2008 WSOP Europe Main Event Draws 362 Entrants, Negreanu Leads The Way

Poker pro Daniel Negreanu leads the way into Day 2 of the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event. (Bodog Beat Image)"]

They say lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place and that a poker tournament will rarely see exactly the same number of entrants in subsequent years*, but that is exactly what has happened at the 2008 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event. The £10,000 buy-in event drew 159 players for Day 1A and then 203 for Day 1B, adding up to 362 entrants, the exact same number that turned out last year. At least the WSOP and Harrah's can say that they didn't fare any worse.

Leading the combined field into Day 2 of the tournament is poker pro and noted tournament veteran Daniel Negreanu, who is facing some serious competition from the big names pros who are among the 96 players that will join him for play today. Among those players thretening to make a move to the top of the leader board are Internet poker pros Justin "BoostedJ" Smith, David "Raptor" Benefield and Chris "moorman1" Moorman, November Nine member Scott Montgomery and tournament vets David "Devilfish" Ulliott, Andy Bloch, Brandon Adams, Erik Seidel, John Juanda and several more down the line.

The 362 players who all ponied up their buy-in have combined to generate a prize pool of £3,620,000, with first place receiving an impressive £868,800. This is interesting in itself because last year the prize pool was juiced to give the winner an even £1 million. Does not look like that is happening this year, the gap between first-place money and that £1 million mark is larger due to the revised WSOP payout structures.

Stay tuned to the Bodog Beat for more details and if you want to get in on some poker tournament action of your own then don't forget to get in on the Bodog Poker Open II, which is currently running in the Bodog Poker room. There are BPO events running every night this week and online satellites for the Bodog Poker Open are running constantly.

* Absolutely just made that saying up, but it makes sense. Think about it.