document_title: Portable media player

question_text: when was the first portable mp3 player released

text: Portable media player

text: History[edit]

text: The immediate predecessor in the market place of the digital audio player was the portable CD player and prior to that, the personal stereo.

text: IXI[edit]

text: British scientist Kane Kramer invented the first digital audio player,[8] which he called the IXI.[9] His 1979 prototypes were capable of approximately one hour of audio playback but did not enter commercial production. His UK patent application was not filed until 1981 and was issued in 1985 in the UK and 1987 in the US.[10] However, in 1988 Kramer's failure to raise the £60,000 required to renew the patent meant it entering the public domain, but he still owns the designs.[11][12] Apple Inc. hired Kramer as a consultant and presented his work as an example of prior art in the field of digital audio players during their litigation with Burst.com almost two decades later.[13] In 2008 Apple acknowledged Kramer as the Inventor of the Digital audio player[8][14]

text: AT&T FlashPAC[edit]

text: In 1996 AT&T developed the FlashPAC digital audio player which initially used AT&T Perceptual Audio Coding (PAC)[15] for music compression, but in 1997 switched to AAC.[16] At about the same time AT&T also developed an internal Web based music streaming service that had the ability to download music to FlashPAC.[17] AAC and such music downloading services later formed the foundation for the Apple iPod and iTunes.[18]

text: SaeHan/Eiger MPMan[edit]

text: The first portable MP3 player was launched in 1997 by Saehan Information Systems,[19] which sold its “MPMan" player in Asia in spring 1998.[20] In mid-1998, the South Korean company licensed the players for North American distribution to Eiger Labs, which rebranded them as the EigerMan F10 and F20.[21] The flash-based players were available in 32 MB or 64 MB (6 or 12 songs) storage capacity and had a LCD screen to tell the user the song currently playing.

text: The Audible Player[edit]

text: The first production-volume portable digital audio player was The Audible Player (also known as MobilePlayer, or Digital Words To Go) from Audible.com available for sale in January 1998, for USD $200. It only supported playback of digital audio in Audible's proprietary, low-bitrate format which was developed for spoken word recordings. Capacity was limited to 4 MB of internal flash memory, or about 2 hours of play, using a custom rechargeable battery pack. The unit had no display and rudimentary controls.[22][23]

text: Diamond Rio[edit]

text: The Rio PMP300 from Diamond Multimedia was introduced in September 1998, a few months after the MPMan, and also featured a 32 MB storage capacity. It was a success during the holiday season, with sales exceeding expectations.[24] Interest and investment in digital music were subsequently spurred from it.[25] Because of the player's notoriety as the target of a major lawsuit,[26] the Rio is erroneously assumed to be the first digital audio player.[27]

text: HanGo Personal Jukebox[edit]

text: In 1998, Compaq developed the Personal Jukebox, which was the first hard drive based DAP using a 2.5" laptop drive. It was licensed to HanGo Electronics (now known as Remote Solution), which first sold the PJB-100 (Personal Jukebox) in 1999. The player had an initial capacity of 4.8 GB, with an advertised capacity of 1200 songs.[28]

text: Creative NOMAD Jukebox[edit]

text: In 2000, Creative released the 6GB hard drive based Creative NOMAD Jukebox. The name borrowed the jukebox metaphor popularised by Remote Solution, also used by Archos. Later players in the Creative NOMAD range used microdrives rather than laptop drives.

text: Cowon iAUDIO CW100[edit]

text: In October 2000, South Korean software company Cowon Systems released their first MP3 player, the CW100, under the brand name iAUDIO.

text: Archos Jukebox[edit]

text: In December 2000, some months after the Creative's NOMAD Jukebox, Archos released its Jukebox 6000 with a 6GB hard drive.

text: Apple iPod[edit]

text: On 23 October 2001, Apple Computer unveiled the first generation iPod, a 5 GB hard drive based DAP with a 1.8" Toshiba hard drive and a 2" monochrome display. With the development of a spartan user interface and a smaller form factor, the iPod was initially popular within the Macintosh community. In July 2002, Apple introduced the second generation update to the iPod. It was compatible with Windows computers through Musicmatch Jukebox. In 2007, Apple introduced the iPod Touch, the first iPod with a multi-touch screen. Its media player was split into the Music and Videos apps.

text: Archos Jukebox Multimedia[edit]

text: In 2002, Archos released the first "portable media player" (PMP), the Archos Jukebox Multimedia[29] with a little 1.5" colour screen. Manufacturers have since implemented abilities to view images and play videos into their devices. The next year, Archos released another multimedia jukebox, the AV300, with a 3.8" screen and a 20GB hard drive.

text: Microsoft[edit]

text: In 2004, Microsoft attempted to take advantage of the growing PMP market by launching the Portable Media Center (PMC) platform. It was introduced at the 2004 Consumer Electronics Show with the announcement of the Zen Portable Media Center,[30] which was co-developed by Creative. The Microsoft Zune series would later be based on the Gigabeat S, one of the PMC-implemented players.

text: SanDisk Sansa[edit]

text: In May 2005, flash memory maker SanDisk entered the PMP market with the Sansa line of players, starting with the e100 series, and then following up with the m200 series, and c100 series.

text: Mobile phones[edit]

text: Samsung SPH-M2100, the first mobile phone with built-in MP3 player was produced in South Korea in August 1999.[31][32] Samsung SPH-M100 (UpRoar) launched in 2000 was the first cell phone to have MP3 music capabilities[33] in the US market. The innovation spread rapidly across the globe and by 2005, more than half of all music sold in South Korea was sold directly to mobile phones and all major handset makers in the world had released MP3 playing phones. By 2006, more MP3 playing mobile phones were sold than all stand-alone MP3 players put together. The rapid rise of the media player in phones was quoted by Apple as a primary reason for developing the iPhone. In 2007, the installed base of phones that could play media was over 1 billion.[citation needed]

text: Types[edit]

text: Digital audio players are generally categorised by storage media:

