WSOP

Las Vegas is the place to be if you want to hit it big in the world of Poker. Every year this is where players from all places come to make a name for themselves and to compete for the World Series of Poker bracelets. Along with the growing popularity of the game, poker’s best players have also come to take on center stage. Guys like Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, and Scott Nguyen are among those you can expect to see every year in Vegas and on World Series of Poker programming. Good at what they do, these players definitely deserve the wide recognition they’re getting. But there are some who have not taken on the spotlight but have multiple bracelets to their names.

Billy Baxter. Baxter has a total of seven WSOP bracelets. Yet a lot of people do not even know him. Baxter is a true poker legend. He won his first WSOP bracelet in a 1975 deuce to seven event and since then has gone on to cash 28 times so far. In the 80s he won five of his seven titles and won one in the 90s. In 2002, he captured his latest bracelet and soon after made seven cashes. So with all the credentials to back up a superstar personality, why is Baxter not so known in the poker world? The possible reason is that he plays in less popular games like deuce to seven lowball, Razz, and Ace to Five draw. Just recently, he made the final table in event 40, proving that he is still a great player. Seven bracelets and more than one million dollars in WSOP earnings – Baxter is truly deserving of a spot among the greatest poker players of all time.

Layne Flack. Sure, you might have heard the name and know the face. But do you know that he has six WSOP bracelets? Flack has been on television quite a few times, although he isn’t a regular on popular programming. With 19 cashes so far, he has more than $2.2 million in WSOP earnings. His first title came in 1999 when he won a Pot Limit holdem event for more than $220,000. His career took off from there and since then he has won bracelets in No Limit Holdem, Omaha Hi/Lo, and Pot Limit Omaha rebuy. This year, he won his first bracelet in five years, taking home more than a half million dollars. Flack has a current title count of six and has finished in the top five five times.

Berry Johnston. Although a lot of people do not know who he is, Johnston is a main event winner. In 1986, he won the main event and took home the bracelet along with $570,000 in loot. Overall, Johnston has a total of five bracelets and has cashed 56 times in his career. He has won titles in limit and no Limit Holdem, Omaha, Razz, and in Heads Up. This year he cashed in three times. His best finish in 2008 was being 10th in the World Championship of Omaha. He has a total of over $2 million in earnings and is known for being one of the tightest and most solid players in the history of Texas Holdem poker. His playing style has definitely helped him get a lot more cashes in his career and compete for bracelets.

Tom McEvoy. He first took the title in 1983 and has so far won four bracelets and has made 36 career WSO cashes. The highlight of his career was the year 1983 when he won two events which included besting Doyle Brunson himself at the final table of the Main Event. His bracelets were won in four different games: Limit Holdem, No Limit Holdem, Razz, and Omaha. His career earnings has reached more than $1.2 million, which will surely increase as he continues to play in the series every year. Although he has failed to win another bracelet since 1992, he has had seven cashes in the last three years. This year he finished in the top 30 twice and made more than $12, 000.

Chau Giang. Giang has had 46 career cashes and has three bracelets to his name. This year has been amazing for him as he cashed in eight times and finished in the top 15 three times. His first bracelet was won in 1993 and the latest was in 2004 for winning the Pot Limit Omaha event. His total career earnings reach close to $1.5 million, becoming one of the most consistent and best players in the world.

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Event Day 1 World Series of Poker Europe – £2,500 HORSE

H.O.R.S.E. is an alternating game consisting of Limit Holdem, Limit Omaha 8 or better, limit Razz, limit 7 card stud, and limit stud 8 or better. Every game is dealt for 8 hands before switching. Top name pros participating in today’s event comprise of Roland De Wolfe, Chad Brown, Andy Black, Layne Flack, Jens Voertmann, Thor Hansen, Dave “DevilFish” Ulliott, Vanessa Rousso, Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, David Benyamine, Mike Matusow, John Juanda, Andy Bloch, John Phan, Barry Greenstein, Gus Hansen, Phil Hellmuth, and Phil Ivey. Doyle Brunson was also seen in the poker field, making his primary appearance at this WSOP Europe.

