World Series of Poker
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{{for|details about the current event|2008 World Series of Poker}}
[[Image:Wsop logo.png|right|The WSOP logo on a poker chip.]]The '''World Series of Poker''' (WSOP) is the largest set of [[poker]] [[poker tournament|tournaments]] in the world. It is held annually in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]], and since 2007 has consisted of 55 events, of which all but the [[#Main Event|"Main Event"]] are finished in just over a month.
The winner of each event wins a [[World Series of Poker bracelet]] and a prize based on the number of entrants. Most of the [[List of poker variants|major poker variants]] are featured, though in recent years over half of the events have been variants of [[Texas hold 'em]].
The series culminates with the $10,000 no-limit hold'em "Main Event", which since 2004 has attracted entrants numbering in the thousands, with the victor receiving a multi-million [[United States dollar|dollar]] prize.
{| class="wikitable" align="right"
|+ Main Event Entrants and First Place Prizes<br/>''(see [[#Main Event results|below]] for complete and detailed list)''
! Year || Number<br/>of Entrants || First Place<br />Prize
|-
| 2000 ||align="right"| 512 ||align="right"| $ 1,500,000
|-
| 2001 ||align="right"| 613 ||align="right"| $ 1,500,000
|-
| 2002 ||align="right"| 631 ||align="right"| $ 2,000,000
|-
| 2003 ||align="right"| 839 ||align="right"| $ 2,500,000
|-
| 2004 ||align="right"| 2576 ||align="right"| $ 5,000,000
|-
| 2005 ||align="right"| 5619 ||align="right"| $ 7,500,000
|-
| 2006 ||align="right"| 8773 ||align="right"| $12,000,000
|-
| 2007 ||align="right"| 6358 ||align="right"|$ 8,250,000
|-
| 2008 ||align="right"| 6844 ||align="right"|$ 9,119,517
|}
Since 2005 the WSOP has been sponsored by [[Harrah's Entertainment]].
==Format==
[[Image:MossBeckyBinionPearson.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Johnny Moss]], Becky Binion, and [[Puggy Pearson]] at the [[1974 World Series of Poker]].]]
Since 1971, all WSOP events have been tournaments with cash prizes. In [[1973 World Series of Poker|1973]] a five-card stud event was added. Since then, new events have been added and removed. In [[2006 World Series of Poker|2006]] there were 45 events at the WSOP, covering the majority of [[poker variant]]s. Currently, Texas hold 'Em, [[Omaha hold 'em]] and Seven-card stud and their lowball variants (if any) are played. [[HORSE|H.O.R.S.E.]] has been played in the past and returned in 2006. Also, [[HOSE|S.H.O.E.]] has been played in the past, and returned in 2007. Other events played in the past include [[Chinese poker]], Five card stud, and many others.
Like most tournaments, the sponsoring casino takes an entry fee (a percentage between 6% and 10%, depending on the [[poker jargon|buy-in]]) and distributes the rest, hence the prize money increases with more players. In the 2005 main event US$52,818,610 in prize money was distributed among 560 players, with US$7.5 million to first prize.
==Highlights==
The number of participants in the WSOP has grown almost every year, and in recent years the growth has exploded. In [[2000 World Series of Poker|2000]] there were 4,780 entrants in the various events, but in 2005, the number rose to over 23,000 players. In the main event alone, the number of participants grew from 839 in [[2003 World Series of Poker|2003]] to 8,773 in 2006.
[[Phil Hellmuth]] has the [[World Series of Poker multiple bracelet winners|most bracelets]] with eleven. Runners-up [[Doyle Brunson]] and [[Johnny Chan (poker player)|Johnny Chan]] have each won ten bracelets. Doyle's son, [[Todd Brunson]], won a bracelet in a $2,500 Omaha Eight-or-better event in 2005, making them the first (and so far only) father/son pair to win at least one event at the WSOP. [[Crandell Addington]] is the only player to place in the top ten of the World Series of Poker Main Event eight times.
