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WSOP is the grandest annual poker event. There had been questions raised about the success of 2011 WSOP because it was preceded by the crash of the three biggest online poker sites in America. As 2011 WSOP unfolded it became apparent that the cause for concern was unfounded. But now the official statistics are out and there can be no denying the success of 2011 WSOP.

The official release from WSOP states, “The 42nd annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) presented by Jack Links Beef Jerky at the Rio-All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas established a host of new records as poker enthusiasts from more than 100 nations traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the game’s grandest spectacle.” The total number of entries was a record highest at 75,672, which was 3.7% more than the previous record set last year. Similarly the 2011 WSOP prize pool of $191,999,010 was the largest in WSOP history, surpassing last year’s prize pool by 2.6%. It is true that the flagship Main Event did take a bit of a hit. The starting field was only the third highest. This was understandable because Full Tilt Poker and PokerStars sponsor their online players mostly in April and May, and that was the time they were out of action.

There has been some criticism about the final table of the Main Event. There is a lack of big names and this will have a negative impact on the following when the final table resumes in November. The only big name to stay away was Phil Ivey. The others were eliminated and this cannot be helped. The poker industry should concentrate on the positives. The chip counts are among the closest ever and this will lead to more intense competition. It should make up for the lack of fan following. Also the final table has only three American players, probably the lowest ever. This means that the global participation is growing, which is good for the game.

One of the endearing moments of 2011 WSOP was the participation of 91-year-old Ellen Deeb in the Main Event. She got eliminated on Day 1C and immediately pulled out $10,000 cash from her purse to try and re-enter the tournament. As per the rules she was not allowed and will have to wait till 2012 WSOP to play again.

The mathematics has finally been completed after Day 1D ended. The total field was 6,865, the third largest field ever for the WSOP Main Event. Though this represents a modest decline from last year’s starting field of 7,319, the administrators of WSOP and the poker world in general will be more than satisfied. The fears of poor participation in the Main Event following Black Friday were belied. PokerStars and Full Tilt badges and paraphernalia were conspicuous by their absence. Daniel Negreanu was there in his PokerStars outfit though. WSOP announced a total prize pool of $64,531,000 of which the winner will take home $8,711,956. 693 players will cash in, the lowest amount being $19,359.

Phil Ivey had promised not to participate in WSOP 2011 and stayed away from the Main Event. Long before Ivey made the announcement the betting sites had tipped Ivey as a favorite to win. Punters who bet on him lost out even before the event began. Another person who had promised not to play the Main Event was Doyle Brunson, the Grand Old Man of Poker. His reason was loss of passion. However Doyle changed his mind and entered after declaring the event open with his customary “Shuffle up and deal”. But he was out of the event six hours later. His best friend Jenny Woo jokingly, not uncharitably, remarked, “Doyle Brunson went all in, lasted barely two minutes.”

Phil Hellmuth retained his class, though he did not make his expected grand entrance with a bevy of underdressed girls. He came alone in a Versace shirt looking very dapper (see picture). May be this was because he already has three second places to his credit this WSOP and is the leader in the POY standings and does not want the flow of good luck to change. But a leopard cannot lose his spots. Hellmuth arrived five hours late and had to start with a depleted chip balance. Then he assumed that he would not be playing on Day 2A. He had to be roused from his beauty sleep and arrived late again.

Notables who are out of WSOP 2011 Main Event include Clonie Gowen, Joe Sebock, Jennifer Harman, Ivan Demidov, Antonio Esfandiari and Jennifer Tilly. The top ranking poker babe is Amanda Musumeci currently on the 15th spot.

The WSOP Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship has always been popular and controversial. Till a few years back the controversy was about whether this event was demeaning for women. One group was women found a Ladies Only event discriminatory and an insult to their poker playing abilities. The other group used it as an opportunity to try for the coveted bracelet, which was beyond their reach in an open event.

Now the controversy is about the increasing number of male players shamelessly participating in this event, some of them in drag. The WSOP authorities are either unable or unwilling to prevent this. This year Jonathan Epstein final tabled the Ladies Event, but was fortunately eliminated in 9th place. When Epstein moved all in against Marsha Wolak the rails chanted “Beat the dude! Beat the dude!” And when Epstein was out, tournament director Robbie Thompson announced, “Finally, welcome to the Ladies Event!” As to why a person like Epstein would want to participate in a ladies only event, it was pointed out that he is single and unemployed and that says it all.

As of now the field is down to three. Carol Tomlinson has a clear lead with a chip count of 1.3 million. Marsha Wolak is in second place with a chip count of 900,000. And the pregnant Karina Jett (in picture) is third with 690,000 chips. Karina is no newcomer to the Ladies Event final table. She had placed fourth in 2003 and 2004 and has a total of nine cashes until this point. However, this is her best performance. Carol is a registered nurse from Florida and Marsha Wolak is a real estate investor who runs an all-female motorcycle club on the side.

