The 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP). Held in Las Vegas at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the 2009 series began on May 27 and featured 57 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 of the Main Event, known as the November Nine, was suspended until November, to allow for better television coverage. Following the WSOP custom since 1976, each of the event winners received a championship bracelet in addition to that event's prize money, which this year ranged from US$87,778 for the $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em to US$8,546,435 for the Main Event.

WSOP game variants

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 surpassed seven-card stud as the most common game in U.S. casinos. Seven-card stud is a poker variant wherein each player is dealt two hole cards and one face-up to start the hand, followed by three more face-up cards one at a time, and then another hidden card, with betting after each round. Another poker variant played is Omaha, a game in which each player is dealt four hole cards and must use exactly 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.

2009 highlights

There were 57 events, two more than in 2008. The main event had 6,494 buy-ins, 350 fewer than the previous year. Other changes for 2009 include the elimination of rebuy events and the introduction of triple starting chips. In recognition that 2009 was the 40th WSOP, the tournament started with a special $40,000 No-Limit event. As one of the most expensive poker tournaments ever, the event attracted what considered to be one of the toughest poker fields ever assembled. Poker pro, Vitaly Lunkin, won his second bracelet in this event. Lunkin then finished in second place at the $10,000 pot-limit Omaha event and the $50,000 HORSE Championship, finishing the summer with over $2.7 million. David Bach, a player with several final table appearances, won his first bracelet in the $50,000 HORSE Championship. At 18 hours and 44 minutes the final table of the $50K HORSE event was the second longest final table in WSOP history. Jeff Lisandro became the fifth player to ever win three bracelets in the same year, and the first ever to win bracelets in all three stud variants offered at the WSOP (stud high-only, stud high-low, and Razz) in the same year. Poker superstar Barry Greenstein, said that "A lot of people might have said before this year, we may not ever see another guy win three bracelets because the fields are so big... Lisandro proved them wrong." He was the first player to do so since Phil Ivey did it in 2002. By winning two bracelets, Ivey, considered by many to be the best overall poker player in the world, became the youngest player to ever amass seven WSOP bracelets. The milestone means he is tied with Poker Hall of Famer Billy Baxter at sixth place on the most bracelets list. Due to capacity limitations, the 2009 WSOP turned away over 500 players from the Main Event. Patrik Antonius, T. J. Cloutier, Layne Flack, Ted Forrest, Brandon Adams, Richard Ashby, and Mickey Appleman were among the notable players turned away from the Main Event. 1996 WSOP champion Huck Seed would have been included in that list, if he had not won the National Heads-Up Poker Championship which meant he was guaranteed entry into the 2009 WSOP Main Event. Another tournament which met its capacity limits was the "$1,000 buy-in Stimulus Special." This event set a new record for a non-main event tournament with 6,012 participants.

Results

Event 1: $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em

Event 2: $40,000 No Limit Hold'em

Event 3: $1,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 4: $1,000 No Limit Hold'em

Event 5: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha

Event 6: $10,000 World Championship Seven Card Stud

Event 7: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

Event 8: $2,500 No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball

Event 9: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Short Handed

Event 10: $2,500 Pot Limit Hold'em/Omaha

Event 11: $2,000 No Limit Hold'em

Event 12: $10,000 World Championship Mixed Event

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

Event 14: $2,500 Limit Hold'em Short Handed

Event 15: $5,000 No Limit Hold'em

Event 16: $1,500 Seven Card Stud

Event 17: $1,000 Ladies No Limit Hold'em World Championship

Event 18: $10,000 World Championship Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 19: $2,500 No Limit Hold'em Short Handed

Event 20: $1,500 Pot Limit Hold'em

Event 21: $3,000 H.O.R.S.E.

Event 22: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em Shootout

Event 23: $10,000 World Championship No Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball

Event 24: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

Event 25: $2,500 Omaha/Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better

Event 26: $1,500 Limit Hold'em

Event 27: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 28: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

Event 29: $10,000 World Championship Heads Up No Limit Hold'em

Event 30: $2,500 Pot Limit Omaha

Event 31: $1,500 H.O.R.S.E.

Event 32: $2,000 No Limit Hold'em

Event 33: $10,000 World Championship Limit Hold'em

Event 34: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

Event 35: $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha

Event 36: $2,000 No Limit Hold'em

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

Event 38: $2,000 Limit Hold'em

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

Event 40: $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Omaha

Event 41: $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Shootout

Event 42: $2,500 Mixed Event

Event 43: $1,000 Seniors No Limit Hold'em World Championship

Event 44: $2,500 Razz

Event 45: $10,000 World Championship Pot Limit Hold'em

Event 46: $2,500 Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 47: $2,500 Mixed Hold'em

Event 48: $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi-Low Split-8 or Better

Event 49: $50,000 World Championship H.O.R.S.E.

Event 50: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout

Event 51: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

Event 52: $3,000 Triple Chance No Limit Hold'em

Event 53: $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better

Event 54: $1,500 No Limit Hold'em

Event 55: $2,500 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball

Event 56: $5,000 No Limit Hold'em Short Handed

Event 57: $10,000 World Championship No Limit Hold'em