Poker News

WSOP Main Event Day 1B Draws 873 Players

With most Americans celebrating Independence Day on July 4th, it was anticipated that Day 1B of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event would draw a smaller number of participants compared to the rest of the starting days. The final number was even smaller than expected, as just 873 players took their seats in the Amazon Room at Noon Pacific Time. The total was a substantial decline from the 1,158 players that participated on July 4th last year.

Still, several familiar faces took to the felts on Saturday. Former world champions “Amarillo Slim” Preston, Doyle Brunson, Jim Bechtel, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Carlos Mortensen, Chris Moneymaker, and Greg “Fossilman” Raymer were in attendance. Others pros in the field included Mike Matusow, Barry Greenstein, Hoyt Corkins, Erik Seidel, Todd Brunson, Alexander Kravchenko, and Shaun Deeb.

Jack Ury, at 96 years of age, played in the WSOP Main Event for the third consecutive year. Ury broke his own record that he set last year as the oldest player ever to compete in a WSOP event. The Terre Haute, Indiana native provided ESPN cameras with several colorful moments throughout Day 1B and will return for Day 2 with 23,075 in chips.

Day 1B ended with 655 players who will return for Day 2A on July 7th. The combined numbers of Days 1A and 1B translate into 1,478 players for Day 2A, which means that 74% of starters survived the first day.

Some of the early exits from Day 1B included Moneymaker, Brunson, Jeremiah Smith, and David “The Dragon” Pham, who was eliminated in nasty fashion. Pham got all of his chips in pre-flop with pocket aces against another player’s A-K, but one king found the flop and another hit the turn, cracking Pham’s aces and sending him to the rail.

The chip leader from Day 1B is Brandon Demes, from Tempe, Arizona. Demes, who ended the day with 137,075 chips, cashed twice in this year’s WSOP. He took 84th in Event #36 ($2,000 No Limit Hold’em) and 21st in Event #47 ($2,500 Mixed Hold’em). Demes also has numerous major online scores, including a victory in the PokerStars Sunday $500 tournament for $91,500 in January.

Demes is currently second on the overall leaderboard, trailing only Eric Clouitier, who finished Day 1A with a stack of over 150,000. Others who finished strong on Day 1B were Andrew Gaw (126,100), Nick Maimone (122,500), Samer Rahman (122,400), and Max Casal (121,100).

Here’s a look at how several notables ended on Day 1B:

Fabrice Soulier - 97,725
Joe Sebok - 78,800
Ali Eslami - 56,425
Shaun Deeb - 55,100
Michael Demichele - 54,325
“Amarillo Slim” Preston - 48,075
Hoyt Corkins - 45,325
Mike Matusow - 37,875
Todd Brunson - 32,950
Chris Ferguson - 24,050
Barry Greenstein - 18,900
Erik Seidel - 18,550
Bill Edler - 13,800

Day 1C will get underway at Noon on Sunday. A much larger field is expected, as there are only two more chances for players to participate in the biggest poker event of the year. Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for continuing coverage of the 2009 WSOP Main Event.

40 years of the WSOP: The 90s

The 1990 World Series of Poker started with the same 14 preliminary events as there had been during the last few years, but it saw a record 194 players sign up for the Main Event.

Sadly, the event will be remembered as the time Stu Ungar lost his chip lead and a shot at a third bracelet when a drug overdose left him unable to play.

He was blinded off at the final table on the third day and finished in 9th place.

The winner of the 1990 Main Event, Mansour Matloubi, was the first non-American to win the championship.  He was propelled to victory by what the late Chip Reese characterized as, "without question the most incredible hand in the history of the World Series of Poker."

Late in the tournament, Matloubi had put himself at risk with pocket tens against Hans Lund's ace-nine, on a nine-high board.  The ace on the turn seemed to guarantee the bracelet to Lund, but Matloubi hit one of his two outs on the river.

During the broadcast of the final table, Jack Binion guaranteed that the top prize for the 1991 Main Event would be $1 million dollars.

