WSOPE Event #2 Official Report

2009 World Series of Poker Europe Presented by Betfair

Casino at the Empire (London Clubs International)

(Leicester Square) London, UK

Official Final Report

WSOPE Event 2

2009 WSOP Gold Bracelet Event:  59

Half Pot-Limit Hold’em / Half Pot-Limit Omaha

Buy-In:  £2,500 (= $4,055 USD)

Number of Entries:  158

Total Net Prize Pool:  £395,000 (= $640,401 USD)

Number of Places Paid:  18

First Place Prize:  £104,677 (= $169,548 USD)

21–23 September 2009

Tournament Report

Event Headlines –

1.  Erik Cajelais Wins Gold Bracelet at 2009 World Series of Poker Europe

2.  Following Two Second-Place Finishes in Majors, Montreal’s Erik Cajelais Finally Earns Breakthrough Victory

3.  WSOP Europe Continues with Mixed Game Championship – Half Pot-Limit Hold’em, Half Pot-Limit Omaha.

4.  Through First Two Events at 2009 WSOP Europe — Attendance Up 47 Percent Over Last Year

5.  Empire Casino Takes Center Stage – World’s Top Poker Players in London for WSOP Europe

The Champion (Erik Cajelais) –

• The 2009 World Series of Poker Europe $2,500 buy-in Half Pot-Limit Hold’em/Half Pot-Limit Omaha champion is Erik Cajelais from Montreal, Quebec (Canada).

• Cajelais is a 27-year-old professional poker player.

• Cajelais is single.

• Cajelais is a former bartender who now plays poker professionally, mostly in underground games throughout Quebec and Ontario.

• Cajelais is am imposing figure.  He resembles a bodybuilder and spends many hours per week training.  Most of his time is spent in the gym or at the poker table.

• This was Cajelais’ first WSOP gold bracelet victory.

• Cajelais started playing poker seriously about five year ago.  His first year to attend the WSOP was in 2005.

• Prior to winning this event, Cajelais came close to victory a few times.  He was the runner up in the $5,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event (with re-buys).  That showing which was broadcast on ESPN, awarded Cajelais $483,755 in prize money.  His combined lifetime live tournament earnings (all major tournaments worldwide) currently amounts to nearly $1.7 million.

• Cajelais collected £104,677 for first place.  The cash prize is equal to about $169,548 in U.S. dollars.

• According to official records, Cajelais now has 1 win, 2 final table appearances, and 4 in-the-money finishes at the WSOP.

• Cajelais currently has $683,944 in career WSOP winnings.

• This was the first victory at WSOP Europe ever by a player from Canada.  Nations which have placed players in the winners’ circle at London include:  Denmark (2), Afghanistan (1), Germany (1), England (1), Canada (1), Italy (1), Norway (1), and the United States (1).

Winner Quotes (Erik Cajelais) –

• On his expectations prior to the start of WSOP Europe:  “My goal was to win this one.  My main focus was really on this tournament.”

• On how his second-place finish at the WSOP in 2007 motivated him more in this event:  “It was extra motivation.  I felt like I really, really, really wanted to win it.  I had to do everything I could to win and today I played well and the cards came out my way.”

• On his views about physical fitness and the correlation to making good decisions at the poker table:  “I don’t really think (there is a correlation).  I think once you reach 50, 60, or 70, then maybe it is a factor.  But if you are young and in decent shape, it should not be hard to play (long sessions).

• On his views about the toughness of the field, despite not being as large as many WSOP events in Las Vegas:  “I would be happy to win any bracelet, whether it is a big field or a smaller one.”

• On which he would chose, if absolutely forced to pick between taking the gold bracelet or the first-place cash:  “In this case, I think I would chose the bracelet.  But if it were the Main Event, I would certainly take the money.”

• On his pick to win the 2009 WSOP Main Event:  “Obviously, I would love if (Phil) Ivey wins it.  For me, he is the best player in the world and it would be great to see to him win the tournament.  But I do not know the other players that well.  (Darvin Moon) has a lot of chips and must be a decent player.  But I have not heard about him.  So, if I had to bet on somebody, I would bet on the chip leader.  But I would love to see Ivey win it all.”

The Final Table –

• The final table included four former WSOP gold bracelet winners – Men “the Master” Nguyen (6 wins), Chris Bjorin (2 wins), Howard Lederer (2 wins), and Hoyt Corkins (2 wins).

• The final table was played nine-handed.

• The final table was played over a two-day period.  On Tuesday, play began at 8:40 pm and lasted until 1:30 am.  On Wednesday, play resumed at 2:00 pm and lasted until 5:20 pm.  The total duration of play lasted about eight hours.

