2008 WSOP Update: The Year of The Pro(TM) Not Dead Yet

Well, it looks like it all comes down the the Main Event this year to determine if the 2008 WSOP will forever be known as The Year of the Pro^TM or as something else. Fortunately, as reader "Mike" pointed out here, the man who won the $10,000 PLO tournament, Marty Smith, is in fact an Irish pro, which definitely helps.

:: Event #52 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - Pro poker player David Daneshgar took this one down, winning his first WSOP bracelet and banking $625,443. Daneshgar defeated Scott Sitron (not a pro), for the title. Ginger pro Dan Heimiller finished third. Get full results here.

:: Event #53 ($1,500 Limit Hold'em Shoot-out) - Survivor's Jean-Robert Bellande could've put away The Year of the Pro^TM race with a win, but he came up just short of his first bracelet. JRB lost heads-up to Matt Graham, who is arguably pro material with four cashes in this year's World Series of Poker. Graham banks $278,180 for the win. Get full payouts here.

Main Event starts tomorrow at noon PST. Check back with WickedChopsPoker.com for regular updates.

2008 WSOP Band of Bloggers: Get full recaps and payouts from WorldSeriesofPoker.com here. Get Dr. Pauly's take on WSOP happenings here. Please please don't forget Pokerati here. And get Poker Prof's recap and more photos here.

2008 WSOP Update: The Year of the Pro(TM) Back In Jeopardy as Phil Hellmuth, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi Do Not Win Bracelets

The Grinder failed to rack up his first WSOP bracelet last night.

Uh oh.

:: Event #50 ($10,000 Pot Limit Omaha) - Errr. Eeee. Hmm. Well, Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi entered final table play as chip leader, but he couldn't pull through that first WSOP bracelet, eventually falling in third. Instead, Marty Smith, who is not even a pro, took the title, his first bracelet, and $859,549. Even worse, and this is truly scary, Marty Smith is...ugh...a ginger. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #51 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.) - After Grinder not winning a bracelet, all eyes were on Phil Hellmuth. Could Hellmuth keep hope alive for The Year of the Pro^TM at the 2008 WSOP? It was such a main storyline that nobody was even paying attention to the fact that Phil was going for his 12th bracelet. Didn't even cross anyone's mind. It was all about The Year of the Pro^TM. But following in the steps of The Grinder, Hellmuth finished third. Instead, James Schaaf took his first bracelet, banking $256,412. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #52 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - There is still hope though. Three guys we consider pros by any measurable standard, Matt Matros, David Daneshgar, and Dan Heimiller, who happens to be THIS GINGER, enter final table play stacked second, fourth, and sixth respectively. If Heimiller pulls out his second bracelet, will that make this The Year of the Ginger? (patent pending) They all trail chip leader Corwin Cole (not a pro). Get full final table chip counts here.

:: Event #53 ($1,500 Limit Hold'em Shoot-Out) - A field of 823 whittled down to 72, paying out first $278,180. Some pros still alive and fighting to ensure this year is their year include Jean-Robert Bellande, Hoyt Corkins and Kenna James (see their brokeback moment here), and David Bach. Get chip counts here.

2008 WSOP Band of Bloggers: Get full recaps and payouts from WorldSeriesofPoker.com here. Get Dr. Pauly's take on WSOP happenings here. Please please don't forget Pokerati here. And get Poker Prof's recap and more photos here.

2008 WSOP Update: Grinder Goes for First; Hellmuth Takes Aim at 12th

Phil Hellmuth (above) is in the hunt for bracelet #12 again.

Just one more tournament before the Main Event begins. After the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran bagged his first WSOP bracelet yesterday, all eyes will be on Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi this afternoon. With the Grinder in contention for bracelet #1 today, it might be time to consider a new official moniker for the 2008 World Series of Poker: The Year of the Best Without a Bracelet^TM. Although that title is a little complicated, as to be the best without a bracelet you also must be a pro, so actually it just lends more support to it being The Year of the Pro^TM. Interesting...VERY...interesting.

:: Event #50 ($10,000 Pot Limit Omaha) - As mentioned, the story here is if Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi can capture his first bracelet. He'll bring the big stack to the final table with 1,767,000. Grinder is followed by non-pro Brandon Moran with 1,286,000. Get final table chip counts here.