One year later, Brad Daugherty bested 215 entrants to become the first WSOP million dollar winner at a final TV table that had only one player with prior final table experience.

The number of preliminary events increased again at the 1992 WSOP, but with only 201 players, the Main Event showed a slight decrease from the previous year.

Main Event winner Hamid Dastmalchi, born in Iran, took home the $1 million dollar top prize.  Preliminary event winners that year boasted a who's who, with Phil Hellmuth, Men Nguyen, Erik Seidel, Lyle Berman, Eskimo Clark, Hoyt Corkins, Tom McEvoy and Mickey Appleman each taking home a bracelet.

In 1993, eight of the 18 preliminary events were won by just three players, with Ted Forrest and Phil Hellmuth each winning three bracelets and Humberto Brenes winning two.

Jim Bechtel bested the 220 who entered the Main Event including the chip leader going into the final table John Bonetti, who Bechtel went after right from the first hand.

"Well, if you're going to win a tournament, you're going to have to get it from the guy who has the chips," Bechtel told PokerListings.

In their now-famous final confrontation, Bechtel had a pair of sixes.

"Shorthanded, a pretty strong hand," he said.

Both players checked a K-4-6 flop with two spades, but when the Jack of spades turned over, Bonetti pushed in for over $1 million in chips.

With barely a hesitation, Bechtel called, much to the delight of the microscopically short-stacked Glen Cozen.

"Bonetti was the type of player that if he had any type of decent hand he was willing to play a big pot," Bechtel said. "He didn't have to have the nuts to stick all his money in the pot."

Bechtel was right, Bonetti turned over A-K and went out third. Soon after, Bechtel was the champion.

Russ Hamilton, a name now sadly considered an anathema in the poker world, surpassed 268 players to win the 1994 Main Event.  He took home more than the $1 million dollars prize, receiving an additional $30,000 to represent his then-considerable weight in silver, commemorating the series' 25th Anniversary.

The only woman to make a Main Event final table was Barbara Enright, who placed fifth in 1995.

"Action" Dan Harington actually went on to win, beating a field of 273 after earlier winning the $2,500 NLHE event - earning bracelets in the only two events he entered that year.

The WSOP had a then-whopping 23 preliminary events, including two Chinese poker tournaments.

Huck Seed won the 1996 Main Event, but it was the 1997 event that was the most memorable of the decade.

Stu Ungar made a triumphant return to take his third Main Event title after outlasting a field of 312 at an outdoor final table in the sweltering Las Vegas heat.  Ungar, who died the next year, prophetically proclaimed, "There's no one who could ever beat me playing cards. The only one who could beat me was myself."

"When I was there in 1997 all anyone talked about was the comeback story," said Nolan Dalla, author of One of a Kind: The Rise and Fall of Stuey "The Kid" Ungar, The World's Greatest Poker Player. "No one talked about skill. It was about Stuey, the man and tortured soul."

Daniel Negreanu became the then-youngest bracelet winner at the 1998 WSOP and Scotty Nguyen won the Main Event.

On the final hand, with the board showing eights full of nines, Scotty bet enough to put his opponent, Kevin McBride, all in.

"You call this one and it's all over baby," Scotty memorably told him. McBride called, playing the board, and Scotty turned over jack-nine.  It was all over.

Almost 400 signed up for the 1999 Main Event and Noel Furlong won at a final table that included Huck Seed and Erik Seidel, among others.

Mike Matusow won his first bracelet as did another young player known as much for his temperament as for his play, Layne Flack.

"Every year it seemed it probably couldn't get any bigger," said Bechtel, who in addition to his 1993 win, was runner up in 1979, made two final tables in the 80's, and the H.O.R.S.E. final table in 2006.

"It was standing room only at Binions. At the time, every tournament seemed as big as it could ever get."

As we know now, the WSOP had not yet seen its true explosion.

By the end of the 1990's, the second place prize money for the Main Event was larger than the prize money earned by the first six champions combined, and twice as many entered the Main Event as at the start of the decade.

But that was nothing compared with what was about to happen to the WSOP.

