Isra entered the final table seventh in chips with 210,000, as chip leader Chris Mitchell had control with nearly one-third of the chips in play (1.8 million). Others in contention when the day began were Philadelphia pro Chris "SLOPPYKLOD" Klodnicki (1.1 million), Grayson Ramage (627,000), Jesse Chinni (427,000), Dan Witcher (411,000), Feming Chan (292,000), Richard Austin (178,000), and Konstantino Dimitroulakos (104,000).

After the short stacks - Austin, Dimitroulakos, and Chan - were eliminated, Ramage was the victim of a cooler, as his pocket Queens were outmatched by Mitchell's pocket Aces. Ramage collected $40,851 for his fifth place finish. He was followed shortly after by Chinni, whose pair of fives couldn't hold up against Witcher's A-J.

Klodnicki was attempting to win back-to-back WSOP Circuit championships, but his quest was denied after taking a dreadful beat at the hands of Witcher. Klodnicki, who won the WSOP Circuit championship event at Harrah’s Atlantic City in December for $215,915, moved all-in with pocket nines and was called by Witcher, who had eights. An eight on the river gave Witcher a full house and sent Klodnicki home in fourth place.

After four hours of three-handed play, Witcher was the next to hit the rail, as his pocket tens ran into Mitchell's pocket Aces. Witcher's third-place finish was the biggest cash of his career; he took home $81,702.

Mitchell and Isra entered heads-up play nearly even in chips, but Isra was able to chip away at the South Carolina poker pro and take control of the match. On the final hand of the tournament, with the board reading 10-9-6-A, Mitchell was all in with Q-J and needing help against Isra's A-9. Mitchell's straight draw failed to improve against Isra's two pair and Isra claimed the title.

"I've been trying very long to get this gold ring and finally this makes me very happy," said Isra, who was a jeweler for 25 years before becoming a poker pro in 2002. "I really don't like to wear any jewelry because I was handling it for a long time, but this one is going to stay with me."

Mitchell dominated the tournament from the start. He led the field in chips at the end of Day 1 and Day 2, but suffered a series of bad beats and went card dead at the final table to allow Isra to climb back into it. On coming from behind at the final table to defeat Mitchell, Isra simply stated, "When it's your day, it's your day."

The top 18 players collected prize money at Caesars Atlantic City. Among those who cashed, but missed the final table were 2006 WSOP Main Event runner-up Paul Wasicka (12th), Jacobo Fernandez (14th), and Las Vegas pro Nick Bringer (17th). Here's a look at the final table results of the WSOP Circuit stop at Caesars Atlantic City:

1. Roland Isra - $264,715
2. Christopher Mitchell - $138,894
3. Dan Witcher - $81,702
4. Chris Klodnicki - $65,362
5. Jesse Chinni - $49,021
6. Grayson Ramage - $40,851
7. Feming Chan - $32,681
8. Konstantino Dimitroulakos - $24,511
9. Richard Austin - $16,340

WSOP officials have published the top 50 vote-getters and the list appears randomly to prevent ballot-stuffing. The top three bracelet winners of all-time are already in the hunt. UB.com pro Phil Hellmuth is among the chosen few with voting having been open for 24 hours. Hellmuth is the all-time WSOP bracelet leader at 11, one more than DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson and popular pro Johnny Chan. All three are currently in line for a Tournament of Champions birth.

The current top 50 is chock full of young talent, including two-time bracelet winner Jeff Madsen and Italian poker sensation Dario Minieri. Both of Madsen’s bracelets came in 2006, when the youngster took down a $2,000 No Limit Hold’em event and a $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Six-Max tournament at the WSOP for a combined $1.3 million. Minieri, who went broke on Sunday’s episode of the GSN cash game series “High Stakes Poker,” took down a $2,500 No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event in 2008. Other young guns currently in contention for the All-Star Game include Jason Mercier, Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond, and Peter Eastgate.

2009 WSOP Europe Main Event champion Barry Shulman is an automatic qualifier for the Tournament of Champions. The 2008 and 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event winners, however, have raised eyebrows and appear among the top vote-getters. Betfair pro Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad won the prestigious London tournament in 2007 to become the youngest bracelet winner ever. Full Tilt Poker’s John Juanda followed one year later. The man who made the final table of the WSOP Europe Main Event in 2008 and 2009, Daniel Negreanu, is also in line for an All-Star Game bid as one of the most popular players in the game.

