Las Vegas Sun

April 17, 2024

Las Vegas Sun - WSOP 2009

  • Darvin Moon, left, a 45-year-old logger from Maryland, holds up the arm of Joe Cada, a 21-year old Internet poker whiz kid from Michigan, after losing to Cada at the World Series of Poker on Nov. 10 at the Rio. Cada won $8.5 million.

    WSOP shows new breed of poker pros

    November 18, 2009

    By Jeff Haney

    The thumbnail sketches of the two ultimate survivors at last week’s World Series of Poker final table were familiar to anyone who follows the game.

  • Joe Cada, 21, holds up some of his $8.5 million winnings after beating Darvin Moon in the final round of the 2009 World Series of Poker tournament early Tuesday at the Rio.

    Cada cherishes moment as poker’s youngest champ

    November 10, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    For Joe Cada, this was always about the bracelet. Becoming the youngest player in the history of the World Series of Poker — Cada just turned 21 this year — to win the Main Event was great. But staging the most remarkable comeback — he had less than 1 percent of the chips with seven players remaining — in Main Event history was a bonus.

  • Darvin Moon thinks about his next move during the final round of the 2009 World Series of Poker early Tuesday at the Rio. Moon lost to 21-year-old Joe Cada for the $8.5 million prize.

    $5.1 million later, life goes on for Darvin Moon

    November 10, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Darvin Moon’s immediate plans after finishing second in the 2009 World Series of Poker Main Event involved kicking back in his hotel room at the Rio. It won’t be long, however, until the self-employed logger and new millionaire is back in the woods of western Maryland. “I’ve got to be back to work Friday,” Moon said. “I’ve got a piece of timber I’ve got to buy.”

  • A packed Penn and Teller Theater watches the final table of the 2009 World Series of Poker Saturday, November 7, 2009 at the Rio.

    Cada and Moon emerge as Main Event’s final two

    November 8, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Joe Cada and Darvin Moon are about as different as two people could come. Cada is a 21-year old poker professional, who was drawn to the game at a young age by nature. “I’ve always been real good with math and logic,” Cada said.

  • Video

    Showing Their Cards

    Showing Their Cards

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    With the final table set, ESPN's Norman Chad and Lon McEachern weigh in on life behind the scenes of the World Series of Poker.

  • Q and A with Jeff Shulman

    November 9, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Jeff Shulman just concluded a monumental run through the World Series of Poker Main Event. Shulman, a Las Vegas native and editor of Card Player magazine, finished fifth in the Main Event after outlasting 6,489 players, earning $1.95 million for his finish. Shulman took time Monday to answer reader questions from lasvegassun.com before the Main Event begins heads-up play at 10 p.m. this evening at the Rio.

  • Professional player Phil Hellmuth waves to fans as he is carried into the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on the third day of the World Series of Poker on Sunday, July 5, 2009.

    Phil Hellmuth breaks down Main Event final table

    November 6, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    A number of business ventures have brought poker pro Phil Hellmuth to Las Vegas for the week. Hellmuth is promoting his new book, Deal Me In, with a signing at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Summerlin Barnes & Noble. He’s also coaching World Series of Poker Main Event final table participant Jeff Shulman.

  • Players who made the final table of the World Series of Poker include, from left, James Akenhead, Jeff Shulman, Phil Ivey, Antoine Saout, Darvin Moon, Joseph Cada, Steven Begleiter, Kevin Schaffel and Eric Buchman. The tournament began in July at the Rio and, after a four-month hiatus, resumes Saturday. Moon is the chip leader.

    The biggest stories in World Series of Poker

    November 4, 2009

    By Jeff Haney

    Before the start of the 2003 World Series of Poker, I recall seeing Chris Moneymaker’s name on the list of entrants at the old Binion’s Horseshoe downtown and marveling that someone would have the temerity to compete in the tournament under such an outlandish pseudonym.

  • The final nine players who will go on to the final table wait with their chips following the World Series of Poker at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

    Players at poker’s Main Event final table bring diversity to big stage

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    There’s a logger from western Maryland, the world’s best poker player and a former Wall Street executive. There’s a magazine editor and a kid who just turned 21 years old. There’s also a professional from New York, a professional from South Florida, a professional from England and a professional France. “You put all that together and it’s the best mix I could ask for,” ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad said

  • World’s best poker player has sights set on bracelet

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    He’s called the great poker player in the world, the Tiger Woods of poker and the chosen one. Yes, Phil Ivey really is that good. And he knows it. “There’s no perfect way to play against me because I make a lot of adjustments,” Ivey said on ESPN’s InsideDeal. “I’m pretty good at adjusting to what my opponent is doing.”

