Gamblers set record betting pool for poker series
Source: Agencies |
June 2, 2011, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
A GROUP of 128 gamblers plunked down US$25,000 each on Tuesday to compete in the first tournament of this year's World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, generating the largest ever pool for a heads-up no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament and giving the series an encouraging sign amid a state of weakness for online poker in the United States.
The field - made up of popular poker professionals known for gambling at high limits - began competing for a piece of a US$3 million prize pool, with the winner getting more than US$851,000.
"Been going to WSOP for over 10 years and am giddy as ever, if not more," four-time gold bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu said on Twitter before entering the tournament. "WSOP is very special, and I can't wait to get started on the grind."
Negreanu was eliminated in the first round. With casino officials optimistic yet admittedly unclear exactly how the World Series of Poker would be affected, two of 58 tournaments began with the promise of awarding millions in prize money, gold bracelets and instant fame to winners in many poker variations.
The series culminates in July with the US$10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event, and then a nearly two-week affair that ends in November after a break to give its top nine players several months to think about how to finish their run. Last year's winner, Canadian professional Jonathan Duhamel, won US$8.9 million after topping a field of 7,319 players.
This year's set of tournaments will play out against a backdrop of legal problems for online poker companies that aren't affiliated with the series, but have contributed to making poker grow into an international industry worth billions and helping the series attract plenty of entrants and fans.
Online play in the United States has largely stopped since mid-April, when New York authorities indicted 11 people tied to PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker on charges that they tricked banks into illegally processing gambling payments.
The field - made up of popular poker professionals known for gambling at high limits - began competing for a piece of a US$3 million prize pool, with the winner getting more than US$851,000.
"Been going to WSOP for over 10 years and am giddy as ever, if not more," four-time gold bracelet winner Daniel Negreanu said on Twitter before entering the tournament. "WSOP is very special, and I can't wait to get started on the grind."
Negreanu was eliminated in the first round. With casino officials optimistic yet admittedly unclear exactly how the World Series of Poker would be affected, two of 58 tournaments began with the promise of awarding millions in prize money, gold bracelets and instant fame to winners in many poker variations.
The series culminates in July with the US$10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event, and then a nearly two-week affair that ends in November after a break to give its top nine players several months to think about how to finish their run. Last year's winner, Canadian professional Jonathan Duhamel, won US$8.9 million after topping a field of 7,319 players.
This year's set of tournaments will play out against a backdrop of legal problems for online poker companies that aren't affiliated with the series, but have contributed to making poker grow into an international industry worth billions and helping the series attract plenty of entrants and fans.
Online play in the United States has largely stopped since mid-April, when New York authorities indicted 11 people tied to PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker on charges that they tricked banks into illegally processing gambling payments.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