Out of the 50 top vote-getters, only two are women: Jennifer Harman and Obrestad. Top female bracelet winners who do not yet appear include Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Linda Johnson, dual bracelet holder Susie Isaacs, and actress Jennifer Tilly. Only former WSOP bracelet winners are eligible and voting will remain open until June 15th at Midnight ET. The 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions will play out on June 27th and July 4th at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and air on ESPN on August 3rd.

The general public can submit one ballot per e-mail address and a total of 20 spots are up for grabs out of the 27-player field. Five spots go to automatic qualifiers: the three previous Tournament of Champions winners (Annie Duke, Mike Matusow, and Mike Sexton) as well as the reigning WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Event champs (Joe Cada and Shulman). Two sponsor exemptions also exist. Here are the top 50 vote-getters in random order:

Jeff Madsen
Peter Eastgate
Kenny Tran
Phil Hellmuth
Barry Greenstein
Howard Lederer
John Juanda
Erik Seidel
Scotty Nguyen
Ted Forrest
Chris Ferguson
Carlos Mortensen
Layne Flack
Tom McEvoy
David Sklansky
David Benyamine
Jennifer Harman
Chris Moneymaker
Allen Cunningham
Freddy Deeb
Greg Raymer
Men “The Master” Nguyen
Doyle Brunson
Humberto Brenes
Daniel Negreanu
Huck Seed
Jamie Gold
Dan Harrington
Jeffrey Lisandro
Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad
Antonio Esfandiari
David Williams
Hoyt Corkins
Marc Naalden
J.C. Tran
Daniel Alaei
Joe Hachem
Johnny Chan
Prahlad Friedman
Rob Hollink
Sam Farha
T.J. Cloutier
Phil Ivey
Bobby Baldwin
Eli Elezra
Erick Lindgren
Amarillo Slim
Dario Minieri
Jason Mercier
Phil “OMGClayAiken” Galfond

On Twitter, poker players have feverishly been campaigning for votes. Obrestad Tweeted on Tuesday morning, “Keep it up… sorry if I'm spamming, but would mean the world to me to play. Keep voting!” Madsen, a former WSOP Player of the Year, chimed in, “Hey friends, vote for me to be a part of this year's WSOP Tournament of Champions!” Not partaking was Terrence “Unassigned” Chan, who Tweeted, “Boo to the WSOP all-star TOC. Idea of these so-called ‘pros’ being given incentive to further flagrantly self-promote makes me wanna barf.”

Vote now at WSOP.com.

The event has been scheduled to take place over two days during the 2010 WSOP, beginning on June 27th with a final table taking place on July 4th. No new WSOP tournaments begin on either day, meaning that attending the soon-to-be prestigious event won’t take away from other festivities at the Rio. ESPN will air the All-Star Game, being dubbed the $1 Million 2010 WSOP Tournament of Champions Freeroll, on August 3rd.

Five entries into poker’s version of an All-Star Game are automatic and are awarded to the three prior WSOP Tournament of Champions winners and the reigning WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Event champs. The first Tournament of Champions took place in 2004, when UB.com and Poker News Daily Guest Columnist Annie Duke earned a $2 million winner-take-all prize after besting Phil Hellmuth heads-up to become the series’ first winner.

In 2005, Mike Matusow defeated DoylesRoom pro Hoyt Corkins to earn gold. Others at the final table included Hellmuth and Steve Dannenmann. Matusow won $1 million for his efforts and a total of 117 players entered. In 2006, World Poker Tour (WPT) Host and Poker Hall of Fame member Mike Sexton came out on top, outlasting PokerStars pro Daniel Negreanu. Matusow finished third that year in an impressive showing and Sexton banked $1 million for the win. Also gaining automatic entry to the 2010 Tournament of Champions are Joe Cada and Barry Shulman, who took down the 2009 WSOP and WSOP Europe Main Events, respectively.

Two slots in the 27-player field will be sponsor exemptions. WSOP officials will award both seats, although details on how they would be dished out were not available at press time. The general public will determine the final 20 seats in a fan vote. Balloting opened today at Noon ET on WSOP.com and will close on June 15th at Midnight ET on WSOP.com. The top 20 vote-getters will gain entry into the newly-forged $1 million freeroll.