  • Main Event features surprise chip leader

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Darvin Moon sported a New Orleans Saints hat every day of the World Series of Poker Main Event this summer. Why would a logger from eastern Maryland possibly root for a team from New Orleans? No reason, really. “It is mostly Steeler fans where I live,” Moon said in July. “And I wear this hat to mess with them.” The Saints hat fits well with Moon’s run through the Main Event. A lot just doesn’t add up.

  • Buchman considered a favorite at final table

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Count ESPN commentator Lon McEachern as one of the many people in the poker community who believe Eric Buchman will take the World Series of Poker Main Event bracelet. Buchman, a 28-year old poker professional from New York, is second in chips and has played solid throughout the tournament. “I think I’m in a good position in chips and whatnot,” Buchman said. “I feel like I’m the second best player on the table.”

  • Begleiter will have strong contingent of fans

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Fans chanting “Begs” in support of Steven Begleiter were one of the most constant noises in the Rio poker room as the World Series Main Event played down to nine players in July. That’s not going to stop when the November Nine re-convene Saturday. In fact, it might be louder because of what’s at stake for Begleiter’s friends. Begleiter, a former investment banker, played his way into the Main Event by winning the championship in his Chappaqua, N.Y., hometown’s poker league. Twenty percent of whatever he wins in the Main Event will be given to the league and its members. “It’s great because all my friends would obviously already be rooting for me,” Begleiter, 47, said. “But now, they’re bought into it.”

  • Poker magazine editor takes back bracelet comment

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Jeff Shulman sent shockwaves through the poker community in July when he proclaimed he would throw the bracelet in the garbage if he would win the World Series of Poker Main Event. Shulman made the remark in response to his displeasure with the way Harrah’s Entertainment, Inc., has run the tournament in recent years. Although Shulman stands by his comments against Harrah’s, he has since backtracked on his promise to trash the bracelet.

  • Cada out to make history

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    For the second year in a row, history could be made at the World Series of Poker Main Event final table. Last year, 22-year old Peter Eastgate became the youngest champion of all-time. This year, 21-year old Joe Cada has a shot to break that record. “I think about getting the bracelet more than the record,” Cada said. “The age is a bonus, but the bracelet is the main thing.”

  • Schaffel plans to remain calm and patient

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Kevin Schaffel can partially thank tennis pro Serena Williams for making it this far in the World Series of Poker Main Event. Before the tournament began, Schaffel watched the Wimbledon final between Serena and Venus Williams. After Serena beat her sister, she said the key was staying calm and patient. Calm and patient. Those two words stuck with Schaffel. “I wrote them down and kept them in my pocket the whole tournament,” Schaffel said. “I just tried to remember that during the down times.”

  • Photogallery

    2009 WSOP Final Table

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    Nine players, including chip leader Darvin Moon and top pro Phil Ivey, advanced to the final table of the 40th annual WSOP on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

  • Akenhead at a disadvantage to start final table

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    James Akenhead is infamously remembered for a bad beat he suffered in a World Series of Poker tournament last year on ESPN. James Akenhead is infamously remembered for a bad beat he suffered in a World Series of Poker tournament last year on ESPN. Akenhead had a clear advantage. Despite the odds, his opponent flopped a full house and knocked out Akenhead.

  • French pro played “smart, snug” en route to final table

    November 4, 2009

    By Case Keefer

    Antoine Saout enters the World Series of Poker Main Event final table as the most unknown player remaining. The Main Event was the first tournament the 25-year old from France ever competed in outside of Europe. “We know the least bit about Antoine for obvious reasons,” ESPN poker commentator Norman Chad said.

  • The final nine players who will go on to the final table wait with their chips following the World Series of Poker at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 15, 2009.

    ESPN to devote record amount of time to Main Event

    July 21, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    For 50 days this summer, Las Vegas enjoyed a front row seat to the largest and most prestigious poker event in the world. Now, just one week from today, ESPN will share that poker jewel with an international audience as it begins number of weekly broadcasts of the World Series of Poker. ESPN plains to air 24 hours of the No Limit Texas Hold 'em Main Event coverage plus two more hours for the live final table in November at the Rio every Tuesday night starting July 28.

  • Players who made the final table of the World Series of Poker pose for a photograph at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. They are from left, James Akenhead, Jeff Shulman, Phil Ivey, Antoine Saout, Darvin Moon, Joseph Cada, Steven Begleiter, Kevin Schaffel and Eric Buchman.

    Final table set in World Series of Poker

    July 16, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    Nine lucky poker players are about take the sweetest four-month vacation in sports. After nearly nine hours of play Wednesday, the World Series of Poker Main Event has come together with a diverse mix of several poker pros, a logger, a magazine editor and an investment banker. The final table participants are Phil Ivey, Darvin Moon, James Akenhead, Kevin Schaffel, Steven Begleiter, Eric Buchman, Joe Cada, Antoine Saout and Jeff Shulman.

