2008 was an unforgettable World Series Of Poker. We review it week by week

Week 1

Friday 30 May – Thursday 5 June (10 events)

The Brits are coming

The modern World Series is all about huge fields and record-shattering stats, and as Doyle Brunson opened play with the obligatory ‘Shuffle up and deal!’ it was clear that wasn’t about to change in 2008. A total of 350 players paid the $10k entry fee for the biggest ever pot-limit hold’em championship, with a field that already held 143 gold bracelets between them.

If this wasn’t enough to get the number-crunchers salivating, the first of the $1,500 no-limit hold’em events the next day surely did. Over two days the Amazon Room heaved under the weight of 3,929 players, making it the largest tournament outside of a WSOP main event. UK hopes were ignited early, as Hitsquad member James Akenhead blasted out of the pack and into heads-up. Sadly luck wasn’t with him on the final hand and he had to make do with second place to the unknown Grant Hinkle.

‘I’m happy about the result, but pissed off that I was one hand way from being a champion. But I realise I’ve won half a million dollars and it’s my career highlight’

James Akenhead following his runner-up finish in the record-breaking $1,500 no-limit hold’em event

But anyone who thought that the amateurs would dominate as in previous years was in for a big surprise. In one day, Full Tilt pros David Singer and Erick Lindgren both scored their first bracelets, taking down the $1,500 pot-limit hold’em and $5k limit/no-limit hold’em respectively. Roland de Wolfe’s fourth-place finish in the latter event marked a great week for Brits that also saw Peter Gould and Spencer Lawrence make deep final-table runs. Could this be a golden year for the Brits?

Week 2

Friday 6 June – Thursday 12 June (14 events)

The comeback kids

Week two was undoubtedly the week of the comebacks for some of the biggest names in poker. In recent years Mike Matusow has had a pretty torrid time at the WSOP, with several near misses and at least one famous blow-up. It finally came together in the $5k no-limit 2-7 draw with rebuys where The Mouth overcame a killer final table to claim his third career bracelet and his first in six years.

‘The structures at the WSOP this year are the best they’ve ever been. I would have made three final tables last year and for sure won one tournament if the structures were like they were this year’

Mike Matusow following his victory in the $5,000 no-limit 2-7 draw lowball event

Another player who managed to rediscover his WSOP touch was Daniel Negreanu. Despite all the prop bets in recent years, the Canadian has not been able to make good on his promise of a bracelet in any of the last three World Series. The signs were all there for a good run in the $2,000 limit hold’em though: he’d previously won the same event in 2004 and had been talking up his limit game in his blog. Negreanu arrived at the final table as second chip-leader and made his vast experience count, reaching heads-up with almost a 6/1 chip lead and dispatching Ugur Marmangoz in just ten minutes to win his fourth bracelet.

Just two weeks into the WSOP it was already looking a totally different beast from last year. With no complaints about the structures or the management, the Series seemed reborn as the place where the pros can shine.

Week 3

Friday 13 June – Thursday 19 June (13 events)

The pros dominate

Next time you need to convince someone of the dominance of skill over luck in tournament poker, simply point them to the third week of the 2008 WSOP. Out of 13 events and 11,461 runners, an improbable eight events were taken down by big-name pros. Kenny Tran opened the floodgates in the $10k heads- up championship, while just an hour later Barry Greenstein nabbed his third bracelet in the $1,500 razz. The rest of the week followed in similar fashion, with John Phan winning the $3k no-limit hold’em and Layne Flack recording a phenomenal sixth bracelet. The big online names also took their share of the spoils, with Dario Minieri taking down the $2,500 short-handed event and Phil ‘OMGClayAiken’ Galfond racking up his first bracelet in the $5k PLO.

There was European success as well, as Rob Hollink became the first ever Dutch bracelet winner in the $10k limit hold’em event. But there was less joy for the Brits, with the early near misses now looking like a false dawn as only Ram Vaswani’s seventh-place in the $10k Omaha hi/lo gave the home team anything to cheer.

‘I plan on doing very well in the WSOP. I have never given my attention to tournaments – I’ve run bad, I’ve not played my best. Now I am ready to show the world. Watch me’

David Benyamine talking to InsidePokerin March 2008

The week finished in a similar way to how it started, with more pro dominance in the $10k Omaha hi/lo. Through a combination of good cards and relentless aggression, David Benyamine battered his way through the field, pocketing his first bracelet and over half a million dollars.

Week 4

Friday 20 June – Thursday 26 June (10 events)

The amateurs fight back

The fourth week of the Series saw a mini fightback from the amateurs and semi-pros, with eight out of ten events claimed by previous unknowns. But once again the pros stole the headlines with a brace of standout performances. The most notable of the unnotables was Belgium’s Davidi Kitai, who prevailed over Chris Bell in the longest heads-up of the Series (clocking in at over five hours) during the $2k pot-limit hold’em. The event was also memorable for the final-table appearance of one Michael Greco, who finished ninth. But it was far from a great week for the Brits as that bracelet once more proved elusive.

Exactly a week after he’d won his first bracelet, John Phan struck again in the $2,500 2-7 triple draw, becoming only the 11th player in history to win double bracelets in a single Series.

‘I’m going to go after all of Stu Ungar’s records’

John Phan following his second bracelet win of the WSOP. He was referring to his efforts to win a third bracelet that year – a feat not achieved since Phil Ivey managed it in 2003

However, just a few days later Phan’s deed was eclipsed by fellow countryman Scotty Nguyen, who notched up the finest result of his career by winning the $50k H.O.R.S.E. and cashing for $2m. As in the previous two years, the field was packed with big names and the final table was a drawn-out affair, verging on 13 hours. Erick Lindgren once again showed himself to be the man in form, finishing a highly respectable third and taking the WSOP Player of the Year accolade. Nguyen took just ten hands to dispatch Michael DeMichele in heads-up, and in typically charismatic style embraced almost everyone in the room before lifting the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy.

Week 5

Friday 27 June – Wednesday 2 July (6 events)

The final countdown

Despite being the final run before the main event, the fifth week was no anticlimax. JC Tran finally got the prize he’d been searching for with victory in the penultimate $1,500 no-limit hold’em event. It was particularly well earned considering that he had to overcome a huge field of 2,718 and had already made two final tables and five cashes this Series.

As for British hopes, the lack of major success was alarming and surprising in equal measure considering the great start to the Series. After so many near misses in the opening days it seemed only a matter of time until one of the British contingent snatched a bracelet, but as the Series went on the prospect of UK gold was drying up. Week after week, notables like Neil Channing and Andy Black had no problems cashing but seemed to lack that extra something to go all the way.

With 49 events down, all optimism had pretty much faded. Fortunately, Irish Open winner Marty Smyth had other ideas when he sat down to play in Event 50: the $10k PLO World Championship. He flew into the final table third in chips and within touching distance of chip- leader Michael Mizrachi. With a bit of luck and some fine play, the Belfast man surged to victory, recording the win of his career and saving British blushes. In the end, it was worth the wait.

‘I thought that the three of us (myself, Michael Mizrachi and Marty Smyth) were the only players who really gave ourselves a chance to win. So I was glad to see we ended up as the top three’

Peter Jetten following losing out to Marty Smyth in the $10,000 pot-limit Omaha World Championship

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