WSOP 2010 Update: Americans Dominating in Bracelets

Perhaps the United States World Cup Soccer team should be following the WSOP 2010* for inspiration as the Americans are dominating the event thus far. The United States has racked up 21-bracelets, 3,134 cashes and total earnings of $44,700,737 so far. Canada was in second place with 3-bracelets, 244 cashes and 44,644,061 in earnings. In third was the United Kingdom with 4-bracelets, 114 cashes and total earnings of $4,440,599. Russia was fourth with 1-bracelet, 57 cashes and $2,546,027 in earnings while France was fifth with 1-bracelet, 52 cashes and $1,059,327 in poker earnings. Among the recent winners was Luis Valador, who won his second bracelet of his career in the $2,500 Buy in Pot Limit Hold’em/Pot-Limit Omaha championship.

Valador is from Southern California. 482 players were in the WSOP 2010 field. Valador picked up winnings that totaled over $260,500. The runner up was David Chiu. Among the notables was Phil Ivey, who finished 12th. Konstantin Puchkov was the winner of the $1,500 buy in HORSE championship as the Russian collected over $256,000 in prize money with his victory over Al Barbieri. It was his first career WSOP win.

The colorful Barbieri, who hails originally from Philadelphia, is still without that most elusive and coveted bracelet. Kansas City may have losers on the baseball diamond and the football field and has recently seen its major college sports teams become the servants of the University of Texas but at least they can boast of a WSOP champion as Jeff Tebben took the $1000 buy in No Limit Hold’em Championship. He was encouraged to enter the event from 2008 winner Grant Hinkle. The two play poker in KC at Tebben’s home. Tebben will “Goin’ to Kansas City” with over half a million dollars in prize money.

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