text:
Flash-based players: These are non-mechanical solid state devices that hold digital audio files on internal flash memory or removable flash media called memory cards. Due to technological advances in flash memory, these originally low-storage devices are now available commercially ranging up to 128 GB. Because they are solid state and do not have moving parts they require less battery power, are less likely to skip during playback, and may be more resilient to hazards such as dropping or fragmentation than hard disk-based players. There are USB flash drives available that include basic MP3 playback capabilities.
Hard drive-based players or digital jukeboxes: Devices that read digital audio files from a hard disk drive (HDD). These players have higher capacities as of 2010[update] ranging up to 500 GB.[34] At typical encoding rates, this means that tens of thousands of songs can be stored on one player. The disadvantages with these units is that a hard drive consumes more power, is larger and heavier and is inherently more fragile than solid-state storage, thus more care is required to not drop or otherwise mishandle these units.
MP3 CD/DVD players: Portable CD players that can decode and play MP3 audio files stored on CDs. Such players were typically a less expensive alternative than either the hard drive or flash-based players when the first units of these were released. The blank CD-R media they use is very inexpensive, typically costing less than US$0.15 per disc. These devices have the feature of being able to play standard "Red book" CD-DA audio CDs. A disadvantage is that due to the low rotational disk speed of these devices, they are even more susceptible to skipping or other misreads of the file if they are subjected to uneven acceleration (shaking) during playback. The mechanics of the player itself however can be quite sturdy, and are generally not as prone to permanent damage due to being dropped as hard drive-based players. Since a CD can typically hold only around 700 megabytes of data a large library will require multiple disks to contain. However, some higher-end units are also capable of reading and playing back files stored on larger capacity DVD; some also have the ability to play back and display video content, such as movies. An additional consideration can be the relatively large width of these devices, since they have to be able to fit a CD.
Networked audio players: Players that connect via (WiFi) network to receive and play audio.[35] These types of units typically do not have any local storage of their own and must rely on a server, typically a personal computer also on the same network, to provide the audio files for playback.
USB host/memory card audio players: Players that rely on USB flash drives or other memory cards to read data.

text: Typical features[edit]

text: PMPs are capable of playing digital audio, images, and/or video. Usually, a colour liquid crystal display (LCD) or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen is used as a display for PMPs that have a screen. Various players include the ability to record video, usually with the aid of optional accessories or cables, and audio, with a built-in microphone or from a line out cable or FM tuner. Some players include readers for memory cards, which are advertised to equip players with extra storage or transferring media. In some players, features of a personal organiser are emulated, or support for video games, like the iriver clix (through compatibility of Adobe Flash Lite) or the PlayStation Portable, is included. Only mid-range to high-end players support "savestating" for power-off (i.e. leaves off song/video in progress similar to tape-based media).

text: Audio playback[edit]

text: Nearly all players[36] are compatible with the MP3 audio format, and many others support Windows Media Audio (WMA), Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) and WAV. Some players are compatible with open-source formats like Ogg Vorbis and the Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC). Audio files purchased from online stores may include digital rights management (DRM) copy protection, which many modern players support.

text: Image viewing[edit]

text: The JPEG format is widely supported by players. Some players, like the iPod series, provide compatibility to display additional file formats like GIF, PNG, and TIFF, while others are bundled with conversion software.

text: Video playback[edit]

text: Most newer players support the MPEG-4 Part 2 video format, and many other players are compatible with Windows Media Video (WMV) and AVI. Software included with the players may be able to convert video files into a compatible format.

text: Recording[edit]

text: Many players have a built-in electret microphone which allows recording. Usually recording quality is poor, suitable for speech but not music. There are also professional-quality recorders suitable for high-quality music recording with external microphones, at prices starting at a few hundred dollars.

text: Radio[edit]

text: Some DAPs have FM radio tuners built in. Many also have an option to change the band from the usual 87.5 – 108.0 MHz to the Japanese band of 76.0 – 90.0 MHz. DAPs typically never have an AM band, or even HD Radio since such features would be either cost-prohibitive for the application, or because of AM's sensitivity to interference.

text: Internet access[edit]

text: Newer portable media players are now coming with Internet access via Wi-Fi. Examples of such devices are Android OS devices by various manufacturers, and iOS devices on Apple products like the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. Internet access has even enabled people to use the Internet as an underlying communications layer for their choice of music for automated music randomisation services like Pandora, to on-demand video access (which also has music available) such as YouTube. This technology has enabled casual and hobbyist DJs to cue their tracks from a smaller package from an Internet connection, sometimes they will use two identical devices on a crossfade mixer. Many such devices also tend to be smartphones.

text: Last position memory[edit]

text: Lots of mobile digital media players have last position memory, in which when it is powered off, a user doesn't have to worry about starting at the first track again, or even hearing repeats of others songs when a playlist, album, or whole library is cued for shuffle play, in which shuffle play is a common feature too. Early playback devices to even remotely have "last position memory" that predated solid-state digital media playback devices were tape-based media, except this kind suffered from having to be "rewound", whereas disc-based media suffered from no native "last position memory", unless disc-players had their own last position memory. However, some models of solid-state flash memory (or hard drive ones with some moving parts) are somewhat the "best of both worlds" in the market.

text: Common audio formats[edit]

text: There are three categories of audio formats:

text:
Uncompressed PCM audio: Most players can also play uncompressed PCM in a container such as WAV or AIFF.
Lossless audio formats: These formats maintain the Hi-fi quality of every song or disc. These are the ones used by CDs, many people recommend the use of lossless audio formats to preserve the CD quality in audio files on a desktop. Some of them are: Apple Lossless (proprietary format) and FLAC (Royalties free) are increasingly popular formats for lossless compression, which maintain the Hi-fi quality.
Lossy compression formats: Most audio formats use lossy compression, to produce as small as possible a file compatible with the desired sound quality. There is a trade-off between size and sound quality of lossily compressed files; most formats allow different combinations—e.g., MP3 files may use between 32 (worst), 128 (reasonable) and 320 (best) kilobits per second.[37]

text: There are also royalty free lossy formats like Vorbis for general music and Speex and Opus used for voice recordings. When "ripping" music from CDs, many people recommend the use of lossless audio formats to preserve the CD quality in audio files on a desktop, and to transcode the music to lossy compression formats when they are copied to a portable player.[38] The formats supported by a particular audio player depends upon its firmware; sometimes a firmware update adds more formats. MP3 and AAC are dominant formats,[38] and are almost universally supported.[39]

text: Software[edit]

text: PMPs are usually packaged with an installation CD/DVD that inserts device drivers (and for some players, software that is capable of seamlessly transferring files between the player and the computer). For recent players, however, these are usually available online via the manufacturers' websites, or natively recognised by the operating system through Universal Mass Storage (UMS) or Media Transfer Protocol (MTP).

text: Hardware[edit]

text: This section needs expansion with: Information about the architecture, processor, chipset, etc. You can help by adding to it. (December 2007)

text: Storage

text: As with DAPs, PMPs come in either flash or hard disk storage. Storage capacities have reached up to 64 GB for flash memory based PMPs, first reached by the 3rd Generation iPod Touch, and up to 1 TB for Hard disk drive PMPs, first achieved by the Archos 5 Internet Tablet.

text: A number of players support memory card slots, including CompactFlash (CF), Secure Digital (SD), and Memory Sticks. They are used to directly transfer content from external devices, and expanding the storage capacity of PMPs.