The only requirement for voting by the general public is that a player must be a WSOP bracelet holder, eliminating the likes of Tom “durrrr” Dwan from contention. Open voting for the 2009 class of the Poker Hall of Fame led to Dwan being included as one of the final ten nominees; a committee later struck him of his bid, charging that he did not stand the test of time, one of several criteria needed for enshrinement. There are 521 living WSOP bracelet holders. Click here and vote now!

The top nine players in the Poker All-Star Game will finish in the money, with the tournament’s winner pocketing $500,000. The runner-up will bank $250,000, while the third place finisher will score $100,000. All other players in the top nine will see their bank accounts grow by $25,000. In case you’re wondering who is in the running to vie for the half-million dollar top prize, the WSOP will provide a list of the top 50 vote-getters after every ballot is cast on its website.

With a considerable amount of money at stake in poker’s version of an All-Star Game, Harrah’s officials will take steps against players artificially inflating vote counts. A press release distributed by the WSOP on Monday explains, “In an effort to avoid ballot-stuffing, the tally of individual votes won’t be divulged during the open voting period and balloters will be required to complete an authentication process to ensure one vote per e-mail address.”

WSOP officials expect the Tournament of Champions Freeroll to become an annual staple of the extravaganza in Las Vegas. Harrah’s Interactive Entertainment Vice President Ty Stewart noted in the same press release, "The Tournament of Champions brand has heritage in delivering the big moments. We're thrilled to reinvent it around a model that should elevate the game by engaging millions of poker fans. We have received a lot of input from players and their affinity for the TOC and we are excited for them and the fans and hope its here to stay."

Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest on the WSOP All-Star Game, this year’s version of the Tournament of Champions.

A Tweet from the WSOP cryptically questioned, “Which 20 WSOP Bracelet-Holders would you like to see compete in an All-Star game? Stay tuned... #WSOP.” Last year, the WSOP held its first ever Champions Invitational, which featured 20 former Main Event winners vying in a made-for-television tournament for a vintage car. 1983 WSOP Main Event winner Tom McEvoy, a PokerStars sponsored pro, ultimately came out on top and drove home in a classic 1970 Corvette.

The tournament aired on ESPN, which owns the exclusive rights to the annual Las Vegas spectacle. Others who participated in the grand event included WSOP Main Event champs Amarillo Slim, Berry Johnston, Jim Bechtel, Huck Seed, Scotty Nguyen, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Moneymaker, Greg Raymer, Joe Hachem, Jamie Gold, and Jerry Yang.

When prompted for comment by Poker News Daily, Harrah’s officials were equally vague, saying about the Tweet, “It was cryptic for a reason. I’m intrigued, are you?” In December, Harrah’s released the 2010 WSOP schedule, which kicks off with the annual $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event on May 28th. On the same day, a brand new $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship will begin. The event will be televised by ESPN and take on an eight-game format: Limit Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better, No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball.

Although no word has been handed down, it appears that 20 players, according to a fan vote, will compete for a grand prize during the 2010 WSOP. Given the internet vote, many posters on TwoPlusTwo questioned the makeup of the field. TwoPlusTwo member “Kevmath” explained, “If they allow voting on the internet, I'm sure someone not as deserving could sneak their way into the field.”

For example, Tom “durrrr” Dwan, born in 1986, was nominated by the general public through an online vote to become a nominee for the Poker Hall of Fame Class of 2009. A nominating committee was quick to squash his bid, charging that Dwan had not yet stood the test of time, one of the criteria required for entry. Instead, names tossed out by TwoPlusTwo members as possible participants in a WSOP All Star Game include 11-time bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth and popular female pro Jennifer Tilly.

Others called for several side events during the All Star Game, similar to the Slam Dunk Contest and Three-Point Shootout held during basketball’s All Star Weekend. “TheCanoe” explained some possible diversions: “Chip Stacking with Carlos Mortensen, Beer drinking with Scotty, [and] Scooter races with Doyle.”

One poster even tossed out an idea whereby players could rebuy according to the number of bracelets they own, meaning that Hellmuth could buy back in 11 times. Players who would be well off under this setup include Doyle Brunson (10 bracelets), Johnny Chan (10 bracelets), Erik Seidel (eight bracelets), Phil Ivey (seven bracelets), and Billy Baxter (seven bracelets).

