photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Are you ready for some poker? The first installment from the 2008 World Series of Poker premiers tonight on ESPN at 8 PM EST. Join hosts Norm Chad and Lon McEachern as they provide the running commentary for the first of 17 weeks of WSOP poker. That's over thirty hours from the most exciting poker tournament in the world, the WSOP.

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Tonight's episode will feature the $10,000 Buy-in Pot-Limit Hold'em World Championship from the Rio Resort in Las Vegas. A total of 352 players vying for a prize pool of $3,308,800 in this first event of the 2008 WSOP. Supplement tonights viewing experience with Dr. Pauly's final table recap of the event right here on the Poker Prof's Poker Blog.

Set up the laptop, grab some brews, surround yourself with snacks and settle in for an evening of poker from the 2008 WSOP. This is great training for the soon to be here 2008 NFL pre-season games. So, are you ready for some football...and poker, too? The 17 consecutive weeks of Tuesday night WSOP poker on ESPN will take us to the November 9 same day coverage of the 2008 Main Event final tablewhen the November Nine will be competing for more than $9 million.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, David "Chino" Rheem could be resolving an outstanding arrest warrant from Hollywood, Florida while the remaining eight 2008 Main Event finalist are vying for the $9 million. Rheem failed to show up in court for a misdemeanor trespassing charge from 2003. He also has prior felony convictions from Broward County Florida dating back 8 years.

So what does this have to do with the November final table? Nothing I hope. David Rheem is the early favorite to take it all and he is also the only recognizable player among the 2008 November Nine. Promoting this group will, at best, be difficult and to have David out would make it impossible..."Tune in November 9th to watch all the excitement of eight people you never heard of and aren't likely to hear from again going nose-to-nose for the title of World's Best Poker Player."

Following closely on the heels of the Tiffany Michele greed fest over the Poker News logos and the Ultimate Bet superuser cheating scam makes this latest revelation even more difficult to handle. Not exactly the publicity needed from the biggest spectacle in poker to provide a positive spin for the efforts to legalize online poker rooms. Does this mean next years WSOP entry form will come with a background check? Anyone want to venture an over/under on the number of felony convictions among this year's other 6,843 main event players?

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photo courtesy BodogLife.com

Bodog is now awarding trips and seats to Macau to compete in the Asian Poker Tour. The APT is taking place from August 26 - 31 in the Vegas of East, Macau China.

Score one of Bodog's four seats and you'll receive the Main Event buy-in worth $5,300, flight expenses, six nights' accommodation in Macau and $500 in spending cash.

Qualifiers are running from July 7 - August 3. But poker players looking for a shot at the APT can also get there on the cheap with Bodog's Seat Giveaway Series. The Seat Giveaway Series has buy-ins starting at as low as 5 Bodog Poker Points - so basically they are a series of freerolls. The top 25 players of each of these will get invited to the series finale freeroll which will award another APT Macau seat.

Learn more about Bodog's APT Macau online qualifiers.

Bodog has recently announced that its usual Sunday $100,000 Guaranteed poker tournament coming up on August 10th is getting a serious upgrade to $250,000 guaranteed.

The quarter of a million dollar guaranteed prize pool will be the richest Bodog poker tournament to date.

Between July 14th and the week of August 4th they will be offering hundreds of qualifiers with buy-ins ranging from $1+$0 to $54+4. Players will also be able to buy directly in for $250 + $20. No matter how many players show up first place will be guaranteed at least $55,000!

Get the complete details on Bodog's biggest guaranteed poker tournament to date.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

The WSOP main event has reached the money. Cashing in the WSOP is a prestigious moment in any poker player's life. At the 2008 WSOP, the top 666 players won prize money.

Here's some quick stats:

Number of Entries: 6,844
Net Prize Pool: $64,333,600
First Place Prize: $9,119,517
Total Spots Paid Out: 666
Players Remaining: 79

So far through Day 5, places 80-666 won prize money.

Check out the first 587 money winners after the jump

One idea for a great barstool is the Jack Daniels Label Bar Stool with Backrest. Designed with the Jack Daniels logo, this chair will keep your guests comfy while they are enjoying everyone else’s company. Kick back and relax in this Jack Daniels Label Bar Stool. So invite some friends over and relax while playing games. Your friends will love it and so will you!

