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After the success of last year's Mini Poker Series, we're bringing it back and it's bigger, better and more Bodog than before with the first-place finisher getting a $12,000 prize package that gets them into next year's World Series of Poker* main event.

How does the Mini Poker Series work work? Starting this Saturday, June 11th, Bodog is hosting daily guaranteed tournaments tournaments with a buy-in of just $10+1. The top three winners from these tournaments receive a ticket to the Mini Poker Series Finale on July 14th. Those who finish 4th through 9th will receive a ticket to the Mini Poker Series Semifinal on July 12th.

The cash prize pool from these events will be distributed per the usual multi-table payout table. Bodog will also have daily qualifiers for the tournaments with buy-ins of $2+.$20 or $3+$0.30. In addition to the players that win their way into the semifinal through the qualifiers, you can also qualify to play in the event by playing in 15 to 24 events. In other words, it's easy and inexpensive to win your way into the finals and compete for your share of over $72,000 in guaranteed money and a seat to the biggest show in the game.

Want to know more and get a look at the complete schedule? Visit the Bodog Mini Poker Series page today.

The $10,000 Lowball World Championship always features one of the toughest fields during the WSOP. The game isn't played by the masses; at this level, it's simply a pro's game. The field was loaded and on a night when it seemed Phil Hellmuth was primed to capture his 12th WSOP bracelet, John Juanda made a big heads-up comeback to steal the victory and bracelet from his grasp.

John Juanda isn't an amateur to the 2-7 Lowball discipline. With back-to-back fourth-place finishes in this event the past two years, Juanda had the much-needed experience to keep his focus and find a way to win his fifth WSOP bracelet and $367,170. This was Juanda's 55th WSOP cash and his first bracelet since his WSOP Europe main event win in 2008.

In 2010, Juanda had one of the most impressive WSOP runs without earning a title. He made four final tables including a fourth-place finish in the $50,000 Players' Championship. He also tacked on a small cash in a $1,500 event late in the Series. This was his first cash of the 2011 WSOP.

Entering heads-up play, Hellmuth was in control with nearly a 3:1 chip lead. As Juanda began to chip away, Hellmuth's posture and disposition at the table changed. No longer stoic, the "Poker Brat" looked frustrated and searched for a solution to Juanda's aggression. Unfortunately for Hellmuth, he was unable to break through and would finish in second after a dominating performance throughout the entire final table. He earned $226,907.

This was Hellmuth's first cash of the 2011 WSOP and his 80th in his career. He not only holds record for WSOP bracelets, but most times in the money as well. Despite all of his previous WSOP accomplishments, Hellmuth has never won an event in a discipline besides no-limit hold 'em. He now has two runner-up finishes and a fourth-place finish in lowball events at the WSOP throughout his career.

Hellmuth entered Day 3 in seventh place out of the nine that remained. The final eight then consolidated for the unofficial final table after the quick elimination of 2004 WSOP main event champion Greg Raymer in ninth. Even at those early stages of play, Hellmuth had chipped up slightly, but it was when Hellmuth eliminated Joe Cassidy in eighth place that he would really take control.

During that critical hand, Hellmuth called the four-bet all-in of Cassidy holding a 10-9 pat. Cassidy, who was last to act, debated, then finally released one card, stating he was breaking up a 9-8. Cassidy paired up and shipped his sizable stack to Hellmuth who would surge into first place. With that newly-increased stack, Hellmuth pressured his opponents with preflop raises, then adjusted and made some tough decisions to force his opponents to hit their draws.

Hellmuth had nearly two-third of the chips in play when action was three handed and entered heads-up play against Juanda with a substantial chip lead. Juanda would never let up though and ultimately, hit one final draw to eliminate Hellmuth.

This year's Lowball World Championship attracted a field of 126 players, an increase of 25 from a year ago. The best hand in this version of poker is 2-3-4-5-7. There is one more Lowball event on the schedule, the $2,500 2-7 triple draw, Event 49, which begins on June 28th.

Other notable finishers included Bertrand Grospellier (11th), Johnny Chan (12th) and Chino Rheem (14th).