:: Event #51 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.) - It was an up and down day for Phil Hellmuth. Or perhaps even a rollercoaster. Despite some ups and downs, Hellmuth finished the day as big stack with 287,500. Pretty sure we don't need to explain the implications of a Hellmuth win, not only for his bracelet count but for a little thing we like to call/trademark The Year of the Pro^TM. Hellmuth is followed by James Schaaf, who is not to be confused with Snarf, with 236,500. Some other big names of the 20 remaining include no one. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #52 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - The last mega-field tourney before the Main Event had 2693 entrants with 228 remaining at the end of the day. Keith Carberry will take the chip lead to Day 1 with 203,000. Get full chip counts here.

For another good, insightful look at yesterday's action, read Dr. Pauly here.

2008 WSOP Band of Bloggers: Get full recaps and payouts from WorldSeriesofPoker.com here. Get Dr. Pauly's take on WSOP happenings here. Please please don't forget Pokerati here. And get Poker Prof's recap and more photos here.

2008 WSOP Update: J.C. Tran Goes After First Bracelet (Again); Phil Hellmuth Takes Aim at Number 12

While most of the attention was on the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event, some big names were making their mark on other 2008 WSOP tournaments this weekend.

:: Event #48 ($2,000 No Limit Hold'em) - Unfortunately none of those big names were in this one. Brazalian Alexandre Gomes took this won down, banking $770,540 and his first bracelet. Get full payouts results.

:: Event #49 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - The mega-field of 2,718 is down to its final nine. Rasmus Nielsen is the chip leader, stacked at 2,998,000. The spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran (above) once again goes for bracelet number one, entering the final table second overall in chips with 1,438,000. Joe Pelton, who a couple years ago had a cool girlfriend but we haven't heard much from since, is third with 1,093,000. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #50 ($10,000 Pot Limit Omaha) - Nice turn-out as 381 signed up, creating a first place prize of $859,532. Josh Arieh just killed it on Day 1, ending play as big stack with 343,700. He's followed by Guillaume Patry with 226,400. Some other big name big stacks include David Williams (142,900), David Singer (128,200), Nenad Medic (101,800), and The Intense Stare of Scott Clements (88,600). Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #51 ($1,500 H.O.R.S.E.) - All the big names who went all Big Brown in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. entered this one. In total, 803 runners signed up creating a first place prize of $256,412. Phil Hellmuth ended the day as chip leader, stacked at 46,400. He's closely followed by "Salty" Joe Hachem (37,500) and Lorenzo Lamas (36,700). Get full chip counts here.

Get full J.C. Tran photo spread here.

Scotty Nguyen Wins $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Event; The Year of The Pro(TM) Off Life Support

In what all "pros" as well as "years" at the 2008 WSOP considered a "must-win" situation, Scotty Nguyen, a pro, won the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event early this morning, giving The Year of The Pro^TM what could best be described as a "serious shot in the arm" for official moniker of this year's World Series.

Fortunately for the pros, the deck was stacked in their favor going into the event. From our pick to win it, Huck Seed, to Barry Greenstein (who counts twice) and Erick Lindgren, the odds were in favor of a pro pulling this one out.

In the end it was Nguyen, baby. The title gave Scotty $1,989,120, his fifth WSOP bracelet, and poker journalists everywhere a chance to make plays on the words "Win" and "Nguyen" in their tournament recap headlines.

Nguyen defeated Mike DeMichele ($1,243,200) for the championship. Erick Lindgren finished third ($781,440). Get full payouts here.

2008 WSOP Update: Erick Lindgren Leads $50k H.O.R.S.E. Final Table; Ryan Hughes Wins Second Bracelet

Right now, we'd say it's a coin flip as to whether the 2008 WSOP will end up earning it's The Year of the Pro^TM moniker that we trademarked when all is said and done.

Some of this argument simply hinges on this: when exactly do you qualify as a "pro?" We're certainly not willing to play the role of God and make that assessment for people. But then again, how else will we know for sure? It's so daunting.

:: Event #47 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo) - Case in point. Ryan Hughes, who won a Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo event last year, took down this one, earning his second WSOP bracelet. Even though only 7 people in the poker world have heard of Hughes before and only 3 would recognize him walking down the street, Hughes is a pro, right? We say an emphatic "yes" to that question, btw. For the win, Hughes banks $183,368. Get full results here.

