| Competition: | 2008 World Series of Poker |
| Location: | Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Dates: | May 30 – July 15 |
| Champion: |  Peter Eastgate |
| Prev: | 2007 |
| Next: | 2009 |
The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold 'em Main Event, the most prestigious of the WSOP events, ended by July 15th.[1] As has been the WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners received a championship bracelet in addition to that event's prize money, which (after the casino's rake) ranged from $87,929 to $9,119,517.
Highlights of the 2008 series include the selection of Erick Lindgren, who won a bracelet and made three final tables, as recipient of the "Player of the Year Award". Nikolay Evdakov led all players with a record 10 money finishes, and Phil Hellmuth set a WSOP record of 41 career final tables. The Main Event, which began with 6,844 participants (a level exceeded only by the number of participants at the 2006 event), was suspended once the event was down to the 9 players needed for the final table; the Main Event was resumed on November 9, and concluded with the heads-up final between Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov the next day. This year was the first in which the Main Event was suspended in this fashion, a change introduced at ESPN's request to allow the TV network to do a same-day Main Event broadcast.
In a stunning statistical improbability, Justin Phillips knocked out Motoyuki Mabuchi in the Main Event. Phillips held a Royal Flush, while Mabuchi held quad aces. One of the broadcasters, Lon McEachern, mentioned on air that the chances of such a showdown occurring were 1:2.7 billion. Ray Romano had just sat down at the table when this hand played itself out.[2]
| Event | Entrants | Winner | Prize | Runner-up | Results[3] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold'em | 352 | $794,112 | Andy Bloch | Results | ||
| 2 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 3,929 | Grant Hinkle | $831,462 | James Akenhead | Results | |
| 3 | $1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em | 713 | David Singer | $214,131 | Jacobo Fernandez | Results | |
| 4 | $5,000 Mixed Hold'em | 332 | Erick Lindgren | $374,505 | Justin Bonomo | Results | |
| 5 | $1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/rebuys | 766 | Michael Banducci | $636,736 | Jeff Williams | Results | |
| 6 | $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better | 833 | Thang Luu | $243,356 | Spencer Lawrence | Results | |
| 7 | $2,000 No Limit Hold'em | 1,592 | Matt Keikoan | $550,601 | Shannon Shorr | Results | |
| 8 | $10,000 World Championship Mixed Event | 192 | Anthony Rivera | $483,688 | James Mackey | Results | |
| 9 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed | 1,236 | Rep Porter | $372,929 | Nathan Templeton | Results | |
| 10 | $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better | 388 | Freddy Rouhani | $232,911 | Tom Chambers | Results | |
| 11 | $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout | 360 | Phil Tom | $477,990 | Greg Mueller | Results | |
| 12 | $1,500 Limit Hold'em | 880 | Jimmy Shultz | $257,105 | Zac Fellows | Results | |
| 13 | $2,500 No Limit Hold'em | 1,397 | Duncan Bell | $666,777 | Steve Merrifield | Results | |
| 14 | $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud | 158 | Eric Brooks | $415,856 | Fu Wong | Results | |
| 15 | $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em World Championship | 1,190 | Svetlana Gromenkova | $244,702 | Anh Le | Results | |
| 16 | $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better | 553 | Andrew Brown | $226,483 | Ted Forrest | Results | |
| 17 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout | 1,000 | Jason Young | $335,565 | Mike Schwartz | Results | |
| 18 | $5,000 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball w/rebuys | 85 | Mike Matusow | $537,862 | Jeff Lisandro | Results | |
| 19 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha | 759 | Vanessa Selbst | $227,965 | Jamie Pickering | Results | |
| 20 | $2,000 Limit Hold'em | 480 | Daniel Negreanu | $204,874 | Ugur Marangoz | Results | |
| 21 | $5,000 No Limit Hold'em | 731 | Scott Seiver | $755,891 | Dave Seidman | Results | |
| 22 | $3,000 H.O.R.S.E. | 414 | Jens Vortmann | $298,253 | Doug Ganger | Results | |
| 23 | $2,000 No Limit Hold'em | 1,344 | Blair Hinkle | $507,563 | Mark Brockington | Results | |
| 24 | $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha | 457 | Max Pescatori | $246,471 | Kyle Kloeckner | Results | |
