The Results are IN

This tournament took place during the middle of the WSOP, and the results are in. The final table resembled a 9 man who's who of world class, high-stakes poker:

1. David "Chip" Reese - $1,784,640
2. Andrew Bloch - $1,029,600
3. Phil Ivey - $617,760
4. Jim Bechtel - $549,120
5. T.J. Cloutier - $480,480
6. David Singer - $411,840
7. Dewey Tomko - $343,200
8. Doyle Brunson - $274,560
9. Patrik Antonius - $205,920
10. Robert Williamson III - $205,920
11. Gavin Smith - $205,920
12. Barry Greenstein - $205,920

---

This year the top buy-in to a World Series of Poker Event will not be $10,000. The new big dog on the block is the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. event that will take place Tuesday, July 25, 2006.

The acronym H.O.R.S.E. stands for:
Texas Hold'em (limit)
Omaha 8 or Better
Razz
Stud and
E which oddly stands for Stud 8 or Better.

This is a new event for the World Series of Poker. Play alternates between the different games, with blinds and betting levels increasing. All of the games are played with limit betting throught the first two days.

At the Final Table (scheduled for July 27), the game being played will be No Limit Texas Holdem. For a better idea of how the tournament will proceed, here is the play schedule up until the first color-up:

Schedule of Play
LEVEL	GAME	ANTE	LOW CARD	COMPLETION	BLINDS	LIMIT
1	Hold’em				$100-$200	$200-$400
2	Omaha/8B				$100-$200	$200-$400
3	Razz	$100	$100	$300		$300-$600
4	Stud	$100	$100	$300		$300-$600
5	Stud/8B	$100	$100	$300		$300-$600
6	Hold’em				$200-$400	$400-$800
7	Omaha/8B				$200-$400	$400-$800
8	Razz	$100	$200	$600		$600-$1200
9	Stud	$100	$200	$600		$600-$1200
10	Stud/8B	$100	$200	$600		$600-$1200
11	Hold’em				$400-$800	$800-$1600
12	Omaha/8				$400-$800	$800-$1600
13	Razz	$200	$300	$1000		$1000-$2000
14	Stud	$200	$300	$1000		$1000-$2000
15	Stud/8B	$200	$300	$1000		$1000-$2000
16	Hold’em				$500-$1500	$1500-$3000
17	Omaha/8B				$500-$1500	$1500-$3000
18	Razz	$400	$600	$2000		$2000-$4000
19	Stud	$400	$600	$2000		$2000-$4000
20	Stud/8B	$400	$600	$2000		$2000-$4000
REMOVE $100 CHIPS

Jeffrey Pollack, commissioner of the World Series of Poker, said that a number of players feel that a high buy-in event will enhance the World Series of Poker. With So many people taking part in the WSOP, raising the stakes is one way to thin the field and remove the amateurs from the game.

Another is to change the format of the game. Changing to the rotating format of HORSE certainly attracts players with a wider skill set than a single game format. Combined with the record breaking buy-in, the top players in the world will be safe from the hordes of amateurs in this event.

I've categorized 2006's schedule by event type, then in order of date. The no limit holdem schedules can be found on this page, but I've built other pages for the other events as follows:

• WSOP Limit Holdem Schedule
• WSOP Pot Limit Holdem Schedule
• WSOP Omaha Schedule
• WSOP Stud Schedule
• 2006 WSOP Qualifiers Online
• $50,000 HORSE WSOP Event