2009 WSOP Top Ten Part 2
5. Phil Hellmuth
While Hellmuth had some upsets this year, missing out on the opportunity to win his 12th bracelet, he placed 436th at the Main Event. He did cash in six other events, though. Hellmuth’s total WSOP career cashes are now at 72, just ahead of Men “The Master” Nguyen, who is now at 62.
4. Johnston’s WSOP Cash Streak
They just don’t make them like they used to–poker players that is. The 1986 Main Event Champ, Berry Johntson, played at his 27th WSOP event in a row this year. He now has 56 career crashes since his debut in 1982, three years before 2008 WSOP Champion Peter Eastgate was born. He’s cashed every year since. While he didn’t cash at this year’s Main Event, he still holds the title of most Main Event cashes in history at 10. Now that’s what I call a career in poker.
3. Ivey Wins Two More Gold Bracelets
This year, two more bracelets were added to Phil Ivey’s wrists, making that a total of seven bracelets so far. Now he’s in 6th place for most bracelets won, following behind Erik Seidel (8 wins), Johnny Moss (9 wins), Doyle Brunson (10 wins), Johnny Chan (10 wins), and the all-time most bracelet holder, the legend, Phil Hellmuth (11 wins). Winner of the $2,500 Omaha High Low/Seven-Card Stud High-Low split event and the $2,500 Deuce-to-Seven No-Limit Lowball, Ivey walked away satisfied, though he may be able to tie with Seidel if he brings home the Main Event bracelet in November.
2. Largest Non-Main Event Tournament
In response to the financial hardships that the US has seen over the past year, the WSOP followed in the trend of offering some bankroll-friendly tournament buy-ins. In fact, a special stimulus tournament was hosted that was much more well-received than President Obama’s stimulus package. This year, the WSOP offered the lowest tournament buy-in in history, which brought out a player field of 6,012 for the $1,000 stimulus tourney. 2008’s biggest non-main event tournament was the $1500 No Limit with 3,929 players, but that tournament was still only the fifth largest, overall.
1. Three Gold Bracelets Earned by Jeffery Lisandro
Although the Main Event final table has not yet taken place, Jeffery Lisandro has already won the title of WSOP Player of the Year. After winning three gold bracelets during a single series, which only five other players have done in the history of the WSOP, his performance was watched very closely, and he was definitely a favorite in this year’s events. In total, he cashed six times and welcomed into the elite three-bracelet-in-one-year club alongside Puggy Pearson (1973), Ted Forrest (1993), Hellmuth (1993), and Ivey (2002).