| 25 | $10,000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Hold'em | 256 | Kenny Tran | $539,056 | Alec Torelli | Results | |
| 26 | $1,500 Razz | 453 | Barry Greenstein | $157,619 | Chris Klodnicki | Results | |
| 27 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 2,706 | Vitaly Lunkin | $628,417 | Brett Kimes | Results | |
| 28 | $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys | 152 | Phil Galfond | $817,781 | Adam Hourani | Results | |
| 29 | $3,000 No Limit Hold'em | 716 | John Phan | $434,789 | Johnny Neckar | Results | |
| 30 | $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em | 218 | Rob Hollink | $496,931 | Jerrod Ankenman | Results | |
| 31 | $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed | 1,012 | Dario Minieri | $528,418 | Seth Fischer | Results | |
| 32 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 2,304 | Luis Velador | $574,734 | Chris Signore | Results | |
| 33 | $5,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better | 261 | Sebastian Ruthenberg | $328,756 | Chris Ferguson | Results | |
| 34 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha w/rebuys | 320 | Layne Flack | $577,725 | Daniel Makowsky | Results | |
| 35 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud | 381 | Michael Rocco | $135,753 | Al Barbieri | Results | |
| 36 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 2,447 | Jesper Hougaard | $610,304 | Cody Slaubaugh | Results | |
| 37 | $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better | 235 | David Benyamine | $535,687 | Greg Jamison | Results | |
| 38 | $2,000 Pot Limit Hold'em | 605 | Davidi Kitai | $244,583 | Chris Bell | Results | |
| 39 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 2,720 | David Woo | $631,656 | Matt Wood | Results | |
| 40 | $2,500 2-7 Limit Triple Draw Lowball | 238 | John Phan | $151,896 | Shun Uchida | Results | |
| 41 | $1,500 Mixed Hold'em | 731 | Frank Gary | $219,508 | Jonathan Tamayo | Results | |
| 42 | $1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em World Championship | 2,218 | Dan Lacourse | $368,832 | Dale Eberle | Results | |
| 43 | $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better | 720 | Martin Klaser | $216,249 | Casey Kastle | Results | |
| 44 | $1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/rebuys | 879 | Max Greenwood | $693,444 | Rene Mouritsen | Results | |
| 45 | $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E. | 148 | Scotty Nguyen | $1,989,120 | Michael DeMichele | Results | |
| 46 | $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Six Handed | 805 | Joe Commisso | $911,855 | Richard Lyndaker | Results | |
| 47 | $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better | 544 | Ryan Hughes | $183,368 | Ron Long | Results | |
| 48 | $2,000 No Limit Hold'em | 2,317 | Alexandre Gomes | $770,540 | Marco Johnson | Results | |
| 49 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 2,718 | J.C. Tran | $631,170 | Rasmus Nielsen | Results | |
| 50 | $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha | 381 | Marty Smyth | $859,549 | Peter Jetten | Results | |
| 51 | $1,500 H.O.R.S.E. | 803 | James Schaaf | $256,412 | Tommy Hang | Results | |
| 52 | $1,500 No Limit Hold'em | 2,693 | David Daneshgar | $625,443 | Scott Sitron | Results | |
| 53 | $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout | 823 | Matt Graham | $278,180 | Jean-Robert Bellande | Results | |
| 54 | $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em Main Event | 6,844 | Peter Eastgate | $9,119,517 | Ivan Demidov | Results | |
| 55 | $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em | 930 | Jonathan Kotula | $87,929 | Kevin O'Harra | Results |
Nikolay Evdakov set a WSOP record for most cashes at a single World Series with 10. The previous record of 8 was held by 5 players: Chris Ferguson, Phil Hellmuth, Humberto Brenes, Michael Binger, and Chad Brown. Evdakov's achievement also represents the most cashes by a player at one WSOP without reaching a single final table. Hellmuth, who made two final tables, established a new WSOP career record of 41 final tables, two more than T. J. Cloutier. Scotty Nguyen became the first player to hold both a Main Event and a $50,000 H.O.R.S.E World Championship bracelet.
Several nationals were the first from their country to win bracelets. Brazilian Alexandre Gomes won Event 48 to become the first South American player to win a WSOP bracelet since Ecuadorian-born Carlos Mortensen won the 2001 Main Event.[4] Rob Hollink won Event 30, becoming the first Dutch WSOP bracelet winner, and Davidi Kitai won Event 38, becoming the first Belgian player to win a bracelet.
