In this article we are going to take a look back at the 2009 World Series of Poker and some of the stories that emerged from it.

Multi Bracelet Series

Incredibly one poker player won three bracelets at last years WSOP and a few players won two bracelets. Phil Ivey, regarded as the finest poker player in the world, entered many events and won two of them. Phil won event 8, the $2,500 2-7 Draw Lowball and event 25 the $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better. He then made the November nine and was hotly tipped to become the main event champion. That was not to be but Phil capped a marvellous series where his image as the world’s best poker player was enhanced. Brock Parker also won two bracelets winning event 14, the $2,500 Limit Hold’em Short Handed and he won event 19, the $2,500 Limit Hold’em Short Handed.

The star of the WSOP was undoubtedly Jeff Lisandro who won the triple crown of Stud events winning event 16, the $1,500 Seven Card Stud, event 37, the $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better and event 44 the $2,500 Razz. Although he had to have had some luck this goes down in history as one of the finest ever WSOP performances.

Notable UK Performances

James Akenhead showed that his runners-up position at the 2008 WSOP event 2 was no fluke as he made the November nine eventually finishing in 9th place. He also finished in 9th place in the WSOPE main event and won the Full Tilt Poker Million for $500,000. He is surely to have another chance at a bracelet and is regarded by some players to have talent in the mould of flawed poker genius Stu Ungar.

Roland De Wolfe won another bracelet winning event 27, the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better beating Brett “Getcrunk” Richey into second place. John Kabbaj also won a WSOP bracelet winning event 45, the $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold’em for $633,335. It was a great year for UK poker at the World Series of Poker 2009.

The Main Event

6,494 players contested the $10,000 main event with many more turned away amid a controversial start to the tournament. Phil Ivey, Jeff Shulman and James Akenhead were big names that made the November nine final table. 21 year old Joe Cada beat self-employed tree logger Darvin Moon when things eventually got to heads up into second place and claimed a first prize of $8,547,042. For second place Darvin took home $5,182,601 and thousands of new fans who appreciated his play and dignity in defeat.

Download the poker software at bwin.com and practise your poker tournament game before heading to the WSOP. You will need to be sharp, be able to concentrate for long periods of time and be able to play well under pressure. You can learn all of these things at bwin.com and possibly become one of the stories of this years World Series of Poker 2010.

By Malcolm Clarke

There are various things you can do to improve your image as a poker player so if an opportunity appears you will be towards the front of the line to take advantage of it.

Win Something

Obvious? Yes. But winning a large poker tournament is THE best way of getting noticed. You will be interviewed by press; people will remember your name and see you as successful. The level of coverage you get depends mainly on the prize you win. So winning freeroll tournaments are good for practising but people do not view these tournaments with the respect of a tournament that offers a larger cash prize. This is why the World Series of Poker Main Event winner gets the most coverage, it is the biggest prize.

Start a Poker Website

Fame or notoriety is being associated with something; this is either a big win or skill. You can highlight your skills by being involved in a poker website or forum. Your posts or articles demonstrate to people your abilities in poker and your name begins to get linked to this ability. We have seen Tiger Woods playing Golf for many years and he has been so successful in earning money and winning tournaments that nearly everyone in the world knows that Tiger Woods is a golfer. The same goes for Roger Federer in Tennis and Stephen Hendry in Snooker. They are known for their ability. Phil Ivey is known for his poker abilities as is Tom Dwan.

You need to show your skills over time and prove them. Forums allow you to post your session graphs and talk strategy. Users then recognise you know what you are talking about and respect you. Being unknown means you could be anything in terms of ability, once people are confident you deliver results and are worth listening to then they make a permanent note of this and you have gained a level of respect within the community.

Be Helpful and Confident

If you are nasty to people, belittle them and do not respect others you will be noticed for the wrong reasons. People will want to interact with you if you are warm, welcoming and helpful. Poker players who are rude are known widely, but as someone to avoid rather than interact with. If you are confident about your own abilities you will instill confidence in others. Do not go too far and appear to have all of the answers for everything, it is important to remain humble, nobody has as yet managed to work everything out and be the fountain of all knowledge in any area of life.