Four players have won the main event multiple times: [[Johnny Moss]] ([[1971 World Series of Poker|1971]] and [[1974 World Series of Poker|1974]]), [[Doyle Brunson]] ([[1976 World Series of Poker|1976]] and [[1977 World Series of Poker|1977]]), [[Stu Ungar]] ([[1980 World Series of Poker|1980]], [[1981 World Series of Poker|1981]] and [[1997 World Series of Poker|1997]]) and [[Johnny Chan]] ([[1987 World Series of Poker|1987]] and [[1988 World Series of Poker|1988]]).
Bracelet winners who first achieved fame in other fields include French actor/singer [[Patrick Bruel]] (in [[1998 World Series of Poker|1998]]), Danish soccer player [[Jan Vang Sørensen]] (in [[2002 World Series of Poker|2002]]) and American actress [[Jennifer Tilly]] (in [[2005 World Series of Poker|2005]]).
==History==
[[Image:2002WSOP.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The [[2002 World Series of Poker]] in progress.]]
The World Series of Poker began in 1968 as an invitational event sponsored by Tom Moore of San Antonio, Texas, and held at the [[Holiday Hotel and Casino]] in [[Reno, Nevada|Reno]]. This inaugural event was won by [[Crandell Addington]]. The set of tournaments that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) would evolve into was the brainchild of [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] casino owner and poker player [[Benny Binion]].
In 1970, the first WSOP at [[Binion's Horseshoe]] took place as a series of cash games that included [[five-card stud]], [[rank of hands (poker)#Deuce-to-seven|deuce to seven]] [[lowball (poker)|low-ball draw]], [[razz]], [[seven-card stud]], and [[Texas hold 'em]]. The format for the Main Event as a freeze-out Texas hold 'em game came the next year. The winner in 1970, [[Johnny Moss]], was elected by his peers as the first ''World Champion of Poker'' and received a silver cup as a prize.
===Since acquisition by Harrah's===
[[Image:20080404-Vegas-Binionstable-WSOP.jpg|right|thumb|A Binion's poker table signed by WSOP Champions and other professional players after the casino hosted its final WSOP.]]
In 2004, [[Harrah's Entertainment]] purchased Binion's Horseshoe, kept the rights to the Horseshoe and World Series of Poker brands, sold the hotel and casino to [[MTR Gaming Group]], and announced that the 2005 Series events would be held at the Harrah's-owned [[Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino|Rio]] Hotel and Casino, located just off the [[Las Vegas Strip]]. The final two days of the main event in 2005 were held downtown at what is now the MTR operated "Binion's" in celebration of the [[centennial]] of the founding of Las Vegas. It also added a made-for-television $2 million "freeroll" invitational "[[World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions|Tournament of Champions]]" (TOC) event first won by [[Annie Duke]] as a "winner-take-all" event.
Starting in 2005, the WSOP began a tournament "circuit" at Harrah's-owned properties in the United States where in addition to the $10,000 buy-in tournament at each site, qualifying players became eligible for a revamped Tournament of Champions. The 2005 TOC, made up of the top twenty qualifying players at each circuit event, along with the final table from the 2005 Main Event and the winners of nine or more bracelets (Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth) would participate in the revamped TOC at [[Caesars Palace|Caesar's Palace]]. [[Mike Matusow|Mike "The Mouth" Matusow]] won the first prize of $1 million (US), and all the players at the final table were guaranteed a minimum of $25,000 for the eighth and ninth place finishers. During a break in the final table of the 2005 Main Event on [[July 16]], Harrah's announced that eleven properties — including the recently added Bally's and Caesar's properties — would host 2005-06 WSOP Circuit events that started on [[August 11]] in Tunica, Mississippi. One event, that was scheduled for [[Biloxi, Mississippi]] was canceled after the Grand Casino Biloxi, which was scheduled to host the event, suffered major damage from [[Hurricane Katrina]].
The Rio also hosted the [[2006 World Series of Poker]], which began on [[June 25]] with satellite events and formally began the day after with the annual Casino Employee event, won in 2006 by [[Chris Gros]]. 2006 featured the "[[World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions|Tournament of Champions]]" on [[June 25]] and 26, won by [[Mike Sexton]]. Various events led up to the main event, which was held from [[July 28]] until [[August 10]]. The first prize of $12 million was awarded to [[Jamie Gold]].