Below are the complete results of Event 16 at the 2011 World Series of Poker:

Event 16: Lowball World Championship
Buy-in: $10,000
Entries: 126
Prize pool: $1,184,400
Players in the money: 14

1. John Juanda ($367,170)
2. Phil Hellmuth ($226,907)
3. Richard Ashby ($143,833)
4. Steve Sung ($97,416)
5. Nick Schulman ($69,216)
6. David Bakes Baker ($51,485)
7. Hasan Habib ($40,020)
8. Joe Cassidy ($32,440)
9. Greg Raymer ($27,928)
10. Benjamin Parker ($27,928)
11. Bertrand Grospellier ($27,928)
12. Johnny Chan ($24,043)
13. Brandon Cantu ($24,043)
14. Chino Rheem ($24,043)

He's returning to this year's World Series of Poker after making a run with Team Bodog last year! Let's catch up with Tay Nguyen, known as Huestertay at the Bodog online poker tables!

How often do you play poker, online and live?
I play about four days a week, both online and live.

What are you most looking forward to about your trip with Bodog?
To play poker with the best players in the game..

What's your biggest tournament win to date?
I won $40,000 in a single tournament.

Have you played in the WSOP before, or visited Las Vegas?
Yes – with Bodog last year!

What made you want to qualify with Bodog Poker?
I play at Bodog, and I wanted to qualify with bodega.

How did you qualify for the satellite you ended up winning?
I bought in through a satellite and got lucky enough to win a seat.

There's still time to join Team Bodog pros Evelyn Ng and Tatjana Pasalic along with the rest of the gang in Las Vegas for this year's World Series of Poker main event! Find out more at on our WSOP Online Poker Tournaments page!

Bodog Poker

John Juanda has triumphed at WSOP Event #16: $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship (No-Limit), after overcoming a field of 126 players to collect a prestigious WSOP bracelet, as well as the $367,170 first place prize.

Not suprisingly, many of the top pros were attracted to the speciality poker variant tournament which rewards the best low hand, the most powerful of which is 7, 5, 4, 3, 2.

Amongst the big names hoping to capture a WSOP bracelet were such players as Phil Hellmuth, Nick Schulman, David Baker, Hasan Habib , Joe Cassidy, Richard Ashby, Steve Sung, Greg “The Fossilman” Raymer, and of course John Juanda.

By the time the final table of seven had been set there was an incredible 19 WSOP bracelets tally held amongst the remaining contenders.

Eventually, the finalists began to fall with Hasan Habib eliminated in 7th place ($40,020), followed by defending champion David Baker in 6th Place ($51,485), Nick Schulman in 5th ($69,216), and Steve Sung in 4th place for $97,416.

Then with the elimination of Richard Ashby in 3rd place ($143,833), just Phil Hellmuth looking for a 12th bracelet and John Juanda looking for WSOP bracelet number 5 remained.

Despite holding a 3 to 1 chip advantage over Juanda, Hellmuth soon became increasingly frustrated at his opponent’s aggression. Ironically, in the end not only did Juanda deny Hellmuth a long coveted 12th WSOP bracelet, but his $367,170 payday also helped propel him to 5th place on the ‘All Time Money List,’ just above Hellmuth.

Hellmuth has now earned $11,680,545 from live tournaments to John Juanda’s $11,774,485, and shaking hands with Juanda straight after being defeated in the heads-up battle, said: “Well played buddy, well played. You’re just so f***king scary.”

John Juanda, for his part, was equally complimentary about Hellmuth and commented:

“Hellmuth actually played pretty good. I was impressed with the way that he played. He made one really great play against Joe (Cassidy), who had the winning hand and he became the chip leader after that. So, overall I was very impressed with the way he played. You know, a lot of people said he couldn’t play anything besides hold ‘em, but tonight he played really well. If the cards would have fallen his way he could be standing here doing the interview instead of me.”

Of the now five gold bracelets earned in an illustrious playing career, the most recent victory by international poker superstar John Juanda ranks among the most memorable.