A combination of achievement, writing, interaction with the poker community in forums and being a friendly face at live poker events will get your name known for the right reasons and ensure you are always welcomed whether online at bwin.com or at a live poker tournament. You never know who is looking for a known sponsored player and you want your name to be thought of when these opportunities come about.

By Malcolm Clarke

During his 20’s he continued getting into fights and getting into trouble. One story that he admits is true is that he went into a bookmakers, lost £5000 and returned that night and robbed the money from the safe. The next day he went back into the bookmakers and lost it again the next day.

Devilfish, as he is known to the poker world, was travelling the poker tournament scene before it was stylish to do so. He was bankrolled by a selection of poker players and gambled up £500 into £70,000 and was subsequently banned from all William Hill betting shops due to his large winnings.

At the 1993 PLO tournament the Devilfish reduced Men “The Master” Nguyen to one chip and then beat him after an agonising one hour break. He recalls this event, according to his wikipedia page, as only significant because it was here he was given the nickname of the Devilfish. Before that he was known as Dave “The Clock” because he had once used a grandfather clock to buy-into a game. Dave won a WSOP bracelet in the 1990’s and by the time the year 2000 came around he was firmly known as one of the most feared PLO players in the world and a feared poker player in the UK.

Late Night Poker in 1999 featured 40 players and was the first to use hole-cam technology. It brought a ever-lasting new dimension to poker. Dave managed to win the event and the £40,000 first prize. He was a cult hero as poker boomed in the UK thanks to players loving the game now they could see the player’s hole cards. His natural charisma, bad boy attitude and excellent play made him an immediate winner in the eyes of the viewers.

In January 2003 Dave won $589,175 in outlasting 126 other players to claim a WPT title. He has come very close to winning a second WSOP title having come second in events in 1998, 2000, and twice in 2001. He has 27 cashes at the WSOP with winnings of $1.4 million. He has live tournament winnings of over $5.5 million in poker tournaments.

Still very active in the world of poker, Dave has seven children and resides in Kingston Upon Hull where he lives with his girlfriend, who is much younger than him. With her influence he now wears very modern clothing and sports a modern hairstyle that has drawn both admiration and criticism from the poker world. He runs his own poker site and regularly takes part in large cash games. In 2006 he was part of the live Sit and go poker tournament that featured Chris Ferguson, Phil Ivey the eventual winner and John Juanda. At the time it was the first poker tournament to be shown in full and live and Dave managed to cash in the event having dominated play in the early stages. I still remember watching that tournament.

By Malcolm Clarke

Mike

Mike,

That is exactly what they thought you were doing. I can tell you exactly where this stemmed from. During the 2007 World Series of Poker, a player had a napkin on the table during a NL Holdem event and was using that napkin to hide cards. He wasn’t being really bright about it because he gave himself pocket aces three times in a row, or so the story goes. Anyway, the player was caught, kicked out, and afterward, napkins and the like are not allowed on the table at the WSOP. This has carried over to many properties from what I have seen and many places will not allow you to have napkins on the table.

In regards to the card counting, this is another thing that stemmed directly from the 2007 WSOP and that same cheating incident. Dealers are required now at many casinos to count down the deck once during their down. A down for a dealer is a 30 minute session. This translates to the deck being counted down twice an hour. If cards are missing, the dealer will check to make sure one hasn’t fallen on the floor, and if the card is still missing, the floor is notified. (And while I don’t know this for certain, I suspect that surveillance will then look through the tape to see what’s going on.)

By the way, don’t be upset at the dealer. She is just doing her job. If she didn’t she could be fired.

The big blind then erupted and claimed that I had no right to interfere, claiming that there was a “one player to a hand rule.” The other players were saying that cards speak and that it didn’t matter. The floor then stated that his ruling stood and told me to not say anything further during hands I was not a part of. The big blind player was left with less than the big blind and was eliminated the next hand. He then told me he was going to wait for me to finish, insinuating that he wanted to fight.