text: Interface

text: A standard PMP uses a 5-way D-pad to navigate, however there have been many alternatives used. Most notable are the wheel and touch mechanisms seen on players from the iPod and Sansa series. Another popular mechanism is the swipe-pad, or 'squircle', first seen on the Zune. Additional buttons are commonly seen for features such as volume control.

text: Screen

text: Sizes range all the way up to 7 inches (18 cm). As well, resolutions also vary, going up to WVGA. Most screens come with a colour depth of 16-bit, but higher quality video oriented devices may range all the way to 24-bit, otherwise known as True colour, with the ability to display 16.7 million distinct colours. Screens commonly have a matte finish but may also come in glossy to increase colour intensity and contrast. More and more devices are now also coming with touch screen as a form of primary or alternate input. This can be for convenience and/or aesthetic purposes. Certain devices, on the other hand, have no screen whatsoever, reducing costs at the expense of ease of browsing through the media library.

text: Radio

text: Some portable media players include a radio receiver, most frequently receiving FM. Features for receiving signals from FM stations on MP3 players are common on more premium models.

text: Other features

text: Some portable media players have recently added features such as simple camera, built in game emulation (playing Famicom or other game formats from ROM images) and simple text readers and editors. Newer PMPs have been able to tell time, and even automatically adjust time according to radio reception, and some devices like the 6th-gen iPod Nano even have wristwatch bands available.

text: Operation[edit]

text: Digital sampling is used to convert an audio wave to a sequence of binary numbers that can be stored in a digital format, such as MP3. Common features of all MP3 players are a memory storage device, such as flash memory or a miniature hard disk drive, an embedded processor, and an audio codec microchip to convert the compressed file into an analogue sound signal. During playback, audio files are read from storage into a RAM based memory buffer, and then streamed through an audio codec to produce decoded PCM audio. Typically audio formats decode at double to more than 20 times real speed on portable electronic processors,[40] requiring that the codec output be stored for a time until the DAC can play it. To save power, portable devices may spend much or nearly all of their time in a low power idle state while waiting for the DAC to deplete the output PCM buffer before briefly powering up to decode additional audio.

text: Most DAPs are powered by rechargeable batteries, some of which are not user-replaceable. They have a 3.5 mm stereo jack; music can be listened to with earbuds or headphones, or played via an external amplifier and speakers. Some devices also contain internal speakers, through which music can be listened to, although these built-in speakers are typically of very low quality.

text: Nearly all DAPs consists of some kind of display screen, although there are exceptions, such as the iPod Shuffle, and a set of controls with which the user can browse through the library of music contained in the device, select a track, and play it back. The display, if the unit even has one, can be anything from a simple one or two line monochrome LCD display, similar to what are found on typical pocket calculators, to large, high-resolution, full-color displays capable of displaying photographs or viewing video content on. The controls can range anywhere from the simple buttons as are found on most typical CD players, such as for skipping through tracks or stopping/starting playback to full touch-screen controls, such as that found on the iPod Touch or the Zune HD. One of the more common methods of control is some type of the scroll wheel with associated buttons. This method of control was first introduced with the Apple iPod and many other manufacturers have created variants of this control scheme for their respective devices.

text: Content is placed on DAPs typically through a process called "syncing", by connecting the device to a personal computer, typically via USB, and running any special software that is often provided with the DAP on a CD-ROM included with the device, or downloaded from the manufacturer's website. Some devices simply appear as an additional disk drive on the host computer, to which music files are simply copied like any other type of file. Other devices, most notably the Apple iPod or Microsoft Zune, requires the use of special management software, such as iTunes or Zune Software, respectively. The music, or other content such as TV episodes or movies, is added to the software to create a "library". The library is then "synced" to the DAP via the software. The software typically provides options for managing situations when the library is too large to fit on the device being synced to. Such options include allowing manual syncing, in that the user can manually "drag-n-drop" the desired tracks to the device, or allow for the creation of playlists. In addition to the USB connection, some of the more advanced units are now starting to allow syncing through a wireless connection, such as via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.[41]

text: Content can also be obtained and placed on some DAPs, such as the iPod Touch or Zune HD by allowing access to a "store" or "marketplace", most notably the iTunes Store or Zune Marketplace, from which content, such as music and video, and even games, can be purchased and downloaded directly to the device.

text: Digital signal processing[edit]

text: A growing number of portable media players are including audio processing chips that allow digital effects like 3D audio effects, dynamic range compression and equalisation of the frequency response.[42][43][44][45] Some devices adjust loudness based on Fletcher–Munson curves. Some media players are used with Noise-cancelling headphones that use Active noise reduction to remove background noise.

text: De-noise mode[edit]

text: De-noise mode is an alternative to Active noise reduction. It provides for relatively noise-free listening to audio in a noisy environment. In this mode, audio intelligibility is improved due to selective gain reduction of the ambient noise. This method splits external signals into frequency components by "filterbank" (according to the peculiarities of human perception of specific frequencies) and processing them using adaptive audio compressors. Operation thresholds in adaptive audio compressors (in contrast to "ordinary" compressors) are regulated depending on ambient noise levels for each specific bandwidth. Reshaping of the processed signal from adaptive compressor outputs is realised in a synthesis filterbank. This method improves the intelligibility of speech signals and music. The best effect is obtained while listening to audio in the environment with constant noise (in trains, automobiles, planes), or in environments with fluctuating noise level (e.g. in a metro). Improvement of signal intelligibility in condition of ambient noise allows users to hear audio well and preserve hearing ability, in contrast to regular volume amplification.

text: Natural mode[edit]

text: Natural mode is characterised by subjective effect of balance of different frequency sounds, regardless of level of distortion, appearing in the reproduction device. It is also regardless of personal user's ability to perceive specific sound frequencies (excluding obvious hearing loss). The natural effect is obtained due to special sound processing algorithm (i.e. "formula of subjective equalisation of frequency-response function"). Its principle is to assess frequency response function (FRF) of mediaplayer or any other sound reproduction device, in accordance with audibility threshold in silence (subjective for each person),[46] and to apply gain modifying factor. The factor is determined with the help of integrated function to test audibility threshold: the program generates tone signals (with divergent oscillations – from minimum volume 30–45 Hz to maximum volume appr. 16 kHz),[47] and user assess their subjective audibility. The principle is similar to in situ audiometry, used in medicine to prescribe a hearing aid. However, the results of test may be used to a limited extent as far as FRF of sound devices depends on reproduction volume. It means correction coefficient should be determined several times – for various signal strengths, which is not a particular problem from a practical standpoint.