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Having spent the last 47 days camping out in the Amazon Room at the Rio Resort in Las Vegas I filled my notebook with a long list of trivial happenings, sights, overheard comments, facts, rumors, miracles, controversy, bad beats, obscene piles of money, dead money, four dollar coffee, insanity, and images. In fact, more than thirty thousand images. That's almost one third of the life expectancy of a pro digital camera shutter.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

I thought this year's Big Poker Show was well organized and managed by the Harrah's WSOP staff, guess they are learning from past mistakes. The "no excessive celebration" rule kept the player crowd at bay and at times the Amazon Room was as quiet as a golf tournament when Woods is putting for the win. This brings up an interesting question, what footage will ESPN use to pimp the 2008 WSOP TV series? Considering the committee created drought of any spontaneous jubilation could mean we'll be watching yawn-fest 2008 promos this time next year.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

When is the "decision of the floor is final" rule not really a rule or final? When the decision is directed toward one of poker's elite stars that can speed dial the Poker Commish and demand a reversal. Such was the case when Hellmuth was assessed a one orbit sit out penalty for excessively berating a fellow player after suffering a bad beat. Turns out, as Hellmuth explained, he was just beefing up his bad boy image for the ESPN cameras. I wonder if a "no excessive whinning" rule should be added to the don't-do-it list? Probably yes, if the WSOP corporate owner's pursuit of sanitizing the event is carried to completion.

Most of us know the root cause for excessive anything at the poker show...money. Chomp, chomp, chomping sharks ala Humberto Brenes or Crazy Man impressions from Rain Khan may have been a bit over the top last year; but, they certainly attracted the attention of the ESPN cameras and that guarantees airtime for sponsor logos and that delivers bonus money to the player. And that brings us to what will probably be the biggest story to come out of this year's WSOP. The last day feud between Tiffany Michele and her original sponsor and employer, Poker News, plus the untouchables at Ultimate Bet.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

The young lady is alleged to have entered into an agreement to pimp Ultimate Bet unbeknown to Poker News. Ultimate Bet apparently was out-biding the other online rooms in their efforts to convince the online poker community that the dirty rotten scoundrels that absconded with zillions taken from unsuspecting players in a cheating scheme were now nothing more than a bad memory. Why else would such big names as the Poker Man himself identify with known cheats?

Apparently without consulting anyone at Poker News Tiffany showed up on day 6 all decked out in Ultimate Bet logos from top to toes. As an event photographer for Poker News it became apparent a shot of her that included visible Poker News logos was going to be difficult. The damage had been done and as we all know its not nice to fool with the G. All sides will probably lawyer up to decide this one in the courts. Anyone have an over/under on the amount Tiffany will end up with from the $334,534 she won for 17th place? Depending on the claimed damages to Poker News she could possible end up owing money.

For much more detailed and way better researched information click over to Dr. Pauly's Tao of Poker. Read the Official Statement from Poker News Here.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

It was the moment that everyone was waiting for. After 46 days of the World Series of Poker, the $10,000 Main Event championship played down from 27 to the final nine. Those lucky nine players were dubbed The November Nine since the final table will not be played out until November.

The Buzz: Action on Day 7 of the Main Event started out with 27 players and was complete when nine players remained. The November nine includes... Dennis Phillips, Craig Marquis, Ylon Schwartz, Scott Montgomery, Darus Suharto, David 'Chino' Rheem, Ivan Demidov, Kelly Kim, and Peter Eastgate. Sadly, Dean Hamrick bubbled off the final table in 10th place.

The Back Story: In the age of poker agents and endorsement deals, one of the subplots involved what online site would each player wear.... Poker Stars, Full Tilt, or Ultimate Bet.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Sight of the Day: Joe Bishop had several festive friends on the rail who bought him an expensive bottle of Dom Perignon which he shared with his tablemates and the players on the featured TV table.

Quote of the day: "Year of the pros? This is more like the year of the marginal pro," said Shane 'Shaniac' Schelger.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 7 Eliminations: Joe Bishop, Chris Klodnicki, Nicholas Sliwinski, Gert Andersen, Owen 'ocrowe' Crowe, Anthony Scherer, Tiffany 'Hot Chips' Michelle, Jason Riesenberg, Albert Kim, Brandon Cantu, Paul Snead, Judet Toni Cristian, Tim Loecke, Aaron Gordon, Niklas Flisberg, Phi Nguyen, and Michael Carroll.

That's it for now. The 2008 WSOP Main Event is currently on hiatus until November.

