighth. By then Sean Small -- who made four final tables on the 2012-13 WSOP Circuit this year -- had become a short stack, and soon Holloway eliminated him in sixth place. Daniel Ellery followed Small to the rail in fifth, and at four-handed Kwong had assumed a large chip lead with Holloway fourth out of four. That group battled on past midnight, with Holloway picking up pots along the way to climb up the counts and into first position. Then Brian Pingel lost the last of his stack to Bobby Rooney and they were down to three. Three-handed play lasted another hour, then Kwong knocked out Rooney in a hand that saw Rooney all in and at risk with 10c-10h against the Ad-10s of Kwong. All was well for Rooney through the 9c-Kh-3s flop and 8d turn, but the Ac fell on fifth street to pair Kwong's ace, and they were down to two. Holloway started heads-up play with about a 2-to-1 chip lead over Kwong, but the latter earned a big double-up to seize the advantage in a hand that saw all of the chips go in on a 4s-7d-5h flop. Kwong had Kh-7h for top pair of sevens while Holloway had 6d-5c for a lesser pair and an open-ended straight draw. The 6s came on the turn to give Holloway two pair, but the 4c on the river meant Kwong ended with the best hand. Over the next hour Holloway chipped back to take the lead, then Kwong took it back, then Holloway grabbed it once again as play continued past 3 a.m. Finally a hand arose that saw Kwong raising from the button and Holloway calling, and a flop coming 5c-Qs-Qd. After Holloway checked, Kwong continued with a bet, then Holloway check-raised. Kwong responded with an all-in shove and Holloway called right away. Kwong had Ad-Kh, but Holloway had Qh-9s for trip nines. The turn was the 10h, which meant Kwong was looking for a saving jack to make a straight. But the river brought the 2d, and Holloway had won. "Today a dream of mine came true," tweeted Holloway afterwards as both members of the poker media and many players whom Holloway has covered over the last few years sent him their congratulations. Ironically, he'll be back at several WSOP final tables again starting this weekend, only as a reporter and not a player. Chatting with my Betfair Poker cohort Matthew Pitt this morning, we discussed how we are both soon heading to the WSOP to join the PokerNews crew and help cover the remainder of the Series. We're both looking forward to getting to Las Vegas where we can congratulate our friend and colleague in person, as well as ask him if he might let us wear his lucky bird shirt at the tables. 2013 WSOP Event No. 1: $1,000 Casino Employees NLHE results: 1st: Chad Holloway -- $84,915 2nd: Allan Kwong -- $52,318 3rd: Robert Rooney -- $33,903 4th: Brian Pingel -- $24,811 5th: Daniel Ellery -- $18,426 6th: Sean Small -- $13,868 7th: Tyrone Smith -- $10,567 8th: Michael Trivett -- $8,146 9th: Hieu Le -- $6,348 In other WSOP news, Event No. 2, the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Eight-Handed event, has played down from a starting field of 481 to just 28, with Rafal Michalowski carrying the chip lead into Friday's final day of play. David Vamplew, Tom Marchese, and Joe Serock also occupy spots in the top 10, with Brian Rast, David Peters, Dan Kelly, and David "Doc" Sands among those lurking not far behind. Meanwhile, Event No. 3, a $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event that allowed for a single re-entry, got going yesterday as well. After both of the "Day 1" flights played out on Thursday, there were 1,821 entries all told for the event, with 660 players surviving to today's second day of the three-day event. Jerry Payne has the chip lead to start play today with Leo Wolpert, David Singer, Tony Dunst, and Josh Arieh also near the top of the counts. Today the action heats up even more with the start of Event No. 4, the $1,500 NLHE Six-Handed event. The weekend schedule will be highlighted by the start of the much anticipated "Millionaire Maker" Event No. 6, the $1,500 NLHE event with a guaranteed first prize of $1 million. Join Betfair Poker Now. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/all-the-way-for-holloway-first-bracelet-winner-of-2013-wsop-310513-77.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/all-the-way-for-holloway-first-bracelet-winner-of-2013-wsop-310513-77.html News WSOP Fri, 31 May 2013 15:16:00 +0100 The 2013 World Series of Poker (WSOP) has officially started after the first two of its events kicked off inside the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino on Wednesday. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/2013-world-series-of-poker-begins-tom-marchese-leads-event-2-300513-162.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/2013-world-series-of-poker-begins-tom-marchese-leads-event-2-300513-162.html News WSOP Thu, 30 May 2013 16:28:00 +0100 In just a few hours' time, the 2013 World Series of Poker gets underway in what should be one of the biggest and best WSOP's ever. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/bracelet-hunting-players-to-watch-at-the-2013-world-series-of-poker-290513-162.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/bracelet-hunting-players-to-watch-at-the-2013-world-series-of-poker-290513-162.html WSOP Wed, 29 May 2013 14:06:00 +0100 We're only days away from the start of this summer's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, with the first events kicking off Wednesday, May 29.  My intrepid colleague Matthew Pitt and I will be at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino this summer, and we're both anxious to find out along with everyone else what stories emerge from this year's WSOP. Here's a rundown of a few items we're looking forward to in anticipation of the 44th running of poker's largest tournament series. Tables cover the Rio, ESPN covers the WSOP This year's WSOP features 62 bracelet events, with buy-ins ranging from $500 (for Event No. 1, the Casino Employees event) to $111,111 (for Event No. 47, the One Drop High Rollers NLHE event). A record 480 tables will be available to handle all of the action this summer, situated in the Amazon, Pavilion, and Brasilia ballrooms. ESPN will once again provide extensive coverage of this year's WSOP, with broadcasts starting July 23 and continuing weekly through November.  After featuring the final table of the WSOP APAC Main Event and the WSOP National Championship final table (playing out today at Harrah's New Orleans), WSOP Main Event coverage will begin on August 6 and lead up to the almost-live presentation of the "November Nine" final table on November 4-5. Additionally, live streaming of all of the final table bracelet events will be accessible via WSOP.com. Some of these streams will be presented on a five-minute delay and simply feature cameras pointed at final tables with the tournament director's announcements providing some guidance to the action.   However many streamed final tables -- 35 of them, according to the current plan -- will feature hole cards and commentary with multiple camera angles, with the action presented on a half-hour delay. For the latter broadcasts, RFID technology will be employed in the playing cards to identify them via onscreen graphics.   2013 WSOP POY race heats up The WSOP Player of the Year race will continue as usual, and in fact this year has already begun with the five events of the WSOP APAC counting toward the POY standings. 2004 WSOP POY winner Daniel Negreanu has the current lead this year thanks largely to his victory in the WSOP APAC Main Event.  A total of 59 WSOP events in Las Vegas will count as well, with the non-open Casino Employees, Ladies, and Seniors events excluded. The seven WSOP Europe events happening this October at the Casino Barrière d'Enghien-les-Bains near Paris, France will also count toward the 2013 WSOP POY race. Last year's WSOP Main Event champion Greg Merson managed to secure the WSOP Player of the Year title as well thanks to his having additionally won the $10,000 Six-Handed NLHE event earlier. A million-dollar first prize and more One Drops to drop The $1,500 buy-in "Millionaire Maker" no-limit hold'em re-entry event (Event No. 6) will earn a lot of notice during the first weekend of the Series. Featuring two flights on Day 1, players will be allowed to re-enter in the evening flight should they bust during the afternoon flight.   The payout schedule will be structured so as to guarantee the event's winner a $1 million first prize, a relatively rare occurrence during WSOP preliminary events. For example, in 2012 only Merson's win in the $10K NLHE 6-max event, Michael Mizrachi's in the $50K Players Championship, and (of course) Antonio Esfandiari's $18 million-plus score in the Big One for One Drop netted first prizes of more than $1m. The $111,111 One Drop High Rollers NLHE event (Event No. 47) will earn a lot of attention as well.  From each entry $3,333 will go to the One Drop charity while the other $107,777 will go into the prize pool. The WSOP has indicated a hope that more than 100 players will enter the event. Another charity-oriented event, the $1,111 "Little One for One Drop" NLHE event with re-entries (Event No. 58), will also produce some funds for One Drop ($111 per entry). Other schedule highlights Other notable events on the schedule include a $1,000 "Turbo" NLHE event (Event No. 34), the return of the $50K Poker Players Championship (Event No. 55), the Seniors NLHE Championship (Event No. 26), and the Ladies NLHE Championship (Event No. 51). As in the past, the Seniors event features a $1,000 buy-in. Meanwhile, the buy-in for the Ladies event has technically been increased to $10,000, with a special "90% discount" given to women who play. In other words, women will continue to pay $1K to participate, while men wishing to crash the event will have to pay considerably more to do so. Finally, as always the Main Event -- still $10,000 to play -- will again produce the stories everyone will be talking about for years to come, with the WSOP hopeful to exceed last year's turnout of 6,598 entrants. The Main Event begins Saturday, July 6 with three Day 1 flights and will play down to a final nine by Monday, July 15, with the final table (as mentioned) happening November 4-5.    