Next article: 40 years of the WSOP: The new millenium

Related Articles:

• 40 years of the WSOP: The beginning
• 40 years of the WSOP: The 70s
• 40 years of the WSOP: The 80s

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Beat the Brunsons on Doyle’s Room Every Monday Night

A brand new tournament unveiled on the popular online poker site Doyle’s Room challenges players to Beat the Brunsons… literally. The tournament takes place every Monday night at 9:30pm ET and awards up to a $100,000 bounty for eliminating members of the Brunson clan. The high-stakes event comes with a buy-in of just $11.

Everyone knows the legendary Doyle Brunson, who plays under the screen name “Tex_Dolly” on his own online poker site. If you send Doyle packing from the Beat the Brunsons tournament, you’ll take home $1,000. Eliminate Todd Brunson, who appropriately plays as “Todd_Brunson,” and you’ll see your bankroll on Doyle’s Room balloon by $500. Knock out Pam “Queen_Kitty” Brunson and $250 will be coming your way. Doyle’s nephew, Ken (who goes by “Tex_Ken” on the virtual felts) has a $250 bounty on his head, as does Todd’s wife Anjela “Russian_Chick” Brunson. Beyond the five members of the Brunson family, you’ll also receive $5 for every person you knock out of the tournament.

A variety of unique cash rewards are up for grabs in the weekly spectacle. If a player can knock out every member of the Brunson family, they’ll take home a $100,000 jackpot. In addition, if a player knocks out Doyle with his signature hand, 10-2, they’ll receive $5,000 for their efforts. If two Brunsons go at it and one is eliminated, everyone seated at the table when the melee occurred will receive their $11 buy-in back. In addition, being ousted from the Beat the Brunsons tournament by Doyle himself results in the following prize, according to text found on the site: “Getting knocked out of a tournament by Doyle Brunson is nothing to be ashamed of; it's happened to the best of them. If Tex_Dolly takes you out, we'll send you a free copy of one of his best-selling books so you can sharpen your game and come back for another shot.”

The tournament also features a traditional prize pool, so its winner will take home a sizable sum of money in addition to any bounties they receive. The champion also scores a $500 payday into their Doyle’s Casino account. The tournament kicks off at 9:30pm ET every Monday. Players start with 2,000 chips and blinds escalate every 15 minutes in the No Limit Hold’em tournament. If $11 isn’t within your bankroll, Doyle’s Room has you covered. Standard sit and go, speed, multi-table, and turbo satellites starting at $1.10 are available. $5.50 heads-up satellites are also an option, with the winner moving on to the Beat the Brunsons event on Monday nights.

April 27th marks the fourth time that the Beat the Brunsons tournament has been held. It compliments the highly popular Bounty event, which takes place every Thursday at 9:30pm ET. The Bounty comes with a price tag of $27.50 and boasts a rotating series of celebrities. Knock out one bounty and you’ll win $500. Send two bounties packing and you’ll score $5,000. Knock out all three bounties and you’ll find your Doyle’s Room bankroll grow by $25,000. All first-time Bounty players receive their buy-in back regardless of whether or not they cash. This week’s bounties include Doyle Brunson, Hoyt Corkins, and “The Mad Genius of Poker” Mike Caro. Recent celebrity guest bounties have included “The Wrestler” star Mickey Rourke, “The Sopranos” actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and “Entourage” personality Kevin Connolly.

Doyle’s Room makes its home on the Cake Poker Network, which accepts customers from the United States. Other sites on the Network include Lock Poker, Players Only, Poker Host, and Red Star Poker. According to traffic ranking site PokerScout.com, the Network is the tenth largest worldwide by cash game volume with a seven day running average of 1,580 players.

ESPN Schedule for 2009 WSOP Announced

In a media guide released prior to the start of the 2009 World Series of Poker (WSOP), the television schedule for the prestigious tournament series on ESPN was unveiled. A total of four events will be televised.