Stay tuned for some Flipchip photos of the November Nine.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Grab a few chairs and have a seat at this café table. It will make a great spot for friends and great conversation. What could be better than those times with family and friends? This Jack Daniels Bottle Cafe Table has the official Jack Daniels logo on the top of the table. So sit back and enjoy the table in your game room equipped with the best of your friends and the loved ones, too.

Now it's a anti-climax...

I briefly got excited when catching up with the main event chip counts, until I realised we wouldn't get a winner until the made-for-TV final table is played in an ESPN studio in November.

And between now and then we'll have to endure endless pimping of the nine players that make it.

It was kind of sad. No more co-workers huddling around a often refreshed page of chipcounts this July, or trying to project the final table stream on a projector so everybody can watch while they work.

At first I thought it was a good idea, that was worth a try. But now I really wonder if this attempt to re-invigorate poker on TV will work. It's beginning to feel like people will become less interested in the event every July and then not really care about the final table when it rolls around a few months later.

People like poker, there's no doubt about that. But in my experience, it's something that the general population will like when they have nothing better to do at the time. I can't really see it becoming a must watch TV event. I don't see WSOP final table parties taking place like it's a big football, soccer or basketball game.

Maybe I'm wrong - perhaps it will turn into a bigger event than I foresee. One thing is for certain though, and that is that the TV execs will have their fingers crossed that the only female remaining - Tiffany Michelle (pictured) - makes the final table. Their ratings will be looking a lot rosier if they have a pretty young girl to advertise!

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

79 players returned to the Rio Sunday afternoon and by day's end, the final nine tables had shrunk to the final three. 27 players will return tomorrow to determine who will be the "November Nine."

The Buzz:The one-round penalty Phil Hellmuth received at the conclusion of Day 5 was overturned at the start of play today. Hellmuth met with Harrah's executives and WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack, claiming that he was beefing up his "Poker Brat" act for the cameras. They bought it, and let him off with a severe warning. Had Hellmuth sat out his entire penalty, he would have lost 81,000 in blinds and antes, or approximately 11% of his remaining stack.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

The Back Story:Tiffany Michelle is making an incredible run and hopes to become the first woman in over 13 years (and the second woman ever) to make the final table of the WSOP Main Event. Tiffany boasted one of the biggest stacks all day and along with Mike Matusow, the only remaining "name" professional, commanded the majority of the media attention. Matusow, however ended his Main Event run shortly after the dinner break with a 30th place finish.

Sight of the Day: After Phil Hellmuth busted out in 45th place, hordes of tourists streamed out of the final table area, leaving the Amazon Room relatively deserted for the remainder of the day.

Quote of the Day: "ESPN has spiritual people from all over the world praying for Tiffany. It would make for great TV if she made the final table," said Flipchip.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 6 Eliminations: Mike Matusow, Phil Hellmuth, Peter Neff, Andrew Rosskamm, Felix Osterland, Craig Stein, Mauro Lupo, Kido Pham, Jonathan Plens, Jason Glass, Chris Crilly, Nhan Le, Adam 'Roothlus' Levy, Aaron Keay, Allen Kennedy, Alfredo Fernandez, Mark Ketteringham, Alan Gould, Alex Outhred, Rafael Caiaffa, Eric Bamer, Jeremy Joseph, Jeremy Gaubert, Justin Sadauskas, David Saab, Mark Owens, Thomas Keller, Geert Jans, Brian Tatum, Victor Ramdin, Larry Wright, Chris Zapf, Justin Scott, Suresh Prabhu, Sean Davis, Terry Lade, James McManus, Daniel Buzgon, David Benefield, Jamal Sawaqdeh, Keith Hawkins, Lisa Parsons, Mark Wilds, Matt Matros, and Bob Whalen.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Big Stacks: Brandon Cantu jumped out to over 10 million to take the chip lead early in the day after making a full house against Nikolay Losev only to lose almost all of it on an ill-timed bluff against Craig Marquis. Marquis ended the day with 11.5 million, while Dennis Phillips is the leader with 11.9 million. Tiffany Michelle ended the day third in chips with a shade under 10 million.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

For the loved one in your life who would adore a special deck from a casino, check out these Hard Rock Café Used Casino Cards. Perhaps they have a collection from casinos around the country, and you can easily add to their stock. So as a gift to a friend or just a little present to yourself, take a look at these Cancelled Casino Playing Cards.

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189 players returned to the Rio on Saturday afternoon, still in the hunt for the $9.1 million first place prize. Play was halted after four levels with 79 players remaining.

