On Tuesday night, millions of viewers will witness Day 2A and likely Day 2B of the 2008 World Series of Poker Main Event on cable channel ESPN. The action begins at 9:00pm ET on the Worldwide Leader in Sports. It’s the third week that ESPN has shown the 2008 WSOP. The televised schedule will culminate in the 2008 Main Event final table on November 11th.
One familiar name that you’ll find in the massive Amazon Room at the Rio in Las Vegas on Day 2A is Hal Lubarsky. One of ESPN’s favorite characters during last year’s WSOP Main Event, Lubarsky is legally blind and has a caller read out the board to him when he plays poker. He then acts accordingly. Lubarsky finished 197th in last year’s Main Event and cashed for $51,398. This year, he comes armed with a ceramic paw print that he touches for good luck before each hand. The print is from his reader’s German shepherd dog, Nexus.
Among the first casualties of Day 2A was Bill Edler, a member of Team PokerStars Pro. First turned onto the game by former PokerStars Poker Room Manager Lee Jones, Edler won a bracelet during the 2007 WSOP in a Six-Handed No Limit Hold’em tournament, taking home $904,672. He also won a $1,500 WSOP Circuit Event at the Grand Casino Tunica for $65,065.
Also knocked out on Day 2A was poker author Susie Isaacs. She is one of the top women in poker and the owner of two WSOP bracelets. Isaacs won back to back Ladies Limit Seven Card Stud tournaments during the 1996 and 1997 WSOPs. Isaacs recorded a deep run in the Main Event in 2006, finishing 424th for $30,512. She is an author of poker strategy and poker fiction books.
Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren won his first ever WSOP bracelet during the 2008 World Series, but a Main Event championship was not in the offing. Lindgren ran his pocket jacks into pocket kings and couldn’t improve his hand. Subsequently, his A-J lost a race to pocket sevens and he was sent packing. Lindgren dominated Season II of the World Poker Tour, winning both the Ultimate Poker Classic and Party Poker Million. Those two cashes totaled $1.5 million.
Joining Lindgren, Isaacs, and Edler on the rail on Day 2A was Kathy Liebert. She won a $1,500 buy-in Limit Hold’em Shootout during the 2004 WSOP. Liebert has made four World Poker Tour final tables during his career and won $427,000 for third place in the Borgata Poker Open during Season IV.
One of the movers and shakers on Day 2A was Jeff Williams, who is known as “yellowsub” in the online poker world. Williams won the 2006 European Poker Tour Monte Carlo Grand Final, pocketing €900,000. He finished second in the $1,000 rebuy tournament held at this year’s WSOP, earning over $400,000 and some face time on ESPN in the process. Williams is a king of Pot Limit Omaha cash games and is one of the brightest stars in the poker universe today.
Here’s the remainder of the ESPN televised schedule of the 2008 WSOP Main Event:
Now through September 30th: 8-10pm ET
October 7th through October 28th: 9-11pm ET
November 4th and November 11th: 8-9pm ET
November 11th: 9-11pm ET, WSOP main event final table
