WSOP Champions Invitational Year’s Hottest Ticket
The 2009 World Series of Poker kicks off this year on May 31 with a brand new event, and we’re not invited (at least not to compete). It’s an exclusive freeroll tournament open solely to the 25 surviving winners of previous years’ World Series of Poker Main Events.
Although the odds-makers are citing UltimateBet representative Phil Hellmuth as the most likely to win, also expected to turn out for the event and give him a run for his money are:
- Peter Eastgate (2008)
- Jamie Gold (2006)
- Joe Hachem (2005)
- Greg Raymer (2004)
- Chris Moneymaker (2003)
- Chris Ferguson (2000)
- Scotty Nguyen (1997)
- Huck Seed (1996)
- Jonhnny Chan (1987)
Not present at the event will be deceased champs Hal Fowler, Jack Keller, Johnny Moss, Puggy Pearson, Bill Smith, Jack Strauss, and Stu Ungar. And still alive-and-kicking former champ Bobby Baldwin (1978) has already said he’s not going to play.
The underdog at the WSOP Champions Invitational is 1995 main event winner Russ Hamilton, made notorious by a 60 Minutes expose’ on his questionable activities on top dog Hellmuth’s own UltimateBet Poker, making Hamilton unlikely to have many spectators rooting for him.
No cash prize will be awarded at this event, nor a WSOP bracelet. But the winner does get a special Binion Trophy to be given to the winner by Jack Binion himself (founder of the World Series of Poker), as well as a 1970 Corvette. ESPN will broadcast the event as one of four 2009 WSOP tournaments the station will tape and televise later this summer, schedule for broadcast August 4 at 12 noon Las Vegas time.