The action gets underway on Tuesday, July 28th at 8:00pm ET with a two hour review of the $40,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em tournament. The event is aimed to commemorate the 40th running of the WSOP, which makes its home at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This special tournament is expected to bring out the world’s most popular poker stars, setting the stage for the rest of the television schedule. Last year, the $10,000 World Championship of Pot Limit Hold’em kicked off ESPN’s coverage, with Full Tilt Poker pro Nenad Medic winning his first bracelet.

On August 4th, the following Tuesday, the WSOP Champions Invitational will air on ESPN at 8:00pm ET and run for two hours. Norman Chad and Lon McEachern will once again provide commentary on the spectacle. Poker News Daily Guest Columnist and “Celebrity Apprentice” candidate Annie Duke, who won $2 million for her efforts and bested fellow Ultimate Bet pro Phil Hellmuth heads-up, won the 2004 WSOP Tournament of Champions. Mike Matusow took down the 2005 installment, defeating Hoyt Corkins heads-up, while World Poker Tour Host Mike Sexton outlasted Daniel Negreanu in 2006, the last year the event was run. The 2009 Champions Invitational is a freeroll that is open to all past WSOP Main Event winners. Its victor will receive the Binion Cup along with a new car.

On August 11th from 8:00pm ET to 10:00pm ET, the Ante Up for Africa tournament will hit television airwaves. The $5,000 buy-in contest is held just before the Main Event and helps raise money and awareness for the crisis in Darfur. Ante Up for Africa was founded by Duke, actor Don Cheadle, and Norman Epstein and has raised over $2 million for the cause over the past two years. In 2007, a total of $700,000 was raised from the inaugural WSOP Ante Up for Africa tournament. Brandon Moran and Dan Shak, who finished first and second, respectively, donated their entire winnings to the non-profit. In 2008, John Hennigan and Michael DeGusta (who finished first and second) also donated their cash prizes. Others in the field last year included Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Ray Romano, Brad Garrett, Jerry Cantrell, and Casey Affleck.

Starting on August 18th, the Main Event will air every Tuesday night on ESPN. Each of the four starting days will receive its own two hour block of coverage over four consecutive weeks. Day 2A and Day 2B will air on September 15th and 22nd, respectively. Each of the remaining days of play in the 2009 WSOP Main Event will play out over the course of one week, culminating in the final table, which will air on Tuesday, November 10th. The “November Nine” will once again experience a 100 day delay in the final table playing out. Last year, ESPN television ratings boomed by 50% as a result. There are 31 episodes of WSOP coverage in total. Beginning on October 13th, they will kick off at 9:00pm ET.

In an interesting twist, the final table will play down from nine players to two on Saturday, November 7th. Once two players remain, play will pause for another three days, resuming on Tuesday, November 10th, just before the final table will air on ESPN. The $50,000 HORSE Championship will not be seen this year on ESPN. In 2008, Scotty Nguyen infamously won the prestigious tournament while allegedly under the influence. His verbal abuse of tablemates and floor staff challenged ESPN editors. In the end, Nguyen took home nearly $2 million for the victory and the ceremonial Chip Reese trophy.

Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament Returns for Third Year

Jennifer Harman and her many friends are back to raise money for a good cause.

The third annual Jennifer Harman Charity Poker Tournament will be held at The Venetian Poker Room on Friday, April 17, in Las Vegas. The event, which benefits the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA), raised more than $130,000 for the organization last year alone.

Poker celebrities that have already reserved seats for the charity tournament include Doyle Brunson, Phil Ivey, Phil Hellmuth, Daniel Negreanu, Barry Greenstein, Chris Ferguson, Hoyt Corkins, Jerry Yang, Andy Bloch, David Williams, Eli Elezra, David Oppenheim, Lee Watkinson, Jeff Madsen, Karina Jett, Todd Brunson, Brad Booth, Joe Sebok, and many others. Defending champion Seth Dupre, a recreational player from Las Vegas, will also participate. The event is open to the public.

A red carpet walk featuring players accompanied by animals from the NSPCA shelter is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m., while emcee Matt Savage will kick off the $300 No Limit Hold'em tournament at 5 p.m. The tournament will include unlimited $100 rebuys for the first three levels and then a $100 add-on worth twice the starting stack.