  • Darvin Moon looks up following a hand during the World Series of Poker at the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 15, 2009. Moon is the chip leader when the final table resumes on Nov. 7.

    Humble logger could become a true people’s champion

    July 16, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    He is a 45-year-old pine forest logger who proudly displays scars caused by chainsaw accidents. He is from such a small town that the entire population would barely take up half of the hotel rooms at the Rio. He speaks fondly of his favorite pair of work boots and he always wears a New Orleans Saints hat despite living in the heart of Pittsburgh Steelers territory. He is Darvin Moon and he could be the next World Series of Poker Main Event champion.

  • Dealers and production crews prepare for the 7th day of competition at the ESPN feature table July 14 at the World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio. Crews pull 15 hours, operating as many as 40 cameras to pull off the broadcast.

    ESPN poker announcers, crew make for memorable broadcasts

    July 15, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    Many people in the poker world credit Chris Moneymaker's nationally televised, meteoric rise from an online qualifier to a millionaire world champion in 2003 as the catalyst for poker's popularity explosion. But during that historic World Series of Poker Main Event, two very different sports reporters, Norman Chad and Lon McEachern, came together and ended up forming a dynamic broadcasting partnership that has served as the voice of poker since 2003 on ESPN.

  • Leo Margets, seen here on Day 3 of the World Series of Poker Main Event, is the lone woman remaining in the tournament.

    2 women make showing in Main Event’s final 100

    July 14, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    Playing poker like a girl isn't such a bad thing if you're playing like Nichoel Peppe or Leo Margets. Both Peppe and Margets were the only two women to crack the top-100 in the World Series of Poker Main Event Monday, with both battling all day for the title of last woman standing. At about 11:45 p.m., however, Margets claimed that distinction when Peppe busted out in 75th place, winning $68,979. Margets is now the lone woman remaining with 3,650,000 chips in 18th place heading into Day 7 Tuesday with 64 total players left in the tournament. She is guaranteed at least $108,047.

  • Fans watch Phil Ivey play during the World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio.

    Fans flock to Rio to watch poker tournament

    July 12, 2009

    By Ray Brewer

    Cretel Kaleel enthusiastically cheered from the rail this week for her husband, David, who was playing in the World Series of Poker main event at the Rio. While David Kaleel was busy accumulating enough tournament chips to advance to the third day, his wife had a different gathering task: securing autographs from the couple's favorite professionals. So, when popular professional Gus Hansen walked through the ballroom on Friday afternoon, Cretel Kaleel grabbed her tee shirt loaded with autographs and a marker with hopes of adding to her collection. She wasn't the only one.

  • Massage therapist Alana Madsen gives player John Juanda a massage during the World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio.

    Poker players relax with massage at table

    July 11, 2009

    By Ray Brewer

    The World Series of Poker Main Event is marathon of sorts for the players, who can become tense and tired from 12-hour days of play during the two-week — if you are lucky enough to advance — tournament. For the past four years, massage therapists from Professional Massage Inc. have been contracted by Harrah’s, which owns the Rio, to provide massages for the players.

  • ESPN monitors display the different camera angles at the feature table inside the Amazon room at the Rio during the World Series of Poker Main Event.

    Win or lose, seat at ESPN poker table can mean big money

    July 8, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    The ESPN feature table, a dimly lit oasis tucked away in a quiet corner of the raucous Amazon room inside the Rio, is not only one of the most recognized pieces of felt in the poker world, but it is also one of the most profitable. A player at the feature table earns an average of $10,000 for displaying a company's logo on their clothing, which is most often online gambling websites such as Pokerstars, Full Tilt or Ultimate Bet.

  • Jack Ury, 96 of Terre Haute, Ind., continues to hold the honor as the oldest player in the World Series of Poker's No-Limit Texas Hold 'em Main Event. Ury, seen here on day 1B Saturday advanced to the second day of the Main Event before eventually losing to Antonio Maestro on Tuesday.

    Oldest player exits World Series of Poker

    July 7, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    Poker players might not respect registration deadlines, but they certainly respect their elders. One day after nearly 800 irate players were turned away from entering the fourth and final start day of the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Texas Hold 'em Main Event, the poker community's outrage and threats of law suits toward the World Series of Poker turned to a touching show of respect for the oldest poker player at the WSOP. The field of 1,476 players in the Day 2A competition at the Rio stood to a roaring applause as 96-year-old Jack Ury bowed out of the Main Event Tuesday.

  • Players fill tables during the first day of the main event on Friday at the hold 'em tournament at the World Series of Poker at the Rio.