==Main Event== <!-- do not rename section without fixing forward reference in introduction -->
The Main Event of the WSOP has been the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'Em (TXHE) tournament since [[1972 World Series of Poker|1972]]. (In [[1971 World Series of Poker|1971]], the buy-in was $5,000.) Winners of the event not only get the largest prize of the tournament and a gold bracelet, but additionally their picture is placed into the ''Gallery of Champions'' at Binion's.
The winner of the Main Event has traditionally been given the unofficial title of World Champion. However the game's top professionals{{Who|date=June 2008}} have stated that the recently-added $50,000 [[H.O.R.S.E.]] event is the one which ultimately decides the world's best player. The $50,000 buy-in, being five times larger than the buy-in for the Main Event, has thus far tended to deter amateurs from playing in the H.O.R.S.E. The H.O.R.S.E. tournament was won by [[Chip Reese]] in 2006, [[Freddy Deeb]] in 2007, and [[Scotty Nguyen]] in 2008.
tournament. Since Reese's death in December 2007, the winner of this event wins the David 'Chip' Reese Memorial Trophy in addition to the bracelet and the prize money.
[[Image:WSOPGalleryofChampions.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The ''Gallery of Champions'' in 1979]]
There have been many memorable moments during the main events, including [[Jack Straus]]'s [[1982 World Series of Poker|1982]] comeback win after discovering he had one $500 chip left when he thought he was out of the tournament.
The end of the 1988 main event was featured in the movie ''[[Rounders (movie)|Rounders]]''.
[[Chris Moneymaker]] and [[Greg Raymer]], the winners in [[2003 World Series of Poker|2003]] and [[2004 World Series of Poker|2004]], both qualified for the main event through satellite tournaments at the [[PokerStars]] online cardroom.
[[Jerry Yang (poker player)|Jerry Yang]], the winner in [[2007 World Series of Poker|2007]], had only been playing poker for two years prior to his victory. He won his seat at a $225 satellite tournament at Pechanga Resort & Casino.
With passage of the [[Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act]] (UIGEA) of 2006 online poker sites have been barred from purchasing entrance directly for their users. This may have been the cause of the smaller field size in 2007.
With the exception of winners of the World Series Of Poker Main Event [[satellite tournaments]] (who automatically win a spot in the main event), all remaining players (including former champions, celebrities, and professional poker players) must supply the $10,000 [[poker jargon#buy-in|buy-in]] in order to participate.
===Main Event results=== <!-- do not rename section without fixing forward reference in introduction -->
Below are the past winners of the main event, together with brief information about each year's main event. For more information, view the article on the WSOP for that specific year.
{| class="wikitable"
! style="background: #E9E9E9;" | Year
! style="background: #E9E9E9;" | Winner / Winning Hand
! style="background: #E9E9E9;" | Prize (US$)
! style="background: #E9E9E9;" | Entrants
! style="background: #E9E9E9;" | Runner-Up / Losing Hand
|-
| [[1970 World Series of Poker|1970]]
| [[Johnny Moss]] <sup>*</sup>
| n/a
| 7
| n/a
|-
| [[1971 World Series of Poker|1971]]
| Johnny Moss <!--Moss is linked above, please do not double-link-->
| 30,000
| 6