TwoPlusTwo posters also clamored for the women of poker to join the All-Star fray like GoDaddy Girl Vanessa Rousso, UB.com pro Liv Boeree, and Tilly, who has long been associated with Unabomber Poker namesake Phil Laak. Other possibilities include Annie Duke, Linda Johnson, Kara Scott, Tiffany Michelle, Isabelle Mercier, and Maria Ho.

Not everyone was optimistic about the end product. TwoPlusTwo poster “ptartaglio” explained the mindset of some in the online poker community: “These types of tournaments are always horrible. They never have the better players, only the recognized players, and they always turn them into crapshoots. The Tournament of Champions that Mike Sexton won wasn't too bad for TV, but other than that they [are] horrible.” The first Tournament of Champions was held in 2004 and featured Duke earning the winner-take-all $2 million prize. Sexton won the event in 2006.

We’ll keep you posted on the latest WSOP news on Poker News Daily. Who would you like to see in a Poker All Star Game? Leave us a comment here and let us know.

Poker News Daily: Thanks for joining us. Talk about the media interest in the WSOP Circuit Event in Tunica.

Alan Fowler: So far, we’ve gotten a few media requests. Over the weekend, a man from CNN.com was interested in doing a novelty story about the ladies event. His mom was playing in the event and he’s a photographer for the website. The standard media we get includes Poker Player Newspaper, Casino Times, and some of the websites and forums. The exposure has been the same as it was last year, but we’ve been putting a lot of effort into giving exposure to the Circuit Events on WSOP.com and highlighting their stories more. We’re currently working to create portals so that each Circuit Event has its own portal.

PND: You had a 67% increase in attendance for the Seniors Event this year. In addition, one of the events held so far attracted 800 players. Tell us about the series.

Alan Fowler: It’s been a great series. The first few events were phenomenal. We caught a bit of bad weather and it affected our numbers tremendously over the weekend, however. The end of the World Poker Tour (WPT) tournament at the Beau Rivage picked up the attendance a bit, but the storm hit us hard last weekend.

PND: What are your expectations for the Tunica Championship Event?

Alan Fowler: If I were asked to give an estimate, I’m hoping for around 200 runners. I’m thinking a lot of big internet and higher stakes players are holding out for the event instead of being here throughout the duration. In Atlantic City, players stay through the whole event. I’m thinking that Tunica is one of those events where people want to come in and come out, especially with the Biloxi event having just ended.

PND: Has there been any thought to changing the timing of the Tunica Circuit Event given the WPT Southern Poker Championship in Biloxi?

Alan Fowler: No. For the last five years, January has been the month for folks to come to Tunica. The landscape is changing with new events and tournaments around the United States, but we hope to keep the same tradition we’ve had since 2005. We feel that the Circuit Events are special and the structures here are awesome. I’ve never heard so many compliments and a lot of players said that it’s the best structure they’ve ever played. I don’t think it’ll be moving anytime soon.

PND: How do you prepare for the Main Event from a media perspective?

Alan Fowler: We’re starting to get credential requests to fill. We have a few bloggers coming in to report on it and there’s a lot of exposure through major poker media outlets. We’ll put out a press release before the event and get ready to go. We’ll also keep track of any storylines that might develop.

PND: Talk about the new facilities at Harrah’s Tunica, which was formerly the Grand Casino.

Alan Fowler: It’s a beautiful place. The new Paula Dean buffet - I recommend it. It’s awesome. I’ve never seen a casino market its buffet as much as I have here. It’s incredible. Her face is plastered on everything. Replays Sports Bar is closed down, but they have the buffet and a new food court. They’ve ramped up to the younger crowd, which they haven’t done before. The Terrace and Veranda hotels have been revamped as well. The only complaint I hear about is people having to take shuttles back and forth from those hotels in the cold, but everything else has been great so far.

The first team to four wins took home the gold, with the action starting with four doubles matches. If needed, three singles matches would follow and all players had to see action in the doubles events. The first match-up featured Huck Seed and poker deity Phil Ivey facing off against Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies and Patrik Antonius, two Finnish players. Each team member alternated bets by street in the first two pairings and by hand in the second two. Both teams received 100,000 starting chips.

