2005 WSOP has begun! (Press Release)

[Talking Poker]

Hey guys...

I'm on the WSOP press list, so I get daily updates. I've gotten them for all the Circuit Events so far, but didn't think anyone was particulary interested (no one posted about any of them), so I never bothered posting them. Now that it's in Vegas though, is anyone interested in knowing what's going on? Should I post them for the preliminary events or hold off until the Main Event?

Here's today's email, describing the updates to come:

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The 2005 World Series of Poker has now begun! This will be the biggest event in poker history as all prize money and attendance records are expected to be smashed. The WSOP runs from today (2 June) through 15 July. As an e-mail recipient, you will be receiving all official reports and Day One chip counts/standings in a timely basis. Please note that in some cases, the size of the fields will necessitiate the events extended to three days. This means reports will be released at various times of the day, due simply to the 'unpredictable' nature of running a poker tournament of this size. The bottom line is -- you can expect to receive official results as quickly as possible from here in the Media Center at the Rio.

Thanks for your support of the World Series of Poker. We look forward to making this an event to remember.

[lightfungus]

I don't wanna know what happens! Prefer to watch it on TV in july or august. Anyhoo, I guess I just wont look...

[2Tone]

And fungus, I don't think there's going to be anyway to avoid knowing who wins the main event, short of moving under a rock for the next 90 days. With the way things are lately, it will be probably be on the front page of every paper in America.

[ChipFish]

I would love to see them TP.
Make a seperate "Spoiler" thread, and for those who don't want to know, they don't have to click.

[Talking Poker]

Fair enough.

Yesterday's Event - Event #1 - was the Casino Employees Event. I doubt this will be televised and I also doubt you know any of these people, so I'll just post the results here. This was a record number of entries, btw - by far.


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2005 World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suites Casino-Resort
Official Report
Casino Employees World Poker Championship
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-in: $500
Number of Entries: 662
Total Prize Money: $297,900

Official Results:
1. Andy Nguyen Las Vegas, NV $83,390
2. Danilo Flores San Leandro, CA 43,195
3. Thang Luu Las Vegas, NV 23,830
4. Simon Matthews Victoria, BC (Canada) 20,855
5. Steven Cuti Stockton, CA 17,875
6. Dustin West Riverside, CA 14,895
7. Todd Dakake Las Vegas, NV 11,915
8. David Slowik Las Vegas, NV 8,935
9. Justin Porter Kansas City, MO 5,960

10. Tyler Wasileff 3,275
11. Patrick Olsson 3,275
12. Christopher Gibase 3,275
13. Stanley Bartlett 2,680
14. Christopher Swanson 2,680
15. Nicholas Ruff 2,680
16. Charles Pannabe II 2,085
17. Donovan Barton 2,085
18. David Wortham 2,085
19. Anthony Suarez 1,490
20. Marsha Waggoner 1,490
21. Pete Climer 1,490
22. Shiela Drake 1,490
23. Mark Erb 1,490
24. Danny Plovide 1,490
25. Quac Dep 1,490
26. Aaron Well 1,490
27. Patrick Grace III 1,490
28. David Branch 1,045
29. Derek Scott Powell 1,045
30. Tamir Sad Ilcatass 1,045
31. Eric Schutzberg 1,045
32. Kevin Luc Chiem 1,045
33. Gholam Ghanavati 1,045
34. Brian Wolard 1,045
35. David Stainton 1,045
36. Brent J. Pollack 1,045
37. Edward Rudd 895
38. Justin Lepper 895
39. Jason Reep 895
40. Shawne Portman 895
41. Aaron Bass 895
42. Arthur Eastridge 895
43. William Kiley 895
44. Delia Derby 895
45. Dalton McCulley 895
46. John Sheffield 745
47. Casey J. Loop 745
48. Nick Sanders 745
49. Randall Hampton 745
50. Michael Chicoski 745
51. Thomas B. Liming 745
52. Theodore Finkleman 745
53. Desiree Lee Turner 745
54. Chi Wei Lee 745
55. Peter Sanders 595
56. William Gilmore 595
57. Mohammed Falnipour 595
58. Donald Johnson 595
59. Wade Michael 595
60. Dana Martino 595
61. Joe Ramos 595
62. John Vasher 595
63. Chris Harner 595

Andy Nguyen Wins!
Poker Dealer at Binion’s Becomes 2005 Casino Employees World Poker Champion
Every year, the World Series of Poker starts off with the Casino Employees World Championship. To be eligible to enter, players must be active employees at a casino. The winner of the event receives a gold bracelet and bragging rights as the ‘world champion’ among casino employees.
The 2005 World Series of Poker began with a record-setting parade of poker players who jammed into the Rio in Las Vegas. The number of entries (662) smashed the previous all-time record for this event, when 279 players entered. It took 14 long hours for the final table to begin, as 653 players had been eliminated by 2 am. The final nine players assembled around the final table and were eliminated as follows:
9th Place -- Justin Porter, a poker dealer from the Isle of Capri Casino in Kansas City was the 9th-place finisher. He collected $5,960 in prize money.
8th Place – David Slowik, a poker dealer from the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas was the 8th-place finisher. He collected $8,935 in prize money.
7th Place – Todd Dakake, a poker dealer at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas was the 7th-place finisher. He collected $11,915 in prize money.
6th Place – Dustin West, a poker dealer at Casino Morongo near Palm Springs, CA was the 6th-place finisher. He collected $14,895.
5th Place – Steven Cuti, a poker dealer at the Casino Real in Stockton, CA was the 5th-place finisher. He collected $17,875.
4th Place – Simon Matthews, a poker dealer at Great Canadian Casinos in Victoria, British Columbia was the 4th-place finisher. He collected $20,855.
3rd Place – Thang Luu, a craps dealer at Harrah’s Las Vegas was the 3rd-place finisher. He collected $23,830.
2nd Place – The runner up was Danilo Flores, a poker dealer at the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville, CA. He collected $43,195.
The winner was Andy Nguyen, a poker dealer at Binion’s Casino in Las Vegas. Nguyen is a 43-year-old native of Vietnam. He has been in the U.S. for 20 years and has worked at Binion’s since 2001.

Official Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director
World Series of Poker Circuit Director of Operations – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Rio Poker Room Manager – Michael Matts
Rio Poker Tournament Director – Robert Daily

[Tony Cheval]

Well dang, I guess I would've been eligible for this event if I was still working at the casino here. But then I doubt I would've had the moxie to pony up $500 for it, oh well.

[Spidey44]

Definitely interested in the reports tp! Keep 'em coming. Thanks!

[lightfungus]

I think there is a big rock out back...

[Talking Poker]

I quite like these Official Reports, so I've started posting a few for anyone interested. For those not interested, simply don't open the threads. But you're missing out on some good poker reading, IMO. And by the time these get shown on tv, you won't remember what happened anyway, and even if you did, so what? You can still enjoy watching the show even though you know the final outcome.