| [[Puggy Pearson|Walter "Puggy" Pearson]]
|-
| [[1972 World Series of Poker|1972]]
| [[Amarillo Slim|Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston]] '''K J'''
| 80,000
| 8
| Walter "Puggy" Pearson '''6 6''' <!--Pearson is linked above, please do not double-link-->
|-
| [[1973 World Series of Poker|1973]]
| Walter "Puggy" Pearson <!--Pearson is linked above, please do not double-link--> '''{{cards|A♠|7♠}}'''
| 130,000
| 13
| Johnny Moss '''{{cards|K♥|J♠}}'''<!--Moss is linked above, please do not double-link-->
|-
| [[1974 World Series of Poker|1974]]
| Johnny Moss <!--Moss is linked above, please do not double-link-->
| 160,000
| 16
| [[Crandall Addington]]
|-
| [[1975 World Series of Poker|1975]]
| [[Sailor Roberts|Brian "Sailor" Roberts]] '''{{cards|9♠|9♥}}'''
| 210,000
| 21
| Bob Hooks '''{{cards|A♣|K♦}}'''
|-
| [[1976 World Series of Poker|1976]]
| [[Doyle Brunson]] '''{{cards|10♠|2♠}}'''
| 220,000
| 22
| [[Jesse Alto]] '''{{cards|A♠|J♦}}'''
|-
| [[1977 World Series of Poker|1977]]
| Doyle Brunson <!--Brunson is linked above, please do not double-link--> '''{{cards|10♠|2♥}}'''
| 340,000
| 34
| [[Gary Berland]] '''{{cards|8♥|5♣}}'''
|-
| [[1978 World Series of Poker|1978]]
| [[Bobby Baldwin]] '''{{cards|Q♦|Q♣}}'''
| 210,000
| 42
| Crandall Addington '''{{cards|9♦|9♣}}'''
|-
| [[1979 World Series of Poker|1979]]
| [[Hal Fowler]] '''{{cards|7♠|6♦}}'''
| 270,000
| 54
| [[Bobby Hoff]] '''{{cards|A♣|A♥}}'''
|-
| [[1980 World Series of Poker|1980]]
| [[Stu Ungar]] '''{{cards|5♠|4♠}}'''
| 385,000
| 73
| Doyle Brunson <!--Brunson is linked above, please do not double-link--> '''{{cards|A♥|7♠}}'''
|-
| [[1981 World Series of Poker|1981]]
| Stu Ungar <!--Ungar is linked above, please do not double-link--> '''{{cards|A♥|Q♥}}'''
| 375,000
| 75
| [[Perry Green]] '''{{cards|10♣|9♦}}'''
|-
| [[1982 World Series of Poker|1982]]
| [[Jack Straus]] '''{{cards|A♥|10♠}}'''
| 520,000
| 104
| [[Dewey Tomko]] '''{{cards|A♦|4♦}}'''
|-
| [[1983 World Series of Poker|1983]]
| [[Tom McEvoy]] '''{{cards|Q♦|Q♠}}'''
| 540,000
| 108
| [[Rod Peate]] '''{{cards|K♦|J♦}}'''
|-
| [[1984 World Series of Poker|1984]]
| [[Jack Keller]] '''{{cards|10♥|10♠}}'''
| 660,000
| 132
| Byron Wolford '''{{cards|6♥|4♥}}'''
|-
| [[1985 World Series of Poker|1985]]
| [[Bill Smith (poker player)|Bill Smith]] '''{{cards|3♠|3♥}}'''
| 700,000
| 140
| [[T. J. Cloutier]] '''{{cards|A♦|3♣}}'''
|-
| [[1986 World Series of Poker|1986]]
| [[Berry Johnston]] '''{{cards|A♠|10♥}}'''
| 570,000
| 141
| [[Mike Harthcock]] '''{{cards|A♦|8♦}}'''
|-
| [[1987 World Series of Poker|1987]]
| [[Johnny Chan (poker player)|Johnny Chan]] '''{{cards|A♠|9♣}}'''
| 625,000
| 152
| [[Frank Henderson]] '''{{cards|4♦|4♣}}'''
|-
| [[1988 World Series of Poker|1988]]
| Johnny Chan <!--Chan is linked above, please do not double-link--> '''{{cards|J♣|9♣}}'''
| 700,000
| 167
| [[Erik Seidel]] '''{{cards|Q♣|7♥}}'''
|-
| [[1989 World Series of Poker|1989]]
| [[Phil Hellmuth|Phil Hellmuth Jr]] '''{{cards|9♠|9♣}}'''
| 755,000
| 178
| Johnny Chan <!--Chan is linked above, please do not double-link--> '''{{cards|A♠|7♠}}'''
|-
| [[1990 World Series of Poker|1990]]
| [[Mansour Matloubi]] '''{{cards|6♥|6♠}}'''
| 895,000
| 194
| [[Hans Lund]] '''{{cards|4♦|4♣}}'''
|-
| [[1991 World Series of Poker|1991]]
| [[Brad Daugherty (poker player)|Brad Daugherty]] '''{{cards|K♠|J♠}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 215
| Don Holt '''{{cards|7♥|3♥}}'''
|-