:: Event #45 ($50,000 H.O.R.S.E.) - Here's a chance for the pros to put a stake in the ground and say, "Dammit, this is the year of us!" Full Tilt Poker pro Erick Lindgren will bring the chip lead to the final table, stacked at 3,680,000. A win here would all but cement Lindgren as the 2008 WSOP POY. The same could be said for the man in third, Barry Greenstein, who is stacked at 1,955,000. Scotty Nguyen is second overall with 3,535,000. And our perennial pick to win it, Huck Seed, is sixth overall with 1,200,000. Get full final table chip counts here.

:: Event #48 ($2,000 No Limit Hold'em) - Lots of collective WSOP cashes in this group but no one that you'd really look at and say, "Yeah, he's a pro." Get final table chip counts here.

:: Event #49 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - This one had 2,718 entrants, playing down to 215 early this morning. First place pays $631,053. A surprising number of big named pros remain, although chip leader Micah Raskin (175,000), is not one of them. However, some big named big stacks do include Young Phan (128,000), Greg "FBT" Mueller (120,000), the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran (above, 93,000), and David "The Dragon" Pham* (90,000). Get a more complete list of chip counts here.

Get J.C.'s full photo after the jump and check out the entire spread here.

* Not a real dragon.

We're In The Money

Mike Wattel played the role of bubble boy in the 2008 WSOP H.O.R.S.E. event, busting in 17th place. There's been a number of knock-outs since then, including Doyle Brunson in 16th and Andy Bloch in 15th (earning both $124,320).

At dinner break, 13 remain. Erick Lindgren is chip leader, stacked at 1,790,000. Our perennial pick to win it, Huck Seed, is third with 1,460,000. Scotty Nguyen, Phil Ivey, Barry Greenstein, and Daniel Negreanu are all alive, giving The Year of the Pro^TM a last gasp shot at still being The Year of the Pro^TM.

Get full chip counts here.

2008 WSOP Update: The Year of the Pro(TM) Is In Jeopardy

Lyle Berman and Robert Williamson III getting rail'd by Gus Hansen's lap girl from Day 1 of the H.O.R.S.E. event.

Maybe we jumped the gun a bit in dubbing (and trademarking) the 2008 World Series of Poker as The Year of the Pro^TM.

We almost don't want to recap yesterday's action because of its general lack of proness. But we're professionals. And it's not our fault pros and making it less the year of them right now.

:: Event #44 ($1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/ Rebuys) - Max Greenwood, not a pro, wins his first (and likely last) bracelet by capturing the $1,000 rebuy event. Greenwood banks $693,392 for the win. The one pro in the event, Alex Bolotin, was the first out at the final table. Nice work, Alex. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #45 ($50,000 H.O.R.S.E.) - Not sure what to make of this. On the surface, about 80% of the remaining field of 24 would qualify as "pro." But the chip leader, Mike DeMichele, is new on the scene and has a girly French sounding name. Two huge knocks against him. DeMichele does have three WSOP cashes, all in mixed games, which gives some credibility to him being a "pro." But not much. Luckily, after DeMichele is a laundry list of who's who run the gamut the whole kit and kaboodle and the kitchen sink of big named pros. Following DeMichele are Barry Greenstein (who is such a pro he counts twice) with 1,311,000 and uber-pro Daniel Negreanu with 1,226,000. Some other names you've probably heard of include Scotty Nguyen (1,033,000), Doyle Brunson (777,000), Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi (701,000), Erick Lindgren (485,000), likely second place finisher Andy Bloch (421,000), Gabe Kaplan (360,000), Brandon Adams (290,000), our pick to win it Huck Seed (190,000), Phil Ivey (145,000), and Lorenzo Lamas (81,000). And that's just to name a few.

:: Event #46 ($5,000 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed) - A total non-pro final table. Only notable mention is the singular version of David Kita, Davidi Kitai, is short-stacked. Get full finaly table chip counts here.

2008 WSOP Update: Erik Seidel Doesn't Win Non-Record 9th Bracelet, Is The Year of the Pro(TM) No Longer The Year of the Pro(TM)?

Isabelle Mercier, a woman pro, is one of the many pros still fighting to ensure that the 2008 WSOP remains The Year of the Pro^TM.

The talk around the Rio Amazon room today among so-called poker "media" and industry types completely surrounds whether or not Erik Seidel and his non-win of Event #43 means that it is no longer The Year of the Pro^TM.^* Or maybe it signals a changing of the tide. Or maybe it's just a blip on the screen, and pros will continue making it the year of them in the last few tourneys before the Main Event starts next week. Like that song from Asia, only time will tell.