The Las Vegas resident won the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball World Championship last Saturday night in front of a packed gallery of spectators at the Rio.

Juanda’s victory in a field of 126 came down to a one-on-one matchup with poker icon Phil Hellmuth, who was seeking an unprecedented 12th WSOP gold bracelet.

Instead, it was Juanda who gained his fifth WSOP gold bracelet career victory, joining eight other players who have achieved at that figure. They include: Stu Ungar, Berry Johnston, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Ted Forrest, Jeffrey Lisandro, Allen Cunningham, "Bones" Berland, and Scotty Nguyen.

And the victory came in dramatic fashion with Juanda down by nearly a 2-1 margin in chip count. Juanda currently has $4,668,340 career WSOP winnings.

Grinding to a bracelet

Aaron Steury won the $1,500 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. Championship, held at the Rio. The three-day tournament attracted 963 players, a near-record for any mixed game format.

Steury, a 24-year-old poker pro and self-described grinder from Indiana, came into this year’s WSOP with eight previous cashes. His best showing had been a 14th-place finish in the $5,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. Championship, played in 2009.

This triumph trumped everything he’d done before and paid out nearly three-times the combined figure he earned up to this point. Steury received $289,283 in prize money and his first WSOP gold bracelet.

Several former gold bracelet winners cashed in this event, including Denis Ethier (6th), David Bach (14th), Todd Brunson (19th), Eli Elezra (21st), Farzad Rouhani (25th), Ken Aldridge (30th), Layne Flack (48th), Lyle Berman (49th), Max Pescatori (52nd), Cyndy Violette (55th), Ryan Hughes (58th), Svetlana Gromenkova (69th), Allen Bari (78th), Ivo Donev (83rd), and David Chiu (93rd).

H.O.R.S.E. is an acronym for five of the most popular poker games played inside American cardrooms today. H.O.R.S.E. tournaments include a rotation of the following games – hold’em, Omaha high-low split, razz, seven card stud, and seven card stud high-low split (also called eight-or-better).

In other news and notes:

• Californian Brian Rast won the $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em champion and first prize of $227,232. It was the first gold bracelet for Rast, who owns a condo in Las Vegas at Panorama Towers – home to many of the world’s top poker pros.

Rast currently has $506,553 in WSOP winnings over his eight-year career.

• Connecticut’s Andrew Badecker captured the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Shootout and winner’s prize of $369,371. Badecker has played at the WSOP each of the last three years. It was his fourth time to cash.

• Canadian Tyler Bonkowski won the WSOP $3,000 buy-in Limit Hold’em champion and first place money of $220,817. He now has four cashes in his career at the WSOP.

• Through the conclusion of Event No. 17, the 2011 WSOP has attracted 15,695 entries. $30,271,010 in prize money has been awarded to winners, to date.

• Through the conclusion of this tournament, the nationality of gold bracelet winners has been: United States (13), Great Britain (2). Russia (1), Canada (1).

• Breakdown of gold bracelet winners: Professional Players (14): Jake Cody, Cheech Barbaro, Eugene Katchalov, Allen Bari, Harrison Wilder, Matt Perrins, Sean Getzwiller, Viacheslav Zhukov, David Diaz, Andrew Badecker, Tyler Bonkowski, Brian Rast, John Juanda, Aaron Steury; Semi-Pros (2): Sean R. Drake, Amir Lehavot; Amateurs (1): Geffrey Klein.

• New records set at this year’s WSOP (to date): Biggest Heads-Up tournament prize pool in history ($3,040,000, Event 2); Largest live Omaha High-Low Split Tournament in history (925 entries, Event 3); Largest live Six-Handed tournament in poker history (1,920 entries, Even 10); Biggest Deuce-to-Seven tournament prize pool in history ($1,184,400, Event 16); Largest live $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single starting day (3,157 entries, Event 18); Largest consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,238 entries, Events 18, 20).

Did you know that Bodog's online poker room hosts a weekly $100,000 guaranteed tournament on Sundays? And you can get on the action for as little as $1 thanks to our aggressive satellite schedule? These massive tournaments take place at 4pm EST and feature some of the biggest and best action online.