The Americans took down a 70,000-chip pot to open up play after flopping top pair, but repeated checking down the stretch proved fatal. In one hand, Sahamies just called pre-flop with A-J of spades and Seed rapped the table with 8-5. The flop came 7-9-7 with one spade and Ivey checked. Antonius, a Durrrr Challenge combatant, bet 5,000 and Ivey called. The turn was the king of spades, giving the Europeans a flush draw, and the action went check-check. The river was an ace. Ivey bet 10,000 with air, Antonius raised to 30,000, and Ivey folded, shipping the 58,000-chip pot across the “Pond.”

Running low on chips, Ivey committed the team’s stack with 10-6 and Antonius made the call with K-2. The flop came 3-4-7 and a brand new “Out Tracker” debuted on the top of the screen reminiscent of poker shows like NBC’s “Face the Ace.” The turn and river fell a king and four, respectively, and Europe won the first match, giving the team a 1-0 lead.

The next pairing featured Team PokerStars Pro member Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier and Betfair qualifier John Harvey facing off against Americas Captain Daniel Negreanu and 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth. The UB.com front man was paired up with Harvey during the match, setting up what many thought would be a beating. Instead, Harvey held his own against the experienced Hold’em player.

Hellmuth raised to 4,000 pre-flop with 8-9 and Harvey, holding K-10 of spades, made it 10,000. Hellmuth called, reminding the crowd that Negreanu excels playing these types of hands. The flop came 6-8-10 and Grospellier bet 13,000 with top pair. Negreanu raised to 41,000 with middle pair and a straight draw and Grospellier shoved with his team’s life on the line. Negreanu called and, needing to spike a seven, eight, or nine for the win, Team Americas saw a five and four fall. The European team doubled to 184,000 chips.

Negreanu and Hellmuth doubled up twice, once with pocket sevens and once with pocket aces, before the fat lady sung. In the final hand, the European team cracked Team America’s aces with A-3 despite being just 8% to win pre-flop. A five hit on the turn to give Team Europe a wheel to go up 2-0 in the standings. ESPN announcer Norman Chad was livid: “Hellmuth and Negreanu lose to a qualifier! A qualifier!” Betfair is the official sponsor of WSOP Europe.

The third pairing featured European Captain Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad and Dario Minieri taking on DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson and Jennifer Harman. The age contrast between the two teams was striking and the American squad was quick to make use of their experience. Team Europe doubled through with A-8 against A-6 to take a commanding 4:1 lead in chips before Team Americas mounted a comeback. Harman open-shoved with pocket jacks and Obrestad made the call with pocket fives to double the North American squad up.

Then, Obrestad was all-in with 10-8 and Brunson called after only looking at one ace in the hole, but flipped over two of them for the best starting hand in Hold’em. Team Americas turned quads and doubled up to 152,000 chips. On the final hand, Obrestad was all-in with J-5 against A-4. The better hand held and Team Americas had clawed back to be down just 2-1 in the Caesars Cup standings.

The final team match featured Gus Hansen and Peter Eastgate, two Danes, battling John Juanda and Barry Greenstein. The abbreviated match ended with Greenstein raising to 10,000 with K-J and Hansen re-raising to 32,000 with A-8. Greenstein pushed and Hansen called, leading to a board of 5-7-9-5-7. Team Europe’s ace kicker played and the squad entered, as Chad explained, “match point.”

Obrestad selected herself to play in the first heads-up match, where a win would crown Team Europe the first Caesars Cup champs ever. Negreanu countered with the reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner, Seed. Obrestad doubled up early. After raising with A-J and receiving a call from Seed, who held J-10 of diamonds, the action flop came J-2-K with two diamonds. Seed checked and Obrestad bet 7,000 with middle pair. Seed made it 31,000 to go and Obrestad pushed over the top. Seed called and the board filled out 4-2, giving Team Europe a critical double up.

Seed countered by doubling with K-7 against A-3 of hearts after spiking a king on the turn to move to 62,000 in chips. Then, Seed was all-in with his stack on the line with A-3, but Obrestad found A-7 and called. The flop came 9-9-7; another seven on the turn brought a full house and the win for Team Europe in the inaugural Caesars Cup.