The Buzz: Today was the day that previously unknown and unaffiliated players started showing up to play with logos for online poker sites and energy drinks plastered onto their shirts and caps.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

The Backstory: Phil Hellmuth is the only former Main Event champion remaining in the field. Late in the day, he was moved to the ESPN Featured Table, joining Mike Matusow, who spent the duration of Day 5 playing under the glare of the TV lights. A huge crowd gathered in the bleachers to watch these two legendary trash-talkers match wits. Just when it looked like it was going to be a boring matchup, Hellmuth imploded on the last hand so much so that TD Steve Frezer had to issue him a one orbit penalty which he will serve at the start of Day 6.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Sight of the Day: Once a sea of poker tables, most of the Amazon Room was broken down today, signaling that this year's WSOP is nearly at an end.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Quote of the Day: "I shifted gears at the right time baby! I feel GOOD!" bellowed Mike Matusow after doubling up with 10c-5c against Sean Davis' Ad-Kd when a 5 hit the flop.

Big Dogs:Three of the biggest marquee names remaining in the tournament, Gus Hansen, Chip Jett, and Hoyt Corkins busted out in rapid succession, finishing in 160th, 161st, and 162nd places respectively. Allen Cunningham and Jeff Madsen were soon to follow. Phil Hellmuth is still in it but slipped to under 900K to end the day.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 5 Eliminations: Shawn "Sheiky" Sheikhan, Kara Scott, Jeff Madsen, Allen Cunningham, Jeremiah Smith, Jon Friedberg, Gus Hansen, Lou Esposito, Ben Roberts, Hoyt Corkins, Chip Jett, Chad Layne, Alexander Kostritsyn, Mark Vos and Robert "Action Bob" Hwang.

Big Stacks: Brandon Cantu remained near the top of the pack for most of Day 5, as did James McManus (not the poker author, but a quiet young man from Ireland). Tiffany Michele also made huge strides today, and ended the day near the top of the leaderboard with 3.8 million. Mark Ketteringham ended the day as the overall leader.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Today, we know Vignt En Un as Blackjack. Historians collectively agree that Blackjack originated with French roots in the 17th century. Vignt En Un, in French, means 21 which is fitting for the game! Only a few rules had different variations way back when; however, the main goal of reaching 21 in the game has always remained frequent. When 21 was reached using a jack and ace of spades, a special payout was made. Hence the name Blackjack.

While you are sitting at the Blackjack table, perhaps you can strike up conversation and mention that interesting tidbit!

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Day 4 of the $10,000 buy-in World Series of Poker Main Event championship was underway at the Rio Casino. 474 players began the day and when it was all over 189 remained.

The Buzz: The field was thinned even more. Action progressed so fast that Jack Effel ended play one level early.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

The Backstory: As the last batch of pros busted out, the few that remained got most of the media attention including Phil Hellmuth, Mike Matusow, and Gus Hansen.

The Ladies: Tiffany Michele knocked out Hevad "Rain" Khan as she advanced to Day 5. EPT hostess Kara Scott also made it. Sadly, Evelyn Ng busted out.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Sight of the Day: Phil Hellmuth took time out to feast on the fish.

Quote of the Day: "Idiot from Northern Europe calls a raise with 5-7!" screamed Phil Hellmuth.Yes, the poker brat went on tilt when he lost a pot to an opponent from Scandinavia.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Big Dogs: Johnny Chan busted out early in the afternoon. Phil Hellmuth was in trouble early on but doubled up. Mike the Mouth and Gus Hansen were at the same table and the two were engaged in lots of banter, some trash talk, but both looked like they were having fun.

Day 4 Eliminations: Johnny Chan, Elky, Maya Geller-Antonius, Hasan Habib, Bill Blanda, Magnus Petersson, Chris Bjorin, PearlJammer, Evelyn Ng, Thierry van den Berg, Tracey Nguyen, RainKhan, Tino Lechich, Van Nguyen, Dag Martin Mikkelsen, Mike Souza, and Alan Jaffray, Pat Poels, Carmel Petresco, Thayer Rasmussen, Jani Vilmunen, Iggy, Johnny Bax, Iwan Jones, Frankie O'Dell, Adam Schoenfeld, TMay420, Dave Colclough, Mike Wattel, Jean-Robert Bellande, Kirill Gerasimov, Robert Mizrachi, Jason Lester

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com

Big Stacks: Brandon Cantu was second in chips most of the day. Jeremy Joseph took over the lead early and never looked back. He was the first player past the 2M and 3M mark.

photos by flipchip • lasvegasvegas.com