Top 10 WSOP Moments of the Decade

#10. Joe Cada Becomes Youngest WSOP Champion in History

Joe Cada entered the final table of the WSOP Main Event as one of the middle stacks and then proceeded to work his way up the leader board and after an unlikely suckout against Antoine Saout, he entered heads-up play as the chip leader. After a heads-up contest that saw the leads change hands several times, Cada defeated Darvin Moon to become the youngest WSOP champion in history. Cada’s win and subsequent willingness to take on the role as poker ambassador will likely bring a new wave of young players into the game.

#9 Jeff Lisandro Wins Stud Triple Crown

Entering 2009, Jeff Lisandro held one bracelet in Seven Card Stud that he won in 2007 in a $1,500 Stud Event. In Event #16, Lisandro won his 2nd $1,500 Stud bracelet. Then, Lisandro turned around and won Event #37, the $10,000 Seven Card Stud 8 or Better World Championship. The only stud event that Lisandro had not won at that point was the Razz event. It didn’t take Lisandro long to win a Razz bracelet as he took down Event #44, the $2,500 Razz Event. Lisandro became the first person in WSOP history to win a bracelet in each stud discipline in the same year. Lisandro was the odds on favorite to win the last stud bracelet of 2009, the $1,500 Stud 8 event, but Lisandro skipped that event.

#8. Annette Obrestad Becomes Only Woman to Win WSOP Main Event

Unless you were an online player, you would not have heard of Annette “Annette_15″ Obrestad before the 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event. Obrestad put on a dominating performance to make the final table and ultimately defeated John Tabatabaj to become the youngest WSOP bracelet winner at 18. She also is the only woman in WSOP history to win a WSOP Main Event. Obrestad just turned 21 in Sept 2009, so she will be eligible to play in Vegas in 2010. It will be interesting to see if she is among the top moments of the next decade.

#7. Ivan Demidov Becomes First Player to Make Final Table of Both WSOP Main Event’s in Same Year

Ivan Demidov was among the November Nine of the 2009 WSOP Main Event in Las Vegas. Most players would have rested on their laurels and maybe played smaller events leading up to the final table. Demidov decided to try his hand at the WSOP Europe Main Event and had an incredible run. Ultimately, he made the final table of the event, finishing 3rd. He then went on a month later and reached heads-up against eventual champion Peter Eastgate. Demidov became the first player in WSOP history to make the final table of both the WSOP Main Event in both Las Vegas and Europe.

#6 Jamie Gold Wins Largest WSOP Main Event in History

The 2006 Main Event was the largest field in the history of the WSOP at 8,773 players. Jamie Gold took over the chip lead on Day 3 and then proceeded to lap the field as he grew a monster chip lead and then entered the final table at 25 Million in chips. Not even an experienced Allen Cunningham could stop Gold who was on the run of a lifetime. Gold won $12 Million in prize money and instantly became the all-time money leader both in WSOP history, but in poker history as well.

#5. Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan both Win 10th Bracelet in the same year

At the start of 2005, there was a three way tie for the bracelet race between Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Hellmuth. Chan would be the first player to break the tie, winning the $2,500 PL Holdem event to become the first player to reach 10 bracelets. Four days later, Brunson won the $5,000 NL Holdem six-handed event to reach the 10 bracelet mark, leaving Phil Hellmuth chomping at the bit to match them.

#4 Dan Harrington Makes Back to Back WSOP Main Event Final Tables

The 2003 Main Event was the largest Main Event field in the history of the event to that point. Former champion Dan Harrington finished 3rd in the event. He then returned in 2004 to a field of 2,576 players and once again made the final table of the event. Ultimately, he finished 4th in the event to make the most incredible back to back run in WSOP history. The next year, the 2004 Champion Greg Raymer finished 30th in the Main Event. While that is considered a great accomplishment, one cannot deny that back to back final tables at the Main Event of Las Vegas in the modern era is a feat we may seldom, if ever, see again.

#3 Chip Reese Wins Inaugural $50,000 HORSE Event

In 2006, the WSOP created the $50,000 HORSE event to satisfy professional player demands for a large buy-in tournament to filter out the online riff raff. I personally was sitting at a table with Erik Seidel and asked who he felt had the best chance of winning the event. Without thinking he instantly stated, “Chip Reese.” Reese would make the final table of the event along with Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Dewey Tomko, T.J. Clouter, and Patrik Antonius. Andy Bloch and Reese made heads-up play. Reese then went on a remarkable run, surviving multiple all-in hands where he started behind to win the $50,000 HORSE event. Reese suddenly passed away in December of that year and a trophy was created to honor the winner of all future events. The 2010 event will be modified to an 8 Game mix and has been renamed the “Players Championship.”

#2 Phil Hellmuth Wins 11th Bracelet

Phil Hellmuth has always been all about the bracelets. The fact that he was tied for the bracelet lead going into the 2007 WSOP served as extra motivation for him to try and become the all-time leader. Hellmuth made the final table of Event #15 that year, a $1,500 NL Event that started with 2,628 players. The final table was being broadcast on pay-per-view and as a result only a limited live crowd was on hand to witness Hellmuth win his 11th bracelet. The small crowd didn’t matter as Hellmuth let the world know his accomplishment, that has vaulted him to the top of the bracelet list.

#1 Chris Moneymaker Wins the WSOP Main Event

To nobody’s surprise, Chris Moneymaker’s 2003 Main Event win is the biggest WSOP moment in the past decade. His win brought on what is commonly referred to as the poker boom and has inspired Millions of new poker players. No single Main Event champion has had as direct an impact on the game as Moneymaker and his win has directly cause unprecedented growth in both the WSOP, but poker in general.

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