:: Event #43 ($1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo) - You've probably figured out by now that Erik Seidel, a pro, did not win Event #43. He finished fourth. A win by Seidel would've all but solidified the 2008 WSOP as The Year of the Pro^TM. A win by Kasey Castle would've at least been a nice consolation, as his hot porn star sounding name gives us a little chubber. Until we see his face. Which then obliterates said chubber. Kastle finished second. Martin Klaser, who is not even a pro, won the event. Further hammering home Klaser's non-pro status is the fact that this is his first ever WSOP cash, let alone bracelet. For the win, Klaser banks $216,249. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #44 ($1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/ Rebuys) - What the fuck is going on here man. We're willing to say that the wildly under-rated Alex Bolotin is a pro, but he's pretty much it at the final table, and he's among the short-stacks, sitting with 308,000. This is Bolotin's third final table of the 2008 WSOP, and for the sake of pros everywhere, he better win. And if not for the pros, than for the sake of The Year of the Pro^TM and all the money we spent trademarking it and dividends we're expecting in return. Jesse Chinni, not a pro, will bring the big stack to final table play with 2,160,000. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #45 ($50,000 H.O.R.S.E.) - Now we're talking! The leaderboard for this one has more pros on it than a Chinese phonebook. Let's count 'em down: Lyle Berman (pro, 507,000), Patrick Bueno (not a pro, 485,500), Barry Greenstein (such a pro you should count him twice, 473,000), Minh Ly (pro, 451,000), Chris Reslock (pro, 435,500), Joseph Michael (Internet pro and Davidson Matthew Club member, 401,000), Erick Lindgren (pro, 397,500), Justin Bonomo (pro, 384,000), Daniel Negreanu (pro, 374,500), Doyle Brunson (pro, 366,000), and Andy Bloch (pro, 362,500). So counting Barry Greenstein twice, that makes 11 of the top 12 chip leaders in Event #45 pros. That's 91.6%!!! Of the other 49 remaining (counting Greenstein twice still), we'd be willing to bet that at least 80% are pros. And we'd even be willing to count Isabelle Mercier twice (146,000), just because of her fantastic new rack. Get full chip counts here.

2008 WSOP Update: James Mackey, A Ginger, Leads $50k H.O.R.S.E; Erik Seidel Goes for 9th Bracelet Again

David Benyamine (above right), continues his assault on 2008 WSOP POY honors as he's among the chip leaders in the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event.

After a few days of downtime, the hype/action/buzz returned to the 2008 WSOP yesterday with the start of the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event. The Rio Amazon Room was packed with newly arrived so-called poker "media,"
railbirds, fanboys, and industry types. Action for the H.O.R.S.E. event picks up again today at 3pm.

:: Event #42 ($1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em) - Whatever.

:: Event #43 ($1,500 Omaha Hi/Lo) - The big story here is that Erik Seidel is making his second run at bracelet #9 this year. Seidel is stacked second overall with 340,000. He only trails Jon Maren (377,000), who you've likely discerned then must be the chip leader. Also in contention is Casey Kastle (188,000), who joins Shannon Shorr as the two dudes on the circuit with the best hot porn star sounding names. Let's just say if we saw a DVD called "Girl-Girl-Guy Threesomes Galore! (43)" starring Casey Kastle, Shannon Shorr, and Brock Parker, we probably wouldn't even do a double-take. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #44 ($1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/ Rebuys) - 115 remain of the original 879, and with all the rebuys, first place with pay $693,444. Jamel Maistriaux ended Day 1 as chip leader, stacked at 169,300. Big name big stacks remaining include Mark Seif (133,000), Joe Tehan, whose name sounds too much like "Tehran" for our liking (108,200), and the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran (54,900). Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #45 ($50,000 H.O.R.S.E) - The big one. The event everyone was waiting for and the title the pros most want to claim. Each table is stacked with a who's who of poker greats. Surely the event will continue the trend this year that we exclusively trademarked as The Year of the Pro^TM. Frightening the competition with fearlessness that could only be accomplished by someone lacking a soul is James "mig dot com" Mackey, a ginger, with 214,000. With 140 of the initial 148 remaining, and with virtually every person in the field someone that you've heard of, it'd be, as Dr. Pauly would say, "redunkulous" to list all the notables. But we will mention that Phil Hellmuth, seen here talking about the bad WSOP he's having right before the event began, was one of the eight eliminated on Day 1. Also, the four pros most likely to claim 2008 WSOP POY honors (and solidify this year as the Year of the Pro), Erick Lindgren, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, and David Benyamine, are all above averaged stacked going into Day 2. Get full chip counts here.