The WSOP Europe festivities continue on ESPN2 according to the following schedule. All times are Eastern and coverage is of the WSOP Europe Main Event:

Sunday, February 7th: 10:00pm
Sunday, February 7th: 11:00pm
Monday, February 8th: 12:00am
Sunday, February 14th: 11:00pm
Monday, February 15th: 12:00am
Monday, February 15th: 1:00am
Sunday, February 28th: 9:00pm
Sunday, February 28th: 10:00pm

A total of 304 players entered the first tournament of the Circuit schedule at Harrah’s Tunica, the closest casino to Memphis, Tennessee. The attendance was markedly lower than in 2009, when 514 players entered the same $340 buy-in event. Accordingly, that meant attendance was down 41%. Nevertheless, Crump made the most of the truncated field, coming out on top for $20,000. In the tournament’s final hand, Jerold Rogers was all-in with 10-5 on a board of 2-9-A-10 for second pair. However, Crump held A-9 for two pair and a queen hit on the river to earn him the win.

Fifth place finisher Mark “Pegasus” Smith owns four WSOP Circuit gold rings and was gunning for a record-setting fifth piece of hardware in Tunica. Smith earned two gold rings in the final two months of 2009, taking down $345 and $340 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournaments in Southern Indiana and Atlantic City. Tied with Smith for four gold rings is 2009 Poker Hall of Fame nominee Men “The Master” Nguyen. All told, Smith owns $450,000 in career WSOP and Circuit Event earnings.

Here’s how the final table shook out in the Old South:

1. Michael Crump - $20,185
2. Jerold Rogers - $12,277
3. Ryan Enis - $8,738
4. Gerard Thorpe - $6,246
5. Mark “Pegasus” Smith - $4,992
6. J. Austin Hijar - $3,746
7. Joseph Pace - $2,500
8. David Couch - $2,027
9. James Whittinghill - $1,719

A total of 19 poker tournaments will play out at Harrah’s Tunica, culminating in the series’ $5,150 buy-in Main Event on February 8th, one day following Super Bowl XLIV. The remaining schedule, which features all No Limit Hold’em events, is as follows. All times are Central:

Friday, January 22nd at 12:00pm
Event #3: No Limit Hold'em
$550 buy-in

Saturday, January 23rd at 12:00pm
Event #4: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Sunday, January 24th at 12:00pm
Event #5: Seniors No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

Monday, January 25th at 12:00pm
Event #6: No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

Tuesday, January 26th at 12:00pm
Event #7: No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

Wednesday, January 27th at 12:00pm
Event #8: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Thursday, January 28th at 12:00pm
Event #9: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Friday, January 29th at 12:00pm
Event #10: No Limit Hold'em
$440 buy-in

Saturday, January 30th at 12:00pm
Event #11: No Limit Hold'em
$550 buy-in

Sunday, January 31st at 12:00pm
Event #12: Ladies No Limit Hold'em
$230 buy-in

Monday, February 1st at 12:00pm
Event #13: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Tuesday, February 2nd at 12:00pm
Event #14: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Wednesday, February 3rd at 12:00pm
Event #15: No Limit Hold'em
$340 buy-in

Thursday, February 4th at 12:00pm
Event #16: No Limit Hold'em
$440 buy-in

Friday, February 5th at 12:00pm
Event #17: No Limit Hold'em
$550 buy-in

Saturday, February 6th at 12:00pm
Event #18: No Limit Hold'em
$1,080 buy-in

Monday, February 8th at 12:00pm
Event #19: Championship Event
$5,150 buy-in

In last year’s Tunica Circuit Event Championship, Kai Landry defeated David Dao heads-up to earn $183,000. The tournament generated a field of 154 players and a final table that also featured online poker pros Matt “All In At 420” Stout and Mike “goleafsgoeh” Leah. Top tournament pros Kathy Liebert and Full Tilt Poker’s Gavin Smith finished in the money.

All cell phones must be turned off during play. However, as the WSOP regulations note, “Players not involved in a hand (cards in muck) shall be permitted to text/email at the table, but shall not be permitted to text/email any other player at the table.” Twittering of chip counts and memorable hands were staples of the 2009 WSOP, when the social media outlet exploded in popularity. Even poker legends like 10-time bracelet winner Doyle Brunson have become engulfed in Twitter, with “Texas Dolly” now able to spit out additional blonde jokes while seated at the table of any 2010 WSOP event.