Who came out on top in the weekly $100,000 guaranteed online poker tournament held this past Sunday, June 12th? KGBluvsOrEoS took first place this week, earning $25,000. They were followed by UrDoUghIsMiNe ($15,000) and sammy570 , who rounded out the top three spots while taking away $9,500. Here's the rest of the final table results: rhythmface ($7,000); Markedcard ($5,500); ShIpMyWaY ($4,500); Northerner53 ($3,500); jackal454 ($2,200) and Amebix ($1,700).

In addition to our show-stopping Sunday events, Bodog hosts its regular weekly tournaments to players, and here's the winners of last week's events!

June 6 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: LuckyGRB ($3,236.75)
June 7 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: royboy80 ($3,085.50)
June 8 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: Firemiller ($3,372.87)
June 9 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: PokerJedi79 ($3,025.00)
June 12 • $10k Guaranteed Double-Stack: T_CRAMEZZZ ($2,843.50)
June 12 • $10k Guaranteed Turbo Double-Stack El_Presidente ($3,300.00)

Bodog's guaranteed tournaments mean that there's always a big cash pool and with more players getting in on the action every week, that means there's more to be won Play poker online at Bodog and get your share!

We're keeping you up to date with the players that make up Team Bodog at this year's World Series of Poker* Main Event. This time around, we're talking to Jeff Schuler, known as Schuler at the Bodog online poker tables!

How often do you play poker, online and live?

I've been playing poker for about eight years. I really started to play more often during my freshman year of college, which is where I really learned how to play well. Back then, I was playing 20+ tournaments every day and doing well. I played less and less as school got busier, and played medium-high stakes MTTs when I felt the itch. I play maybe a couple times a week. When I was in Vegas a few months back I played WSOP circuit event #7, and haven't played live since then.

What are you most looking forward to about your trip with Bodog?

It has always been a distant dream and personal goal of mine to play in the main event. I am most forward looking to the environment and competition. I've been yearning for a challenge like this one. I'm also looking forward to being able to represent Bodog as a sponsor. I've been playing poker on Bodog for years and it is fitting to be able to represent my favorite place to play on the biggest stage there is.

What's your biggest tournament win to date?
My largest online tournament cash was just under $10,000. There were a little over 2,000 entrants.

Have you played in the WSOP before, or visited Las Vegas?

Yes, I have played in a WSOP Circuit ring event in Las Vegas, but never in the main non-circuit events. I've played live poker in Vegas on several other occasions.

What made you want to qualify with Bodog Poker?
The price was right for the qualifier. It was a large buy-in ($500), but I consider myself able to perform at a high level no matter the competition. With 10 entrants out of 207 winning a ticket, I was feeling some really positive energy and went ahead and registered.

There's still time to join Team Bodog pros Evelyn Ng and Tatjana Pasalic along with the rest of the gang in Las Vegas for this year's World Series of Poker main event! Find out more at on our WSOP Online Poker Tournaments page!

A professional poker player won a partial victory from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week in a case that could provide another blow to the battered online poker industry.

The court held that U.S. District Judge Robert Clive Jones of Las Vegas erred by dismissing Cycalona Gowen's breach of contract claim against Tiltware, a California company that provides software to players' website Full Tilt Poker.

The 9th Circuit also ruled that the district court erred in dismissing Gowen's fraud and negligent misrepresentation claims against co-defendants Raymond Bitar and Howard Lederer, a fellow poker pro.

Bitar, an equities trader in Los Angeles when he helped found both Tiltware and Full Tilt Poker, was one of 11 individuals named in April in a federal indictment against individuals linked to the online poker industry. The charges included bank fraud and illegal gambling. Bitar has said he isn't guilty.

Lederer was also one of Tiltware's founders.

Gowen, who lives in Texas, alleged that Tiltware violated a promise to give her a 1 percent ownership stake in the company once it became profitable in exchange for use of her celebrity status to promote the Full Tilt brand. The 9th Circuit's ruling means she can proceed on her breach of contract and misrepresentation claims.

