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May 23, 2013

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2011 World Series of Poker

  • Pius Heinz, left, of Germany and Martin Staszko of the Czech Republic compete for the championship bracelet and $8.7 million in first-place prize money during the World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011.

    World Series of Poker live blog: Pius Heinz shifts fortunes, wins Main Event

    November 8, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    The Main Event bracelet in the hands of Pius Heinz is a testament to how quickly things can change in poker. Heinz returned from a level break less than a half an hour ago at a chip disadvantage to Martin Staszko and searching for a sudden change of fortune. He found it.

  • Pius Heinz of Germany and Ben Lamb of Las Vegas at the 2011 World Series of Poker Final Table at the Rio on Nov. 6, 2011.

    Three players still in WSOP head to finale with most info ever

    November 7, 2011

    By Oskar Garcia

    LAS VEGAS — The three top finishers at the World Series of Poker are preparing to settle an $8.72 million title armed with more information than ever before, adding a significant new layer to what's already a thinker's game.

  • Phil Collins, left, gets a hug from fellow Las Vegan Ben Lamb, center, after being knocked out by Pius Heinz, right, of Germany during the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event final table at the Rio on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011. Collins received $2.2 million for the fifth-place finish.

    Ben Lamb justifies hype at World Series of Poker final table

    November 7, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    Ben Lamb has already succeeded where his predecessors failed by advancing to the final day of the World Series of Poker Main Event.

  • The November Nine compete during the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event final table at the Rio on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011.

    World Series of Poker live blog: Final three are Heinz, Lamb and Staszko

    November 6, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    Pius Heinz has the chip lead. Ben Lamb has the momentum. Martin Staszko has the unpredictably. That’s where things stand in the World Series of Poker Main Event after nearly 11 hours of play Sunday. The three finalists will meet at 6 Tuesday night in the Penn & Teller Theater to determine poker’s 2011 world champion.

  • Matt Giannetti of Las Vegas competes during Day 8 of the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event at the Rio on Tuesday, July 19, 2011.

    Three like-minded locals go after poker’s world championship this weekend

    November 4, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    Poker’s unprecedented popularity surge in the past decade created a subset of young men who quickly found success in the game and turned it into a lucrative career.

  • New poker slot machine aims to simulate a human brain

    November 4, 2011

    By Delen Goldberg

    Your poker opponent pauses to think, stalls, then raises. You aren’t sure if it’s a bluff. Good luck charms sit on the table. It sounds like virtually any poker game, and it is. Except for the fact that your opponent is a computer, and you’re playing on a slot machine.

  • The "November Nine" reach for a championship bracelet after making it to the final table during the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event at the Rio early Wednesday morning July 20, 2011. The players will come back in November for the final table. From left are: Badih Bounahra of Belize, Phil Collins of Las Vegas, Matt Giannetti of Las Vegas, Pius Heinz of Germany, Sam Holden of Britain, Ben Lamb of Las Vegas, Anton Makiievskyi of Ukraine, Eoghan O'Dea of Ireland and Martin Staszko of the Czech Republic.

    Reintroducing the final nine players in the World Series of Poker Main Event

    November 3, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    The World Series of Poker implemented its November Nine format four years ago so that fans could get to know the players competing at the final table for the game’s biggest prize. But the four-month layoff between the last day of play in the summer and the final table can work the other way, too. If fans followed the tournament while it happened but failed to watch ESPN’s ensuing weekly episodes, they have likely forgotten about the nine men who emerged out of a field of 6,865 players.

  • A woman who wants to remain anonymous plays poker online.

    Internet gambling’s new best friend? Conservatives

    August 23, 2011

    By Liz Benston

    The argument that regulated online gambling could raise millions of tax dollars and generate thousands of jobs has gained steam with fiscal conservatives opposed to raising taxes.