As the structure for this even seems a little fast the play progressed somewhat slow to begin with but soon picked up. Throughout a stud 8 round against Jason Newitt and Thomas Bihl. Phil Ivey led the action on fourth and fifth streets, as he took down a nice three way pot. Bihl bet out showing a board of (X-X)Jc-9s-Qd-Qc and caught a pair of queens on sixth. Ivey raised showing a board of (X-X) 6c-5s-6s-Jd and Newitt folded. Bihl checked to Ivey, who fired up out a bet. Bihl made the call as Seventh Street was dealt face down. Bihl mucked and Ivey showed 6d-5c for his down Poker cards for the full house. Ivey was around 18,000 in chips at this point in the event.

None compared to table 8 though Several tables had very strong lineups. Table 8 comprised of Doyle Brunson, Chad Brown, Max Pescatori, Thor Hansen, John Juanda, Chris Bjorn, Jean-Robert Bellande, Robert Wiliamson III, and some unidentified guy.

First big name eliminated from today’s H.O.R.S.E. event was Chad Brown. Chad Brown made it two bets to go on a flop of 5h-2c-7h in an Omaha 8 or better round. Jean-Robert Bellande made the call and Both Robert Williamson III. Bellande showed 6d-3h-2h-Kc for the flush and Williamson showed 8h-6c-3s-Ac for the nut low. Brown mucked his hand and went out of the poker tournament area.

During a stud round, Andy Black made a raise on Fourth Street showing a (X-X) Jd-4h. Ivo Donev, made the call showing (X-X) Jh-5s the original bettor. Donev caught the 3s and.Black caught a 3c on fifth and they both checked. Donev fired out a bet after catching an Ah On sixth. Black made the call after catching the 2c and only had three 25 denomination chips. Donev showed Js-9h for a pair of jacks and Black showed A-Q for a wheel draw. Donev trapped a nine on the river for jacks up and Black only caught a king, and Andy washed out to Black.

Phil Hellmuth has been close to the top of the chip lead for most of the session. In an Omaha 8 hand involving himself, Layne Flack, and Neal Friets, Hellmuth bet out on a board of 5h-6s-4h-6d and Flack moved all in. Hellmuth bet out as the river fell the Jd. Friets made the call and showed 2s-3d-9c-7s for a seven high straight and a 6 low. Hellmuth then flipped over second nut low ndAc-3c-6h-6c for quad sixes a. Flack commented, “Quad sixes and the second nut low, is that all you got?” then mucked his hand and living from the tournament area.

Mike “the Mouth” Matusow started razzing Hellmuth about the fact that Hellmuth has not won a bracelet in a non-holdem event shortly afterwards. Though all in one form of Holdem or another, Hellmuth has 11 gold bracelets.

At some point in the breaks Mike Matusow, Doyle Brunson, John Juanda, and Phil Hellmuth unfaltering to play some $1,000 a point Chinese Poker. Unluckily for Matusow, he didn’t win a hand.

Although we do not have the details of his bustout, Thor Hansen again could not summon help from Odin and busted out from today’s event. shortly after losing a big stud pot against Gary Jones “ace high.” Dave “DevilFish” Ulliott busted out. Eliminated by David Williams when Binger’s buried queens could not outdraw Williams split aces was Michael Binger. Chris Ferguson and Mike “Timex” McDonald were also sufferers of the last level.

In the first day of the H.O.R.S.E. Event concluded with Phil Ivey in the lead After a 12 and ½ hour session. Ivey is well thought-out by many to be the best overall poker player alive. In a shocking development to all, Phil Hellmuth is in second place with 54,200 chips, this should come as a shock to noon since. Woody Deck is third in chips at 37,500 while Daniel Negreanu and Howard Lederer are both hovering around the 30,000 chip mark. It appears that Richard Ashby is the short stack at 3,200 in chips at present. Mike Matusow did not report the amount of chips he had remaining, but he is indeed still in this event for some unknown reason. It also seems that Doyle Brunson busted somewhere around the end of the day, but we do not have any information on how this occurred.