WSOP Event #1

World Series of Poker Event #1, Pot Limit Hold’em 30 May – 1 June 2008

Entrants: 352
Buy in: $10,000
Prize pool: $3,308,800

Final results:
1. Nenad Medic, $794,112
2. Andy Bloch, $488,048
3. Kathy Liebert, $306,064
4. Mike Sexton, $248,160
5. Amit Makhija, $198,528
6. Chris Bell, $157,168
7. Patrik Antonius, $124,080
8. Mike Sowers, $99,264
9. Phil Laak, $74,448

This event attracted one of the most accomplished fields in history. Of the 352 entrants, 84 were former WSOP gold bracelet winners – amounting to about 24 percent of the field.

The 84 former winners hold a combined 143 gold bracelets between them – which amounts of about 20 percent of all the gold bracelets won in the 39-year history of the WSOP.

The 2008 Pot-Limit Hold’em world champion is Nenad Medic. He is a 25-year-old professional poker player from Niagara Falls, Ontario (Canada). Medic was born in Serbia. He is single, but has a devoted girlfriend who was following the final table action back in Canada. Medic received $794,112, which now stands as a record amount of prize money paid to the winner of a Pot-Limit Hold’em tournament.

The tournament began with a short opening ceremony, which included a recital of “Viva Las Vegas” by the University of Nevada-Las Vegas marching band. The ceremony also included welcoming remarks by Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP Commissioner. Pollack stated that all WSOP gold bracelet winners will be awarded “Diamond Status” at Harrahs Entertainment properties, entitling many special rewards and privileges.

Prior to the final table start, Mike Sexton made the astute observation that this might have been the only final table in poker history which included five (or more) players who each won a million dollars-plus in a single tournament, not including the WSOP Main Event. Sexton, Bloch, Medic, Antonius, and Liebert have all accomplished that feat.

If the very first hand of the first final table is any indication of what’s to come at this year’s WSOP, things should be exhilarating. On the first hand of play, Phil “the Unibomber” Laak moved all-in with pocket jacks. High-stakes poker shark and heartthrob Patrik Antonius called his raise and showed pocket kings.

A jack on the flop brought wild cheers from the crowd and a dance from Laak. But a king on the river gave Antonius the pot, leaving Laak low on chips. He busted out only a few hands later holding the same dreaded hand – pocket jacks (Nenad Medic’s pocket aces won the pot).

The winning hand was Medic’s 7h-5h against Bloch’s 9h-9d. After the flop came 8h-5s-4h, Medic re-raised all-in with his combination straight and flush draw. Bloch called with his overpair (nines). The Jh on the turn gave Medic his heart flush, which scooped the final pot of the night.

The tournament was played over three days. The first day included ten levels and was played from 12 noon until 12:45 am (352 players played down to 70). Day Two was played from 2 pm until 4:45 am (70 players played down to nine). The final table of nine players was played on Day Three and started at 3 pm and ended at 11:45 pm.

This was the first time that a $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em event has ever been included on the WSOP schedule. The previous highest buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em tournament in history was $5,000. Last year’s $5,000 buy-in tournament (Event #13) attracted 398 players. Given the doubling of the entry fee in 2008, there were some concerns about the number of players this event would attract.

However, 352 players entered Event #1, creating the largest Pot-Limit Hold’em prize pool in poker history. The total prize pool for this tournament amounted to a record $3,308,800. The top 36 players collected prize money.