  • The "November Nine" reach for a championship bracelet after making it to the final table during the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event at the Rio early Wednesday morning July 20, 2011. The players will come back in November for the final table. From left are: Badih Bounahra of Belize, Phil Collins of Las Vegas, Matt Giannetti of Las Vegas, Pius Heinz of Germany, Sam Holden of Britain, Ben Lamb of Las Vegas, Anton Makiievskyi of Ukraine, Eoghan O'Dea of Ireland and Martin Staszko of the Czech Republic.

    How you could win $$ on World Series of Poker final table

    July 28, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    Unfamiliar names like Martin Stazsko and Matt Giannetti that have recently started flashing across betting boards in Las Vegas sports books don’t belong to race car drivers or golfers. They’re card players. Sports books have made the World Series of Poker the first nonsporting competition available to bettors since the Nevada Gaming Control Board approved amendments to allow event wagering this year.

  • Jackie Gaughan, the previous owner of the El Cortez, stands in front of a board featuring the odds of where pieces of the Skylab satellite would crash to earth. The photograph is on display on the El Cortez Casino floor.

    Betting on Oscars and reality TV are no-nos, but what about on the end of the world?

    July 28, 2011

    By Liz Benston

    Wynn Las Vegas made headlines for offering real-money odds on who would win the World Series of Poker. It's the first Nevada casino to take advantage of a change in state regulations allowing wagers on nonsporting events. The Wynn isn’t the first Nevada casino to take bets on offbeat events, however.

  • A sign reads the "2011 November Nine" after the final table was determined at the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event at the Rio early Wednesday morning July 20, 2011.

    Meet the World Series of Poker’s November Nine

    July 20, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    World Series of Poker Main Event players have started with 30,000 chips at the beginning of the tournament for three years. In that time, the discrepancy between the chip leader and shortest stack at the final table the past two years was an average of 55 million chips.

  • The "November Nine" pose after making it to the final table during the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event at the Rio early Wednesday morning July 20, 2011. The players will come back in November for the final table. From left are: Badih Bounahra of Belize, Phil Collins of Las Vegas Matt Giannetti of Las Vegas, Pius Heinz of Germany, Sam Holden of Britain, Ben Lamb of Las Vegas, Anton Makiievskyi of Ukraine, Eoghan O'Dea of Ireland and Martin Staszko of the Czech Republic.

    World Series of Poker final table has international and local flair

    July 20, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    Poker is a global game with Las Vegas acting as its international capital. This year, it’s a fact that will be best illustrated in poker’s most grand moment. The nine players who came out of a field of 6,865 players in the World Series of Poker Main Event to make up the tournament’s “November Nine” final table represent seven nations. The United States is the home to only three of the finalists who will reconvene Nov. 5.

  • The last 10 players compete during Day 8 of the World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in, no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event at the Rio Tuesday, July 19, 2011. Clockwise from dealer are: Matt Giannetti, Bandih Bounahra, Eogan O'Dea, Phil Collins, Anton Makiievskyi, Sam Holden, Pius Heinz, Ben Lamb, Martin Staszko and John Hewitt.

    World Series of Poker live blog: November Nine final table set

    July 19, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    Ten players remain in the World Series of Poker Main Event after a long day at the Rio to trim the field from 22. One more elimination is needed to establish the November Nine final table. Three 26-year old locals are still in the tournament. They are WSOP Player of the Year leader Ben Lamb, Internet poker extraordinaire Phil Collins and cash game specialist Matt Giannetti.

  • A competitor plays with his chips during play at the 2011 World Series of Poker Friday, July 15, 2011.

    An intro to the final 22 players in the World Series of Poker Main Event

    July 19, 2011

    By Case Keefer

    A 21-year-old Ukrainian playing in his first ever World Series of Poker tournament seized the chip lead of the 2011 Main Event early Tuesday morning at the Rio. With 22 players remaining from a starting field of 6,865, Anton Makiievskyi is at the top of the leader board with 21 million chips. Makiievskyi stole the lead after winning the tournament’s biggest pot in the final level of play during Day 7.

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