But the 9th Circuit sided with Jones in dismissing Gowen's claims against other poker companies and other high-profile poker professionals tied to Full Tilt.

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It was an auspicious beginning to a live poker career for Foster Hays, who's now in the record books as The 2011 World Series of Poker* $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em champion. The medical researcher from Dallas had never played in a live poker tournament, much less at the WSOP before sitting down at Event #18, but a mere 40 hours at the tables netted him $735,400.

When asked why he choose this event, Hays responded: "It was a goal of mine to play in a World Series of Poker event. I decided on the $1,500 and it was between this and the $1,000 event. I figured that playing the $1,500 event would give me time to play on the weekend. It was just a standard Vegas weekend for me."

Of course, with that extra money in his bankroll, surely he's going to enjoy it a bit? "I am on the red eye flight tonight. I believe I should keep my commitments. I have a meeting at 8 am on Wednesday morning."

Well, then. At least he gets bragging rights for taking a tournament that set the largest single-day field size of any $1,500 buy-in tournament at the WSOP. He beat 3,156 other players.

Meanwhile, Brit Darren Woods took Event #19, the $2,500 buy-in Six-Handed Limit Hold’em event, joining the ranks of Jake Cody and Matt Perrins in representing his home country at the biggest event in the game. The 26-year-old pro studied math in college and was an accountant before hitting the virtual felt at an online poker site.

While winning was a definite positive for Woods, he did admit to being tired after the game: “I got absolutely no sleep last night. Some crazy woman knocked on the door at eight in the morning. She knocked on the wrong door and woke me up and I went to bed at four last night. I really want to go out and party and celebrate, but I might just fall asleep instead. It’s pretty amazing to win.”

He's won over a million dollars at the tables of the WSOP with eleven cashes. He claimed fifth place in the 2009 Triple-Chance No-Limit Event; fourth in last year's $25,000 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit event; third place in last year's $10,000 buy-in Heads-Up Championship and got to second in a $1,500 No-Limit event in 2009, so it was just about time for Jason Somerville to finally get a bracelet on his wrist. His victory in Event #20, the $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Championship, marked a pivotal moment in the 24-year-old's career and people are already saying that it only gets better from here for him.

Bertrand Grospellier, the flamboyant, funny poker rock star finally snapped a losing streak at WSOP events that only had a 9th-place showing in 2007 as a highlight with his victory in event #21, the 10,000 buy-in Seven-Card Stud World Championship. With over $7,000,000 in live poker winnings prior to this win, it was long overdue and what's funny is the fact that he'd never played in a Seven-Card Stud tournament before. That's right, the relative novice was able to outlast players who had been playing the game most of their lives.

The debate over online gaming, poker in particular, has been raging since the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed in 2006. But there have been a few recent developments that take online poker a few steps closer to reality. Upcoming budget debates, as Republicans have resisted tax increases, may be just the opening a few key members of Congress need. And a little added revenue from online poker could make both sides of the aisle happy.

We're keeping you up to date with the players that make up Team Bodog at this year's World Series of Poker* Main Event. This time around, we're talking to Jared Pacifici, known as JaredsBack at the Bodog online poker tables!

How often do you play poker, online and live?

Every day. It usually takes 22-55 hands to break the fish I got on the line and I try to do that 2-3 times a day in between my naps.

What are you most looking forward to about your trip with Bodog?

The chance to play with some of the games greats, like Jamie Gold, David Williams, and Josh Arieh.

What's your biggest tournament win to date?
I won a tournament for $545,000 on one online poker site in April of this year.

Have you played in the WSOP before, or visited Las Vegas?

I was in Vegas to play once and I was scoping out the tables and saw so many pro's with big stacks I didn’t want to be bullied so I decided not to play. Plus I forgot my sunglasses and I never play without my sunglasses.

How did you qualify for the satellite that you ended up winning.