| [[1992 World Series of Poker|1992]]
| [[Hamid Dastmalchi]] '''{{cards|8♥|4♣}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 201
| Tom Jacobs '''{{cards|J♦|7♠}}'''
|-
| [[1993 World Series of Poker|1993]]
| [[Jim Bechtel]] '''{{cards|J♣|6♥}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 220
| Glenn Cozen '''{{cards|7♠|4♦}}'''
|-
| [[1994 World Series of Poker|1994]]
| [[Russ Hamilton]] '''{{cards|K♠|8♥}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 268
| Hugh Vincent '''{{cards|8♣|5♥}}'''
|-
| [[1995 World Series of Poker|1995]]
| [[Dan Harrington]] '''{{cards|9♦|8♦}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 273
| [[Howard Goldfarb]] '''{{cards|A♥|7♣}}'''
|-
| [[1996 World Series of Poker|1996]]
| [[Huck Seed]] '''{{cards|9♦|8♦}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 295
| [[Bruce Van Horn]] '''{{cards|K♣|8♣}}'''
|-
| [[1997 World Series of Poker|1997]]
| Stu Ungar <!--Ungar is linked above, please do not double-link-->'''{{cards|A♥|4♣}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 312
| John Strzemp '''{{cards|A♠|8♣}}'''
|-
| [[1998 World Series of Poker|1998]]
| [[Scotty Nguyen]] '''{{cards|J♦|9♣}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 350
| Kevin McBride '''{{cards|Q♥|10♥}}'''
|-
| [[1999 World Series of Poker|1999]]
| [[Noel Furlong]] '''{{cards|5♣|5♦}}'''
| 1,000,000
| 393
| [[Alan Goehring]] '''{{cards|6♥|6♣}}'''
|-
| [[2000 World Series of Poker|2000]]
| [[Chris Ferguson]] '''{{cards|A♠|9♣}}'''
| 1,500,000
| 512
| T. J. Cloutier <!--Cloutier is linked above, please do not double-link-->'''{{cards|A♦|Q♣}}'''
|-
| [[2001 World Series of Poker|2001]]
| [[Carlos Mortensen|Juan Carlos Mortensen]] '''{{cards|K♣|Q♣}}'''
| 1,500,000
| 613
| Dewey Tomko <!--Tomko is linked above, please do not double-link-->'''{{cards|A♠|A♥}}'''
|-
| [[2002 World Series of Poker|2002]]
| [[Robert Varkonyi]] '''{{cards|Q♦|10♠}}'''
| 2,000,000
| 631
| [[Julian Gardner (poker player)|Julian Gardner]] '''{{cards|J♣|8♣}}'''
|-
| [[2003 World Series of Poker|2003]]
| [[Chris Moneymaker]] '''{{cards|5♦|4♠}}'''
| 2,500,000
| 839
| [[Sam Farha]] '''{{cards|J♥|10♦}}'''
|-
| [[2004 World Series of Poker|2004]]
| [[Greg Raymer]] '''{{cards|8♠|8♦}}'''
| 5,000,000
| 2,576
| [[David Williams (card player)|David Williams]] '''{{cards|A♥|4♠}}'''
|-
| [[2005 World Series of Poker|2005]]
| [[Joe Hachem]] '''{{cards|7♣|3♠}}'''
| 7,500,000
| 5,619
| [[Steve Dannenmann]] '''{{cards|A♦|3♣}}'''
|-
| [[2006 World Series of Poker|2006]]
| [[Jamie Gold]] '''{{cards|Q♠|9♣}}'''
| 12,000,000
| 8,773
| [[Paul Wasicka]] '''{{cards|10♥|10♠}}'''
|-
| [[2007 World Series of Poker|2007]]
| [[Jerry Yang (poker player)|Jerry Yang]] '''{{cards|8♦|8♣}}'''
| 8,250,000
| 6,358
| [[Tuan Lam]] '''{{cards|A♦|Q♦}}'''
|-
| [[2008 World Series of Poker|2008]]
|
| 9,119,517
| 6,844
|
|-
|}
<sup>*</sup> awarded by vote
==Player of the Year==
Since 2004, a Player of the Year Award has been given to the player with the most points accumulated throughout the World Series. Only "open" events in which all players can participate count in the standings. Beginning with the 2006 World Series of Poker, the Main Event and the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. competition had no effect on the outcome of the winner of the Player of the Year award. However, in the 2008 World Series of Poker, the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event counted toward the Player of the Year award.
