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2011 World Series of Poker: The All-Star Team

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The All-Star Team

Tonight, at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Major League Baseball will host the 2011 All-Star Game. There, the best players from the American and National Leagues will compete for bragging rights, and home-field advantage during the World Series. To celebrate the famed Midsummer Classic, we��ve decided to chose nine World Series of Poker All-Stars to fill a batting line-up. They will face off against the 2011 November Nine, and if one of the players selected actually makes the final table of the Main Event, then an alternate will be chosen.

1. Jake Cody

EventPlacePrize
Event #2: $25,000 Heads-Up No-Limit Hold'em Championship1st$851,192
Event #26: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed125th$5,235

Jake Cody��s selection may surprise some people, but his ability to get off to a fast start (he won the first open event of the Series) makes him a perfect fit for the leadoff spot. Cody completed the Triple Crown by winning his first WSOP bracelet �C the last player to achieve the Triple Crown in baseball? Carl Yastrzemski in 1967. The Brit will also attract a gaggle of rowdy fans, giving this squad home-field advantage wherever they go.

2. Phil Hellmuth

EventPlacePrize
Event #16: $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship (No-Limit)2nd$226,907
Event #33: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship2nd$273,233
Event #40: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed36th$17,270
Event #45: $1,000 No-Limit Hold��em28th$10,560
Event #55: $50,000 Poker Player's Championship2nd$1,063,034

Who else fits better in the two hole than Mr. Second-Place himself, Phil Hellmuth? The Poker Brat was heads-up for bracelet number 12 three times this summer but failed to best John Juanda, Eric Rodawig, and Brian Rast, finishing runner-up in all three events. He was devastated, but even he has to admit he��s having an insane WSOP. He is currently the leader in the Player of the Year race, he banked nearly $1.6 million in earnings, and recorded his first seven-figure score.

3. Ben ��Benba�� Lamb

EventPlacePrize
Event #31: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha2nd$259,918
Event #42: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship1st$814,436
Event #46: $10,000 No-Limit Hold��em / Six Handed Championship12th$56,140
Event #55: $50,000 Poker Player's Championship8th$201,338

Ben ��Benba�� Lamb has consistently crushed the entire summer, making him a natural three-hole hitter. The combination of power and consistency has won him his first WSOP gold bracelet, banked him over $1.3 million, and has him second behind Hellmuth in the POY standings. To add to his r��sum��, Lamb ended Day 1b of the Main Event as chip leader of the flight, bagging 188,250. He resumes his quest Tuesday on Day 2b with a shot at a Michael Mizrachi-like ending to his 2011 WSOP campaign.

4. Brian Rast

EventPlacePrize
Event #15: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em1st$227,232
Event #23: $2,500 Eight-Game Mix42nd$4,883
Event #55: $50,000 Poker Player's Championship1st$1,720,328

We want power in the clean-up spot, so it is clear to us that the correct selection is Brian Rast; the only double bracelet winner this year and the winner of the $50,000 Poker Player��s Championship Event. Rast wasn��t even supposed to play the first event he won, having just landed after a trip to see his girlfriend in Brazil. Friend Antonio Esfandiari gave him a deal he couldn��t pass up, however, and Rast shipped his first bracelet, defeating Allen Kessler heads up. Rast only cashed three times at the WSOP, but his ability to hit the long ball makes him extremely dangerous.

5. Jason Mercier

EventPlacePrize
Event #9: $1,500 2-7 Draw Lowball7th$10,524
Event #11: $10,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better Championship27th$16,329
Event #21: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship14th$24,043
Event #35: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha / Six Handed1st$619,575
Event #49: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball (Limit)6th$25,967

If Jason Mercier��s horses counted too, then there��s a good argument for him batting in the clean-up spot. It��s just him on this list though, and despite cashing in five different games, making three final tables, and winning his second career WSOP gold bracelet, he��ll have to settle for the five spot. Two of Mercier��s final tables were smaller events, where he cashed for a combined $36,000, and unlike Rast he was unable to bink a seven-figure score or a second bracelet. We��re sure Mercier is very happy with the way the summer has gone, however, especially if you consider how the rest of Team Mercier (Allen Bari, Dan O��Brien, Brent Hanks) has done.

6. Bertrand ��ElkY�� Grospellier

EventPlacePrize
Event #13: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout104th$4,998
Event #16: $10,000 2-7 Draw Lowball Championship (No-Limit)11th$27,928
Event #21: $10,000 Seven Card Stud Championship1st$331,639
Event #46: $10,000 No-Limit Hold��em / Six Handed Championship3rd$447,074

Bertrand ��ElkY�� Grospellier had never played a live stud tournament before winning the championship event this year, netting himself $331,639 and his first WSOP gold bracelet. Likewise, in the deuce-to-seven championship event, he was relying purely on aggression to advance through the tournament. Grospellier is very volatile and can often whiff, but when he makes contact, there is a good chance that the ball is going to go a very long way. If Grospellier was a bit more consistent, he��d be higher on this list, but for this year��s WSOP the six hole is a great fit for him.

7. Chris Moorman

EventPlacePrize
Event #7: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Championship18th$25,348
Event #18: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em66th$8,012
Event #26: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em / Six Handed3rd$271,800
Event #35: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha / Six Handed11th$30,024
Event #46: $10,000 No-Limit Hold��em / Six Handed Championship2nd$716,282

The only reason Chris Moorman sits behind Grospellier in our lineup is because Grospellier won a bracelet, and Moorman did not. The Englishman was close, finishing second and third in Events 46 and 36 respectively, but just couldn��t close when it mattered. He still banked over $1 million for the Series, though, which is very impressive considering that he only had around $327,000 in live career earnings entering the summer.

8. Sam Stein

EventPlacePrize
Event #7: $10,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Championship3rd$264,651
Event #31: $3,000 Pot-Limit Omaha1st$420,802
Event #42: $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha Championship24th$25,891
Event #50: $5,000 Triple Chance No-Limit Hold��em53rd$14,937

The WSOP is so long, and Sam Stein��s success came toward the beginning, so it��s easy to forget, but take a closer look and you��ll see he��s having a great Series. Stein cashed four times for over $700,000 total, made two final tables, and won his first bracelet. He��s currently in sixth place in the POY standings, and, like Ben Lamb, entered Day 2b of the Main Event with a very healthy stack �� 101,825 chips.

9. Owais Ahmed

EventPlacePrize
Event #17: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.39th$5,512
Event #23: $2,500 Eight-Game Mix11th$15,198
Event #39: $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha45th$6,272
Event #47: $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better1st$255,959
Event #55: $50,000 Poker Player's Championship4th$482,058

Owais Ahmed was extremely efficient during the 2011 WSOP, cashing five times in four different games, and winning his first bracelet in Event #47 $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo. Ahmed was out-chipped badly by Michael Mizrachi heading into heads-up play, but he stormed back and won the title. Ahmed��s ability to play so many games �C and play them well �C makes him a good fit at the bottom of the order, where he can scrap out a hit and turn the lineup over.

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