So, I was sitting home one Saturday night and I turned the on the TV and saw the WSOP on ESPN. This guy Jamie Gold was just owning everyone, calling out peoples cards, bluffing them to their faces, and I was like I can do that! So I logged into my Bodog acct and deposited $20. First, I played a $1 satellite and won a seat to the $10 satellite. That one was pretty easy; people were going all in with small pocket pairs every hand. Then, I won the $10 satellite when my 6-5 suited flopped a flush — it was so funny. After that, I was in the $69 satellite and I was down to almost no chips, but you know what they always say: "A chip and a chair." I went all in 3 hands in a row and won all of them. Then, there were three of us left and I went all in with AJ of spades. The flop came up JJ2 and I won. I played some really good, tough poker. (Obviously. I won four tournaments in a row!)

Just a day after Bertrand Grospellier won his first bracelet, his fellow countryman Elie Payan followed his lead and captured his first World Series of Poker title with a win in Event 22, $1,500 pot-limit Omaha. The 27-year-old project manager from Orleans, France, defeated the largest pot-limit Omaha tournament in poker history (1,071 players) to earn the top prize of $292,825.

Of course, while he is an amateur and focuses on his job, Payan isn't just a project manager. The well-seasoned European often plays online under the screen name "Punisher934," but this was the first WSOP event he's ever played. His victory makes him the seventh champion in 2011 who has won while making his very first WSOP cash. This was also Payan's first career major live win. His previous top score came in 2008 at the International Poker Open, where he finished third in a 135-euro event for $22,859.

"It's unspeakable," he said when asked about his emotions and winning a bracelet. "I do not know how to explain it. I am very, very happy."

Payan also believed that his win could provide some momentum for the continuously-growing French poker market.

"For poker in France, and for the game to grow there -- I am very happy for that," he said. "I am very, very happy to win back-to-back, after 'ElkY' [Bertrand Grospellier]."

At two bracelets, France currently ranks third behind the United States (15) and United Kingdom (3) in terms of bracelet totals so far this year. The U.S. was close to adding to its total, with Rafe Kibrit falling just short in second. The 25-year-old pro from Buffalo Grove, Ill., had the chip lead at one point during heads-up play, but Payan's aggression paid off and would result in Kibrit's eventual elimination.

David "Doc_Sands" Sands, previously ranked as the No. 1 online poker player in the world according to PocketFives, finished in third after coming into the final table as one of the short stacks. Sands is currently having his most profitable year on the life felt and added $113,383 to his total at his second final table.

Other notable finishers included Emil Patel (sixth), Jeff Sarwer (eighth), Michael Binger (30th) and Nick Binger (32nd).

Below are the complete results of Event 22 at the 2011 World Series of Poker:

Event 22: Pot-limit Omaha
Buy-in: $1,500
Entries:1071
Prize pool: $1,445,850
Players in the money: 117

