WSOPE Main Event 2009
Introduction
The WSOPE reached the six day Main Event stage in London, UK, last weekend. Seated at the tables who, along with the usual professional and top ‘celebrity’ players included a few who had qualified via online poker satellites. One particularly interesting inclusion in the professional’s field was ten times WSOP bracelet winner and poker legend, 76 year old Doyle Brunson.
Before the final day
UK celebrity poker player and favorite - Vicky Coren.
Perhaps the most significant early casualty was Phil Ivey who, with all the chips in the middle went out with a straight when Erik Friberg laid out a flush. Showing early promise was UK celebrity and favorite Vicky Coren (2006 EPT winner), but being short-stacked wouldn’t be around for much longer. Another UK celebrity Teddy Sheringham (runner-up in an ‘Ante Up for Africa’ pro-celebrity tournament in back in April) was also going well, finally going out in a very respectable 14th position on the penultimate day. Having not featured strongly before, Doyle Brunson also started to show his class finishing well up leader-board, but also not making it to the final day ruining his hopes of an 11th bracelet. Matt Hawrilenko played strongly from day 3 onwards and looked set for a big win going into the final day, along with Barry Shulman and the ever present in the leading pack – Daniel Negreanu.
Barry Shulman - $1.25m winner at the Main Event WSOPE 2009.
The day before the final the chip leader was Jason Mercier with nearly 1,300,00 chips and the short stack in 18th place was Sandor Demjan on just 150,000. Needless to say it wasn’t long before Demjan had to go all-in, against Praz Bansi, which wiped him out when Bansi made a straight, but don’t feel too sorry for Demjan – he still collected $50,000 in prize money.
The WSOPE Main Event Final Day
At the final table of 9 professionals, a £10,000 (about $16,000) No Limit Hold ‘em game, six of them already had at least one bracelet, but it was Jason Mercier with the biggest stack that they all had to beat. In the end the 1st prize of £801k ($1.25m) and his second bracelet went to Barry Shulman, defeating Daniel Negreanu with three of a kind, three 10s, from the flop in the final.