text: Sound around mode[edit]

text: Sound around mode allows for real time overlapping of music and the sounds surrounding the listener in her environment, which are captured by a microphone and mixed into the audio signal. As a result, the user may hear playing music and external sounds of the environment at the same time. This can increase user safety (especially in big cities and busy streets), as a user can hear a mugger following her or hear an oncoming car.

text: Controversy[edit]

text: Although these issues are not usually controversial within digital audio players, they are matters of continuing controversy and litigation, including but not limited to content distribution and protection, and digital rights management (DRM).

text: Lawsuit with RIAA[edit]

text: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed a lawsuit in late 1998 against Diamond Multimedia for its Rio players,[26][48] alleging that the device encouraged copying music illegally. But Diamond won a legal victory on the shoulders of the Sony Corp. v. Universal City Studios case and DAPs were legally ruled as electronic devices.[49]

text: Risk of hearing damage[edit]

text: According to the Scientific Committee on Emerging and Newly Identified Health Risks, the risk of hearing damage from digital audio players depends on both sound level and listening time. The listening habits of most users are unlikely to cause hearing loss, but some people are putting their hearing at risk, because they set the volume control very high or listen to music at high levels for many hours per day. Such listening habits may result in temporary or permanent hearing loss, tinnitus, and difficulties understanding speech in noisy environments. The World Health Organization warns that increasing use of headphones and earphones puts 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe use of personal audio devices.[50] Many smartphones and personal media players are sold with earphones that do a poor job of blocking ambient noise, leading some users to turn up the volume to the maximum level to drown out street noise.[51] People listening to their media players on crowded commutes sometimes play music at high volumes feel a sense of separation, freedom and escape from their surroundings.[52][53]

text: The World Health Organization recommends that "the highest permissible level of noise exposure in the workplace is 85 dB up to a maximum of eight hours per day" and time in "nightclubs, bars and sporting events" should be limited because they can expose patrons to noise levels of 100 dB. The report states

text: Teenagers and young people can better protect their hearing by keeping the volume down on personal audio devices, wearing earplugs when visiting noisy venues, and using carefully fitted, and, if possible, noise-cancelling earphones/headphones. They can also limit the time spent engaged in noisy activities by taking short listening breaks and restricting the daily use of personal audio devices to less than one hour. With the help of smartphone apps, they can monitor safe listening levels.

text: The report also recommends that governments raise awareness of hearing loss, and to recommend people visit a hearing specialist if they experience symptoms of hearing loss, which include pain, ringing or buzzing in the ears.[54]

text: A study by the National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health found that employees at bars, nightclubs or other music venues were exposed to noise levels above the internationally recommended limits of 82–85 dB(A per eight hours. This growing phenomena has led to the coining of the term music-induced hearing loss, which includes hearing loss as a result of overexposure to music on personal media players.[55]

text: FCC issues[edit]

text: Some MP3 players have electromagnet transmitters, as well as receivers. Lots of MP3 players have built-in FM radios, but FM transmitters aren't usually built-in due to liability of transmitter feedback from simultaneous transmission and reception of FM. Also, certain features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can interfere with professional-grade communications systems such as aircraft at airports.[citation needed]


document_title: World Series of Poker

question_text: who won the first world series of poker held at binions

root

text: World Series of Poker

text: Format[edit]

text: Since 1971, all WSOP events have been tournaments with cash prizes. In 1973, a five-card stud event was added. Since then, new events have been added and removed. Since 1976,[citation needed] a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP; later on,[when?] the winners of events before 1976 were retroactively given bracelets.[8]

tag: p

text: The tournament grew slowly for over a decade, reaching 52 participants in 1982. In the early 1980s, satellite tournaments were introduced, allowing people to win their way into the various events. By 1987, there were over 2,100 entrants in the entire series.[1]

text: At the 2006 World Series of Poker, there were 45 events, covering the majority of poker variants. Participation in the Main Event peaked that year, with 8,773 players.[9]

text: Currently, Texas hold 'em, Omaha hold 'em and Seven-card stud and their lowball variants are played. H.O.R.S.E. has been played in the past and returned in 2006. Also, S.H.O.E. has been played in the past, and returned in 2007. Other events played in the past include Chinese poker, Five card stud, and many others. Like most tournaments, the sponsoring casino takes an entry fee (a percentage between 6% and 10%, depending on the buy-in) and distributes the rest, hence the prize money increasing with more players. In the 2005 Main Event, US$52,818,610 in prize money was distributed among 560 players, with US$7.5 million as the first prize. The 2006 Main Event, won by Jamie Gold, is the largest single poker tournament by prize pool or by entrant numbers in history; Gold pocketed US$12 million for his victory.  In July 2010, it was announced that the winner of the 2010 Main Event would receive just under US$9 million.

text: On June 2, 2011, the World Series of Poker and Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté announced plans for an officially sanctioned special fundraising event, known as The Big One for One Drop, starting on July 1, 2012 with a record US$1 million entry fee.[10] 11% of the money (more precisely, $111,111 from each buy-in) went to Laliberté's charity, the One Drop Foundation, and the WSOP waived its normal 10% rake of the entry fees. At the time of the original announcement, 15 of the maximum 48 seats had been taken. By early December 2011, the field size had increased to 22, the minimum required for an official bracelet tournament.[11] Among those who committed early to the event were Johnny Chan, Daniel Negreanu, Jonathan Duhamel, Tom Dwan, Laliberté, billionaire businessman Phil Ruffin and Erik Seidel. On April 12, 2012, the WSOP announced that 30 players had committed to the tournament, which brought the first prize to $12.3 million, exceeding the record amount won by Jamie Gold. In the end, all 48 seats were filled, resulting in a first prize of $18.3 million.[12] Poker professional Antonio Esfandiari won the event, also receiving a special platinum WSOP bracelet.[13]

text: Highlights[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

tag: table

text: The number of participants in the WSOP grew every year from 2000 until 2006.  Following 2006, new online gambling legislation restricted the number of online qualifiers to the event.  2007 was the first dip in numbers in the 21st century while in 2008 more people participated than the previous year. In 2000, there were 4,780 entrants in the various events, but in 2005, the number rose to over 23,000 players.  In the main event alone, the number of participants grew from 839 in 2003 to 8,773 in 2006, and has hovered between 6,300 and 7,200 entrants in the eleven years since.[14] Phil Hellmuth has won the most bracelets with 15 followed by Doyle Brunson, Johnny Chan, and Phil Ivey with ten bracelets each. Crandell Addington is the only player to place in the top ten of the World Series of Poker Main Event eight times, albeit in earlier years with small fields compared to modern times. Four players have won the Main Event multiple times: Johnny Moss (1970, 1971, and 1974), Doyle Brunson (1976 and 1977), Stu Ungar (1980, 1981, and 1997) and Johnny Chan (1987 and 1988). Bracelet winners who first achieved fame in other fields include French actor/singer Patrick Bruel (in 1998), Danish soccer player Jan Vang Sørensen (in 2002), American actress Jennifer Tilly (in 2005), and American musician/record producer Steve Albini (in 2018). In recent years, there have been non-bracelet events at the WSOP; two of the most notable are the "World Series of Rock Paper Scissors" and "Ante Up for Africa."

