The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the 2008 series began on May 30 and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold 'em Main Event, the most prestigious of the WSOP events, ended by July 15. The final table, known as the November Nine, of the Main Event was suspended until November, to allow for better television coverage. As a WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners received a championship bracelet in addition to that event's prize money ranging from US$87,929 for the $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em to US$9,119,517 for the Main Event. Most of the tournaments played at the WSOP are variants of Texas Hold 'em. Hold 'em is a community card game where each player may use any combination of the five community cards and the player's own two hole cards to make a poker hand, in contrast to poker variants such as stud or draw in which each player holds a separate individual hand. Between 2000 and 2009, hold'em has surpassed seven-card stud as the most common game in U.S. casinos, almost totally eclipsing the once popular game. Seven-card stud is a poker variant wherein each player is dealt two hole card, followed by four face up cards, and then another hidden card, with betting after each round. Another poker variant played is Omaha. Omaha is a version of poker wherein each player is dealt four hole cards and must use two of them in conjunction with three community cards to make the best possible five card hand. Other games played at the 2008 tournament included Razz, HORSE, and Deuce-to-Seven. Within each of these poker variants a myriad of options exist. For example, depending on the betting structure, a tournament might be described as no limit, limit or pot-limit. Games may also include other variations on the rules governing the execution of the specific game such as shootout, eight or better, or heads up. Highlights of the 2008 series include the selection of Erick Lindgren as the Player of the Year. Before the 2008 WSOP, Lindgren, who won a bracelet and made three final tables, was widely considered to be the "best player to never win a WSOP bracelet”. Phil Hellmuth, a Poker Hall of Famer, set new records for the most WSOP career cashes (68) and most WSOP career final tables (41). Nikolay Evdakov led all players with a record 10 money finishes. The Main Event, which began with 6,844 participants (a level exceeded only by the number of participants at the 2006 event), was suspended once the event was down to the nine players needed for the final table; the Main Event was resumed on November 9 and concluded with the heads-up final between Peter Eastgate and Ivan Demidov the next day. This year was the first in which the Main Event was suspended in this fashion, a change introduced at ESPN's request to allow the television network to do a same-day Main Event broadcast.

Key

Results

Event 1: $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Hold'em

Event 2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 3: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em

Event 4: $5,000 Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit)

Event 5: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em with Rebuys

Event 6: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 7: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 8: $10,000 World Championship Mixed Event

Note: This event comprised eight poker variants played on a rotating format with one-hour long levels. Every eight hands the game alternated in the following order: Limit Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw, Limit Hold'em, Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud-8 or Better, No-Limit Hold'em, Pot-Limit Omaha.

Event 9: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em (Six-Handed)

Event 10: $2,500 Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 11: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout

Event 12: $1,500 Limit Hold'em

Event 13: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 14: $10,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud

Event 15: $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em World Championship

Event 16: $2,000 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 17: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout

Event 18: $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball with Rebuys

Event 19: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha

Event 20: $2,000 Limit Hold'em

Event 21: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 22: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.

Event 23: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 24: $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em/Omaha

Event 25: $10,000 World Championship Heads Up No-Limit Hold'em

Event 26: $1,500 Razz

Event 27: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 28: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha with Rebuys

Event 29: $3,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 30: $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em

Event 31: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em (Six-Handed)

Event 32: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 33: $5,000 World Championship Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 34: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha w/Rebuys

Event 35: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud

Event 36: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 37: $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 38: $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em

Event 39: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 40: $2,500 Limit Deuce-to-Seven Triple Draw

Event 41: $1,500 Mixed Hold'em (Limit/No-Limit)

Event 42: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold'em World Championship

Event 43: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 44: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em w/Rebuys

Event 45: $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E.

Event 46: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em (Six-Handed)

Event 47: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 48: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 49: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 50: $10,000 World Championship Pot-Limit Omaha

Event 51: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

Event 52: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Event 53: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout

Event 54: $10,000 World Championship No-Limit Hold'em

Event 55: $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em