1. Elie Payan ($292,825)
2. Rafe Kibrit ($181,222)
3. David Sands ($113,383)
4. Juha Vilkki ($82,297)
5. Stephen Wolfe ($60,754)
6. Emil Patel ($45,554)
7. Cody Munger ($34,642)
8. Jeff Sarwer ($26,704)
9. Roland Israelashvili ($20,863)
10. Benjamin Parker ($16,511)
11. Frank Peelen ($16,511)
12. Nathan Gamble ($16,511)
13. Michael Kamran ($13,243)
14. Ryan Welch ($13,243)
15. Quinn Do ($13,243)
16. Richard Rinker ($10,757)
17. Timothy Seidensticker ($10,757)
18. John Orlina ($10,757)
19. Firoz Pirani ($8,848)
20. James Lee ($8,848)
21. Timothy Miles ($8,848)
22. Mark Theonnes ($8,848)
23. Matthew Maggard ($8,848)
24. Ngoc Nguyen ($8,848)
25. Brandon Paster ($8,848)
26. Mark Compton ($8,848)
27. Reiner Gonzalez ($8,848)
28. Sumanth Reddy ($7,388)
29. Dapreesch Scates ($7,388)
30. Michael Binger ($7,388)
31. Adam Laskey ($7,388)
32. Nick Binger ($7,388)
33. Dmitry Motorov ($7,388)
34. Resulaska Zani ($7,388)
35. Frank Rusnak ($7,388)
36. Robert Firestone ($7,388)
37. Scott Sitron ($6,246)
38. Shreeniwas Kelkar ($6,246)
39. Nathan Wildgrube ($6,246)
40. Edward Ochana ($6,246)
41. Brian Chase ($6,246)
42. Jason Crosby ($6,246)
43. Siva Dhamotharan ($6,246)
44. Douglas Corning ($6,246)
45. Michael Bena ($6,246)
46. Gergely Meszaros ($5,335)
47. Will Faila ($5,335)
48. Eugene Du Plessis ($5,335)
49. Julien Le Bars ($5,335)
50. Joseph Felder ($5,335)
51. Norman Collingsworth ($5,335)
52. Rodney Brown ($5,335)
53. Benjamin Kelley ($5,335)
54. Robert Shortway ($5,335)
55. Tommy Le ($4,612)
56. Dennis Booze ($4,612)
57. Brant Hale ($4,612)
58. Sonu Sharma ($4,612)
59. Jim Tarr ($4,612)
60. Evan Snow ($4,612)
61. Ivan Janssen ($4,612)
62. Marc Glickman ($4,612)
63. Matthew Mueller ($4,612)
64. Michael Hallen ($4,048)
65. Peter Nathan ($4,048)
66. Frank Bonacci ($4,048)
67. Heather Sue Mercer ($4,048)
68. Steven Enstine ($4,048)
69. Jonathan Lane ($4,048)
70. Rob Hollink ($4,048)
71. Melanie Weisner ($4,048)
72. (Did Not Report) ($4,048)
73. Thomas Rice ($3,600)
74. Benjamin Eilers ($3,600)
75. Stephen Sola ($3,600)
76. Gary Long ($3,600)
77. Dmitry Gromov ($3,600)
78. Yaniv Birman ($3,600)
79. Chris Ginley ($3,600)
80. Brian Swinford ($3,600)
81. Andrew Foster ($3,600)
82. Michael Moore ($3,228)
83. Adam Cho ($3,228)
84. Tom Franklin ($3,228)
85. Gregg Merkow ($3,228)
86. Kent L Jonsson ($3,228)
87. Joseph Mobley ($3,228)
88. Matthew Fitzgerald ($3,228)
89. Michael Horowitz ($3,228)
90. Jason Schacter ($3,228)
91. David Arganian ($2,978)
92. Cameron McKinley ($2,978)
93. Tyler Isono ($2,978)
94. Jose Severino ($2,978)
95. Mark Davidoff ($2,978)
96. Andreas Krause ($2,978)
97. Brian Haveson ($2,978)
98. Tyson Marks ($2,978)
99. Alan Engel ($2,978)
100. David Chiu ($2,747)
101. Nick Janssen ($2,747)
102. Terence Gillett ($2,747)
103. Steve Chanthaboasey ($2,747)
104. Morton Davis ($2,747)
105. Oleksii Kovalchuk ($2,747)
106. Matthew Waxman ($2,747)
107. Tommy Vedes ($2,747)
108. Ross Bernstein ($2,747)
109. Sidney Hasson ($2,747)
110. David Rentzsch ($2,747)
111. Mike Parisi ($2,747)
112. Joseph Serock ($2,747)
113. Kimberlin Lampkin ($2,747)
114. Matthew Rashbrook ($2,747)
115. Troy Burkholder ($2,747)
116. Chad J. Brown ($2,747)
117. Peter Smurfit ($2,747)

Event #22 in this year's World Series of Poker* was taken down by Elie Payan, from Orleans, France. The 27-year-old project manager collected $292,825 for his first-place finish in the $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha tournament. Remarkably, this was the first WSOP tournament Payan had ever entered. He became the seventh player so far this year to cash in what was their first-ever WSOP entry. When asked about how it felt be the second player from France to win this year, he responded: "For me personally, it is not that special as far as my nationality. But for poker in France – and for the game to grow there – I am very happy for that. I am very, very happy to win back to back, after ElkY."

