Paddy Power recently unveiled betting options for players searching for action on the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP). A bevy of prop bets on the WSOP Main Event are now available.
Who will make the final table of the 2009 WSOP Main Event? Carlos Mortensen, Daniel Negreanu, Dario Minieri, David “Devilfish” Ulliott, Allen Cunningham, Gus Hansen, Gavin Griffin, Patrik Antonius, Phil Hellmuth, 2008 WSOP Main Event Champion Peter Eastgate, Phil Ivey, and Ram Vaswani are all fetching 66:1 odds and represent the favorites. Greg Raymer, who is fresh off final tabling the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament commemorating the 40th running of the WSOP, has 100:1 odds, tied with players including Daniel Alaei, 2005 WSOP Main Event Champion Joe Hachem, Humberto Brenes, and Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond.
“Celebrity Apprentice” runner-up Annie Duke is generating 150:1 odds to make the WSOP Main Event final table. Also seeing 150:1 odds are WSOP bracelet winner and Full Tilt Poker pro Nenad Medic, Perry Friedman, Rafe Furst, and 2008 Poker Hall of Fame inductee Dewey Tomko. Friedman was one of the notable benefactors of the “Celebrity Apprentice,” paying $10,000 for a wedding dress in one episode and then returning for the season finale to participate in a silent auction prior to a performance of the Cirque du Soleil show Wintuk.
Capitalizing on its Irish roots, Paddy Power is offering action on whether an Irish player will reach the feature table of poker’s most prestigious tournament. “No” is paying 1:33, while “Yes” has 9:1 odds. Bettors can also weigh in on which Irishman will last the longest in the $10,000 buy-in tournament. Donnacha O’Dea, Marty Smyth, Dave Callaghan, Rory Rees Brennan, Ciaran O’Leary, and Andy Black are all going off at 20:1. Padraig Parkinson, who finished third in the 1999 WSOP Main Event, is at 28:1. Noel Furlong ultimately won that tournament.
Paddy Power is offering betting on the age of the Main Event winner. The odds-on favorite right now is the 31 to 35 year-old group, which has 7:2 odds. Both 26 to 30 and 36 to 40 are coming in at 4:1. The 21 to 25 year-old age level, which would have included Eastgate last year, is fetching 9:2 odds. Fifty-one years old and over comes with 5:1 odds, while 41 to 45 and 46 to 50 are attracting 11:2 and 13:2 odds, respectively.
Betters have voiced that the number of entrants will likely be between 6,000 and 6,499, which is generating 3:1 odds. A field of 5,500 to 5,999 would mean good news for bettors who locked in 4:1 odds. If I were betting, I would put my money on 6,500 to 6,999 entrants, which is coming in at 5:1. Last year’s Main Event attracted 6,844 runners.
Who will be the top Full Tilt pro in the 2009 WSOP Main Event? Allen Cunningham and Phil Ivey are each seeing 8:1 odds in the last longer bet, slightly ahead of the 9:1 of Erick Lindgren, Gus Hansen, John Juanda, Patrik Antonius, and Mike Matusow. Coming in at 10:1 odds are Andy Bloch, Erik Seidel, Chris Ferguson, Phil Gordon, Howard Lederer, and Jennifer Harman. Seidel is an eight-time WSOP bracelet winner and reached the final tables of the 1988 and 1999 Main Events.
Finally, Paddy Power asked bettors which of the inaugural November Nine will last the longest this year. The winner and runner-up (Eastgate and Ivan Demidov) are both fetching 9:2 odds. Craig Marquis is coming in at 11:2, while David “Chino” Rheem, perhaps the biggest gambler at the final table last year, is generating 13:2 odds. The other members of the November Nine – Dennis Phillips, Kelly Kim, Ylon Schwartz, Scott Montgomery, and Darus Suharto – all weigh in at 8:1.
The 2009 WSOP Main Event kicks off on July 3rd with the first of four starting days. The tournament plays down to its final nine on July 15th before being paused until November 7th. A winner will be crowned three days later.