Any players who wish to talk on their cell phones must be at least one table length away from their seats while gabbing. Meanwhile, the WSOP logo policy in 2010 will remain the same as it was in 2009. No logo will be permitted that promotes drugs, handguns, lotteries, obscene material, pornography, libel, or “advertises any online gaming site that conducts business with U.S. residents.” Nearly every logo shown on ESPN television cameras in 2009 featured the dot-net version of the site’s URL. Meanwhile, Everest Poker, which had sponsored pro Antoine Saout at the final table of the 2009 Main Event, served as the on-felt sponsor of the tournament series. Everest Poker does not accept players from the United States.

Posters on TwoPlusTwo were quick to critique the 2010 WSOP rules, which incorporated revisions made by the Tournament Directors Association. One point of contention concerned late registration. The rule reads, “Any player registering for an event after all initial tables allocated for that tournament have been filled will begin play at the start of the subsequent level.” In the WSOP Main Event, for example, that could mean a player sitting out as long as two hours, the length of one blind level.

Fans of UB.com poker bad boy Phil Hellmuth may see the 11-time bracelet winner show up on time in 2010 thanks to a rule that governs “no shows,” players who fail to show up by the start of the third level of play. The rule mandates, “These players will have their chips removed from play and will not be eligible to participate in that event. The buy-ins for ‘no shows’ will be removed from the prize pool and placed on safekeeping in that player’s name at the main WSOP registration cage after the second level of play.”

Some posters on TwoPlusTwo questioned whether the “no show” clause meant that if a player saw they had a tough table draw, they could simply un-register by not showing up. Member “pineapple888” explained the dilemma: “It seems like you can register, wander by your table an hour into the event, and if there are too many pros/tough players for your liking, or there aren't enough chips on the table, or whatever (no hot chicks at the table or railbirding), just wander away and claim your refund later without penalty.”

The action gets underway in the 2010 WSOP with the annual $500 buy-in Casino Employees No Limit Hold’em event on May 28th. Also to be held on that date is the brand new $50,000 buy-in Player’s Championship, an Eight-Game mix of Limit Hold'em, Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better, No Limit Hold'em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball. It takes the place of the $50,000 HORSE Championship, which drew a meager 95 players in 2009 after having 148 in 2008.

Also new on the docket in 2010 is a $25,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em Six-Handed event that starts on June 30th. Many in the industry have questioned WSOP officials introducing a richer No Limit Hold’em tournament than the Main Event, whose buy-in is only $10,000. Nevertheless, the $25,000 Six-Handed contest is sure to attract some of the top names in the worlds of live and online poker.

Check out the official 2010 WSOP rules.

The opening episode will be one of two recapping the Caesars Cup, a made-for-television tournament that featured Team Europe taking on Team Americas. The former ultimately crushed the Americas squad four matches to one, with the stars of poker turning out to compete on behalf of their continents. Team PokerStars Pro member Daniel Negreanu captained the Americas squad, which also featured DoylesRoom namesake Doyle Brunson, 2009 WSOP Main Event November Nine member Phil Ivey, 11-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth, reigning National Heads-Up Poker Championship winner Huck Seed, 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event winner John Juanda, Big Game player Jennifer Harman, and Barry Greenstein, who was a last-minute replacement for Chris Ferguson.

The American squad held a total of 45 gold bracelets and more than $50 million in career earnings. Their foes: Team Europe, led by 2007 WSOP Europe Main Event Champion and Betfair pro Annette “Annette_15” Obrestad. Her group of young guns included 2008 WSOP Main Event winner Peter Eastgate, Italian poker sensation Dario Minieri, 2008 PokerStars Caribbean Adventure victor Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, Power Poker front man Ilari “Ziigmund” Sahamies, Durrrr Challenge participant Patrik Antonius, Gus Hansen, and Betfair qualifier John Harvey, a 47 year-old pipe inspector from Scotland.

On March 1st, the second of two hours dedicated to the Caesars Cup will air on ESPN. The festivities kick off at Midnight ET and serve as the run-up to the WSOP Europe Main Event, which will begin on February 7th. The £10,000 buy-in tournament drew a crowd of 334 runners and featured one of the toughest final tables ever assembled in WSOP Europe history. Two members of the November Nine – James Akenhead and Antoine Saout – reached the feature table in London, a feat accomplished in 2008 by Ivan Demidov.

