2000 - This Year in WSOP History

April 18

David Spanier d. 2000 [age 67] (b. 4/30/1932)
Wrote 1977 book, "Total Poker", which includes many stories, some about the 1973 WSOP Main Event. Wrote the first national poker column (England).
Obituary

April 22

$500 Dealers Tournament - Limit Hold 'Em (Event #1, began 4/22)

Winner: Dave Alizadeh ($21,800)

Entries: 109 (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 25

$2,000 Limit Hold 'Em (Event #2, began 4/24)

Winner: Hieu Ngoc Ma ($367,040)

Entries: 496 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 26

Jerri Thomas Wins $1,500 Seven-Card Stud
41-year-old mother of a 3-month-old earns $135,825 and her first bracelet to match her husband Harry, who won the 1985 $5,000 Seven-Card Stud for $122,500.

$1,500 Seven-Card Stud (Event #3, began 4/25)

Winner: Jerri Thomas ($135,825)

Entries: 245 (24 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 27

Ivo Donev Wins $1,500 Limit Omaha for Austria's First Bracelet
Defeats field of 143 for $85,800.

$1,500 Limit Omaha (Event #4, began 4/26)

Winner: Ivo Donev ($85,800)

Entries: 143 (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 28

WSOP Pays Out 5,000th Prize
Eli Balas finishes 2nd in $1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo for $62,130, the 5,000th prize awarded in WSOP history as Randy Holland collects $120,990 and his second bracelet.

$1,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo (Event #5, began 4/27)

Winner: Randy Holland ($120,990)

Entries: 218 (24 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 29

Johnny Chan Wins $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for Sixth Bracelet
Defeats field of 156 (143 rebuys), including Josh Arieh heads up, for $179,400. Chan says he really wanted this bracelet because "I have five bracelets and six kids. I'm serious!"

$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (Event #6, began 4/28)

Winner: Johnny Chan ($179,400)

Entries: 156$ (143 rebuys) (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

April 30

Nat Koe Wins $1,5000 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo for Thailand's First Bracelet
Defeats field of 290 for $160,950 after being down to less than 3% of the chips four-way.

$1,500 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event #7, began 4/29)

Winner: Nat Koe ($160,950)

Entries: 290 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 1

$2,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #8, began 4/30)

Winner: Diego Cordovez ($293,040)

Entries: 396 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 2

Chris Ferguson Wins $2,500 Seven-Card Stud for First Bracelet
Defeats field of 151 for $151,000.

$2,500 Seven-Card Stud (Event #9, began 5/1)

Winner: Chris Ferguson ($151,000)

Entries: 151 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 3

$2,000 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #10, began 5/2)

Winner: Jimmy Athanas ($173,900)

Entries: 235 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 4

$3,000 Limit Hold 'Em (Event #11, began 5/3)

Winner: Chris Tsiprailidis ($213,600)

Entries: 178 (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 5

Jennifer Harman Wins $5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw for First Bracelet
Defeats field of 30 (35 rebuys) for $325,000 immediately after learning the game from Howard Lederer, who also gave a quick tutorial to his sister Annie Duke.

$2,500 Seven-Card Stud Hi/Lo (Event #12, began 5/4)

Winner: Joe Wynn ($129,000)

Entries: 129 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

$5,000 No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Draw (Event #13, began 5/4)

Winner: Jennifer Harman ($146,250)

Entries: 30$ (35 rebuys) (5 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 6

Phil Ivey Wins $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha for First Bracelet
Defeats field of 100 (95 rebuys), including Amarillo Slim Preston heads up, for $195,000.

$2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (Event #14, began 5/5)

Winner: Phil Ivey ($195,000)

Entries: 100$ (95 rebuys) (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 7

$1,500 Limit Ace-to-Five Draw (Event #15, began 5/6)

Winner: Richard Dunberg ($76,200)

Entries: 127 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 8

$2,500 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event #16, began 5/7)

Winner: Michael Sohayegh ($160,000)

Entries: 160 (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 9

Huck Seed Wins $1,500 Razz for Third Bracelet
Defeats field of 129 for $77,400. Between the first and second days, Seed started playing the next tournament ($3,000 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em) and was still alive in both when Tournament Director Chuck Thompson told him it wasn't allowed because the tournaments used the same chips.

$1,500 Seven-Card Razz (Event #17, began 5/8)

Winner: Huck Seed ($77,400)

Entries: 129 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 10

$3,000 Pot-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #18, began 5/9)

Winner: Mike Carson ($222,000)

Entries: 200 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 11

David Chiu Wins $5,000 Seven-Card Stud for Third Bracelet
Defeats field of 101 for $202,000.

Larry Flynt Finishes Eighth in $5,000 Seven-Card Stud
Wins $10,100 for his only WSOP cash.

$5,000 Seven-Card Stud (Event #19, began 5/10)

Winner: David Chiu ($202,000)

Entries: 101 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 12

$3,000 No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #20, began 5/11)

Winner: Chris Bjorin ($334,110)

Entries: 301 (27 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 13

$5,000 Limit Omaha Hi/Lo (Event #21, began 5/12)

Winner: Howard Lederer ($198,000)

Entries: 99 (9 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 14

Jay Heimowitz Wins $5,000 Limit Hold 'Em for Fifth Bracelet
Defeats field of 142, including Melissa Hayden heads up, for $284,000.

$5,000 Limit Hold 'Em (Event #22, began 5/13)

Winner: Jay Heimowitz ($284,000)

Entries: 142 (18 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 15

Nani Dollison Wins Ladies Championship for First Bracelet
Defeats field of 133 for $53,200 as event switches to a mixed Limit Hold 'Em/Seven-Card Stud format, the first-ever WSOP mixed game.

$1,000 Women's Championship (Limit Hold 'Em/Seven-Card Stud) (Event #23, began 5/14)

Winner: Nani Dollison ($53,200)

Entries: 133 (16 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

May 16

Phil Hellmuth Last Champ Standing in Main Event
Exits in 64th place, 19 spots out of the money.

Kathy Liebert Leads After Day 2 of WSOP Main Event
With 45 players remaining, Liebert's 283,500 chips make her the second woman to lead after any day of a Main Event (Vera Richmond, Day 1 in 1981).

May 17

Annie Duke Finishes Tenth as Last Woman Standing in WSOP Main Event
Bubbles the final table while in her ninth month of pregnancy and earns $52,160 to become the leading female money winner in WSOP history.

May 18

Chris Ferguson Wins 2000 WSOP Main Event
Defeats field of 512 for record $1,500,000 and his second bracelet of the year. T.J. Cloutier finishes second for $896,500 fifteen years after also finishing second and becomes the all-time WSOP money leader.

$10,000 Main Event - No-Limit Hold 'Em (Event #24, began 5/15)

Winner: Chris Ferguson ($1,500,000)

Entries: 512 (45 paid)

WSOP.com | Hendon

December 7

Hal Fowler d. 2000 [age 73] (b. 1/12/1927)
1979 WSOP Main Event winner ($270,000).
Obituary | Wikipedia | WSOP.com | Hendon