The 2008 Main Event final table took 15 hours and 28 minutes to play, beating the previous record of 14 hours and 2 minutes in 2005.[5]
The $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas Hold 'em Main Event began on July 3 with the first of four starting days. After reaching the final table of nine players on July 14, the final table was delayed until November 9. This change in schedule was made to allow ESPN to broadcast the final table on November 11, shortly after it was played. All final table players were paid ninth place prize money ($900,670) in July, with the remaining prize pool distributed in November. Instead of the Amazon Room, aka "the Poker Room," where all of the events were held, the final table would be held in the Penn and Teller Theatre. On November 9, players played down from nine to two and the winner was decided the next night. The final table consisted of 274 hands in total.[5]
After a large decrease in Main Event participants in 2007 (6358) compared to 2006 (8773), the number increased slightly in 2008 (6844) but was still far from the 2006 number. As in 2007, the payout structure is flatter than in 2006 and before, with the lowest payouts at $21,230 (more than double the buy-in), as compared to $10,616 in 2006.
The "last woman standing" in the 2008 Main Event was Tiffany Michelle, who finished in 17th place. Celebrities best known from television, music, and professional sports, among other areas, also participated, with two placing in the money. The list includes:
| Name | Number of chips (percentage of total) | WSOP Bracelets | WSOP Cashes* | WSOP Earnings* | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26,295,000 (19.2%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 24,400,000 (17.8%) | 0 | 1 | $39,854 | ||
| 19,690,000 (14.4%) | 0 | 3 | $73,700 | ||
| 18,375,000 (13.4%) | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 12,525,000 (9.2%) | 0 | 11 | $124,580 | ||
| 12,520,000 (9.1%) | 0 | 1 | $26,389 | ||
| 10,230,000 (7.5%) | 0 | 5 | $474,843 | ||
| 10,210,000 (7.5%) | 0 | 3 | $35,759 | ||
| 2,620,000 (1.9%) | 0 | 3 | $38,750 |
| Place | Name | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | $9,152,416 | ||
| 2nd | $5,790,024 | ||
| 3rd | $4,503,352 | ||
| 4th | $3,763,515 | ||
| 5th | $3,088,012 | ||
| 6th | $2,412,510 | ||
| 7th | $1,769,174 | ||
| 8th | $1,286,672 | ||
| 9th | $900,670 |
At the age of 22, Peter Eastgate became the youngest Main Event winner, surpassing Phil Hellmuth who was 24 when he won in 1989 and became the first European to capture the title since Carlos Mortensen won in 2001. His winning hand was a 5 high straight known as a "wheel", made from his hole cards and 3 of the community cards which were , while his opponent Ivan Demidov lost with for two pair.
NB: This list is restricted to top 30 finishers with an existing Wikipedia entry.
| Place | Name | Prize | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15th | Owen Crowe | $436,201 | |
| 17th | Tiffany Michelle | $334,534 | |
| 20th | Brandon Cantu | $257,334 | |
| 26th | Phi Nguyen | $257,334 | |
| 30th | Mike Matusow | $193,000 |
Twenty past WSOP Main Event champions, representing 22 bracelets, participated in the 2008 Main Event. Two champions from the late 1980s finished in the money: Johnny Chan placed 329th for $32,166, and Phil Hellmuth finished 45th for $154,400.
| Name | Championship Year(s) | Day of Elimination | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Doyle Brunson | 1976 and 1977 | 1-d | |
| Bobby Baldwin | 1978 | 1-a | |
| Tom McEvoy | 1983 | 1-b | |
| Berry Johnston | 1986 | 1-a | |
| Johnny Chan | 1987 and 1988 | 4 | |
| Phil Hellmuth | 1989 | 6 | |
| Brad Daugherty | 1991 | 2-b | |
| Jim Bechtel | 1993 | 1-c | |
| Dan Harrington | 1995 | 1-a | |
| Huck Seed | 1996 | 1-c | |
| Scotty Nguyen | 1998 | 2-a | |
| Noel Furlong | 1999 | 1-d | |
| Chris Ferguson | 2000 | 1-d | |
| Carlos Mortensen | 2001 | 2-b | |
| Robert Varkonyi | 2002 | 2-a | |
| Chris Moneymaker | 2003 | 3 | |
| Greg Raymer | 2004 | 1-b | |
| Joe Hachem | 2005 | 2-b | |
| Jamie Gold | 2006 | 1-b | |
| Jerry Yang | 2007 | 2-b |