World Series of Poker Pros Strike Back

We're just about a month into the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. The $10k buy-in main event is just around the corner and will be capped off around 6,600 players.

Just absurd numbers if you think about it. Too many players for a big-name pro to ever win again...right? That's what I thought a few weeks ago, but maybe not. I guess the lesson is: never count the pros out.

If you want to be surprised when ESPN starts airing the smaller events in a few weeks, go ahead and click back.

Doyle Brunson. Johnny Chan. TJ Cloutier. Phil Ivey. Eric Seidel. Barry Greenstein. Todd Brunson. Josh Arieh.

Pretty strong list, huh? Those are just a few of the pros taking titles so far at the WSOP this year. Chan's win is his 10th bracelet, temporarily breaking his tie with Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth to become the most successful WSOP player ever. Not to be undone, Doyle picked up his 10th bracelet early Friday morning. So now he and Johnny are tied again! I?m sure Hellmuth will take that very well, by the way.

As impressive as those wins are, they?re just a few of the feel-good stories so far.

Mark Seif may not be a household name, but you'd probably recognize him if you saw him. He's been featured in ESPN's coverage of the WSOP in the past. Well, he had one heck of a week in the middle of June. He won not one, but two bracelets ($1,500 Limit Hold'em & $1,500 No Limit Hold'em). Not bad for a former lawyer.

Young Michael Gracz continued his break-out year at the World Series. He followed a World Poker Tour win with a bracelet in the $1,000 No Limit event.

But the story getting the most pub is that Hollywood has finally broken through at the WSOP. Oscar-nominated actress Jennifer Tilly won the Ladies Only tournament, making her the first celebrity to win a bracelet. Tilly said it was actually better than winning an Oscar! Can't beat that. If you watch some of the celebrity poker shows, you'll know that Tilly is a solid player. She's also dating pro Phil Laak. That probably doesn't hurt things.

So will a big-name win the main event? The odds are still against them. But if poker pros are good at something, it's calculating the odds and finding a way to overcome them. Don't count them out.

By Dale Blasingame

News Added: 02 July, 2005

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