• The winner, Erik Cajelais arrived at the final table low on chips (ranked seventh out of nine).  When play was susppended at five-handed, he was the shortest stack and appeared destined for a fifth-place finish.  However, things changed dramatically during the later stages of play.  Following a series of big pots, Cajelais regained his advantage for the first time since the end of Day One.  Cajelais dominated play during the final hour of the tournament, particularly from three-handed play until the end.

• When heads-up play began, Cajelais enjoyed about a 10 to 1 chip lead over Mats Gavatin, who had been the favorite to win most of the day based on his stack size.   Shortly into the duel, Cajelais won his first WSOP title when his Q-J-9-7 made a full house with a final board showing A-Q-Q-A-J.

• The runner up was 30-year-old Mats Gavatin, from Stockholm, Sweden, who had begun the final table with the chip lead.  He worked as a baker before becoming a poker pro.  Gavatin’s best previous showing was a win at the European Poker Tour’s Dublin championship, in 2005.  As the runner up, Gavatin collected £64,705 in prize money.

• The third-place finisher was Robin Keston, from London, UK.  He had arguably the best showing on Day Three, starting with the lowest stack and making it all the way to third place.

• The fourth-place finisher was six-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Men “the Master” Nguyen, from Bell Gardens, CA.  Nguyen now has 66 cashes at the WSOP and more than $3 million in combined WSOP and WSOP Circuit earnings.  However, his last title came back in 2003.  Nguyen has come close to winning what has now become and elusive seventh gold bracelet, but came up short in this event when he ran cold in the later stages of the tournament.

• The fifth-place finisher was Richard Gryko, from Essex, UK.  He is a 25-year-old poker pro.  Gryko has a number of impressive tournament performances, mostly in Europe, which date back to 2003.  But his biggest cash came in the 2006 WSOP Main Event, which he cashed for $164,932 by finishing 50^th.  That was the largest live poker tournament in history.

• The sixth-place finisher was two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Chris Bjorin, from London.  Bjorin is originally from Sweden.  He moved to London nearly 20 years ago, to concentrate on poker playing and sports betting (his specialties include golf matchups and American ice hockey).  Bjorin won his gold bracelets in 1997 (Pot-Limit Omaha) and 2000 (No-Limit Hold’em).

• The seventh-place finisher was two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Hoyt Corkins, from Las Vegas, NV.  Corkins is known as the “Alabama Cowboy,” as he is originally from Glenwood, AL.  Corkins has been on of the game’s most popular players and is acknowledged as one of the world’s best pot-limit players.  Corkins win his gold bracelets in 1992 (Pot-Limit Omaha) and 2007 (Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em).

• The eighth-place finisher was Ian Frazer, from London, UK.  He has accrued more than $500,000 in career tournament winnings.

• The ninth-place finisher was Howard “the Professor” Lederer, from Las Vegas.  The two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner and longtime poker advocate is one of the game’s most influential players.  He is spearheading the fight to legalize and regulate online poker inside the United States.  Lederer won his gold bracelets in 2000 (Limit Omaha High-Low) and 2001 (Deuce-to-Seven Lowball).

• Two players, Erik Cajelais and Robin Keston, played at the final table while simultaneously entered in WSOPE Event #3.  When this tournament concluded at slightly past 5 pm (five hours into the next tournament), the players hurried over to their dwindling stacks in the £5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha championship, destined to play several additional hours of poker.

In-the-Money Finishers –

• The top 18 finishers collected prize money.

• Men “the Master” Nguyen’s fourth-place finish gives him 66 cashes for his career – which currently ranks second on the all-time list (Phil Hellmuth holds the record, with 75).

• Chris Bjorin’s sixth-place finish gives him 48 cashes for his career – which currently ranks ninth on the all-time list.

• Howard Lederer’s ninth-place finish gives him 42 cashes for his career.  He has over $5 million in overall tournament career earnings, including $1.3 won in WSOP tournaments.

• The tenth-place finisher in this event, Nikolay Evdakov set the record for the most cashes at the WSOP within a single year.  In 2008, the Russian player cashed an unprecedented 10 times at the WSOP.  This marked his sixth in-the-money finish in 2009.  This means Evdakov holds the record for most WSOP cashes within a two-year span (16).

• Another Russian, Vitaly Lunkin finished 17^th in this event.  Lunkin currently holds two WSOP gold bracelets, including the $40,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em championship held earlier this year in Las Vegas.

• Players reached the money about three hours into play on Day Two.

• Among the 18 in-the-money finishers, the following nations were represented:  England, Canada, Sweden, Finland, Russia, France, and Thailand.

Odds and Ends –

• World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) includes the final four gold bracelet events of the 2009 calendar year.  WSOP events 1-57 were played in Las Vegas from 26 May through 15 July.  WSOP Events 58-61 (a.k.a. “WSOPE”) are played in London, England from 18 September through 1 October.

