It may seem funny to see the term \u201cWorld Series of Poker\u201d pop up. Odds are, it was much more familiar to you a few years back. The poker boom happened in the mid 2000s. We all played it. People who weren\u2019t even poker players started winning money off their friends on Friday nights. <\/p>\n
Now, the landscape has changed. Poker has taken a backseat to other major sports again. The NFL is always booming but the NBA and NHL in particular have made major comebacks in recent years, shattering TV ratings records. We can thank LeBron and Sid the Kid for that.<\/p>\n
The online poker situation is also changing for players across North America. A huge number of poker giants were indicted by the U.S. government this past spring for allegedly disguising gambling payments as payments to \u201cclean\u201d online merchants like golf outlets, florists and jewelry stores.\u00a0 Many sites had to shut down their \u201cfor-money\u201d operations as a result.<\/p>\n
It was a shame to see it happen just as a hot new mode of poker, rush poker, was becoming all the rage. Skipping every hand you don\u2019t want to play? \u201cRushing\u201d to play only the ones you want to bet? Fun stuff.<\/p>\n
But I digress. The landscape has changed significantly \u2013 but we can still watch and enjoy the pros doing their thing. Here\u2019s a breakdown of the 2011 World Series of Poker.<\/p>\n
2011 WORLD SERIES OF POKER<\/strong><\/p>\n Bracelet events season: <\/strong>May 31 to July 19, 2011 Current event: <\/strong>Even 34 — $1,000 No-Limit Hold\u2019em<\/p>\n Contrary to the layman belief that the World Series of Poker is just one big, be-all-end-all championship, the WSOP season is laid out much more like a PGA golf season. There are 58 events, with the last one being the \u201cMain Event World Championship,\u201d which is the equivalent of a golf major like The Masters in many ways. After that, the final table gathers for the November Nine, which determines the true world champion of the year.<\/p>\n Winning an event nets you a coveted World Series of Poker bracelet, which is like winning a golf tournament during the PGA season or a race during the NASCAR season. The all-time bracelet leaders:<\/p>\n 11 \u2013 Phil Hellmuth The stakes for each event vary. The Main Event World Championship has a $10,000 buy-in.
\nMain Event World Championship: <\/strong>July 7, 2011
\nNovember Nine final table: <\/strong>November 5, 2011
\nVenue: <\/strong>Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV<\/p>\n
\n10 \u2013 Doyle Brunson
\n10 \u2013 Johnny Chan
\n9 \u2013 Johnny Moss
\n8 \u2013 Erik Seidel
\n8 \u2013 Phil Ivey<\/p>\n