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.

:: Event #47 ($1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo) - Ok, this one is kind of a toughie. Of the 13 remaining, we have three bracelet winners. But only one of them you could call a certifiable "pro" and he's a creepy old man that doesn't even deserve us mentioning him. See if you can guess who the "creepy old man" we're referring to is: Ryan Hughes, David Sklansky, Ron Long. Get full chip counts here.

:: Event #48 ($2,000 No Limit Hold'em) - Huge field in this one with over 2,400 runners creating a first place payout of $770,540. There's a shot of a pro winning this too, as many remain. Some notable bigs include Erik Cajelais (84,000), Blair Rodman (53,000), Bryan Devonshire (44,000), David "The Dragon" Pham* (42,000), and Erica Schoenberg, a woman (38,000). Get full 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.

* Not a real dragon.

Comments

[Victoria]

You're certainly not the TMZ of the WSOP. Although like you,TMZ has the trash effect, it's somehow based around slight reality. Unlike you people with far too much time on your hands , the paparazzi rejects, who would rather photograph an innocent 22 year old student and frame her as a Las Vegas slut. Pictures tell a thousand words don't they? Here are a few of the thousand which are actually accurate....I've played poker with my family since I was a child. My parents would give my brother and I a few bucks in quarters, nickels, and dimes to play a friendly, family game of cards. I learned to play poker young, and that gamble never faded. As I've grown, I gradually picked up more and more about the game. I've read all the books, studied poker, dealt it, and played it just as I've learned. I'm an east coaster, so I've been to A.C.many a time, but Vegas only twice. So upon this visit, I was given, and by given I mean handed, allowed openly, the opportunity to meet several famous poker players. To my friends these poker folk are random faces to be forgotten. To me, they were my superstars, the people I've watched for years on TV, and a few of whose books I've been privileged enough to read. So upon the much welcomed opportunity to meet my "idols", I sat with them. I talked to them. I left the H.O.R.S.E tournament feeling on top of the world. In the aftermath, I've been called the worst of the worst, depicted as a slut, made out to be a whore. If I were a man, would I still be molesting Gus Hansen? My photo was welcomed by him. If I was an A cup would I still be accused of such demeaning acts? I'm somebody's daughter, I'm someone's sister, I'm no ones whore. I am not dressed like a hooker, but presented as one, solely because I'm one of the very very few females who frequents the poker room. If there had been 1,000 women among the thousands of us, would I be recognized?I I'd be a passing face, one of the few. But, because women's faces aren't familiar in the poker room, I'm pegged as a whore. I assure you....I promise you, I'm no whore.I'm no slut. And I'd greatly appreciate any readers of this bogus site, to acknowledge me as nothing other than some girl in the poker room. Which, is exactly what I was....some girl in a poker room.