The grand prize of a seat in the $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event, along with a Curtis & Co. watch, will be awarded to the winner. Each player will receive a generous gift bag courtesy of the Nevada SPCA and its sponsors. The silent auction, hosted by Nevada SPCA and Triumph Sports, will feature autographed sports and poker memorabilia items. The auction will run from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.

The following sponsored prizes will be awarded to those that reach the final table:

1st Place -- $10,000 World Series of Poker Main Event seat, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

2nd Place -- WSOP Academy certificate, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

3rd Place -- WSOP Academy certificate, Legacy Alliance custom designed crystal trophy, Curtis & Co. sports watch, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

4th Place -- Two nights luxury accommodations at the Venetian, dinner for two at a Delmonico Steakhouse (pending approval), certificate to Venetian’s Canyon Ranch Spa Club (pending approval), Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

5th Place -- Autographed complete home poker chip set, tickets for two to David Spade Live at the Venetian (pending approval), Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

6th Place -- Tickets for two to Phantom at the Venetian (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

7th Place -- Tickets for two to Wayne Brady at the Venetian (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one Cushion Backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

8th Place -- Tickets for two to Madame Tussauds (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

9th Place -- Tickets for two to Jersey Boys (pending approval), autographed complete home poker chip set, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

10th Place -- Tickets for two to Blue Man Group, SuperSystem leather-bound autographed by Doyle Brunson, Doyle Brunson autographed cowboy hat, Quad Queens all-in-one cushion Backpack, Life’s A Bluff autographed Limited Edition Lithograph.

There will also be a “Last Woman Standing” prize and “Jennifer Harman Bounty” prize sponsored by 2-Step Images. More information, including tournament structure, prizes, and contacts, can be found at http://www.jenniferharmancpt.com.

WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic Attendance Drops 25%

The World Poker Tour (WPT) Foxwoods Poker Classic kicked off on Friday from the Connecticut casino. Whether it was due to the economy, the ongoing Spring Championship of Online Poker tournament series, or preliminary events at the WPT Championship, attendance dropped by 25% this time around.

Last year, 346 players took to the felts in April, with Full Tilt Poker pro Erik Seidel emerging victorious from the pack. Seidel owns eight World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelets, but last year marked his first WPT victory. The 2008 Foxwoods Poker Classic final table also featured Ted Forrest, who grabbed sixth place for $103,000. Seidel earned $992,000 for his victory. This year, just 259 players entered, a drop of 25%. A post on the WPT's website speculated, “While some of the West Coast pros stayed in Las Vegas for the Bellagio prelims, it's clear that the economy is playing a factor here in the Northeast, where only 259 players showed up for the WPT Foxwoods Poker Classic.”

Due to the sub-par turnout, the Foxwoods Poker Classic, which will air as part of the seventh season of the WPT on Fox Sports Net, will award less than three-quarters of a million dollars to its winner. The paydays will be as follows:

1st Place: $731,079
2nd Place: $409,405
3rd Place: $214,449
4th Place: $138,905
5th Place: $106,007
6th Place: $85,292

Day One in the massive Connecticut casino saw five levels of 90 minutes each played. As a result, just 165 players survived the day. The field was paced by Ken Adams, who spent the afternoon building up a stack of 140,775, over three times the average of 46,500.

The tournament will crown a champion on Wednesday. In addition to the $731,000 in cold hard cash, its victor will also pocket a $25,000 entry into the WPT Championship, which begins on April 18th from the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Here's a look at the top 10 stacks entering Day 2:

1. Ken Adams - 140,775
2. Daniel Pelletier - 123,775
3. Anthony Gregg - 113,675
4. Nick Saxon - 109,825
5. Anthony Gargano - 108,900
6. Frankie Flowers - 108,875
7. John LaRochelle - 108,775
8. William Botchis - 108,625
9. Andy Stone - 107,100
10. Michael Farris – 104,525

Notable chip stacks remaining in the talented field include Cory “UGOTPZD” Carroll (104,500), Jonathan Jaffe (102,000), Mohsin “chicagocards1” Charania (100,225), Team PokerStars Pro member Barry Greenstein (83,125), WPT Bay 101 Shooting Star Champion Steve Brecher (80,000), Bodog pro David Williams (78,075), online poker pro Jonathan “FieryJustice” Little (78,075), and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow (50,400). In addition, three former winners of WPT events held at Foxwoods are still in the hunt: Nenad Medic (40,000), Nick Schulman (24,000), and Hoyt Corkins (18,850).