Also at the WSOP Europe Main Event final table was Negreanu, the face of the “PokerStars.net Million Dollar Challenge,” who took fifth in the same event in 2008. Joining Negreanu was Barry Shulman, whose son, Jeff Shulman, reached the final table of the Main Event in Las Vegas. The duo was seeking to make poker history as the first father/son team to win poker’s most coveted bracelets in the same year. The final table lasted 16 and a half hours and the entire WSOP Europe schedule panned out at the Casino at the Empire in London.

Here is the schedule for the 2009 WSOP Europe Caesars Cup and Main Event on ESPN. All times are Eastern and each episode runs for one hour:

Sunday, January 31st: 11:00pm (Caesars Cup)
Monday, February 1st: 12:00am (Caesars Cup)
Sunday, February 7th: 10:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Sunday, February 7th: 11:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Monday, February 8th: 12:00am (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Sunday, February 14th: 11:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Monday, February 15th: 12:00am (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Monday, February 15th: 1:00am (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Sunday, February 28th: 9:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)
Sunday, February 28th: 10:00pm (WSOP Europe Main Event)

Poker PROductions filmed WSOP Europe for ESPN. The same company also brings poker television staples like NBC’s “Poker After Dark” and GSN’s “High Stakes Poker” to life. Last August, ESPN and the WSOP reached an agreement to keep the tournament series on the cable station until April 2018. The WSOP attracts a total viewing audience of more than 80 million people each year and at least 32 hours of coverage will air annually.

WSOP Europe air dates outside of the United States will likely be announced soon.

The biggest modification to the WSOP schedule was the removal of the prestigious $50,000 HORSE tournament, which will be replaced by a $50,000 Mixed Event. The game will rotate among Limit Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split Eight or Better, Seven Card Razz, Seven Card Stud, Seven Card Stud High-Low Split Eight or Better, No Limit Hold’em, Pot Limit Omaha, and 2-7 Triple Draw Lowball. Then, much like the first year of the $50,000 HORSE event, the final table will be strictly No Limit Hold’em and broadcast by ESPN.

Harrah's also decided to do away with a mid-level buy-in for the Stud High, Stud 8, and Omaha 8 events in 2010, leaving only $1,500 and $10,000 versions of each game. The decision has generated negative feedback from many players, including poker pro and commentator Bart Hanson, who was upset with the lack of non-Hold'em events on the 2010 schedule. "Kind of sucks, I always like other game events at the WSOP," Hanson said. "Still had great value up to a $3,000 buy in. Now, the vast majority of players will only be able to play the small event where starting chips are a joke."

With the elimination of several of the less popular tournaments, a handful of No Limit Hold'em events were added. Last year's $1,000 Stimulus Special attracted 6,102 players, a record for a non-Main Event tournament. In 2010, there are six $1,000 No Limit Hold'em events on the schedule, including five on consecutive weekends from May 29th to June 27th and another on Thursday, July 1st.

Frank Calo, a poker pro who spends the entire summer in Las Vegas for the WSOP, seemed displeased with the changes. "I'm kind of unhappy that there's so many $1Ks and $1.5Ks," uttered Calo. "It causes the WSOP as a whole to be less profitable in terms of the hourly rate. I wish they stuck with one or two $1Ks, some other $1.5Ks, and then added more $2K to $5Ks.”

Two Plus Two member "fanliorel" had a differing view: "Last year, the $1K was new and novel and on the first weekend - everybody and their dog was there. I don't see them getting 6,000 entrants for all six $1Ks this year, just like they don't quite sell out all of the $1,500s either. Still, it's too cheap to not get at least 5,000 players per tourney. I'd guess they sell out the $1Ks on the first and last weekend; the rest range around 5,000 to 5,500. They'll be some great tourneys; last year's $1K was a blast."

Another issue that has the community concerned is the rake increase in the $1,000 and $1,500 buy-in events. Harrah's will take 10% from each of the $1,000 and $1,500 entry fees, compared to 9% from last year. "I guess Harrah's is operating in a different economic environment," said Zac "traction" Gilbert, who finished sixth at the 2009 WSOP Seven Card Stud Hi-Low Event. "I guess the only way players can voice their disgust is not play. Unfortunately, that won't happen."

The 2010 WSOP gets underway on May 27 with the $500 Casino Employees No Limit Hold'em Event and will culminate in November with the final table of the $10,000 Main Event.