After the jump, a photo of the fantastically stacked and looking-better-than-ever Isabelle Mercier next to Dario Minieri. Mercier seriously looks like that hot teacher everyone wanted to bang in 9th grade and Dario like the student who gets a little too nervous around her. Also after the jump is possibly the best photo we've ever taken of Tom Schneider.

2008 WSOP Update: John Phan Ruining It for The Rest of Us; New Davidson Matthew Club Member Wins Bracelet

John Phan (above) captured his second bracelet of the 2008 WSOP.

The $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. championship at the 2008 WSOP starts today, and sitting on the toilet typing this post looking out about the Rio Amazon Room in Las Vegas the anticipation is palpable. Plays starts at 5pm PST, so come back for updates and pics, as super hot "working women" railbirds will be out in full force.

On with the recaps:

:: Event #40 ($2,500 Limit 2-7 Lowball) - Well, looks like The Year of the Pro^(TM) at the 2008 WSOP continues. John Phan becomes the 2008 WSOP's first multiple bracelet winner by capturing Event #40. For the win, Phan banks $151,911 and moves up to third in the POY race. Inexplicably, Phan, who already is considered one of the nicest guys on the circuit, has reportedly decided to give the winnings to charities in Vietnam. By doing so, Phan further makes guys like us who have completely disavowed the concept of "charity" and "philanthropy" look like bigger assholes than we already are. Thanks Phan. Mr. Nice Charity Guy defeated Shun Uchida heads-up for the title. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #41 ($1,500 Mixed Hold'em) - Newly elected Davidson Matthew Club member Frank Gary takes this one down, banking $219,508 and his first bracelet. Nick Binger, brother of WSOP cashing machine Michael, held the chip lead for much of the event but bowed out in third. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #42 ($1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em) - Whatever.

:: Event #43 ($1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo) - The last tournament of the day had 720 entrants and will pay out $216,249 to first. Ed Smith ended the day as chip leader stacked at 119,500. The guy with the hot girl's name, Shannon Shorr, is second with 86,900. Read our previous and more detailed recap of the event here and get full chip counts here.

2008 WSOP Update: We'll Keep This Brief

Only four tournaments to report on from Sunday, and we'll keep it short. For a more "thorough" look at the action, get  live World Series of Poker coverage and more in-depth WSOP blogs at Poker Listings. To get your week started off right, visit the Wicked Chops Poker Forum for threads on Breann McGregor and the spectacularly-breasted Yoko Matsugane.

:: Event #38 ($2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em) - Apparently the singular version of "David Kita," Davidi Kitai, brings home his first bracelet by defeating poker pro Chris Bell heads-up for the title. Davidi banks $244,583 for the win. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #39 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - The final nine come back at 2pm PST to play for the $631,656 first prize. 2005 WSOP bracelet winner and overly-consonanted Thom Werthmann has the chip lead. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #40 ($2,500 2-7 Limit) - Shun Uchida looks to make his third cash at the 2008 WSOP as he takes the chip lead to Day 2 of Event #40. Uchida is stacked at 79,200. Other big name big stacks include Greg Raymer (64,600) and Robert Mizrachi (54,200). Only 30 remain and first pays out $151,896. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #41 ($1,500 Mixed Hold'em) - Just 731 entered the final tourney of the day and 98 survived to Monday. Jonathan Tamayo is chip leader stacked at 98,100. Super hero/porn star Brock Parker remains (23,125), as does Todd "DanDruff" Witteles (13,750). Get full chip counts here.

2008 WSOP Update: David Benyamine Livin' Large, Wins First Bracelet

David Benyamine (above, front center) battled a stacked final table to win his first bracelet earlier today.

Working off some general fog from the Gnarls Barkley concert at Mandalay Bay beach so we're light on the preamble for this WSOP update. However, of note, the sitarist for opening act Thievery Corporation is a dead ringer for Dutch Boyd. Seriously could've been him. Dutch, do you have wicked sitar chops that we're unaware of?