text: History[edit]

text: The idea of a World Series of Poker began in 1969 with an event called the Texas Gambling Reunion.[15]  It was an invitational event sponsored by Tom Moore of San Antonio, Texas, and held at the Holiday Hotel and Casino in Reno.[15] This inaugural event was won by Crandell Addington.  The set of tournaments that the World Series of Poker (WSOP) would evolve into was the brainchild of Las Vegas casino owner and poker player Benny Binion. In 1970, the first WSOP at Binion's Horseshoe took place as a series of cash games that included five-card stud, deuce to seven low-ball draw, razz, seven-card stud, and Texas hold 'em.[citation needed] The format for the Main Event as a freeze-out Texas hold 'em game came the next year.  The winner in 1970, Johnny Moss, was elected by his peers as the first "World Champion of Poker" and received a silver cup as a prize.[15]

text: Acquisition by Harrah's[edit]

text: In 2004, Harrah's Entertainment (now Caesars Entertainment) purchased Binion's Horseshoe, retained the rights to the Horseshoe and World Series of Poker brands, sold the hotel and casino to MTR Gaming Group, and announced that the 2005 Series events would be held at the Harrah's-owned Rio Hotel and Casino, located just off the Las Vegas Strip.[15] The final two days of the main event in 2005 were held downtown at what is now the MTR-operated "Binion's" in celebration of the centennial of the founding of Las Vegas. The WSOP also added a made-for-television $2 million "freeroll" invitational Tournament of Champions (TOC) event first won by Annie Duke as a "winner-take-all" event.

text: Main Event[edit]

text: Since 1972, the Main Event of the WSOP has been the $10,000 buy-in no-limit Texas Hold 'em (NLHE) tournament (in 1971 the buy-in was $5,000 and the inaugural 1970 event was an invitational with winner determined by a vote from the players). Winners of the event not only get the largest prize of the tournament and a gold bracelet, but additionally their picture is placed in the Gallery of Champions at Binion's.

text: The winner of the Main Event has traditionally been given the unofficial title of World Champion. However, some believe that no-limit hold 'em is not the optimal structure for determining a champion poker player. In 2002, Daniel Negreanu argued that the Main Event should switch to pot-limit hold 'em, believing that pot-limit required a more complete set of poker skills than no-limit, although he admitted that such a change would likely never be made.[16] However, after the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E./Poker Players Championship event was added, many of the game's top professionals, including Negreanu, have since stated that this tournament ultimately decides the world's best player. The $50,000 buy-in, being five times larger than the buy-in for the Main Event, has thus far tended to deter amateurs from playing in this event, and the variety of games played require a broader knowledge of poker. The first $50,000 event, conducted as a H.O.R.S.E. tournament, was won by Chip Reese in 2006. In 2010, the $50,000 event changed from H.O.R.S.E. to an "8-game" format, adding no-limit hold 'em, pot-limit Omaha, and 2–7 triple draw to the mix, and was rechristened The Poker Players Championship,[17][18] with Michael Mizrachi winning the first edition of the revamped event.[19] Since Reese's death in December 2007, the winner of this event receives the David 'Chip' Reese Memorial Trophy in addition to the bracelet and the prize money.[20]

text: There have been many memorable moments during the main events, including Jack Straus's 1982 comeback win after discovering he had one $500 chip left when he thought he was out of the tournament. The end of the 1988 main event was featured in the movie Rounders. Chris Moneymaker and Greg Raymer, the winners in 2003 and 2004, both qualified for the main event through satellite tournaments at the PokerStars online card room. Jerry Yang, the winner in 2007, had only been playing poker for two years prior to his victory. He won his seat at a $225 satellite tournament at Pechanga Resort & Casino, in California. With passage of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) of 2006 online poker sites have been barred from purchasing entrance directly for their users.

text: Main Event results[edit]

text:
Year

Winner

Winninghand

First place prize

Entrants

Runner-up

Losinghand

1970

 Johnny Moss

N/A

N/A

7

N/A

N/A

1971

 Johnny Moss

N/A

7004300000000000000♠30,000

6

 Walter "Puggy" Pearson

N/A

1972

 Thomas "Amarillo Slim" Preston, Jr.

K♥ J♦

7004800000000000000♠80,000

8

 Walter "Puggy" Pearson

6  6

1973

 Walter "Puggy" Pearson

A♠ 7♠

7005130000000000000♠130,000

13

 Johnny Moss

K♥ J♠

1974

 Johnny Moss

3♥ 3♠

7005160000000000000♠160,000

16

 Crandell Addington

A♣ 2♣

1975

 Brian "Sailor" Roberts

J♠ J♥

7005210000000000000♠210,000

21

 Bob Hooks

J♣ 9♣

1976

 Doyle Brunson

10♠ 2♠

7005220000000000000♠220,000

22

 Jesse Alto

A♠ J♦

1977

 Doyle Brunson

10♠ 2♥

7005340000000000000♠340,000

34

 Gary Berland

8♥ 5♣

1978

 Bobby Baldwin

Q♦ Q♣

7005210000000000000♠210,000

42

 Crandell Addington

9♦ 9♣

1979

 Hal Fowler

7♠ 6♦

7005270000000000000♠270,000

54

 Bobby Hoff

A♣ A♥

1980

 Stu Ungar

5♠ 4♠

7005385000000000000♠385,000

73

 Doyle Brunson

A♥ 7♠

1981

 Stu Ungar

A♥ Q♥

7005375000000000000♠375,000

75

 Perry Green

10♣ 9♦

1982

 Jack Straus

A♥ 10♠

7005520000000000000♠520,000

104

 Dewey Tomko

A♦ 4♦

1983

 Tom McEvoy

Q♦ Q♠

7005540000000000000♠540,000

108

 Rod Peate

K♦ J♦

1984

 Jack Keller

10♥ 10♠

7005660000000000000♠660,000

132

 Byron Wolford

6♥ 4♥

1985

 Bill Smith

3♠ 3♥

7005700000000000000♠700,000

140

 T. J. Cloutier

A♦ 3♣

1986

 Berry Johnston

A♠ 10♥

7005570000000000000♠570,000

141

 Mike Harthcock

A♦ 8♦

1987

 Johnny Chan

A♠ 9♣

7005625000000000000♠625,000

152

 Frank Henderson

4♦ 4♣

1988

 Johnny Chan

J♣ 9♣

7005700000000000000♠700,000

167

 Erik Seidel

Q♣ 7♥

1989

 Phil Hellmuth, Jr.