Non-bracelet tourney action Along with the bracelet events, a concurrent series of tournaments called the Carnivale of Poker Super Stack Series will take place at the Rio as well with events playing out every Monday and Tuesday throughout the WSOP, then daily during the WSOP Main Event.    As Matthew reported earlier, events in the Carnivale of Poker series feature buy-ins ranging from $365 to a $1,675 "Main Event," with a $5K Open-Face Chinese event tossed in at the end as well. Most of the tournaments are two-day events and no-limit hold'em, although there are Omaha/8, H.O.R.S.E., and PLO events included as well. Of the tournaments on the Carnivale of Poker schedule, 21 have been designated "medallion events" for which special medallions will be awarded to the winners and points will be tracked in a similar fashion to WSOP Circuit events and the WSOP itself. The top 10 point-getters in Carnivale of Poker medallion events will split an additional $100K prize pool.   The popular "Deep Stack" no-limit hold'em tournaments will be ongoing throughout the WSOP, with daily tournaments at 3 p.m. ($235), 8 p.m. ($185), and 10 p.m. ($135). Multiple "Mega Satellites" into various events will also be taking place every day, with turbo-styled satellites (for just $75) on the schedule every morning and regular satellites (for $330 and $550) starting in the afternoons. It should be another wild summer in Las Vegas full of intrigue and excitement. Check out what predictions Matthew has already made for what might happen.   Join Betfair Poker Now. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/2013-world-series-of-poker-soon-to-take-center-stage-240513-77.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/2013-world-series-of-poker-soon-to-take-center-stage-240513-77.html News WSOP Fri, 24 May 2013 17:29:00 +0100 With the 2013 World Series of Poker almost upon us, there will be many poker players who are making last minute plans to head to Las Vegas for the poker trip of a lifetime.  https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/where-should-you-stay-in-las-vegas-during-the-wsop-230513-162.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/where-should-you-stay-in-las-vegas-during-the-wsop-230513-162.html WSOP Thu, 23 May 2013 11:10:00 +0100 In less than two weeks' time, tens of thousands of poker players will descend on Las Vegas, Nevada each sharing one common goal, to win a World Series of Poker bracelet. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/jamie-gold-auctions-his-wsop-main-event-bracelet-200513-162.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/jamie-gold-auctions-his-wsop-main-event-bracelet-200513-162.html News WSOP Mon, 20 May 2013 11:43:00 +0100 Each year, before the start of the World Series of Poker, members of the media take part in a conference call where they have the chance to put questions to the likes of WSOP Executive Director Ty Stewart and WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel.  https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/carnivale-of-poker-returns-to-the-rio-170513-162.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/carnivale-of-poker-returns-to-the-rio-170513-162.html News WSOP Fri, 17 May 2013 13:38:00 +0100 The poker community was dealt a blow on Tuesday when the living legend that is Doyle Brunson announced he would no longer be competing in tournaments at the World Series of Poker. This is not the first time Brunson has retired from WSOP action, but this time he may stick to his guns. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/doyle-brunson-retires-from-wsop-tournament-play-160513-162.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/doyle-brunson-retires-from-wsop-tournament-play-160513-162.html News WSOP Thu, 16 May 2013 10:22:00 +0100 In just two weeks' time, the 2013 World Series of Poker (WSOP) will attract tens of thousands of poker players to Las Vegas each of who will each be hoping to secure themselves a coveted WSOP bracelet and a potentially life-changing sum of money. https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/theres-more-to-las-vegas-than-the-world-series-of-poker-140513-162.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/theres-more-to-las-vegas-than-the-world-series-of-poker-140513-162.html WSOP Tue, 14 May 2013 15:18:00 +0100 The 2013 World Series of Poker is almost upon us. In three weeks' time, the first of 62 bracelet-awarding events kicks off when the $500 Casino Employees event and the $5,000 buy-in No Limit Hold'em Eight Handed event kick off.  https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/2013-world-series-of-poker-predictions-090513-162.html https://betting.betfair.com/poker/wsop/2013-world-series-of-poker-predictions-090513-162.html WSOP Thu, 09 May 2013 17:07:00 +0100