2012 World Series of Poker

Merson a poker champ less than a year after personal low

Oct 31, 2012 (9 a.m.)

By Case Keefer

An incoherent fan reveling in all of Greg Merson’s World Series of Poker glory stumbled up to the new world champion with a beverage in hand early Tuesday morning at the Rio.

Greg Merson, 24, of Laurel, Md., is overcome with emotion after winning the 2012 World Series of Poker Main Event at the Rio on Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012. Merson takes home a championship bracelet and $8.5 million in prize money. Photo by: Steve Marcus

Oct 31, 2012 (9 a.m.)

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By Case Keefer

An incoherent fan reveling in all of Greg Merson’s World Series of Poker glory stumbled up to the new world champion with a beverage in hand early Tuesday morning at the Rio.

• WSOP blog: Greg Merson crowned champion after 12-hour session

  Oct 30, 2012 (5:15 p.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  The best player won the grand prize in the end. Greg Merson became the 2012 world champion of poker about 5:45 a.m. today at the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio.

  

• Budding superstar Greg Merson takes chip lead at World Series of Poker

  Oct 30, 2012 (3 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  The one poker professional capable of shifting attention away from the game’s world championship final table with his mere presence sauntered into the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio Monday evening.

  

• WSOP blog: Merson, Sylvia and Balsiger return today to play for title

  Oct 29, 2012 (4:15 p.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  They’ve spent the last three months obsessing over this moment. Since securing their spot at the World Series of Poker Main Event final table in July, the nine players have thought about today endlessly. They’ve studied everyone else at the table, watched ESPN footage of the earlier stages of the tournament and dreamt about winning the $8.5 million first-place prize.

  

• A rundown of the 9 vying for $8.5 million at the World Series of Poker

  Oct 29, 2012 (2 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  The poker world will immortalize one of the nine players who take the stage at the Rio’s Penn & Teller Theater Monday evening. Winning the World Series of Poker Main Event means more than the jaw-dropping $8,531,853 payout.

  

• Short-stacked local pro at World Series of Poker final table plays his own way

  Oct 27, 2012 (2 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  World Series of Poker final table member Jeremy Ausmus doesn't fit the stereotype of most young professional poker players.

  

• Birth of second child could coincide with winning millions for local poker pro

  Jul 31, 2012 (2 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  The last time Jeremy Ausmus and his wife, Adria, went for a pregnancy checkup, the doctor said the baby was ahead of schedule and could come a few days before the Nov. 3 due date. Ausmus, a 32-year-old local professional poker player, thought nothing of the news at the time. It wasn’t until another life-changing event occurred weeks later that he realized a conflict.

  

• Former roommates, close friends advance to WSOP Main Event final table

  Jul 17, 2012 (3:20 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  It got to the point where Jesse Sylvia expected a text message a few minutes before the dinner break every day of the World Series of Poker Main Event. Sylvia would look down at his phone, without fail, and find some variation of “where do you want to eat?” from a certain one of his pals. That friend was Russell Thomas, who also happened to be playing in poker’s world championship event. “We would talk about chip counts, ” Sylvia said. “Not really discuss poker, but get each other pumped up to go on.”

  

• WSOP live blog: Eight Americans out of final nine in Main Event

  Jul 16, 2012 (1 p.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  After playing nearly 70 hours worth of poker over the last week, nine players could finally exhale early Tuesday morning at the Rio. The tension is over until October. A new group of nine is headed to the final table in poker's world championship, the 2012 WSOP Main Event, and getting a check for ninth-place money of $754,798 in the interim.

  

• A look at the WSOP Main Event leaderboard entering the final day

  Jul 16, 2012 (2 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  For the 11th straight year, someone other than a well-known professional will win poker’s world championship.

  

• Two former final table members among 97 players still alive in WSOP Main Event

  Jul 15, 2012 (2 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  Since the World Series of Poker Main Event shifted its format to hold the November Nine four years ago, no player has advanced to the final table twice. No one has really even come close, as 2008 winner Peter Eastgate’s 78th place in 2009 and 2008 fourth-place finisher Dennis Phillips’ 45th in 2009 are the only two repeat top-100 showings among those to make the November Nine.

  

• WSOP Main Event now in the money after four-way tie for 666th place

  Jul 13, 2012 (6 p.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  With the World Series of Poker Main Event beginning to pay out 666 players on Friday the 13th, something out of the ordinary was bound to happen. The money bubble in the 2012 world championship of poker burst early during the fourth day of play at the Rio in an unlikely fashion. Four players — David Kelley, Dane Lomas, Steve Rosen and Desmond Portano — busted out on the same hand to tie for 666th place.

  

• 10 players to watch in World Series of Poker Main Event as money bubble nears

  Jul 13, 2012 (2 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  The average chip count for the nine players who eventually reach the World Series of Poker Main Event final table will come in at approximately 22 million. At the end of play Thursday, with around 700 players left out of a starting field of 6,598 at the Rio, only one player had more than 1 million chips. The discrepancy illustrates how it’s way too early to start penciling anyone in for the final table, which should emerge sometime Tuesday morning.

  

• WSOP Main Event rolling along, will reach final table faster than usual

  Jul 12, 2012 (2 a.m.)

  By Case Keefer

  Approximately 40 percent of the World Series of Poker Main Event field remains after the last batch of players completed their second day of action Wednesday at the Rio. By Friday, only six days since play began, the tournament is expected to enter the money with 666 players earning payouts. The final table of nine will likely emerge sometime Tuesday morning.

  

• New WSOP app continues social gaming trend

  Jul 11, 2012 (2 a.m.)

  By Ron Sylvester

  As players vied for millions of dollars at the World Series of Poker Main Event, a free online version made its debut Tuesday.

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