John Monette's first WSOP title is one well worth bragging about: he took the top spot in the world's largest ever Eight-Game Mix tournament, Event #23 at this year's WSOP. The 29-year-old pro has earned over a million dollars in poker tournaments since 2004 and has 17 cashes at WSOP events prior to this one. He collected $278,144 for the victory. with Eric Buchman getting $278,144 for second.

Next Monday, June 20 2011 at 9:05pm, Bodog Poker is hosting their final satellite for seats in this year's World Series of Poker* Main Event and you can find yourself playing for just $1 thanks to Bodog's cheap seats tournaments that are running through the rest of this weekend! The $470+30 tournament will give away the final two $12,000 main event prize packages and with satellites and qualifiers running right up until the start of the event, we've made it easier than ever to play to win!

If you've not heard of how amazing our Main Event prize packages are, just know that they give you complete access to the best in Las Vegas. You'll get a $10,000 buy-in to the main event as well as $2,000 in travel, accommodation and spending money and that's just the start. You'll have a VIP ticket to one of Bodog's sensational parties and access to the Team Bodog handler who'll make sure your entire trip goes smoothly. As one final memento, you'll receive a bag packed with Bodog swag.

Want to know more about how you can join Evelyn Ng and Tatjana Pasalic along with the rest of the gang in Las Vegas for this year's World Series of Poker main event? Visit our WSOP Online Poker Tournaments page!

Bodog Poker

For six weeks every summer, thousands of people from all over the world descend on Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker. It's one of the gaming industry's premier events, as competitors of all skill levels, vie for millions in prize money.

The sound of chips being exchanged across tables, and cards being carefully shuffled, fill the Rio Hotel and Casino's Convention Center.

As thousands of players hope for a good hand, the World Series of Poker celebrates a full-house.

This year's tournament is on track to break last year's attendance record of 72,000 participants.

"We're looking to crush that number this year," says Ty Stewart, the Executive Director of the World Series of Poker. "We have 400 poker tables in here, and they're all at capacity."

With many of the poker players, come family and friends who've tagged a long to watch.

"We're just in awe, basically," says Paul Simon, who traveled from Michigan, to watch his son play in the tournament.

In awe, and willing to spend, which makes Las Vegas one of the big winners. "We're going to watch him for awhile, then go down on the strip for a bit and spend some money," Simon says.

So far, tournament attendance is up more than 10 percent from last year. But what is it exactly that makes the World Series of Poker so popular?

"I think it's the Las Vegas version of the American dream," Stewart says. "Overnight you can instantly win fame, fortune, even a little bit of credibility."

The perfect example of that is Jonathan Duhamel, 24, last year's big winner. The Quebec-native walked away with $9 million.

"My life has changed in every way possible," Duhamel says. "I've been traveling the world all year long. I've gone almost everywhere."

He's back in Las Vegas, to see what he'll be dealt this year.

"If you're lucky, anything can happen," he says.

Which is what everyone at the tournament is betting on.

Exact attendance numbers won't be revealed until after the World Series of Poker ends on July 16th.

Watching the tournament is free and open to the public, as long as you are 21 or older. Play begins at noon everyday.

With all the laws being proposed in the United States Legislature this year, one more could be added this week to legalize online poker. According to The Hill's Technology Blog, Texas Republican Representative Joe Barton could be ready to introduce legislation sometime this week to legalize online poker and set up a new federal agency to regulate it.

Black Friday Online poker bust

April 15, 2011, came to be known as Black Friday in the online poker world. The FBI shut down PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Poker, three of the largest poker websites. The sites were charged with illegal online gambling, bank fraud and money laundering.

According to Barton online poker is not illegal but that processing payments for online poker is unlawful. According to various discussions on the proposed law, online poker sites will be registered and regulated in a state where gambling is legal much like brick and mortar casinos. Barton will propose a bill that will allow payments for online poker games in states where such gambling is legal.
A group known as Poker Players Alliance has been working with Barton to draft a bill that would bring online poker back to the comfort of your home computer.

Another law we will be tracking as we keep an eye on life, liberty, and the right to play poker on the internet.