::  Event #35 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - Here's a final table that would've been infinitely more interesting if Bryan Micon out lasted another six eliminations to join the remaining nine (get Micon's latest Degenerate Report here). Aaron Kanter, he of 2005 WSOP final table fame, made a run from short-stack to finish third, which pretty much constitutes the "big story" on this one.  Jesper Hougaard started the day as chip leader and ended the day as chip leader, winning his first bracelet and banking $610,304. Get full results here.

:: Event #35 ($10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo) - David Benyamine is having a helluva month. Aside from waking up next to Erica Schoenberg every morning, Benyamine banked almost $1.5M on Full Tilt Poker last month. Today he added another $535,687 to his bankroll after taking down the World Championship of Omaha Hi/Lo. Benyamine defeated Greg Jamison heads-up for the title. The win vaults Benyamine to second overall in the 2008 World Series of Poker Player of the Year standings, trailing Jacobo Fernadez by two points. Toto Leonidas finished fourth, Mike "The Mouth" Matusow fifth. Get full payouts here.

:: Event #36 ($2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em) - Michael Binger will have to wait a little longer for his first WSOP bracelet. After holding the chip lead for most of Event #36, the cashing machine just missed another final table, bowing out in 11th. Instead the exceedingly pretentiously named Jan Christoph Von Halle will start final table play with the chip lead, stacked at 485,000. He's followed by 2007 WSOP Main Event final table-ist Lee Watkinson-Markholt with 357,000. Watkinson-Markholt is going for his second bracelet. In fourth overall is Ayaz Mahmood, who let's just say we'd watch his every move like a fucking hawk if he sat next to us on a flight. Why doesn't he have any carry-on luggage? Why only a book? He's been in the bathroom an awfully long time. Whew ok he sat back down and is now buckling his seat belt. First pays out $$244,583. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #37 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - Another mega-field, with 2,720 entrants paying out a first place prize of $631,656. Only 218 survived to Day 2. Michael Polcari takes the chip lead into action today with 130,000. Making his own push for 2008 WSOP Player of the Year honors is Barry Greenstein, who started off strong and is stacked at 89,600. Get full chip counts here.

Get live World Series of Poker coverage and more in-depth WSOP blogs at Poker Listings.

2008 WSOP Update: Flack Attacks and Wins Sixth Bracelet; Is It Finally Time for Binger's First?

Before recapping the 47 tournaments going on concurrently right now, here's some suggested weekend browsing. Visit our favorite cougar for her interview with PokerRoad.com's Joe Sebok (here). Hilarious true story on Astroglide from Kid Dynamite (here). Great pics of 2008 WSOP winners at LasVegasVegas.com (here). Interesting read on the latest UIGEA news at Pokerati (here). And head over to PokerListings.com for their daily WSOP video recap.

:: Event #34 ($1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys) - It's been five years since Layne Flack (at right, earlier at this year's WSOP) captured his fifth WSOP bracelet. Both Flack and Ted Forrest entered final table play with a shot to enter poker elite status by becoming only one of ten people to capture their sixth. While Forrest flourished early but faltered to fifth, Flack went on the attack to finish first. Flack appeared super focused, went hyper-aggressive after Forrest was eliminated, and defeated Daniel Makowsky heads-up for the title. Along with his sixth bracelet, Flack banked $577,725, more than making up for the 20+ rebuys he made in the event. Get full final table payouts here.

:: Event #35 (#1,500 Seven Card Stud) - Trust us, you really don't care. Results here.

:: Event #36 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - The mega-field of 2,447 made it down to a final table early this morning. Making his first final table at the 2008 WSOP as chip leader after two previous cashes is Jesper Hougaard with 1,582,000. Danny Wong is third overall with 1,105,000. And the 2005 WSOP final table-ist who made the donk move that knocked Greg Raymer out, Aaron Kanter, is short-stacked with 165,000. NWP's Bryan Micon had a strong showing, finishing 15th. Get full final table stacks here.

