First ever WSOP Europe bracelet won

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FIRST WSOP EUROPE BRACELET GOES TO GERMAN PRO

Thomas Bihl's bracelet is the first won outside the USA


The first round in the new battle for global poker bragging rights goes to Europe, thanks to Thomas “Buzzer” Bihl (32) who made poker history over the weekend at the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe presented by Betfair.com.

Bihl, a native of Frankfurt, Germany, who started playing poker just four years ago, won GBP 70 875 and the first-ever WSOP bracelet awarded outside the United States. Bihl – who is a Betfair sponsored professional player – outlasted a field of the world’s top poker pros in one of the most challenging of all poker games, the GBP 2 500 H.O.R.S.E. championship that kicked off the inaugural WSOP Europe in London.

“Thomas Bihl has earned a place in poker history with this incredible win,” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, visiting from Las Vegas for the tournament. “The fact that he is a Betfair player, when Betfair is our presenting sponsor, makes this even sweeter.”

“He’s a world class player,” said Betfair’s Head of Poker Ben Fried. “I am thrilled for him on a personal level because he has been working hard for this but it is also great news for Betfair and European poker players in general.”

Two-time World Series of Poker winner and Nevada native Jennifer Harman finished a disappointing second after relinquishing a two-to-one chip lead to Bihl, who played a quiet waiting game for most of the 13-hour final table. Harman had hoped to add a third WSOP bracelet to her total at the 2007 WSOP Europe.

But is was Bihl who emerged victorious in the three-day HORSE event – a tournament featuring five variations of poker – at 4:15 a.m. GMT Sunday at The Casino at The Empire in London, capturing the first-place prize and a coveted WSOP gold bracelet made by luxury Swiss watchmaker CORUM.

Bihl had won $132 226 in official prize money in his four-year career prior to the WSOP Europe clash. The event was the eighth major-tournament final table for Harman, whose official career winnings totaled $1 557 372 leading up to this competition. She has won millions more in the world’s biggest cash games in the course of a professional poker career that began two decades ago in her hometown of Reno, Nevada.

Another WSOP Vegas bracelet winner, Kirk Morrison finished third, taking home GBP 28 250. Five-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner Chris Ferguson finished fourth, adding GBP 21 656, or more than $42 000, to his career earnings of $5 551 650. Russian phenomenon Alex Kravchenko collected GBP 17 714 for fifth place, while Yuval Bronshtein won GBP 14 438 for sixth, Joe Beevers GBP 11 812 for seventh and Gary Jones GBP 9 118 for eighth.

In all, the top 16 of the 105 entrants won GBP 262 500 in prize money.

The tournament continues through next week with a series of poker competitions leading up to the main event.

“We are pleased that we are establishing new records for live tournament play in Europe,” said Jeffrey Pollack, WSOP commissioner. “Out of the gate, WSOP Europe has attracted many of the world’s greatest players – all competing to win the first WSOP bracelets ever awarded outside the United States.”

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WSOP EUROPE POT LIMIT OMAHA CHAMPIONSHIP WON BY ITALIAN

Dario Alioto wins European record GBP 234 390 prize

European players continued their dominance at the first annual World Series of Poker Europe presented by Betfair.com, as 23-year-old Dario Alioto of Palermo, Italy, won the Pot-Limit Omaha Championship title, GBP 234 390 in cash and the second WSOP gold bracelet ever awarded outside the United States.

Although an all-star contingent of poker professionals from the United States entered the GBP 5 000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event, only two – Andy Bloch and Ted Forrest – made the final two tables. The remaining players, all of whom cashed, continued the strong showing by Europe’s young lions that began with the first WSOP Europe event, a H.O.R.S.E. tournament won by Thomas Bihl of Germany just 24 hours earlier (see previous InfoPowa report).

“It’s as though we’ve picked up where we left off at the Final Table of the 2007 Main Event in Las Vegas,” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “That was the most international of tables and affirmed the global appeal of poker. Results here in London further suggest that the rest of the world has caught up to American poker professionals. This bodes well for the continued international growth of the game.”

Alioto won the final hand of the Pot-Limit Omaha championship at 4:50 am (GMT) today (Monday) at The Casino at The Empire in London from second-place finisher Istvan Novak of Hungary, who took home the consolation prize of GBP 137 280, or about $280 000.

Lithuanian native and current Australian resident Tony G finished third, winning GBP 94 380, following a seesaw battle for the chip lead with Alioto, and losing a couple of critical hands to the Italian player and to Novak.

Ireland’s David Callaghan finished fourth with GBP 65 520, Antoine Arnault of Paris wound up in fifth place with GBP 49 530, Afghani Sherkhan Farnood finished sixth for GBP 38 220, Helsinki’s Sampo Lopponen ended in seventh for GBP 30 420, multiple WSOP final-table player Andy Bloch of Las Vegas finished eighth for GBP 22 620 and Joseph Aval won GBP 16 380 for ninth place.

Roland de Wolfe, Jan Persson and Ted Lawson collected GBP 11 700 apiece for finishing 10th through 12, respectively; John Duthie, Andrew Hagen and Rupert Housden won GBP 10 140 each for finishing 13th through 15th, and Dan Bitsch Pedersen, Rafi Amit and Ted Forrest got GBP 8 580 each for their 16th to 18th place finishes.