One of the final players eliminated on Day 1 was Bertrand “Elky” Grospellier, who took down the WPT Festa al Lago last October for $1.4 million. He defeated Nam Le heads-up in that even, with Medic and Ultimate Bet Star Player Adam “Roothlus” Levy also making the final table. Grospellier was all-in holding Q-J on a J-4-2-2-6 board for two pair, but was bested by his opponent's pocket queens for a better two pair. Ironically, Le was bounced from Foxwoods 10 minutes earlier after being crippled when his opponent tabled a full house on an A-K-5-J-K board, showing K-J.

After play had concluded at Foxwoods, Charania told WPT Live Updates Hostess Amanda Leatherman about a hand where he flopped quads: “I had deuces and the flop came 8-2-2. I checked, Kathy Liebert bet, [an opponent] called, and I called. The turn was a jack. I checked, the other guy bet pot, I re-raised, Kathy folded, and he called. The river came a queen and I couldn't put him on a full house. I value bet and he said, 'I call.' He flipped over 8-8.” Charania told Leatherman that he was “confused” by the hand, where, despite the action flop, all of the chips failed to make it into the middle of the table.

Play resumed at Noon ET today. We'll have full updates from Foxwoods right here on Poker News Daily.

Beat the Brunsons on Mondays at Doyle’s Room

One of the things that draws players to Doyle’s Room is the number of top professionals who show up to play in tournaments on the site. From ten-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner and site namesake Doyle Brunson to top pros Hoyt Corkins and Cyndy Violette, the Thursday night Bounty Tournament consistently draws some of the biggest names in the poker industry. Now, Doyle’s Room is going one step further with a bounty tournament that brings the entire Brunson clan to the battle.

Starting tonight at 9:30pm Eastern Time, for a $10 buy-in (plus juice), players on Doyle’s Room will have the opportunity to “Beat The Brunsons” with large cash prizes on the line. Leading the Brunson family is, of course, Doyle, who also has the largest bounty on his head, $1,000. Son Todd and daughter Pamela - who have both captured major championships in the poker world – will each be at the tables with $500 targets on their backs. Other members of Team Brunson will be playing with a $250 bounty. Besides these big prizes, there are plenty of other ways for players to capture different prizes in the “Beat The Brunsons” Bounty Tournament.

Every player in the tournament has a $5 bounty on their head, which can add up to a sizable chunk of change for a player who drives deep in the tournament. Its winner will earn a $500 chip for play at Doyle’s Casino, the casino arm of the Doyle’s Room operation, and there are also prizes for battling the Brunsons themselves. If you can knock out Doyle with his signature 10-2 hand, you will earn a $5,000 prize and, if Brunson family members go to war with each other in a “Brunson Family Feud” and one is eliminated, the players at that table will earn their buy-in back. Finally, if one player can eliminate each Brunson family member, that player will earn the grand prize of $100,000.

If you don’t want to pay the $10 entry fee, there are a multitude of ways to earn your way into the tournament. Speed and turbo sit and gos run 24 hours a day for $1.10 and heads-up satellites also are available for a $5.50 buy-in. Each day, there is also a multi-table satellite tournament that starts at $1.10.

Since joining the Cake Poker Network back in January, Doyle’s Room has become the jewel of the group. According to PokerScout.com, which ranks site traffic, the Cake Poker Network is in the Top Ten worldwide with a peak average of over 3,000 cash players daily, doubling the its numbers over the past six months. The Thursday Bounty Tournament is one of the most attractive, but the opportunity to “Beat The Brunsons” should draw even more players to the site.