Well, we ended up chopping about 15 minutes later and sure enough the guy was still there waiting. Nothing happened as I had two friends railing me and they left with me. They are quite large men and he just ran away like a little girl.

However, it does beg the question as to whether I was supposed to say anything during the tournament when the dealer made the mistake. I thought that cards spoke. What should have happened here.

Tony

Tony,

You have a scenario here where the player was trying to angle shoot for the pot after realizing he was sucked out on. Once a player is all-in, cards must be shown and cards do indeed speak. In the event of a dealer miscalling the hand, TDA rules clearly state that other players may assist the dealer in correctly calling the hands. In other words, you were entirely within your rights to point that out.

The player that claimed “one player to a hand” misunderstood the rule. One player to a hand involves someone giving advice on how to play a hand while action is still occurring. After someone is all-in and called, action is complete.

I am a little concerned that the floor manager told you to keep your mouth shut after the incident. He may have done that to keep peace. However, I would have still spoke up if the dealer made a mistake again.

I am also surprised that you did not have security called on the player that threatened you. You should have definitely taken up for yourself here and had him thrown out of the building. While that is your decision, it is one that I would have made without hesitation.

Cards speak means that a player cannot be penalized for miscalling his hand. If they do so, the dealer can make the correction. When the situation arises where the dealer is in error, it is your responsibility to help them. You would want the same done for you if you were in that spot. Another thing this does is that is shows you are an honest player. Annie Duke last year at the WSOP was all-in and had lost at the river to an opponent’s straight. The dealer miscalled the hand and her opponent did not notice it. Annie pointed out the dealer’s error and then packed up her stuff and exited the area. That was a case where her correcting the dealer cost her, but it was the right thing to do.

Tournament wise, Benyamine started to make a name for himself in France, making many final tables and taking down a couple of smaller events. His best finish before 2003 was a 2nd place finish at the European Championship where he finished 2nd.

In 2003 Benyamine won his first major title when he won the Grand Prix de Paris on the World Poker Tour. He took down $410,886 for this win and put himself on the tournament world map. Benyamine would continue to have success on the WPT as he has finished in the money in eight WPT events which included three final tables and his win in 2003. He made the final table of the 2004 L.A. Poker Classic where he finished 6th. He also made the final table of the 2008 Bellagio Cup where he finished 2nd tot take home $840,295. Benyamine also won the Battle of Champions II in 2005. To date, Benyamine has won over $1.45 Million on the World Poker Tour.

Until 2008, Benyamine had not experience much success at the World Series of Poker. His best finish had been a 6th place finish in an event in 2007. 2008 changes things as Benyamine made 2 final tables at the WSOP and just missed two more by just a couple of spots. He finished 3rd in the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Event and then went on to win his first WSOP bracelet in the $10,000 Omaha 8 or Better World Championship. At a final table that included Tony Ma, Mike Matusow, Ram Vaswani, and Toto Leonidas, Benyamine navigated his way through the table and kicked things into overdrive with three players left. He won his first bracelet and the $535,687 top prize.

Outside of tournament poker, Benyamine is one of the most feared high stakes cash game player in both live and online play. He is a regular on shows such as High Stakes Poker and Poker After Dark and regularly plays on Full Tilt Poker under his own name. Benyamine specializes in Pot Limit Omaha and has won more money playing Omaha cash games on Full Tilt in 2008 than anyone in the world.

To date, Benyamine has won over $3.3 Million in live tournaments. Of course, to put that in perspective, Benyamine is up almost 2 Million in online cash games alone for 2008 alone. Whether it is tournaments or cash games, David Benyamine is a force at the poker tables. At only 36, this high stakes pro will be tearing it up a the tables for decades to come.