• This is classified as “WSOPE Event 2″ as well as “WSOPE Event 59” as it is the 59th WSOP gold bracelet event of the 2009 calendar year.

• This marks the third consecutive year of WSOPE, presented by BetFair.  In 2007, three gold bracelet events were played.  In 2008, four gold bracelet events were played.

• All WSOPE results are included in official WSOP records — including all-time wins, cashes, final table appearances, and so forth.

• All four tournaments take place at Casino at the Empire, located in Leicester Square, in Central London.  Leicester Square is best known as the theatre district of the city.  Casino at the Empire is part of London Clubs International, which is owned by Harrah’s Entertainment.

• Casino at the Empire holds 35 poker tables.  Regular gaming tables are removed during the 16-day duration of WSOPE in order to make necessary room for the large turnout of poker players and spectators.

• AN UPDATE ON THE MARATHON POKER SESSION:  DAY TWO — English poker pro Paul Zimbler continued his quest for he hopes will be a record-setting marathon poker session.  Zimpler expects to play 80 consecutive hours in a live-game promotion, with all proceeds going to charity.  Zimbler invites competition to come play against him in a series of 20-minute sessions in a heads-up game at the Empire Casino, where all WSOP Europe events are being held.  The minimum donation to play against Zimbler is £10.  Zimbler hopes to raise about £50,000 which will be donated to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  WSPOP Europe sponsor Betfair has already donated £5,000 to the cause.  The marathon poker session kicked off with Zimbler facing poker legend Doyle Brunson, who donated £600 to the cause.  The previous mark for recorded consecutive playing time is 74 hours (Note:  Zimbler is given occasional five-minute breaks).

The Tournament –

• This is only the third time a Half Pot-Limit Hold’em/Half Pot-Limit Omaha tournament has been played at the WSOP.  The tournament was first introduced in 2008, and has been played twice previously (in Las Vegas) at the $2,500 buy-in level.  Tournament Director Jack Effel explained that since Pot-Limit Omaha is the second most popular form of poker in Europe and has been played for many years at local clubs in London, bringing the mix of games to WSOP Europe was ideal.

• The tournament includes a rotation of two games – Pot-Limit Hold’em and Pot-Limit Omaha.  Nine hands are played at a time, after which the game changes.  The dealer keeps track of the number of hands dealt by using non-descript white chips which are removed from the dealer box one at a time and place to the side.  Once all nine chips are stacked up, the game changes.

• The tournament attracted 158 entries.  This was significantly higher than the comparable event played at the same time last year (£2,500 buy-in HORSE) which attracted just 110 entries.

• Due to the rapid pace of play on Day One, part of the final table was played on Day Two, instead of Day Three.  A three-day event was originally scheduled.  Several players wanted to participate in Event #3 on Wednesday (which would have conflicted with the final table).  So, play went longer than expected on Day Two, in order to allow some players to play in the next tournament.

• Tables were played nine-handed during most of the tournament.

• Players started this tournament with 7,500 in tournament chips.  Starting blinds were 25-50.  Each level was one hour in length.

• The buy-in amount for Event #2 was £2,500 (GBP), which is equivalent to about $4,055 (USD) at the current exchange rate.

• Five of the eight former WSOPE gold bracelet winners competed in this tournament.  They were Sharkahn Farnood, Theo Jorgensen, Annette Obrestad, Dario Alioto, and John Juanda.  None cashed.

• Three former poker world champions played in this event, including Doyle Brunson, Phil Hellmuth, and Huck Seed.  None cashed.

• Day One lasted nearly ten levels, which went about 11 hours.  The end of Day One chip leader was Erik Cajelias, from Montreal, Quebec (Canada) – who ended up as the winner.

• Day Two lasted nine levels, which went about 11 hours.  The end of Day Two chip leader was Mats Gavatin – who ended up finishing second.

WSOP / WSOPE Statistics –

• The first two events of WSOP Europe have produced 766 total entries.  Through the first two events, attendance is up 47 percent over last year.

• The total amount of prize money awarded at WSOP Europe since its inception in 2007 (through nine events) equals a combined $6,213,023.  This figure exceeds the total amount of money paid out during the first ten years of the WSOP (1970-1979).

• Fifteen of the 58 winners this year (26 percent) were previous gold bracelet winners.  There have been four double winners in 2009 – J.P. Kelly, Brock Parker, Phil Ivey (Main Even pending), and Greg “FBT” Mueller.  There has been one triple winner in 2009 — Jeffrey Lisandro.

• This year’s World Series of Poker is the largest in history. A grand total of 61,641 players (to date) have entered the 59 gold bracelet events held so far – with two WSOPE events still to be played. This number exceeds the total entries in 2008, which was 59,650 at this same point last year.

• This year’s WSOP has now awarded $175,000,329   in prize money.  Note: This figure does not include two more upcoming WSOPE events.