9♠ 9♣

7005755000000000000♠755,000

178

 Johnny Chan

A♠ 7♠

1990

 Mansour Matloubi

6♥ 6♠

7005895000000000000♠895,000

194

 Hans Lund

4♦ 4♣

1991

 Brad Daugherty

K♠ J♠

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

215

 Don Holt

7♥ 3♥

1992

 Hamid Dastmalchi

8♥ 4♣

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

201

 Tom Jacobs

J♦ 7♠

1993

 Jim Bechtel

J♠ 6♠

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

220

 Glenn Cozen

7♦ 4♥

1994

 Russ Hamilton

K♠ 8♥

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

268

 Hugh Vincent

8♣ 5♥

1995

 Dan Harrington

9♦ 8♦

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

273

 Howard Goldfarb

A♥ 7♣

1996

 Huck Seed

9♦ 8♦

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

295

 Bruce Van Horn

K♣ 8♣

1997

 Stu Ungar

A♥ 4♣

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

312

 John Strzemp

A♠ 8♣

1998

 Scotty Nguyen

J♦ 9♣

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

350

 Kevin McBride

Q♥ 10♥

1999

 Noel Furlong

5♣ 5♦

7006100000000000000♠1,000,000

393

 Alan Goehring

6♥ 6♣

2000

 Chris Ferguson

A♠ 9♣

7006150000000000000♠1,500,000

512

 T. J. Cloutier

A♦ Q♣

2001

 Juan Carlos Mortensen

K♣ Q♣

7006150000000000000♠1,500,000

613

 Dewey Tomko

A♠ A♥

2002

 Robert Varkonyi

Q♦ 10♠

7006200000000000000♠2,000,000

631

 Julian Gardner

J♣ 8♣

2003

 Chris Moneymaker

5♦ 4♠

7006250000000000000♠2,500,000

839

 Sam Farha

J♥ 10♦

2004

 Greg Raymer

8♠ 8♦

7006500000000000000♠5,000,000

2,576

 David Williams

A♥ 4♠

2005

 Joe Hachem

7♣ 3♠

7006750000000000000♠7,500,000

5,619

 Steve Dannenmann

A♦ 3♣

2006

 Jamie Gold

Q♠ 9♣

7007120000000000000♠12,000,000

8,773

 Paul Wasicka

10♥ 10♠

2007

 Jerry Yang

8♦ 8♣

7006825000000000000♠8,250,000

6,358

 Tuan Lam

A♦ Q♦

2008

 Peter Eastgate

A♦ 5♠

7006915241600000000♠9,152,416

6,844

 Ivan Demidov

4♥ 2♥

2009

 Joe Cada

9♦ 9♣

7006854704200000000♠8,547,042

6,494

 Darvin Moon

Q♦ J♦

2010

 Jonathan Duhamel

A♠ J♥

7006894431000000000♠8,944,310

7,319

 John Racener

K♦ 8♦

2011

 Pius Heinz

A♠ K♣

7006871563800000000♠8,715,638

6,865

 Martin Staszko

10♣ 7♣

2012

 Greg Merson

K♦ 5♦

7006853185300000000♠8,531,853

6,598

 Jesse Sylvia

Q♠ J♠

2013

 Ryan Riess

A♥ K♥

7006836157000000000♠8,361,570

6,352

 Jay Farber

Q♠ 5♠

2014

 Martin Jacobson

10♥ 10♦

7007100000000000000♠10,000,000

6,683

 Felix Stephensen

A♥ 9♥

2015

 Joe McKeehen

A♥ 10♦

7006768334600000000♠7,683,346

6,420

 Joshua Beckley

4♣ 4♦

2016

 Qui Nguyen

K♣ 10♣

7006800531000000000♠8,005,310

6,737

 Gordon Vayo

J♠ 10♠

2017

 Scott Blumstein

A♥ 2♦

7006815000000000000♠8,150,000

7,221

 Dan Ott

A♦ 8♦

2018

 John Cynn

K♣ J♣

7006880000000000000♠8,800,000

7,874

 Tony Miles

Q♣ 8♥

text: (Flag indicates the country of residency of the player at the time of the event)

text: Players[edit]

text: Records[edit]

text: Since its inception, Stu Ungar and Johnny Moss are the only players to have won the Main Event three times. However, Moss's first victory came in a different format, as he was elected winner by vote of his fellow players at the conclusion of what was then a timed event. Moss (if the first time win by vote is counted), Ungar, Doyle Brunson, and Johnny Chan are the only people who have won the Main Event in consecutive years. Chan's second victory in 1988 was featured in the 1998 film Rounders.

text: Phil Hellmuth holds multiple WSOP records including most bracelets, most WSOP cashes, and most WSOP final tables. He is also the only player to have won the Main Events of both the WSOP and WSOP Europe.[21][22]

text: In recent years, the prize pool for the WSOP Main Event has become so large that the winner instantly becomes one of the top money winners of WSOP and even in tournament poker history. Before July 2012, the top seven players on the all-time WSOP Earnings list were Main Event champions from 2005 to 2011, among whom Jamie Gold topped those seven, he won the 2006 Main Event, which had then the biggest first prize for a single tournament, and still is the largest poker tournament by prize pool in history. However, the all-time leader is currently poker professional Daniel Negreanu, who has not won a Main Event, although he won the inaugural WSOP Asia Pacific Main Event in 2013. He is followed by professionals Antonio Esfandiari and Daniel Colman, both also yet to win a Main Event in Las Vegas.

text: The list below includes the WSOP Europe and WSOP Asia-Pacific, but excludes WSOP Circuit events and other non-bracelet events. The results are updated through the 2014 WSOP APAC.

text:
Overall:[23][24]

