If you’ve flipped on ESPN or ESPN2 recently, you’ve been bombarded by the 2007 World Series of Poker. For the past two weeks, ESPN has aired each of its 16 episodes in succession nightly, all leading up to tonight’s broadcast of the very first event from the 2008 WSOP: The $10,000 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em tournament. This event is not one you’ll want to miss. It features some of the top pros in the game dueling it out in a type of poker that you may not have ever played: Pot Limit Hold’em. As its name implies, you’re only allowed to bet up to the amount in the pot. It requires a completely different strategy than no-limit hold’em, as your opponents often receive premium pot odds to call down your hand. Let’s check out the results of this tournament, which will air tonight at 8:00pm ET on ESPN.
Nenad Medic, who made the final table of the 2005 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure, took down his first WSOP bracelet and a wheelbarrow full of cash for his win in Event #1. He recorded a $794,112 payday, the fourth cash of his WSOP career. The Canadian also finished third in the 2006 Crown Australian Poker Championship, banking $285,664.
Medic has been a brute force on the World Poker Tour circuit as well. He was the champion of the Foxwoods World Poker Finals during Season V, taking home $1.7 million. Medic has also made two other final tables, finishing sixth in the PCA in Season III for $112,500 and finishing third at Foxwoods in Season VI for $486,367.
Heads up, Medic defeated Andy Bloch, a former member of the MIT Blackjack Team. Bloch, a Full Tilt Poker pro, recorded five cashes at the 2008 WSOP. This was by far the largest, weighing in at $488,048. He finished second in the $50,000 HORSE Championship during the 2007 WSOP, pocketing a hefty $1,029,600. A dispute over player releases has caused Bloch to boycott World Poker Tour events in recent years. However, he was a major force during Season I. He captured a pair of third place finishes at Foxwoods and the L.A. Poker Classic. The two final table appearances earned him $227,810.
Kathy Liebert finished in third place in Event #1, cashing for $306,604. One of the top female poker players you’ll find, Liebert won her first and only bracelet during the 2004 WSOP, taking down a $1,500 buy-in Limit Hold’em Shootout tournament. Her six cashes during the 2008 WSOP upped her lifetime earnings to over $1 million.
World Poker Tour Host Mike Sexton finished fourth. All his cards were live and his pots were monster, especially his payday, which was $248,160. Sexton captured a bracelet during the 1989 WSOP, emerging victorious in a $1,500 Limit Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo tournament. He’s had 44 total cashes for nearly $900,000 total in WSOP play. He’s played in six tournaments on his home tour, but has yet to cash.
You’ll know the majority of names who cashed in the top 20 in this event, which you can gaze at on ESPN on Tuesday night. They include Patrik Antonius (7th), Phil Laak (9th), and Eli Elezra (19th). With that level of star power, it’s no wonder that ESPN chose to air this tournament as its premiere event.
Catch all of the action on Tuesday night at 8:00pm ET on ESPN.