In a conference call held on Tuesday, Harrah’s officials revealed that Phil Ivey is the top vote-getter for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Tournament of Champions. Poker’s version of an all-star game will take place on June 27th at the Rio in Las Vegas, with the final table panning out on July 4th.
A total of 300,000 votes have been cast to date and the opportunity for the general public to submit ballots will be open until June 15th. WSOP Vice President Ty Stewart told the assembled media, “Phil Ivey is the top overall vote-getter for the Tournament of Champions. Certainly, he’s one of the most beloved players in the game. His performance last year and the new final table format underscore our potential in the industry.” Ivey appeared on the covers of “ESPN: The Magazine” and “Cigar Aficionado,” among others, leading up to his epic Main Event run.
Ivey owns seven WSOP bracelets, tied with Billy Baxter for the sixth most all-time. He has 36 in the money finishes in WSOP events and has piled up $5.2 million in earnings in the process. Last year could have been dubbed “The Year of Ivey,” as the Full Tilt Poker pro won a $2,500 Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball event for $96,000 and an Omaha/Seven-Card Stud High-Low Eight or Better event for $220,000. He ultimately missed out on a bracelet three-peat by finishing seventh in the Main Event for $1.4 million.
Poker News Daily first reported that the Tournament of Champions would be broadcasted on ESPN along with the $50,000 Player’s Championship and Main Event, although the network has not yet issued a formal announcement. A total of 27 players will enter the $1 million freeroll, including the three former winners of the Tournament of Champions: Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton. Also receiving automatic bids to the Las Vegas spectacular are the reigning champs of the WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Events, Joe Cada and Barry Shulman.
Harrah’s officials also relayed that Jack Link’s Beef Jerky will be returning as the presenting sponsor of the WSOP. Other companies that will be associated with the tournament series this year are U.S. Playing Cards, Red Bull energy drink. Nat Nast clothing, Infinity Headwear, and Lids, which manufactures baseball caps. Steve Soffa, who owns a shop at the Rio, will design this year’s bracelets. They’ll be manufactured in downtown Los Angeles and mark a departure from Corum.
Poker pros and amateurs alike will head to Las Vegas for the annual WSOP, which begins on May 28th from the Rio. Cada, who earned $8.5 million last year after outlasting Maryland logger Darvin Moon, told conference call members, “The tough thing about tournament poker is that the variance is so high and the fields are so large. The biggest concern I have is being on top of my game and playing when I’m prepared to play. Last year, I played in 16 events. This year, I’ll probably play in 20-something events.”
Several thousand players have pre-registered for the WSOP, with the Seniors’ event, kickoff $1,000 buy-in tournament, and Main Event being the three most popular. More players have pre-registered for Day 1D of the Main Event than the other three starting days combined. Stewart was optimistic that, despite the continued down economy, the 2010 WSOP would be one of the most viewed installments to date: “It looks to be another strong year for the WSOP. We’re solidified through 2017 to be on ESPN and we have without question the best sports product on television. We look forward to 32 more episodes this year and have over 200 episodes produced.”
Vote for up to 20 players for the 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions.
