Tonight marks the return of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) on ESPN. At 8:00pm ET, the network will air the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP.
A star-studded final table will take to the felts in the event, which was the second on the 2009 WSOP schedule. It attracted 201 entrants and, as has been heavily touted in commercials for the program, generated a $7.7 million prize pool. The final table features some of the top names in live and online poker. Here’s how the chip stacks will look when final table play in Event #2 of the 2009 WSOP kicks off on ESPN this evening:
1. Isaac Haxton – 5,955,000
2. Vitaly Lunkin – 4,565,000
3. Lex Veldhuis – 3,805,000
4. Greg Raymer – 3,345,000
5. Alec Torelli – 2,340,000
6. Justin Bonomo – 1,685,000
7. Dani Stern – 1,300,000
8. Noah Schwartz – 660,000
9. Ted Forrest – 560,000
Lunkin won a $1,500 buy-in No Limit Hold’em event during the 2008 WSOP and banked $628,000, defeating Brett Kimes heads-up. Raymer won the 2004 WSOP Main Event, becoming the third amateur in a row to take down the feature $10,000 buy-in tournament. Torelli, who recently signed with the Cake Poker Network site Doyle’s Room, is fresh off a fourth place showing at the World Poker Tour’s (WPT) Bellagio Cup V for $271,000. Bonomo is a Bodog pro making his third WSOP final table appearance. Forrest owns five bracelets and was famously shut out of the Main Event this year after Day 1D sold out at over 2,800 runners. Finally, Stern will compete as part of G4’s “2 Months, $2 Million,” a poker reality show that debuts on August 16th.
With the all-star cast lined up for the final table of the kickoff WSOP on ESPN event, show producer Jamie Horowitz commented in a conference call last week, “This is the most excited I’ve ever been for a season of the WSOP, not just because we get to kick it off with new events we’ve never done before, but also because we’re doing a record number of hours of [the Main Event] this year.” In fact, ESPN will broadcast 24 hours of the world’s most prestigious poker tournament. The final table will take place on November 10th and air just hours later on the Worldwide Leader in Sports.
Tuesday is once again poker night on ESPN. Here’s the schedule for when you can tune in to catch the action in high-definition. All times are Eastern:
July 28th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: $40,000 Special Anniversary Tournament
August 4th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: WSOP Champions Invitational
August 11th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: Ante Up for Africa Charity Tournament
August 18th to September 22nd from 8:00pm to 10:00pm: WSOP Main Event
September 29th from 8:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
October 6th from 10:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
October 13th to November 3rd from 9:00pm to 11:00pm: WSOP Main Event
November 10th from 9:00pm to 11:30pm: WSOP Main Event Final Table
This year’s November Nine, who comprise the final table of the Main Event, include two brand name pros, Full Tilt Poker’s Phil Ivey and CardPlayer Editor Jeff Shulman. Ivey has already won two bracelets at the 2009 WSOP, while Shulman threatened to throw his piece of hardware in the garbage if he won. Horowitz explained the allure of this year’s group: “It’s long been discussed in the modern era of poker if a pro could win the Main Event. Having Phil Ivey as part of our November Nine has added a new level of interest to poker. There’s an elevated sense of excitement for this season.”
Ivey is ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad’s perennial pick to win the $10,000 buy-in Main Event. He explained to reporters why Ivey has become one of the industry’s staples: “Anytime you’re playing with a pro, there’s going to be a sense of intimidation, but there’s some mystical magical quality about Phil Ivey that actually elevates him above the rest. He has an amazing table presence that’s unequaled in the game.” Chad told Poker News Daily on the Ante Up for Africa red carpet that he expected Ivey to win the charity tournament as well.
We’ll look forward to seeing the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP unfold tonight on ESPN and ESPN HD.
