Chip leader at World Series of Poker main event says lead means little as third session awaits

September 24th, 2009 Final table player hires Hellmuth as WSOP coachLAS VEGAS — A part-time poker player who finished seventh in the World Series of Poker main event in 2000 has hired 11-time gold bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth as his coach for this year's final table. Officials for Card Player Media, where Jeff Shulman is president, said Thursday that the main event champ from 1989 would train Shulman for the finale of the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament.

July 17th, 2009 Last 9 at WSOP sent home to prepare with $1.26MLAS VEGAS — The World Series of Poker has thrust nine millionaire winners into the spotlight as they wait 116 days to get back to the table for the rest of the no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event. They hung on to win at least $1.26 million as poker's richest tournament played at an unexpectedly brisk pace, and now must decide how to best spend the next four months to set up a run at the $8.55 million crown.

July 16th, 2009 World Series of Poker reaches final nine playersLAS VEGAS — The World Series of Poker main event reached its final table on Wednesday night as Jordan Smith busted in 10th place with a pocket pair of aces — the best starting hand in no-limit Texas Hold 'em. Smith, a 27-year-old poker player from College Station, Texas, was eliminated when Darvin Moon, a 45-year-old self-employed logger from Oakland, Md., called his all-in bet on a board with an eight, two and four and flipped over pocket eights for a set.

July 14th, 2009 Stacks rise as players drop at poker world seriesLAS VEGAS — The 2005 World Series of Poker champion said he's lost all respect for a new brand of extremely aggressive poker players who seem to want to gamble all their chips on every hand in the main event. "I had quite a bit of respect but you know what? They know nothing about poker," Joe Hachem said as he took a break from his sixth session of poker at the $10,000 buy-in tournament.

July 13th, 2009 Decisions more meaningful at poker world seriesLAS VEGAS — Decisions became more meaningful at the World Series of Poker on Sunday, but players were still willing to gamble and play aggressively. More than half of the remaining field — over 200 players — had busted out of the tournament after about 5½ hours on Sunday, when 407 players started with an average of just under 479,000 in chips.

July 12th, 2009 Players go to hand for hand play at poker seriesLAS VEGAS — Players at the World Series of Poker have gone to hand-for-hand play as the bubble approaches for the money finishers. Players needed 141 to be eliminated before they would reach the prize money in the no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament on Saturday.

July 12th, 2009 Players hit prize money at World Series of PokerLAS VEGAS — Hundreds of cardplayers at the World Series of Poker main event were guaranteed money on Saturday after a 26-year-old, part-time poker player was eliminated on the bubble in 649th place. Kia Hamadani of Los Angeles was down to his last 3,000 chips and was forced to gamble them because of minimum bets in the no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament.

July 11th, 2009 Leaders at World Series of Poker try to stay thereLAS VEGAS — The chip leaders at the World Series of Poker main event looked to stay there on Friday as each elimination brought them closer to the tournament's $61 million prize pool. Some bullied, others folded, and some players agonized over decisions for most of their chips as the 2,044 players remaining in the no-limit Texas Hold 'em tournament played together for the first time after a day off.

July 9th, 2009 Hellmuth changing his game at poker world seriesLAS VEGAS — The player with the most wins at the World Series of Poker says he's no longer avoiding aggressive opponents this year who threaten to knock him out of the main event. Phil Hellmuth told The Associated Press on Wednesday that he's calling players in situations where he might have folded in previous years.

July 7th, 2009 WSOP main event turns away over 500 angry playersLAS VEGAS — The World Series of Poker faced hundreds of angry players on Monday after they were turned away from the no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event because of capacity on the tournament's final starting day. "We are sorry, and I am sorry," said Jeffrey Pollack, World Series of Poker commissioner.

July 6th, 2009 Hear ye! Hellmuth enters WSOP dressed as CaesarLAS VEGAS — Flanked by dozens of women, heralded by trumpeters and mobbed by his fans, Phil Hellmuth channeled Julius Caesar as he arrived at the World Series of Poker on Sunday. The no-limit Texas Hold 'em champion who won the main event 20 years ago slowly made his way to his table nearly two hours after play began, joined by body-painted female gladiators and muses carrying rose petals in tote bags.

July 5th, 2009 Day 2 of the World Series of Poker main eventDAY: 2 (Officially known as Day 1B). BIG NEWS: The tournament director at the World Series of Poker said its no-limit Texas Hold 'em main event will likely last a few hours longer than in previous years as players begin the tournament with more chips.

July 1st, 2009 Georgia poker pro wins $1.28M HORSE title in VegasLAS VEGAS — A 37-year-old former pro bowler from Georgia outlasted a 44-year-old New Yorker in a marathon poker session Wednesday to win $1.28 million and the mixed-game H.O.R.S.E. title at the World Series of Poker.

June 30th, 2009 8 World Series of Poker players eye HORSE titleLAS VEGAS — Eight poker players plan to settle the H.O.R.S.E. title at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas for mixed-game glory and a $1.28 million prize.

June 1st, 2009 Lunkin wins $1.9M, second bracelet at poker seriesLAS VEGAS — A 37-year-old Russian poker professional turned a $40,000 buy-in into $1.89 million at the World Series of Poker on Monday, earning his second gold bracelet after topping a field of 201 of the world's toughest players over four days. Vitaly Lunkin of Moscow bested 23-year-old Las Vegas poker professional Isaac Haxton after more than three hours of heads-up no-limit Texas Hold 'em, winning the final hand with pocket aces — the game's best starting hand.