Phan would start playing tournament poker in the early 1990’s while running his business. Through the 90’s he made numerous final table finishes in the L.A. area. He also took down a title at the 1998 National Championship of Poker. In 2000 he began to start winning more tournaments including wins at Winning ‘O’ The Green, America’s Poker Classic, and the Orleans Open. It was 2001 that would see Pham start to win on a bigger stage.

David Pham came into the 2001 World Series of Poker after finishing runner-up in tournaments at the L.A Poker Classic and World Poker Open. He was looking for his first major win for his career. It didn’t take long as he would take down the $2,000 S.H.O.E. Event to win his first gold bracelet and $140,455. Pham would also finish in the money at the Main Event that year.

Pham would not experience significant success at the WSOP again until 2006. That year he won his 2nd bracelet in the $2,000 No Limit Holdem Shootout Event to take home $240,222 in prize money. He would also finish in the money in the 2006 WSOP Main Event. Pham would also make a final table in 2007 in the $3,000 Limit Holdem Event, but would fall short of his third bracelet when he finished in 4th place.

Pham has also had great success on the World Poker Tour. Pham has cashed 11 times in the WPT with 6 final tables. He finished 3rd at the 2004 Doyle Brunson North America Poker Championship and the 2007 World Poker Challenge. His best overall finish was a 2nd place finish at the 2007 Legends of Poker. In total, Pham has won over $1.854 on the World Poker Tour.

Pham had his wife close down their business due to the fact that he could support his family from his poker winnings. Since then he has went on to become one of the most fearsome No Limit Holdem players in the world. To date, Pham has won over $7.49 Million in live tournaments. This makes him 15th on the all-time money list.

David Pham escaped communism to come to America for a better life. He risked it all to achieve the American dream. He first achieved that dream via hard work in the business world and then moved on to achieve great success in the poker world. At only 41, Pham will continue to live his dream at the poker tables for years to come.

Pescatori first began to taste success in 2003 when he won two tournaments at the World Poker Challenge in Reno, NV. He took both a Limit Holdem event and an Omaha 8 event to score his first two decent scores in poker. His first big money score came a year later at the Legends of Poker in Los Angeles, CA. He won a $200 No Limit Holdem event and took home $106,630. This score started a string of cashes and final tables that ran into 2005. In 2005, he took a WSOP Circuit preliminary event in Atlantic City for his first WSOP-C ring.

2005 was also when Pescatori would start making noise in the World Series of Poker. That year, he cashed six times and made the final table of the $2,000 Pot Limit Omaha Event. The next year, Pescatori would win his first bracelet. On July 7, 2006, two major events happened. First, Pescatori won the $2,500 No Limit Holdem event and $682,389 for his first bracelet. Also that day, Italy won the World Cup of Soccer. This made the day extra special for Pescatori as he could celebrate his first victory and his country World Cup victory with his countrymen.

Pescatori has a somewhat down 2007 in poker, although he did win a No Limit Event at the Italian Poker Championships for over $135,000. He claimed that a lot of personal problems affected his play.

Pescatori would come roaring back in 2008. Early on in the year, he made a final table in a Pot Limit Omaha event at Aussie Millions and then finished 10th in the Main Event a few days later. He would then win a preliminary event at the L.A. Poker Classic and would carry that momentum into the World Series of Poker.

At the WSOP, Pescatori would finish in the money in four events and would win his 2nd bracelet in the $2,500 ½ Pot Limit Holdem ½ Pot Limit Omaha event. He would then make the final table of the Pot Limit Omaha event at the World Series of Poker Europe where he would finish 5th.

For his career, Max Pescatori has won over $2.55 Million in live tournaments for his career. He can be spotted at most tables wearing some type of either bandana or shirt that supports his beloved Italy. At just 37, the Italian Pirate will be looting poker tables around the world for a long time.

Most of Clark’s large wins in poker have come at the World Series of Poker. Clark has three WSOP bracelets to his credit. His first came in 1992 in a $5,000 Seven Card Stud event where he won $122,000. Several years later he took the $1,500 Razz event during the 1999 World Series of Poker. His third and final bracelet came during the 2002 World Series of Poker when he won the $1,500 Stud 8 or Better event and $125,200. Clark has also cashed in the 1997 and 1998 WSOP Main Event.

