Joe Cada, the 21 year old from Michigan has won the World Series Of Poker 2009, becoming the youngest ever Main Event champion in the history of WSOP. Cada bested      Maryland player Darvin Moon for a top prize of $8.5 million! Moon earn $5.2 million for the his second place finish.

We’ve been watching this series since June this year when the final battle began, and what a rollercoaster ride is has been! We saw bit names Phil Ivey out this past weekend  and the final consisting of relative newcomers.

Moon began play at the final table in the heads up with a total of 5,000 in WSOP tournament chips, and Cada with an amount of 58,875,000 at the start of last nights 10PM  heads-up match. We saw an immensely amount of different play strategy throughout the game including the chip stacks totally reversing to Cada going from the chip leader  to having 1/3 of the tournament chips.

Play was fairly exciting but the 70th hand was where the action was. This hand let to the turnaround of game in which Cada started to figuratively fight back with a much  stronger chip stacks

The 88th hand was the monumental hand.

Cada raises

Moon re-raises

Cada goes all in

Moon calls!

Cada shows a pair of 9’s – Moon a couple of suited overcards

The flop came: 8C 2C 7S. No change

The Turn: KH. Nothing

The River: 7C.

Cada wins!

None the less, exciting as hell for Cada, and a hearty congratulations to him

So with Joe Cade featuring so prominently in the blogosphere and well as in the news I thought I’d start today’s post off with a bit of background about the WSOP and the history of this most coveted item.

The World Series of Poker Bracelet is pretty much the most coveted non-monetary prize that any poker player can win. Since 1976, one of these coveted prizes haves been given to the winner of every event at the tournament. During the first few year of the   WSOP there were only a couple of bracelets handed up, in 19990, there were 14, and by 200 it had increased by up to 24. This year 57 bracelets were given out and 4 at the World Series of Poker Europe. As the popularity of the WSOP has grown, as has the value   of the bracelet from a few hundred bucks to a prestige items designed by Corum

The Prestige of Winning a Bracelet

At first the bracelets were much of a gimmick not meaning anything to many of the players with even Doyle Brunson saying that his first bracelet pretty much meant nothing to it. There is a feeling amongst allot of pro poker players that there are just 2 types of  poker players. The bracelet winners and those who have not. There is a belief that those who have won a bracelet belong to a “special club”. I guess the bracelet could somewhat be compared to winning the FIFA world cup trophy or an Oscar but rather for the world that we live in.

History

The bracelet handout out tradition started in 1976 following the previous years where winner were given a sterling plate and before that nothing. The 1976 bracelet cost aprxiimently about $500. In the 1980s Mordechai Yerushalmi become the exclusive manufacturer of the WSOP bracelets until Harrahs Entertainment bought the rights to the WSOP in 2001 n 2005, Gold and Diamond International based in Memphis, TN won the bid from Harrah’s Entertainment to manufacture the 2005 WSOP bracelets.

In 2007, Corum became the official bracelet manufacturer for the WSOP. Some of the 2007 WSOP champions received both a watch and a bracelet from Corum. Corum designed four variations for the 2007 World Series of Poker Bracelets. The standard version that is presented to 53 winners features 53 diamonds. The Ladies World Champion receives a bracelet that is adorned with four black diamonds, two rubies and 87 blue sapphires. The $50,000 HORSE Champion Bracelet has 91 black diamonds and two rubies. The World Series of Poker Main Event Bracelet has 120 diamonds on 136 grams of 18 carat (75 percent) white gold. The value of the 2007 bracelets have not been released, but the typical price of a Corum watch ranges from $1,500-$30,000

In 2008, the Main Event Bracelet had 291 diamonds, totaling 2.81 carats set 168 grams of 18kt white gold.

The other 54 event bracelets consisted of 55 diamonds, totaling 0.25 carats set in 80 grams of 14kt yellow gold.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the Information.

I’m sure those of you who have been watching the WSOP November Nine have had a couple of shock surprises what with play beginning on Saturday with 9 Players and now down to 2. I remember watching on one stretch on Saturday night Cada had the smallest chip stack on the table; down to about 2 million, which in my opinion was next to nothing according to WSOP standards and he looked like he was next on the elimination list. But through fantastic play, he made it back by winning numerous small pots to double his chips each time and then proceeded winning multiple big ones.

So we are down to 2. Cada; the 21 year old poker whiz who has earned his keep by playing professionally online and Moon, 46, the Maryland chainsaw wielding logger about to go head to head for the top prize of $8.5 million. From an initial player poll of 6,494 entrants – We’ve seen a ridiculous amount of great play and these guys should be so proud to being going heads up as the final 2.

As much as I’m a fan of Moon, the underdog by far in my opinion, I’m also somewhat rooting for Cada. If he takes this win, he’ll become the youngest main event winner in history, taking that title from Peter Eastgate who won it last year at the tender age of 22.

Moon, who won his $10,000 seat via a satellite in a West Virginia Casino, started off the final table with $58.9 million chips took some huge hits over the weekend, as he says “I’m always comfortable. Give me one chip and I’m comfortable in reference to that fact that as much as he lost, he kept his nerve and did not get on tilt.

Now it comes down to tonight. Second prize is already assured of $5.18 million; however it’s that bracelet that matters.

Who will win? No idea. Let’s watch tonight and I’ll throw my opinion your way tomorrow.