Rafe Kibrit and Elie Payan are now heads up for the World Series of Poker gold bracelet. Check out some of the images from the start of the match.
2011 World Series of Poker
There are all kinds of fun and interesting stats surrounding the World Series of Poker, so we thought we'd share some that were provided by the Official WSOP Media guide. Keep in mind these numbers do not take into account the 2011 WSOP:
The WSOP by the Numbers
- $1,228,375,121—total prize money awarded
- $8,944,310—Amount Jonathan Duhamel won for winning the 2010 Main Event
- 525,000- # of individual poker chips deployed to run the WSOP each year
- 420,834- # of entrants that have competed in the WSOP
- 50,792- # of total entrants to compete in the WSOP Main Event
- $50,000—Highest buy-in for a WSOP bracelet event in 2011
- 41,417- # of entrants that have cashed
- 7,318- # of people Jonathan Duhamel beat in 2010 to become champion.
- 1970—Year that the first WSOP was held at Binion’s Horseshoe in Las Vegas
- 893- # of WSOP Gold Bracelet winners [WSOP classifies all past winners as Bracelet winners]
- 888- # of Official WSOP events [5 Mixed Double events had 2 winners, but were 1 event]
- 858- # of gold bracelets awarded [In 1974, the Main Event winner received a bracelet. 1975 became the first year all event winners received a gold bracelet. In 1982, gold watches were awarded to the 15 winners instead].
- $500—Smallest buy-in for a WSOP bracelet event in 2011 [Employee’s Event]
- 193- # of millionaires created by the WSOP.
- 117- # of nations represented at the 2010 WSOP [82 nations competed in Winter Olympics]
- 97- Age of Jack Ury in 2010, the oldest player ever to compete in a WSOP event.
- 40- # of cameras ESPN uses to cover WSOP [FOX used 32 to cover Super Bowl XLIV]
- 21 years, 11 months, 22 days—Age of Joe Cada [Youngest Main Event Champion in history]
- 11- # of people Moss beat in 1970 to become champion [by vote of his peers]
- $0—Amount Johnny Moss won for winning 1970 Main Event [won a silver cup]
- 1- # of countries represented at the 1970 WSOP
Elie Payan has really stretched his lead here in the last series of hands. He's won four or five hands in a row now and holds a little over four million of the chips in play. In case you're wondering, that means Rafe Kibrit only has about 750,000.
Rafe Kibrit had the button and raised to 100,000. Elie Payan called from the big blind and the came out. Payan checked and Kibrit fired 150,000. Payan made the call.
The fell on the turn and both players checked before the paired the board on the river. Payan fired 240,000 and Kibrit released his hand.
From the button, Elie Payan limped in and then Rafe Kibrit checked in the big blind to see the flop come down . Both players checked and the appeared on the turn. Kibrit checked and Payan fired 80,000. Kibrit mucked and Payan won the pot.
On the flop, Elie Payan bet 150,000 and Rafe Kibrit called. The turn was the and both players checked to see the hit on the river. Both players checked again. Kibrit tabled the and Payan mucked his hand.
After winning two of the first three hands with preflop raises, Rafe Kibrit called a raise of 80,000 made by Elie Payan. The flop came down and both players checked the action.
The turn card fell and this time Kibrit fired 115,000 at his opponent. Payan called the bet and we saw a river of .
Kibrit slowed down and tapped the table, checking to Payan, who stared his man down for a minute or so before opting to check as well. He had dodged the trap set for him by Kibrit, who tabled the for the nut straight.
This win gives Kibrit three out of the first four pots in heads-up play and he is steadily trying to level the playing field after starting with a 2:1 chip disadvantage.
With Rafe Kibrit and Elie Payan back after a quick break to begin their heads-up duel, a WSOP official arrived at the table to present the hardware at stake. After placing an ornate box containing the gold bracelet on the table, Payan quickly got up and playefully closed the box. Apparently a bit superstitious, Payan does not want to see the prize that is so close at hand until he has finished the job.
For now the box remains closed, but rest assured both players got a good look at the jewelry and are picturing it adorning their wrists at this very moment.
Here are the stacks at the start of heads-up play. Elie Payan has about a two-to-one chip lead over Rafe Kibrit.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
Elie Payan |
3,190,000
780,000
|
780,000 |
|
||
Rafe Kibrit
|
1,630,000
-40,000
|
-40,000 |
On the first hand back from the break, Elie Payan limped in from the button. David Sands was in the small blind and raised the pot to 160,000. Rafe Kibrit folded from the big blind and then Payan made the call after thinking it over for a minute.
The flop came down and Sands bet the pot for 360,000. He had 220,000 behind and Payan raised to put Sands all in. Sands made the call and tabled the . Payan had flopped top and bottom pair with the .
The turn brought the to give Sands some additional outs, but the river failed to bring any of them when the fell and he was eliminated. Sands battled a short stack for much of the day stemming back to the end of play yesterday to finish in third place for over $113,000.
Player | Chips | Progress |
---|---|---|
David Sands | Busted |