    Hundreds of poker players turned away

    July 6, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    A gold bracelet wasn't necessary to read the faces of hundreds of poker players turned away from registering for the World Series of Poker main event Monday. More than 500 angry poker players were denied entry into the fourth starting day of the $10,000 buy-in No Limit Texas Hold 'em event including top professionals such as five-time gold bracelet winner Ted Forrest and six-time gold bracelet winner T.J. Cloutier.

  • Professional player Phil Hellmuth waves to fans as he is carried into the Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on the third day of the World Series of Poker on Sunday, July 5, 2009.

    Hellmuth enters main event dressed as Caesar

    July 5, 2009

    Oskar Garcia, Associated Press

    Flanked by dozens of women, heralded by trumpeters and mobbed by his fans, Phil Hellmuth channeled Julius Caesar as he arrived at the World Series of Poker on Sunday. The no-limit Texas Hold 'em champion who won the main event 20 years ago slowly made his way to his table nearly two hours after play began, joined by body-painted female gladiators and muses carrying rose petals in tote bags. "When you dress as Caesar you actually feel more powerful," Hellmuth told The Associated Press as he waited in a car outside the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, before his stunt.

  • Actor Jason Alexander and rapper Nelly chat during the first day of the main event hold 'em tournament at the World Series of Poker in The Rio in July 2009.

    Cards fly at World Series of Poker main event

    July 3, 2009

    Oskar Garcia, Associated Press

    Cardplayers, celebrities and amateurs with deep pockets are back in Las Vegas and hoping for a handsome score as the World Series of Poker main event begins. More than 1,100 players packed a conference room at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino at the start of the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament, with the richest prize in poker. Players had until roughly six hours after the cards hit the air Friday to buy into the tournament that day, and three more days to enter the fray as the opening rounds of the tournament were split up.

  • David Bach, the winner of the fourth annual World HORSE Championship event at the World Series of Poker, poses with the Chip Reese Trophy.

    Bach pulls out marathon HORSE victory

    July 1, 2009

    By Steve Silver

    It is only fitting that a marathon heads-up session determined the winner of arguably one of the toughest and most prestigious events at the World Series of Poker Wednesday morning. After more than seven hours of heads-up play, 37-year-old Athens, Ga. resident David Bach claimed the $50,000 HORSE World Championship over John Hanson in the longest American WSOP final table in history. This year's HORSE final table clocked in at an American record of 18 hours, 44 minutes with 480 hands players.

  • Video

    Showing My Poker Face

    Showing My Poker Face

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    In preparation for the beginning of the World Series of Poker, 702.tv's Alex Adeyanju tries to play and talk poker with professional players Lee Markholt and Joe Sebok.

  • David Bach of Athens, Ga., outlasted 94 others players to win the $50,000-entry HORSE poker tournament, which began Friday and concluded Wednesday at the Rio. The final table of the World Series event lasted 20 hours, including seven hours of heads-up play against John Hanson.

    Mixed-game event draws skilled poker players, no TV

    July 2, 2009

    By Jeff Haney

    It’s possible the $50,000-entry HORSE, or mixed-games, tournament at the World Series of Poker is slipping in popularity.

  • Annie Duke arrives at Lavo in advance of the third-annual Ante Up for Africa poker tournament and WSOP event 57.

    Poker pro Annie Duke doesn’t like her nickname

    July 1, 2009

    By Melissa Arseniuk

    Poker pro Annie Duke might be known as “the Duchess of Poker” but the queen of the card tables wishes she could lose the nickname.

  • Poker pros play into the wee morning hours last June at the final table of the World Series of Poker's HORSE event, considered a top test of poker skill because of its diversity of games. Scotty Nguyen, in red, outlasted the others to win $1.9 million, but not before controversy-generating behavior including swearing at his rivals.

    Poker’s HORSE a serious game

    June 26, 2009

    By Jeff Haney

    If the annual $10,000-entry no-limit Texas hold ’em championship tournament at the World Series of Poker retains the No. 1 spot on poker’s liturgical calendar, the $50,000 HORSE (mixed games) event can make a claim for the “1a” slot.

  • A player stacks lucky charms on his chips during the pot-limit hold 'em event of last year's World Series of Poker at the Rio.

    WSOP props odds offer insight into tournament

    June 12, 2009

    By Jeff Haney

    Sanctioned betting on the outcome of the World Series of Poker, now in full swing at the Rio, is not permitted under Nevada gaming regulations, though a lively market exists in other jurisdictions.

  • Lessons from poker pro not sugar-coated

    June 24, 2009

    By Jeff Haney

    Stylish sunglasses snug atop his World Series of Poker Academy ball cap, a guy wearing a Packers jersey was trying to justify his decision to re-raise, from out of position, with a fairly weak hand.