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Winner
! Bracelets
! Final Tables
! Money Finishes
|-
|[[2004 WSOP|2004]]
|[[Daniel Negreanu]]
|1
|5
|6
|-
|[[2005 WSOP|2005]]
|[[Allen Cunningham]]
|1
|4
|5
|-
|[[2006 WSOP|2006]]
|[[Jeff Madsen]]
|2
|4
|4
|-
|[[2007 WSOP|2007]]
|[[Tom Schneider]]
|2
|3
|3
|-
|[[2008 WSOP|2008]]
|[[Erick Lindgren]]
|1
|3
|5
|}
==Marketing==
Like any event or sports league, the WSOP also has corporate sponsors and licensed products which pay fees to market themselves as an official sponsor and/or licensee and exclusively use the WSOP insignia and cross-promote with their events. Besides the Harrah's properties and ESPN, major sponsors have included [[Miller Brewing]]'s "Milwaukee's Best" brand of beers, Pepsi's [[SoBe]] Adrenaline Rush energy drink (sponsors of the 2005 TOC), Helene Curtis' Degree brand of anti-perspirant/deodorant, [[United States Playing Card Company|United States Playing Card's Bicycle Pro Cards]], Bluff magazine, [[GlaxoSmithKline plc|GlaxoSmithKline]]/[[Bayer AG|Bayer]]'s [[vardenafil|Levitra]] [[erectile dysfunction]] medicine, and [[The Hershey Company]]. Licensees include [[Glu]] Mobile, [[Activision]] (video games for different platforms such as [[Nintendo]]'s [[GameCube]], [[Microsoft]]'s [[Xbox]], [[Sony]]'s [[PlayStation 2]] and PC featuring computer generated versions of stars like Ferguson among others), and products made by different companies ranging from chip sets, playing cards, hand held games and clothing like caps and shirts. The fees and licenses bring in more than a million dollars to Harrah's.
==WSOP television coverage==
===1970s-1980s===
The earliest filming of the World Series was a special produced by Binion's Horseshoe in 1973 and narrated by [[Jimmy Snyder|Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder]]. [[CBS]] began covering the World Series in the late 1970s. In the early 1980s, the event was again broadcast as specials. In the late 1980s, the World Series returned to television as [[ESPN]] took over broadcasting. Initially, coverage consisted of just a single one hour taped delay broadcast of the main event.
===1990s===
[[ESPN Classic]] currently airs many of the old broadcasts, especially from the mid 1990s and beyond. The most striking thing about the early coverage is how little was actually shown, since no "pocket cam" existed. Generally, ESPN used poker-playing actors such as [[Dick Van Patten]], [[Vince Van Patten]], and [[Gabe Kaplan]], with either the [[tournament director (poker)|tournament director]] (usually [[Jim Albrecht]]) or a poker pro like [[Phil Hellmuth]] joining the team. Early coverage was relatively primitive compared to what ESPN does now, with no pre-taped interviews or profiles on the players. The commentators were actually on the casino floor itself. The [[2002 WSOP]] was the first with the "sneak peek" (later called the pocket cam, or [[hole cam]]). 2003 was the first year that the broadcast covered action preceding the final table.
Since then, ESPN has greatly expanded its coverage to include many of the preliminary events of the WSOP, especially Texas Hold 'Em. Also, their coverage of the main event now typically includes at least one hour program on each day. For the first two years of its existence, ESPN was broadcasting one hour programs of the "circuit" events that the WSOP has at various Harrah's-owned casinos, but ESPN did not renew these events. ESPN's coverage now includes many of the trappings of sports coverage, such as lighter segments (called "The Nuts") and interviews.
