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WSOP : World Series Of Poker Tournament |
 And then there were nine. Yesterday the World Series of Poker field was finally narrowed to the final nine players. This left most people with a strange, unsatisfied feeling as the WSOP ground to a halt for the first time with no Main Event Champion being crowned. It was sort of like getting a hot fudge sundae with the actual fudge. Regardless of anyone’s feeling on how the setup has been changed to make ESPN happy, we are still looking forward to eventually seeing the final nine play it out until there is a champion. |
 Event 53 was the last under card event before the insanity of the World Series of Poker Main Event took center stage. Anybody who thought that the last day of this event would just wilt under the shadow of the WSOP signature competition and that this would be just another day at the office would be completely wrong. The final day of this event was perhaps one of the most entertaining of the entire World Series of Poker season. |
 David Daneshgar has the sort of resume that most poker players would like for themselves. His lifetime earnings top the 1.5 million mark. He has gotten paid in over fifty of the tournaments he has entered, five of those being first place finishes, and in cash games he has been a consistent money maker. After a while players seated at the casino table with him submissively wet themselves when he makes a bet. The only thing missing from his credentials was a high profile tournament win. In short, there was a bracelet sized hole in his resume that he was looking to fill at this year’s WSOP. Event #52 was his best chance to finally attain this prize. |
 When most casual fans hear the name J.C. Tran, they just assume that this is a player who has more than one World Series of Poker bracelets. A lot of these people would be surprised to hear that coming into Event #49, J.C. Tran has never won a WSOP event before. He has had so much success at the World Poker Tour, and throughout the rest of the sport of poker, it just seems odd that he has never found success on this particular stage. That all changed for him this year. After Event #49, he could finally add that elusive WSOP bracelet to his resume. |
 Sometimes it seems everyone absolutely adores Vanessa Rousso. Despite all the love she was getting from the gallery, Ms. Rousso couldn’t hold on and make it through Day 3 of the World Series of Poker. The thing that probably stung the most is that she lost on hands that would usually have been winners. She was crippled on a hand where her opponent hit both the turn and the river to complete a straight. In the final hand she was all-in with her A-J vs. Q-4, and a Queen fell on the river. |
 Wouldn’t it be interesting if the World Series of Poker final table would include 11 time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and 10 time champion Johnny Chan? With Phil looking for his 12th piece of WSOP jewelry and Johnny trying to tie Phil, it would have been compelling. Well, it’s not going to happen, both are now out of the tournament. Of course with that story evaporating, another, equally interesting one is taking shape. At the end of the day today we had Tiffany "Hot Chips" Michelle sitting at third in the chip count. |
 It is almost unfair that in a field of players that is bigger than some rural cities, one player commands more attention than the rest of the field. Unfortunately for a lot of lesser known players who want to say, "Hi Mom" on ESPN, Phil Hellmuth is, as always, the story of the day. He started the day with a modest stack of chips, and while finishing the day still in the middle of the pack, he had managed to more than double his starting stack. |
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