:: Event #37 ($10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo) - Of the 235 who started only 18 remain, and they'll play it down to a winner today. Ram Vaswani starts the day as big stack with 569,000. Last year Phil Hellmuth told us that Mike Matusow is the best Omaha Hi/Lo player in the world, and he's living up to that rep stacked second overall with 396,000. Other notable unmarketable big names remaining include Chau Giang (384,000), David Benyamine (378,000), David Chiu (372,000), and Berry Johnston (338,000). Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #38 ($2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em) - Not many people mention Michael Binger as a "Best Without a Bracelet" guy, but his run since making the 2006 WSOP final table is just sick. He cashed eight times at the WSOP in 2007. He already has three cashes and a final table this year. And he's currently the big stack in Event #38 with 146,100. He's followed by Ayaz Mahmood with 97,600. Get the full final 63 who will play down to the final table today (and a $244,583 first prize) here.

Also visit: Top ranked online poker rooms | Highest sign-up bonuses guaranteed | Exclusive PokerListings.com bonuses and freerolls | Best online poker room reviews

2008 WSOP Update: Ted Forrest Goes for Sixth Bracelet; Chris "Jesus" Ferguson Just Misses His

Jennifer Harman (above) is among the many big names going toe-to-toe in the $10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo championship.

We're beginning to think that the goal goal of the 2008 WSOP is to punish the so-called poker "media." Just way too many events going on at once. Did we lose a war? A war we weren't even aware of?  You are sly ones, Harrah's officials, with your guerilla tactics.

:: Event #33 ($5,000 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo) - Tough one for Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. Going for WSOP bracelet number six, Ferguson had the chip lead at times but eventually fell heads-up to Sebastian Ruthenberg. This is Ruthenberg's first bracelet. He banks $328,756 for the win. Ferguson adds another $202,406 to his fortunes. Marcel Luske finished fourth ($95,069) and Annie Duke, a woman, finished fifth ($73,602). Get full results here.

:: Event #34 ($1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys) - While Ferguson just missed his sixth, Ted Forrest has a shot to nab his. Forrest already has a runner-up finish this year in Event #16 and is one of the many rumored to have bracelet prop bets on the side. Forrest is second overall in chips going into final table play with 757,000. Also in the mix is Layne Flack with 601,000. Jacobo Fernadez will take a crack at his first bracelet again this year, having now made three final tables. Fernadez is short-stacked with 240,000.

:: Event #35 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud) - A "friends and family" final table of eight. If you're related to Michael Rocco or Al Barbieri then get their chip counts here.

:: Event #36 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - Of the 2,447 that entered, only 186 survived. Sounds dramatic. Day 2 play begins shortly with Owen Crowe as the chip leader, stacked at 170,000. NWP's Bryan Micon has 64,500 (watch his spectacular Degenerate Report here). And the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran is among the few other big names remaining with 54,400. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #37 ($10,000 Omaha Hi/Lo) - The final tourney of the day is led by Omaha Hi/Lo specialist Soheil Shamseddin (dude already made a Hi/Lo final table this year). Other big name chip leaders include 2008 WSOP POY co-leader Erick Lindgren (91,700), Chau Giang (84,700), and Annie Duke, a woman (83,700). Tons of other big names still remain. Get 'em all here.

Get live World Series of Poker coverage and more in-depth WSOP blogs at Poker Listings.

2008 WSOP Update: Our Favorite Scarf-Wearing Euro Wins First Bracelet; Chris "Jesus" Ferguson Goes for His Sixth

While our photog was getting busted and Phil Ivey and Jerry Buss were chatting it up, there was actually some great poker going on at the Rio last night. Update time...

:: Event #31 ($2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed) - Our favorite scarf-wearing Euro, Dario Minieri (photo), took this one down. He beat Seth Fischer heads-up for the title, winning his first bracelet and banking $528,418. In what probably contains no irony at all, Dario's winning heads-up hand was pocket Queens. Not that Dario goes that way, even though most Euros are definitely more sexually "open" than U.S. Americans. In fact, we'd wager that that little guy probably bags more chicks than KFC. Mostly because European girls are more sexually "open" than just about anywhere else in the world, and that includes girls who grew up in Florida. So actually why are we ripping on Euros? They hardly work, their money is worth more than ours, and they're doing it like all the time. Bastards. This is a poker blog, right? Get full chip counts here.

Rest of the update after the jump . . .

2008 WSOP Update: OMGClayAiken Grabs First Bracelet; J.C. Tran Goes for His Again

The spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran (above) goes for his first WSOP bracelet today at 2pm PST.

It was an interesting day of 2008 World Series of Poker action, as Event #31 ($2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six-Handed) left many happy to be there and this unfortunate photo was taken which just isn't funny at all. On with the updates.