Most bracelets: Phil Hellmuth (15)
Most earnings: Antonio Esfandiari ($21,107,812)
Most cashes: Phil Hellmuth (109)
Most final tables: Phil Hellmuth (53)
Youngest bracelet winner: Annette Obrestad (2007 WSOPE Main Event; 18 years, 364 days)
Oldest bracelet winner: Johnny Moss (aged 81; won the $1,500 Limit Ace to Five Draw event in 1988, on his 81st birthday)
Most bracelets in one year: Puggy Pearson (1973), Ted Forrest (1993), Phil Hellmuth (1993), Phil Ivey (2002), Jeff Lisandro (2009), George Danzer (2014 (his third bracelet that he won in 2014 was during the WSOP APAC)) (3 bracelets)
Most final tables in one year: An Tran (6 final tables, 1992)
Most cashes in one year: Chris Ferguson (2017) (23 cashes)
Most consecutive years with at least one bracelet: Bill Boyd (1971–1974), Doyle Brunson (1976–1979) (4)
Most consecutive years with at least one cash: Mike Sexton (30, 1988 – 2017)
Most Player of the Year awards (since 2004): Daniel Negreanu (2, 2004 and 2013)
Oldest WSOP event participant: Jack Ury (2010; age 97)

WSOP Main Events:[24]

Most Main Event wins: Johnny Moss (1970 (by vote), 1971, 1974), Stu Ungar (1980, 1981, 1997) (3)
Most Main Event wins in consecutive years: Johnny Moss (1970 (by vote) – 1971), Doyle Brunson (1976–1977), Stu Ungar (1980–1981), Johnny Chan (1987–1988) (2)
Most Main Event earnings: Jamie Gold ($12,000,000)
Most Main Event cashes: Berry Johnston (10)
Most consecutive Main Event cashes: Ronnie Bardah (2010–2014) (5)[25]
Most Main Event final tables: Doyle Brunson, Jesse Alto (5)
Youngest Main Event Champion: Joe Cada (2009; 21 years, 357 days)
Oldest Main Event Champion: Johnny Moss (1974; 66 years, 358 days)
Most Main Events played: Howard Andrew (1974–2014) (41)
Oldest Main Event participant: Jack Ury (2010; age 97)

text: Player of the Year[edit]

text: Since 2004, a Player of the Year (POY) award has been given to the player with the most points accumulated throughout the WSOP.  As of 2013, nine different players have won the ten awards, with Daniel Negreanu as the only two-time winner.

text: Only "open" events in which all players can participate count in the standings; this eliminates the Seniors, Ladies, and Casino Employee events.[26] Beginning with the 2006 World Series of Poker, the Main Event and the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. competition had no effect on the outcome of the winner of the Player of the Year award. In the 2008 World Series of Poker, the $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. event counted toward the Player of the Year award, but the Main Event did not. Since 2009, all open events, including the Main Event, count towards Player of the Year. The Player of the Year standings were based upon performance solely at the WSOP in Las Vegas up until 2010, but beginning in 2011 have also taken the World Series of Poker Europe into account, and starting in 2013 also include events in the World Series of Poker Asia Pacific. The 2011 WSOP Player of the Year organized by Bluff Magazine used a different scoring system which took into account field sizes and buy-in amounts when calculating points earned.[27] This scoring system has been used ever since.

text:
Year

Winner

Bracelets

Final Tables

Cashes

WSOP Earnings (US$)

2004

Daniel Negreanu

1

5

6

7005346280000000000♠346,280

2005

Allen Cunningham

1

4

5

7006100711500000000♠1,007,115

2006

Jeff Madsen

2

4

4

7006146785200000000♠1,467,852

2007

Tom Schneider

2

3

3

7005416829000000000♠416,829

2008

Erick Lindgren

1

3

5

7006134852800000000♠1,348,528

2009

Jeff Lisandro

3

4

6

7005807521000000000♠807,521

2010

Frank Kassela

2

3

6

7006125531400000000♠1,255,314

2011

Ben Lamb

1

4

5

7006535297000000000♠5,352,970

2012

Greg Merson

2

2

5

7006978535400000000♠9,785,354

2013

Daniel Negreanu

2

4

10

7006195405400000000♠1,954,054

2014

George Danzer

3

5

10

7005878933000000000♠878,933

2015

Mike Gorodinsky

1

3

8

7006176648700000000♠1,766,487

2016

Jason Mercier[28]

2

4

11

7005960424000000000♠960,424

2017

Chris Ferguson

1

3

23

7005428423000000000♠428,423

text: Since 2016, the WSOP payout a bigger percentage of the field (15% instead of 10% until then).[29]

text: Poker Hall of Fame[edit]

text: Since its inception in 1979, the WSOP Poker Hall of Fame has honored 42 individuals.[30] Selection criteria for players include having competed against acknowledged top competition, played for high stakes, and played consistently well to gain the respect of their peers. For non-players, selection is based on positive and lasting contributions to the overall growth and success of poker.[citation needed]

text: Expansion[edit]

text: 2005 – WSOP Circuit[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (October 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: Starting in 2005, the WSOP began the World Series of Poker Circuit, a satellite series held at Harrah's-owned properties in the United States. In addition to the $10,000 buy-in tournament at each site, qualifying players became eligible for a revamped Tournament of Champions. The 2005 TOC, made up of the top twenty qualifying players at each circuit event, along with the final table from the 2005 Main Event and the winners of nine or more bracelets (Johnny Chan, Doyle Brunson, and Phil Hellmuth) would participate in the revamped TOC at Caesars Palace.  Mike Matusow won the first prize of $1 million (US), and all the players at the final table were guaranteed a minimum of $25,000 for the eighth and ninth-place finishers.

text: During a break in the final table of the 2005 Main Event on July 16, Harrah's announced that eleven  properties — including the recently added Bally's and Caesar's properties — would host 2005–06 WSOP Circuit events that started on August 11 in Tunica, Mississippi.  One event that was scheduled for Biloxi, Mississippi, was canceled after the Grand Casino Biloxi, which was scheduled to host the event, suffered major damage from Hurricane Katrina. The Rio also hosted the 2006 World Series of Poker, which began on June 25 with satellite events and formally began the day after with the annual Casino Employee event, won in 2006 by Chris Gros. 2006 featured the Tournament of Champions on June 25 and 26, won by Mike Sexton. Various events led up to the Main Event, which was held from July 28 until August 10. The first prize of $12 million was awarded to Jamie Gold.

