2008 World Series of Poker results

The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the 2008 series began on May 30 and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold 'em Main Event, the most prestigious of the WSOP events, ended by July 15. The final table, known as the November Nine, of the Main Event was suspended until November, to allow for better television coverage. As a WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners received a championship bracelet in addition to that event's prize money ranging from US$87,929 for the $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em to US$9,119,517 for the Main Event.

Contents

• Event 1 10000 World Championship Pot Limit Holdem
• Event 2 1500 No Limit Holdem
• Event 3 1500 Pot Limit Holdem
• Event 4 5000 Mixed Holdem LimitNo Limit
• Event 5 1000 No Limit Holdem with Rebuys
• Event 6 1500 Omaha Hi Low Split 8 or Better
• Event 7 2000 No Limit Holdem
• Event 8 10000 World Championship Mixed Event
• Event 9 1500 No Limit Holdem Six Handed
• Event 10 2500 OmahaSeven Card Stud Hi Low Split 8 or Better
• Event 11 5000 No Limit Holdem Shootout
• Event 12 1500 Limit Holdem
• Event 13 2500 No Limit Holdem
• Event 14 10000 World Championship Seven Card Stud
• Event 15 1000 Ladies No Limit Holdem World Championship
• Event 16 2000 Omaha Hi Low Split 8 or Better
• Event 17 1500 No Limit Holdem Shootout
• Event 18 5000 No Limit Deuce to Seven Draw Lowball with Rebuys
• Event 19 1500 Pot Limit Omaha
• Event 20 2000 Limit Holdem
• Event 21 5000 No Limit Holdem
• Event 22 3000 HORSE
• Event 23 2000 No Limit Holdem
• Event 24 2500 Pot Limit HoldemOmaha
• Event 25 10000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Holdem
• Event 26 1500 Razz
• Event 27 1500 No Limit Holdem
• Event 28 5000 Pot Limit Omaha with Rebuys
• Event 29 3000 No Limit Holdem
• Event 30 10000 World Championship Limit Holdem
• Event 31 2500 No Limit Holdem Six Handed
• Event 32 1500 No Limit Holdem
• Event 33 5000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi Low Split 8 or Better
• Event 34 1500 Pot Limit Omaha wRebuys
• Event 35 1500 Seven Card Stud
• Event 36 1500 No Limit Holdem
• Event 37 10000 World Championship Omaha Hi Low Split 8 or Better
• Event 38 2000 Pot Limit Holdem
• Event 39 1500 No Limit Holdem
• Event 40 2500 Limit Deuce to Seven Triple Draw
• Event 41 1500 Mixed Holdem LimitNo Limit
• Event 42 1000 Seniors No Limit Holdem World Championship
• Event 43 1500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi Low Split 8 or Better
• Event 44 1000 No Limit Holdem wRebuys
• Event 45 50000 World Championship HORSE
• Event 46 5000 No Limit Holdem Six Handed
• Event 47 1500 Seven Card Stud Hi Low Split 8 or Better
• Event 48 2000 No Limit Holdem
• Event 49 1500 No Limit Holdem
• Event 50 10000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha
• Event 51 1500 HORSE
• Event 52 1500 No Limit Holdem
• Event 53 1500 Limit Holdem Shootout
• Event 54 10000 World Championship No Limit Holdem
• Event 55 500 Casino Employees No Limit Holdem
• References

Most of the tournaments played at the WSOP are variants of Texas Hold 'em. Hold 'em is a community card game where each player may use any combination of the five community cards and the player's own two hole cards to make a poker hand, in contrast to poker variants such as stud or draw in which each player holds a separate individual hand. Between 2000 and 2009, hold'em has surpassed seven-card stud as the most common game in U.S. casinos, almost totally eclipsing the once popular game. Seven-card stud is a poker variant wherein each player is dealt two hole card, followed by four face up cards, and then another hidden card, with betting after each round. Another poker variant played is Omaha. Omaha is a version of poker wherein each player is dealt four hole cards and must use two of them in conjunction with three community cards to make the best possible five card hand. Other games played at the 2008 tournament included Razz, HORSE, and Deuce-to-Seven.

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 also include other variations on the rules governing the execution of the specific game such as shootout, eight or better, or heads up.

Highlights of the 2008 series include the selection of Erick Lindgren as the Player of the Year. Before the 2008 WSOP, Lindgren, who won a bracelet and made three final tables, was widely considered to be the "best player to never win a WSOP bracelet”. Phil Hellmuth, a Poker Hall of Famer, set new records for the most WSOP career cashes (68) and most WSOP career final tables (41). Nikolay Evdakov led all players with a record 10 money finishes. The Main Event, which began with 6,844 participants (a level exceeded only by the number of participants at the 2006 event), was suspended once the event was down to the nine players needed for the final table; the Main Event was resumed on November 9 and concluded with the heads-up final between Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov the next day. This year was the first in which the Main Event was suspended in this fashion, a change introduced at ESPN's request to allow the television network to do a same-day Main Event broadcast.