:: Event #27 ($1,500 No Limit Hold'em) - Vitaly Lunkin won this "friends and family" final table, banking $628,417. If you just really love poker that much and gotta know the rest of what happened, get full results here.

:: Event #28 ($5,000 Pot Limit Omaha w/ Rebuys) - In yet another star-studded final table, online poker superstar Phil "OMGClayAiken" Galfond took down the title, earning his first of what is sure to be a few WSOP bracelets and banking, as Dr. Pauly would say, a "redunkulous" $817,781. Galfond defeated another online specialist, Adam "the_houdini" Hourani, for the title, going 100 hands deep heads-up. David Benyamine took third earning three million five hundred thousand glazed doughnuts $316,307. Poker legend Johnny Chan, who has gone from oranges to bananas, missed out on his record-tying 11th bracelet, finishing fourth and earning $246,874. John Juanda came in sixth ($154,296), Daniel Negreanu, who has mad respect for OMGClayAiken's game, was seventh ($123,437), and the always impressive Phil Hellmuth was eighth ($100,292).

:: Event #29 ($3,000 No Limit Hold'em) - Matthew Vengrin, who you may not remember from the final table of last year's Event #3 final table, is chip leader stacked at 1,007,500. Also in the mix is unheralded Alex Bolotin, who has nearly $1M in WSOP earnings, with 534,000 in chips; David Singer, who is going for his second bracelet at this year's WSOP, with 515,000; and John "The Razor" Phan, who while he doesn't have a bracelet yet, his mom is still probably very proud of him, with 396,500.

:: Event #30 ($10,000 Limit Hold'em) - 218 entered this one, playing down to the final table last night. Aaron Katz, who won a bracelet in 2004 and was never heard from again, is heard from again as chip leader, stacked at 1,232,000. The real story here are two guys looking to shed the "Best Without a Bracelet" moniker, as both Andy Bloch (370,000), and the spectacularly-breasted J.C. Tran (247,000), are in the mix. The short-stack is a guy named Brock Parker, who must either be a super-hero or a porn star. Get full chip counts here. Follow final table action at 2pm PST here.

2008 WSOP Band of Bloggers: Get full recaps and payouts from WorldSeriesofPoker.com here. Get Dr. Pauly's take on WSOP happenings here. Gary Wise has some thoughts here. Please please don't forget Pokerati here. And get Poker Prof's recap and more photos here.

* The photo above is of J.C. Tran masquerading by the name Tanya Robinson, super-sexy British model. Get the full sized pic after the jump and the full lingerie shoot here.

2008 WSOP Update: Blair Hinkle Looks to Be Second Hinkle to Win Bracelet; Allen Cunningham Goes for Sixth

While we already covered some of the current 2008 World Series of Poker events going on here and here, below are a few more recaps.

:: Event #23 ($2,000 NLH) - We own Blair Hinkle SEO, so hopefully he'll keep up the stellar 2008 he's having by joining his bro and capturing his first bracelet today. Hinkle is stacked second overall with 1,030,000. He slightly trails Andrew Jeffreys with 1,051,000. The most anonymous two-time-bracelet-winner-40-time-WSOP-casher ever Chris Bjorin is stacked seventh overall with 247,000. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #24 ($2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Pot Limit Omaha) - Full Tilt Poker pro Allen Cunningham looks to make history by winning a bracelet in 47 consecutive years today (as Dr. Pauly would say, that's "redunkulous"). Cunningham is currently stacked second going into the Event #24 final table with 484,000. He's a blind behind Kyle Kloeckner (494,000). Also at the final table is Max "The Italian Pirate" Pescatori and Ming Ly. Get full final table chip counts here.

2008 WSOP Band of Bloggers: Get full recaps and payouts from WorldSeriesofPoker.com here. Get Dr. Pauly's take on WSOP happenings here. Gary Wise has some thoughts here. Please please don't forget Pokerati here. And get Poker Prof's recap and more photos here.

Vanessa Selbst, A Wom--, A Woma--, Ugh, A Woman, Wins First WSOP Bracelet

Yesterday, we said it was inevitable. And while she almost blew it like that loser Big Brown, Vanessa Selbst, a woman, became the first woman poker player to ever win a WSOP bracelet ever in the history of woman at the World Series of Poker.

More or less.

Selbst took a Phil-Hellmu