The WSOP Ladies No Limit Hold’em Championship boasted over 1,000 entries and has a prize pool of $949,500. The winner will take home $192,344. The bevy of poker babes participated in full strength. Vanessa Selbst, Liv Boeree, Melanie Weisner, Leo Margetts, Jennifer Tilly, Lauren Kling and Maria Ho were some of the bigger names. Among the old brigade were Linda Johnson, Barbara Enright (winner of two WSOP Ladies Event bracelets), Cyndy Violette and Susie Isaacs.

Annie Duke leaving Absolute Poker was timed to perfection. It was just sufficiently before Black Friday for people not to link her with what followed. After leaving Absolute Poker, Annie has been playing a lead role in the newly formed Federated Sports + Gaming (FS+G). She is the Executive Vice President and League Commissioner.

FS+G was founded by Jeffery Pollack of WSOP fame. It is modeled along the lines of the Association of Tennis Professionals that takes care of the interests of the professional tennis players. FS+G aims to get for the professional poker players the respect they deserve. What is happening in the current scenario is that by and large the best poker players become just one in a crowd. FS+G will put in place systems that ensure that the best poker professionals compete against each other and these events are shown to the fans with adequate media highlighting.

In May 2011 FS+G had announced membership for 218 poker professionals based on criteria like lifetime earnings, single largest win, major titles won and cashes since January 1, 2008. They were ranked into four groups. These groups in decreasing order of merit are 5 Year Card, 3 Year Card, 2 Year Card Category A and 2 Year Card Category B. As would be expected, Phil Hellmuth, Phil Ivey, Daniel Negreanu, Michael Mizrachi and Vanessa Selbst have a 5 Year Card. 3 Year Card holders include Gavin Smith, Annette Obrestad and Jason Mercier. Some prominent 2 Year Card Category A players are Patrik Antonius, Doyle Brunson and Gus Hachem. Sorel Mizzi, Tom Dwan and Ivan Demidov find themselves in 2 Year Card Category B. Notable absentees are Chris Moneymaker, Dennis Phillips, Tiffany Michelle and Liv Boeree. The Season 1 tournament schedule has also been announced. There will be four events from August 2011 to February 2012, with the Championship Event on February 13 and February 14.

Allegations of cheating and misbehavior at the poker tables have often taken center stage in major tournaments. League Commissioner Annie Duke said, “We realized really early on that we wanted to take standards and conduct very seriously. … Our first step was to find an outside ethics advisor. The next thing was to make sure we have player input.” While WSOP 2011 plays out the Standards and Conduct Committee of FS+G will be putting its norms and procedures in place.

The German poker professional Ali Tekintamgac (in picture) had been disqualified from earlier live tournaments on grounds of cheating. Therefore his participation in the prestigious World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship’s $25,000 buy-in event created a furor, with many of the world’s leading players objecting.

Vanessa Selbst, though not participating in the event, was one of the first to question Tekintamgac’s participation. She was in the final table at the Palm Beach Casino on the French Riviera in November 2010 for the Partouche Poker Tour event. Tekintamgac had been prevented from joining this final table. She Tweeted a message to Matt Savage, the WPT executive tournament director, “Is Ali Tekintamgac really playing this tournament? Why was he even allowed to register???” Savage has not responded directly or indirectly so far.

Daniel Negreanu was participating in that tournament. His outspokenness has angered many of his colleagues on several occasions. However, this time he received full support for his outbursts. He first challenged Tekintamgac when the latter took his seat, but was warned by Bellagio’s security. Later Negreanu sent out three Twitter messages that speak for themselves. The first was “Ali Tekintamgac who was caught cheating in Partouche is in #WPT Champ. I called him out, and floor told ME I can’t do that! When will we learn?” This message was followed by “Bellagio/WPT should absolutely not allow this person in the event. He was caught red handed cheating and should be banned. This is absurd.”

Scott Seiver was at the same table as Tekintamgac. Seiver too confronted the German on his removal from the Partouche final table and was allegedly threatened. This led Negreanu to send his final message. “The cheater just threatened Scott Seiver. The floor was alerted and won’t do anything about it. Physical threat, he should call the cops.” So unanimously incensed were the poker players at the Bellagio that even old time foe, Doyle Brunson, supported the stand taken by Negreanu. For the sake of record Seiver won the WPT event and a prize of $1.6 million.

The organizers of the Partouche Poker Tour had concluded from video evidence that Tekintamgac had employed phony media members and bloggers to supply signals relating to his opponents’ hole cards. Tekintamgac has denied all allegations and has said that he will sue the Partouche Poker Tour.