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Online Poker Swells 2006 WSOPBy PokerPages
Online poker participants at the 2006 World Series of Poker (WSOP) grew to new record numbers, helping new record breaking sums get awarded. WSOP prize money, including all WSOP events, totaled $154 million. And $82.5 million was distributed in the Main Event alone. As you know from many daily reports including those on PokerPages.com, former Hollywood agent Jamie Gold became the new world champion of the Main Event, earning a record $12 million. This amount, according to PokerWire.com, is the largest doled out in television history, in addition to being the largest amount awarded in the 37 year history of the WSOP. And the 1st through 12th place finishers in the Main Event were awarded over $1 million each, which was yet another WSOP record. The 2006 Main Event had 8,773 participants, which dwarfed the 5,619 Main Event attendees last year. That is an amazing 56 percent increase! Most observers attribute the attendee growth at live events, like the WSOP, to Online Poker sponsoring seats. Online poker has sponsored or inspired many participants in recent years. This in turn has swelled the prize money awarded at the WSOP. The percentage of players qualifying for WSOP seats at online sites has steadily increased. The first freeroll for a 2001 WSOP seat was awarded on PokerPages. It was quickly emulated by other sites. While no official stats on qualifying tournaments are recorded, WSOP officials estimated that 40 percent of the 2004 WSOP player pool was comprised of players who qualified online, with the estimate rising to nearly 50 percent in 2005. While WSOP officials have not released any numbers for 2006 yet, it has been estimated that online qualifiers may have exceeded 5,000. For the 3rd year in a row, PokerStars.com provided the largest number of players. Its 1,623 qualifiers represented roughly 18 percent of the 2006 player pool. PokerStars qualifiers collectively netted $21 million over 46 events. Three PokerStars players reached the final table of the Main Event, placing 7th, 8th and 9th.Their combined winnings totaled $5.9 million. PokerStars sent 1,116 players to the Main Event in 2005; 104 finished in the money, and two reached the final table. They collectively earned $7.37 million. So this years attendee numbers were a 45 percent increase over last year. Bodog received major attention when handpicked team player Jamie Gold won the Main Event. Bodog sent only 400 players, which paled compared to the number sent by PokerStars. Also, Gold did not qualify for his seat online. He was handpicked to be on the Bodog celebrity team. His being staked was based on his tournament record and his being coached by Johnny Chan, according to a Bodog spokesperson. Two Pacific Poker players reached the final table: Paul Wasicka (2nd place) and Rhett Butler (5th place). Together, the two earned a total of $9.3 million. Several other online sites drew attention at the WSOP. Paradise Poker sent 230 players. Its highest finisher placed 97th. FullTiltPoker team members Phil Ivey and Andy Bloch finished in 2nd and 3rd place (respectively) in the HORSE tournament, earning a combined $1.6 million. Because of the large numbers of entrants, WSOP officials are discussing making changes to the Event, as well as increasing its media coverage. Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the WSOP and VP of sports and entertainment marketing noted that he also plans to consult with the recently created Players Advisory Council. The council is comprised of six poker pros who meet monthly with company executives in a collaborative effort to streamline game play and revamp the existing WSOP tournament format. Players, like recent world champion Jamie Gold, have already petitioned for the addition of $500,000 and $1 million chips to increase the efficiency of chip handling. Many others have asked that the final table span 2 days. Raising entry fees has also been mentioned as a way to curtail the huge number of participants. So it will certainly be interesting to see the 2007 WSOP.
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