A total of 156 of the world’s top poker players anted up GBP 5 000 each to play in this second WSOP Europe event, building a prize pool of GBP 780 000. Both the WSOP Europe HORSE and Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments established record prize purses.

On Monday September 10 the first round of the GBP 10 000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’Em Main Event will get under way at three casinos operated by London Clubs International – Fifty on St. James Street, The Casino at the Empire on Leicester Square and The Sportsman at Marble Arch.

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WSOP EUROPE MAIN EVENT EXCITEMENT BUILDS

Top poker pros vie for GBP 3.5 million prize pool


More than 350 of the world’s best poker players anted up GBP 10 000 apiece for the Main Event of the first annual World Series of Poker Europe presented by Betfair.com.

The names of the entrants for the two starting days in the WSOP Europe No-Limit Hold’Em Championship – spread out over three London Clubs International casinos in the heart of London – reads like a “Who’s Who” of poker aristocracy:

Brunson (three of them), Chan, Cunningham, Ferguson, Forrest, Greenstein, Gordon, Harman, Hellmuth, Lederer, Lindgren, Lisandro, Negreanu, Raymer, Nguyen – first names all known to avid poker fans around the globe.

They were joined by scores of lesser-known but accomplished players, all eager to outlast one of the strongest fields in European poker history.

The WSOP Europe Main Event is currently being played at three casinos operated by London Clubs International – Fifty on St. James Street, The Casino at the Empire on Leicester Square and The Sportsman at Marble Arch.

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MILLION STERLING BONANZA FOR WORLD SERIES OF POKER EUROPE WINNER

Betfair guarantees GBP 1 million top prize

Betfair.com, the presenting sponsor of the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe, added GBP 57 000 to the GBP 3 626 000 Main Event prize pool this week to ensure a GBP 1 million first-place payday.

“Top prize in our European Main Event is now a cool GBP 1 million” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “We have Betfair to thank for that.”

Earlier this year the WSOP payout structure was flattened to ensure that more players who finish in the money receive a higher percentage of the prize pool. That structure would have resulted in a top prize of GBP 943 010 for this week’s GBP 10 000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’Em Championship – had Betfair not added nearly GBP 57 000 to the prize pool.

“Nearly all of the world’s top poker players entered the World Series of Poker Europe, making it one of the most competitive poker tournaments in European history,” said Pollack. “Anyone who plays well enough to make it to the top 10 percent of the field deserves – and will get – an excellent return on their investment.”

“We are in this for the long-term and this is the most prestigious poker event in Europe. I think a GBP 1 millon first prize sets a good benchmark to build upon in the years to come,” said Betfair’s Head of Poker Ben Fried.

In addition to the top prize, second place in the WSOP Europe Main Event is worth GBNP 570 150, third GBP 381 910, fourth GBP 257 020, fifth GBP 191 860 sixth GBP 152 040, seventh GBP 114 030, eighth GBP 85 070 and ninth GBP 61 540.

The remaining 27 finishers will receive from GBP 41 630 to GBP 27 150, depending on their final position.

The final table of the WSOP Europe Main Event begins at 2 p.m. GMT September 16 at The Casino at the Empire on Leicester Square.

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WSOP EUROPE FINAL TABLE DECIDED

Top US players fail to make the cut

The exciting Grand Finale of the World Series of Poker Europe Main Event will soon be decided as 9 players assemble later today (Sunday) at The Casino at the Empire on Leicester Square - just a short walk away from Buckingham Palace in London.

The competition, which has taken four days of hard, professional poker playing to reach this stage is making history in that it is the youngest final table ever assembled for an event of this magnitude. Female Norwegian player Annette Obrestad is only 18 while Johannes Korsar is 20 years old. If either of these players wins the bracelet, they will be the youngest bracelet holders in WSOP history. And the average age at the final table is only 25.

Not one of the world’s most recognisable poker pros were among the final nine players who advanced to do battle for a GBP 1 million first-place prize at the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe presented by Betfair.com.

Continuing a theme set in the first two WSOP Europe events, the emergence of aggressive and accomplished young European players heralded a new reality for poker’s elite: It's a global game and it is no longer dominated by a handful of professional poker players.

“The stage has been set for European poker players to continue to shine,” said WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack. “Clearly, the inaugural World Series of Poker Europe has lived up to its name and promise in every respect.”

The final table of nine players – which starts early afternoon on 16th September – have made it through a field of the most distinguished players ever assembled in Europe. There were more than 100 WSOP bracelets between all the participants in the four days of play to date.

Phil Hellmuth – who has amassed a record eleven World Series bracelets – said yesterday: “You have nineteen of the top twenty players in the world here in London for this event.”

Betfair’s Head of Poker Ben Fried said, “Betfair has four online qualifiers at the final table. This just goes to show that it is possible to build up from relatively small stakes to play for a million pounds and the World Series Bracelet. It’s a talent meritocracy.”

The last high-profile pro eliminated was Gus “The Great Dane” Hansen, who added GBP 41 620, or more than $83 000, to his $3.7 million in official prize money for his 10th place finish.

In addition to the GBP 1 million top prize, second place in the WSOP Europe Main Event is worth GBP 570 150, third GBP 381 910, fourth GBP 257 020, fifth GBP 191 860 sixth GBP 152 040, seventh GBP 114 030, eighth GBP 85 070 and ninth GBP 61 540.

The 10th through 36th place finishers received from GBP 41 630 to GBP 27 150, depending on their final position.