 | ||
The 2007 World Series of Poker was the 38th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series featured 55 poker championships in several variants. As a WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners receive a championship bracelet in addition to that event's prize money. The series culminates with the $10,000 No-Limit hold'em "Main Event", which has attracted thousands of entrants since 2004. The winner of the WSOP Main Event, who wins a multimillion-dollar prize, is considered to be the World Champion of Poker.
Contents
- Event 1 5000 World Championship Mixed holdem LimitNo Limit
- Event 2 500 Casino Employees No Limit Holdem
- Event 3 1500 No Limit Holdem
- Event 4 1500 Pot Limit Holdem
- Event 5 2500 OmahaSeven Card Stud Hi Low 8 or Better
- Event 6 1500 Limit Holdem
- Event 7 5000 Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys
- Event 8 1000 No Limit Holdem with rebuys
- Event 9 1500 Omaha Hi Low Split 8 or Better
- Event 10 2000 No Limit Holdem
- Event 11 5000 World Championship Seven Card Stud
- Event 12 1500 No Limit Holdem 6 handed
- Event 13 5000 World Championship Pot Limit Holdem
- Event 14 1500 Seven Card Stud
- Event 15 1500 No Limit Holdem
- Event 16 2500 HORSE
- Event 17 1000 World Championship Ladies No Limit Holdem
- Event 18 5000 World Championship Limit Holdem
- Event 19 2500 No Limit Holdem
- Event 20 2000 Seven Card Stud Hi Low Split 8 or Better
- Event 21 1500 No Limit Holdem Shootout
- Event 22 5000 No Limit Holdem
- Event 23 1500 Pot Limit Omaha
- Event 24 3000 World Championship Seven Card Stud HiLo Split 8 or Better
- Event 25 2000 No Limit Holdem
- Event 26 5000 HORSE
- Event 27 1500 No Limit Holdem
- Event 28 3000 No Limit Holdem
- Event 29 1500 Razz
- Event 30 2500 No Limit Holdem 6 handed
- Event 31 5000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Holdem
- Event 32 2000 Seven Card Stud
- Event 33 1500 Pot Limit Omaha with rebuys
- Event 34 3000 Limit Holdem
- Event 35 1500 No Limit Holdem
- Event 36 5000 World Championship Omaha Hi Low Split 8 or Better
- Event 37 2000 Pot Limit Holdem
- Event 38 1500 No Limit Holdem
- Event 39 50000 World Championship HORSE
- Event 40 1500 Mixed Holdem LimitNo Limit
- Event 41 1000 World Championship Seniors No Limit Holdem
- Event 42 1500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi Low Split 8 or Better
- Event 43 2000 Limit Holdem
- Event 44 2000 Omaha Hi Low Split 8 or Better
- Event 45 5000 No Limit Holdem 6 handed
- Event 46 1000 Seven Card Stud Hi Low Split 8 or Better
- Event 47 2000 No Limit Holdem
- Event 48 1000 Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball with rebuys
- Event 49 1500 No Limit Holdem
- Event 50 10000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha
- Event 51 1000 SHOE
- Event 52 1000 No Limit Holdem with rebuys
- Event 53 1500 Limit Holdem Shootout
- Event 54 5000 World Championship No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball with rebuys
- Event 55 10000 World Championship No Limit Holdem
- References
Most of the tournaments played at the WSOP are variants of Texas hold'em, a game where each player may use a combination of the five community cards and two hole cards to make the best hand. Another poker variant with community cards is Omaha, in which each player is dealt four hole cards and must use two of them in conjunction with three of the five community cards to make the best possible five-card hand. In contrast to games with community cards, some variants, such as stud or draw, deal each player separate hands with no common cards. Seven-card stud deals each player two hole cards, followed by four face-up cards one at a time, and then another hidden card, with betting after each round. Other games played at the 2007 tournament included Razz, H.O.R.S.E., and Deuce-to-Seven. Prior to 2000, seven-card stud was the most common game in U.S. casinos, but today hold'em has almost totally eclipsed the once popular game.
Within each of these poker variants, a myriad of options exist. For example, depending on the betting structure, a tournament might be described as no-limit, limit, or pot-limit. Games may include other variations on the rules governing the execution of the specific game such as shootout, eight or better, or heads up.
With 54,288 total entries and a combined prize pool of $159,796,918, the 2007 WSOP was the largest series of poker tournaments ever. For many, winning a share of the prize pool was all that mattered, while others sought the glory associated with winning a bracelet. This dichotomy could not have been illustrated better than a deal negotiated at the Senior Championship event. Tony Korfman wanted the money while Ernest Bennett wanted the glory. Rather than leave their fates to chance, the two of them ensured they got what they wanted. In exchange for splitting the prize money, Korfman agreed to let Bennett win the bracelet. After winning $8.25 million in the Main Event, Jerry Yang and his wife retired. "My winning today also means a lot to me, because I know that I can use this money to do a lot of good for other people out there," Yang said before donating over a million dollars to charity. Upon winning his record eleventh bracelet, Phil Hellmuth said, "the bracelets have always been a really huge deal, to me more than the other guys, because I knew that they represented history."
