Lessons Learned From WSOPE 2009
The biggest series of poker tournaments in the world now has a European tour. The first World Series of Poker Europe was held in 2007 at different London Club International casinos. Organizers expressed hope that the WSOPE would become an annual tradition for poker enthusiasts and a home for WSOP fans after the action concludes in Las Vegas each summer. Now that the WSOPE is in its third year, what can we learn from this amazing tournament?
According to the Code of Player Conduct for the 2009 WSOPE, the competitive integrity of all tournament play at the World Series of Poker Europe was paramount. Would-be cheaters at the WSOPE main event were subject to sanctions such as forfeiture of chips and prize money, ejection from the tournament, loss of privilege to participate in future WSOP events, and exclusion from entering the premises of applicable Harrah’s entertainment properties. This policy ensured a clean, fair tournament worth duplicating.
The 2009 WSOPE tournament set a new attendance record for the largest field ever recorded by European poker sites. The £1,000 buy-in no-limit Hold’em competition was the largest poker contest ever held in London, with a total of 608 participants. Bearing in mind the WSOPE main event is only in its third season, the record figure is staggering. The remarkable London figure is but one of many records broken in the 2009 WSOPE.
Never Underestimate your Players
The European Poker Tournament had one of the most stacked final tables in recent times, and they played for cash, not some random prize. Two November Niners, and six individual bracelet winners with a combined eleven bracelets were among the nine finalists. The chips went furiously back and forth for more than sixteen hours, finally ending when Barry Shulman defeated Daniel Negreanu.
Third place finisher Praz Bansi has over $1,000,000 in career earnings and at one point overtook the chip lead. The pro from London won the $1,000 Hold’em event at the 2006 WSOP, and has made six final tables in poker tournaments so far for 2009. John Juanda, last year’s winner, was eliminated on Day 3. Tony Cousineau (13th), Doyle Brunson (17th), and Yevgeniy Timoshenko (25th) were other notable finishers at the European poker sites.
The European Poker Tournament had Zero Tolerance for Cheaters
According to the Code of Player Conduct for the 2009 WSOPE, the competitive integrity of all tournament play at the World Series of Poker Europe was paramount. Would-be cheaters at the WSOPE main event were subject to sanctions such as forfeiture of chips and prize money, ejection from the tournament, loss of privilege to participate in future WSOP events, and exclusion from entering the premises of applicable Harrah’s entertainment properties. This policy ensured a clean, fair tournament worth duplicating.
Never Underestimate your Tournament
The 2009 WSOPE tournament set a new attendance record for the largest field ever recorded by European poker sites. The £1,000 buy-in no-limit Hold’em competition was the largest poker contest ever held in London, with a total of 608 participants. Bearing in mind the WSOPE main event is only in its third season, the record figure is staggering. The remarkable London figure is but one of many records broken in the 2009 WSOPE.
Never Underestimate your Players
The European Poker Tournament had one of the most stacked final tables in recent times, and they played for cash, not some random prize. Two November Niners, and six individual bracelet winners with a combined eleven bracelets were among the nine finalists. The chips went furiously back and forth for more than sixteen hours, finally ending when Barry Shulman defeated Daniel Negreanu.
Third place finisher Praz Bansi has over $1,000,000 in career earnings and at one point overtook the chip lead. The pro from London won the $1,000 Hold’em event at the 2006 WSOP, and has made six final tables in poker tournaments so far for 2009. John Juanda, last year’s winner, was eliminated on Day 3. Tony Cousineau (13th), Doyle Brunson (17th), and Yevgeniy Timoshenko (25th) were other notable finishers at the European poker sites.