Clark also has four cashes on the World Poker Tour. He finished 10th at the Jack Binion World Poker Open in 2004 and then made his only WPT final table at the World Poker Challenge the same year. He took 3rd in that event for $310,403. Remarkably, this is the largest cash in Clark’s career.

If you look back over Clark’s career, you will notice numerous final tables and tournament wins in smaller tournament venues all over the United States. His largest score outside of the WSOP and WPT has been at the World Poker Classic at 2003 when he won the $1,500 No Limit event for $160,095.

The 2007 WSOP was a scary one for anyone that knows Clark. During the $2,000 Stud 8 or Better event, Clark collapsed at the table, suffering from an apparent stroke. For most people, this would end their WSOP. Clark came back a couple of days later and continued on. He made the final table of the $1,500 Razz event and again collapsed at the table, again from an apparent mini-stroke. Clark refused to leave the event and Harrah’s was forced to have him sign an agreement releasing them from any responsibility. Clark would finish in 4th place in the event. Many people wondered if Clark’s days were short. Clark would then come back over the next few months and make final tables in four different events, including the Main Event of the Binion’s Poker Open, where he finished in 2nd place.

Although Clark has been able to win over $2.6 Million in his poker career, he is notoriously known for being broke. Part of it is due to the fact that he seems to have poor money management skills. Others claim that he loses a lot of the money he wins in Pot Limit Omaha.

Whatever the reason is for the loss, he can be found many times peddling for buy-ins to events. However, Clark still is able to find his way into a lot of event. It is likely due to the fact that he does have a solid track record in poker, even if he is unable to hold onto his money afterwards. Hopefully someone will come along to teach him how to properly manage his money. It would be a shame to see such a successful poker player wind up broke at the end of his life as so many other players have before him.

The Caribbean Adventure was the first tournament that Gale would play in. He was one among a field of 461 players trying to make their way to the final table to win the $890,600 top prize. Amazingly, this newbie to tournament poker made the final table with the likes of “Miami” John Cernuto and Nenad Medic. Gale then did what was deemed nearly impossible, winning a WPT title in his very first trip to a live tournament.

After his win, Gale decided that his life as a business consultant was a tad boring and decided to play poker professionally. He would then go on to have a very strong finish at the 2005 World Series of Poker. He finished in the money four times in the series and nearly won his first bracelet in the $5,000 Pot Limit Holdem event. Unfortunately he suffered a bad beat late in the tournament and was never able to recover. He wound up 2nd in the event and made $204,440.

Although he did not win a bracelet, Gale had won over $1.1 Million in tournament poker in 6 months and he has never looked back since.Gale would go on to make a serious of money finishes over the remainder of 2005 which included an WPT cash and a runner-up finish in an event at the World Poker Classic for $252,325.

Gale would have a strong 2006 as well. First he finished 3rd in the World Pro-Am challenge for $200,000. Next, he took down his first gold bracelet in the $2,500 Pot Limit Holdem Event at the 2006 World Series of Poker. This win netted him $374,849 and gave him his 2nd major title. Gale would also go on to cash in the Main Even of the WSOP that year.

Since 2006, Gale has had several really strong finishes. He finished 3rd in the 2006 WPT Borgata Poker Open, taking home over $440,000. He then took down a pair of preliminary events in 2008, one at the Bellagio Cup for $205,500 and one at the Borgata Poker Open for over $55,000. He also finished 11th in the WPT Main Event at the Bellagio Cup in 2008. In total for his career, Gale has over $3.18 Million in live tournament earnings.

John Gale started later in life than most in tournament poker, but he had proven that he still belongs in a game that is normally dominated by men half his age. In addition to his skills as a player, Gale is highly respected for the way he conducts himself at the table. He is a pleasure to play with and makes you feel like you are playing poker with a friend. In all, John Gale is a true gentleman of the game.