Age and disability was another story line of the 2007 WSOP. At 21 years and 10 days old, Steve Billirakis became the youngest person to ever win a WSOP bracelet. At the other end of the spectrum, 94-year-old Jack Ury was the oldest person to ever participate in the Main Event. Hal Lubarsky, a blind man, finished in 197th place at the Main Event.
Event 1: $5,000 World Championship Mixed hold'em Limit/No-Limit
This event kicked off the 2007 WSOP. It was a $7003500000000000000♠5,000 buy-in Mixed (alternating between limit and no-limit) Texas Hold'em tournament.
Event 2: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em
This was a $7002500000000000000♠500 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold'em tournament reserved for casino employees that work in Nevada.
Event 3: $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Event 3 was the largest non-Main Event live tournament in history. This record, however, would be short lived as event 49 would break that record.
Event 4: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em
Event 5: $2,500 Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better
Event 6: $1,500 Limit Hold'em
Event 7: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha with rebuys
Event 8: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em with rebuys
Event 9: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Ninth-place finisher Richard Ashby was eliminated simultaneously along with Ron Ware (10th place) on the final hand of day, 2 by Jordan Morgan. Therefore, he never appeared at the official final table.
Event 10: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 11: $5,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud
Event 12: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em (6-handed)
This event was played in a shorthanded format, no more than six players per table, with no more than six players occupying a table at any time during the tournament.
Event 13: $5,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em
Event 14: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud
Event 15: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Phil Hellmuth won his eleventh WSOP bracelet, the most of any player. He was previously one of three players with ten bracelets the others being Johnny Chan and Doyle Brunson.
Event 16: $2,500 H.O.R.S.E.
Razz is a form of stud poker that is normally played for ace-to-five low (lowball poker). The object of Razz is to make the lowest five-card possible hand from the seven cards you are dealt. In Razz, straights and flushes do not count against you for low, and the ace always plays low. The best possible Razz hand is 5-4-3-2-A, or 5 high, also known as "the wheel" or "the bicycle". Deuce-to-seven Razz is also sometimes played.
Event 17: $1,000 World Championship Ladies No-Limit Hold'em
The 1,286 entrants made this the largest ladies only tournament ever.
Event 18: $5,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em
Like David Williams, Gabriel Nassif was first known for competing Magic: The Gathering Pro Tour.
Event 19: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 20: $2,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Event 21: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout
Event 22: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 23: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha
Event 24: $3,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo Split 8 or Better
Event 25: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 26: $5,000 H.O.R.S.E.
Event 27: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 28: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 29: $1,500 Razz
Event 30: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em (6-handed)
Event 31: $5,000 World Championship Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em
"SF" denotes players who lost in the semifinal round of the tournament and "QF" denotes players who lost in the quarterfinal round.
Event 32: $2,000 Seven-Card Stud
Event 33: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha with rebuys
Event 34: $3,000 Limit Hold'em
Event 35: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 36: $5,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Event 37: $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em
Event 38: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 39: $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E.
The $7.1 million prize pool and $2.2 million prize were the largest prizes in poker history for a non-Main WSOP event.
Event 40: $1,500 Mixed Hold'em Limit/No-Limit
Event 41: $1,000 World Championship Seniors No-Limit Hold'em
Bennett and Korfman made a deal before heads-up play began. Korfman agreed to let Bennett win the title uncontested if Bennett agreed to split the prize money. They split the cash evenly with each taking home roughly $293,000. With 1,882 entrants over the age of 55, this was the largest Senior's event ever.
Event 42: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Event 43: $2,000 Limit Hold'em
Event 44: $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Event 45: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em (6-handed)
Event 46: $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better
Event 47: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em
Event 48: $1,000 Deuce to Seven Triple Draw Lowball with rebuys
Event 49: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em
This event set a World Series of Poker non-main event and live poker attendance record with 3,151 entries breaking the previous record of 2,998 set earlier in the third event of the 2007 WSOP. At the time it was also the third-highest entry total in all live Poker events behind just the 2006 and 2005 main events which had 8,773 and 5,619 entrants respectively.
Event 50: $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha
Event 51: $1,000 S.H.O.E.
Event 52: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em with rebuys
Event 53: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout
Event 54: $5,000 World Championship No-Limit Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball with rebuys
Event 55: $10,000 World Championship No-Limit Hold'em
As the final event, in which the "World Champion of Poker" is crowned, this is considered the "Main Event".