ESPN's coverage has been largely driven by Matt Maranz, Executive Producer for the WSOP telecasts. Maranz leads 441 Productions, which produces the telecast under contract to ESPN's unit ESPN Original Entertainment (EOE). Maranz has significant sports production experience, having previously worked on ESPN's football pre-game show, and has also produced taped segments for [[Olympics on NBC| NBC's Olympic]] coverage.
===2000s===
In 2000 and 2001, the World Series of Poker was broadcast by The Discovery Channel. These hour long programs presented more of an overview or recap of the WSOP as opposed to broadcasting an actual live event with play-by-play analysis and color commentary. The Discovery Channel's broadcast also featured final table players interviews interlaced throughout the show. ESPN would resume coverage the following year.
ESPN's coverage in 2002 was typical of their coverage in the 1990s (recorded in video, little or no post-production commentary or player profiles, no card cams). However, the final table broadcast was expanded over two one-hour episodes.
In 2003, ESPN expanded their coverage to new heights with their coverage of the WSOP. They included coverage of the entire tournament, with a "Featured Table". At this table, the viewers could see the player's hole cards and subsequent strategy. The action was also broadcast as if live, though on tape-delay. This level of coverage arguably led to the popularity boom of No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em.
Coverage would increase in 2004 and 2005 to include preliminary events from the WSOP, in addition to the "Main Event".
ESPN has expanded poker to all-new levels, especially with their coverage of the 2006 WSOP, including providing the entire final table of the 2006 Main Event via pay-per-view airing.
===WSOP broadcasters===
{{expand list}}
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
*[[1973 World Series of Poker|1973]] (special) - [[Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder]]
*[[1978 World Series of Poker|1978]] (CBS) - [[Brent Musburger]] and [[Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder]]
*[[1979 World Series of Poker|1979]] (CBS) - [[Frank Glieber]] and [[Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder]]
*[[1981 World Series of Poker|1981]] (special) - [[Curt Gowdy]]
*[[1983 World Series of Poker|1983]] (special) - [[Curt Gowdy]] and [[Bobby Baldwin]]
*[[1987 World Series of Poker|1987]] (special) - [[Ted Robinson (sportscaster)|Ted Robinson]]
*[[1988 World Series of Poker|1988]] (ESPN) - [[Chris Marlowe]]
*[[1989 World Series of Poker|1989]] (ESPN) - [[Chris Marlowe]]
*[[1990 World Series of Poker|1990]] (ESPN) - [[Chris Marlowe]]
*[[1991 World Series of Poker|1991]] (ESPN) - [[Chris Marlowe]]
*[[1992 World Series of Poker|1992]] (ESPN) - [[Chris Marlowe]]
*[[1993 World Series of Poker|1993]] (ESPN) - [[Dick Van Patten]] and [[Jim Albrecht]]
*[[1994 World Series of Poker|1994]] (ESPN) - [[Dick Van Patten]] and [[Jim Albrecht]]
*[[1995 World Series of Poker|1995]] (ESPN) - [[Dick Van Patten]] and [[Jim Albrecht]]
*[[1996 World Series of Poker|1996]] - Was not televised
*[[1997 World Series of Poker|1997]] (ESPN) - [[Gabe Kaplan]] and [[Jim Albrecht]]
*[[1998 World Series of Poker|1998]] (ESPN) - [[Vince Van Patten]] and [[Jim Albrecht]]
{{col-2}}
*[[2000 World Series of Poker|2000]] (The Discovery Channel)
*[[2001 World Series of Poker|2001]] (The Discovery Channel)
*[[2002 World Series of Poker|2002]] (ESPN) - [[Lon McEachern]] and [[Gabe Kaplan]]; (ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - [[Gabriela Hill]]
*[[2003 World Series of Poker|2003]] (ESPN) - [[Lon McEachern]] and [[Norman Chad]]; (ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - [[Gabriela Hill]]
*[[2004 World Series of Poker|2004]] (ESPN) - [[Lon McEachern]] and [[Norman Chad]]; (ESPN Deportes/ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - [[Gabriela Hill]]
*[[2005 World Series of Poker|2005]] (ESPN) - [[Lon McEachern]] and [[Norman Chad]]; (ESPN Deportes/ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - [[Gabriela Hill]] and [[Andrés Agulla]]
*[[2006 World Series of Poker|2006]] (ESPN) - [[Lon McEachern]] and [[Norman Chad]];
* [[Phil Gordon]] and [[Ali Nejad]] in Main Event [[Pay-per-view]]; (ESPN Deportes/ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - [[Gabriela Hill]] and [[Andrés Agulla]]
*[[2007 World Series of Poker|2007]] (ESPN) - [[Lon McEachern]] and [[Norman Chad]]; [[Phil Gordon]] and [[Ali Nejad]] in Main Event Pay-per-view; (ESPN Deportes/ESPN Latin America - Spanish) - [[Gabriela Hill]] and [[Fernando Alvarez]]
{{col-end}}
==World Series of Poker Europe==
{{main|World Series of Poker Europe}}
The '''World Series of Poker Europe''' (WSOPE) is the first expansion of the [[World Series of Poker]]. Since 1970, the event has occurred every year in [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]]. In September 2007, the first WSOP championship events outside of Las Vegas, complete with [[World Series of Poker bracelet|bracelets]], were held.<ref name = "Gaming">[http://www.igamingbusiness.com/article-detail.php?articleID=12961 Harrah's Set to Launch World Series of Poker Europe] Feb 27, 2007. Gaming Business Accessed 7/25/07</ref> The inaugural WSOPE consisted of three events held in [[London]] from September 6-17, 2007. The main event, a [[pound sterling|GBP]] 10,000 buy-in no-limit hold 'em tournament, was won by [[Norway|Norwegian]] online prodigy [[Annette Obrestad]] on the day before her 19th birthday. This made her the youngest person ever to win a WSOP bracelet, a record that cannot be broken in the Las Vegas WSOP under current laws because the minimum legal age for casino gaming in [[Nevada]] is 21. Obrestad could play in the WSOPE because the minimum age for casino gaming in the [[United Kingdom]] is 18.
While no definitive plans have been announced, WSOP Commissioner [[Jeffrey Pollack]] has indicated that in the next one to three years that other venues may start holding WSOP events.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} Two locations that have been mentioned as possible expansion sites are Egypt and South Africa.<ref name = "USAtoday">Bambach, Mike.[http://www.usatoday.com/sports/poker/2007-06-28-poker-europe_N.htm?csp=34 World Series of Poker ups the ante, expands event to Europe] 6-28-07. USA Today. Accessed 7/25/07</ref>
==Other information==
In 2005, a [[World Series of Poker (video game)|video game]] based on the tournament was released for several consoles and the computer. A sequel called [[World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions]] came out in 2006. In 2007 Wolrd Series of Poker: Battle of the Bracelets came out.
WSOP video poker machines now appear at some Harrah's casinos; the machines are standard video poker machines, but have a bonus feature which allows a player to play a modified game of Texas Hold 'em against the machine.<ref>http://www.wms.com//game-detail.php?Themes=605</ref>
Beginning in 2007, Harrah's announced the creation of the World Series of Poker Academy, a poker school aimed at providing poker players with the skills needed to win a WSOP Bracelet. The instructors for the Academy include Phil Hellmuth, Greg Raymer, Scott Fischman and Mark Seif. Initial academies were launched in Tunica, Indiana and Las Vegas.
==References==
{{Refimprove|date=March 2008}}
{{reflist}}
==External links==
*[http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/ Official site]
*[http://dir.yahoo.com/Recreation/Games/Card_Games/Poker/World_Series_of_Poker/ Yahoo Directory: World Series of Poker]
*[http://www.launchpoker.com/hands-reviews/wsop-final-hands/ Commentary on numerous final hands at the WSOP main event] from launchpoker.com
{{Major Poker Tournaments}}
{{Harrah's Locations}}
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