text: 2007 – World Series of Poker Europe[edit]

text: The World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE) is the first expansion of the World Series of Poker in series history. In September 2007, the first WSOP championship events outside of Las Vegas, complete with bracelets, were held.[31]  The inaugural WSOPE consisted of three events held in London from September 6–17, 2007. The main event, a GBP 10,000 buy-in no-limit hold 'em tournament, was won by Norwegian online prodigy Annette Obrestad on the day before her 19th birthday. This made her the youngest person ever to win a WSOP bracelet, a record that cannot be broken in the Las Vegas WSOP under current laws because the minimum legal age for casino gaming in Nevada is 21. Obrestad could play in the WSOPE because the minimum age for casino gaming in the United Kingdom is 18. While no definitive plans have been announced, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack has indicated that in the next one to three years that other venues may start holding WSOP events.[citation needed] Two locations that have been mentioned as possible expansion sites are Egypt and South Africa,[32] and the World Series of Poker Africa was ultimately launched in South Africa in 2010. However, it is currently treated as a WSOP Circuit event, with no bracelets awarded. The next expansion of the WSOP that included bracelet events was ultimately to Australia.[33]

text: The WSOPE moved from London to Cannes, France in 2011. At that time, the buy-ins and payouts changed from being fixed in pounds to euros.[citation needed] The event moved again in 2013, this time to the Paris suburb of Enghien-les-Bains.[34]

text: In November 2013, it was announced that the WSOPE would in the future alternate with the World Series of Poker Asia Pacific (WSOP APAC), which launched in 2013. The WSOPE will now be held only in odd-numbered years, with WSOP APAC conducted in even-numbered years.[35]

text: WSOPE Main Event results[edit]

text:
Year

Winner

Winning Hand

Prize

Entrants

Runner-Up

Losing Hand

2007

Annette Obrestad

7♥ 7♠

£1,000,000

362

John Tabatabai

5♠ 6♦

2008

John Juanda

K♠ 6♣

£868,800

362

Stanislav Alekhin

A♣ 9♠

2009

Barry Shulman

10♠ 10♣

£801,603

334

Daniel Negreanu

4♠ 4♦

2010

James Bord

10♦ 10♥

£830,401

346

Fabrizio Baldassari

5♠ 5♥

2011

Elio Fox

A♦ 10♠

€1,400,000(£1,206,577)

593

Chris Moorman

A♥ 7♠

2012

Phil Hellmuth

A♥ 10♦

€1,022,376

420

Sergii Baranov

A♠ 4♣

2013

Adrián Mateos

A♠ K♣

€1,000,000

375

Fabrice Soulier

9♦ 8♦

2015

Kevin MacPhee

A♦ 4♦

€883,000

313

David Lopez

K♥ K♣

2017

Marti Roca de Torres

Q♥ 5♦

€1,115,207

529

Gianluca Speranza

10♠ 8♦

text: 2010 World Series of Poker – Africa[edit]

text: In 2010, the WSOP expanded overseas once again, only this time to Gauteng, South Africa. Although the 2010 event was part of the WSOP Circuit, winners did not earn a gold ring or standing for the WSOP Circuit National Championship, both of which were common for other circuit events.[36]  This policy changed in 2012.[37]  The WSOPA did not occur in 2011 but would come back in 2012.

text: 2013 World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific[edit]

text: On April 30, 2012, the WSOP and Australian casino Crown Melbourne jointly announced the creation of the World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific (WSOP APAC). The first edition of the event was held at Crown's Melbourne Casino from April 4–15, 2013 and featured five bracelet events in the series.[33]

text: WSOP APAC Main Event results[edit]

text:
Year

Winner

Winning Hand

Prize

Entrants

Runner-Up

Losing Hand

2013

Daniel Negreanu

2♠ 2♥

A$1,038,825

405

Daniel Marton

A♠ 7♠

2014

Scott Davies

6♦ 6♠

A$850,136

329

Jack Salter

Q♣ 10♣

text: 2015 – WSOP International Circuit[edit]

text: In 2015, the WSOP International Circuit was launched, with rounds in Canada, Latin America, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Africa. The winners of each tournament join the WSOP Circuit winners to play the WSOP Global Casino Championship.[38] The International Circuit has expanded to 13 tournaments for the 2017/18 season.[39]

text: WSOP television coverage[edit]

text: The earliest filming of the World Series was a special produced by Binion's Horseshoe in 1973 and narrated by Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder. CBS began covering the World Series in the late 1970s.

text: In the early 1980s, the event was again broadcast as specials. In the late 1980s, the World Series returned to television as ESPN took over broadcasting. Initially, coverage only consisted of just a single one-hour taped-delay broadcast of the Main Event.

text: ESPN Classic currently airs many of the old broadcasts from the mid-1990s and beyond. Since no "pocket cam" existed, very few hole cards were actually shown to television viewers. Generally, ESPN used poker-playing actors such as Dick Van Patten, Vince Van Patten, and Gabe Kaplan, with either the tournament director (usually Jim Albrecht) or a poker professional, of which one was Phil Hellmuth, joining the team. Unlike today's coverage, ESPN featured no pre-taped interviews or profiles on the players. In addition, the commentators were generally on the casino floor itself.

text: In the 1994 coverage of the final hand of the Main Event shows Hugh Vincent holding 8♣ 5♥ .  The flop was 8♣ 2♠ 6♦, indicating that there were two 8♣ in the deck.  The tournament director announces that Hugh Vincent needed two running spades to win.  The likely hand for Hugh Vincent was 8♠ 5♠, but there is no known video of the actual hand turned over by Hugh Vincent.[40]

text: Early 2000s[edit]

text: From 1999 to 2001, the World Series of Poker was broadcast by The Discovery Channel.  These hour-long programs presented more of an overview or recap of the WSOP as opposed to broadcasting an actual live event with play-by-play analysis and color commentary.  The Discovery Channel's broadcast also featured final table players interviews interlaced throughout the show.  ESPN would resume coverage the following year.

text: ESPN's coverage in 2002 was typical of their coverage in the 1990s (recorded in video, little or no post-production commentary or player profiles, no card cams).  However, the final table broadcast was expanded over two one-hour episodes. The 2002 WSOP was the first with the "sneak peek" (later called the pocket cam, or hole cam).

text: 2003: Major expansion[edit]

text: In 2003, Fred Christenson secured the long-term rights acquisition for ESPN,[41] and the channel expanded their coverage to new heights with their coverage of the WSOP.  They included coverage of the entire tournament, with a "Featured Table".  At this table, the viewers could see the player's hole cards and subsequent strategy.  The action was also broadcast as if live, though on tape-delay.  2003 was the first year that the broadcast covered action preceding the final table. Since then, ESPN has greatly expanded its coverage to include many of the preliminary events of the WSOP, especially Texas Hold 'Em. Also, their coverage of the main event now typically includes at least one hour program on each day. For the first two years of its existence, ESPN was broadcasting one hour programs of the "circuit" events that the WSOP has at various Harrah's-owned casinos, but ESPN did not renew these events. ESPN's coverage now includes many of the trappings of sports coverage, such as lighter segments (called "The Nuts") and interviews. ESPN's coverage has been largely driven by Matt Maranz, Executive Producer for the WSOP telecasts. Maranz previously worked on ESPN's football pre-game show, and has also produced taped segments for NBC's Olympic coverage.

text: Coverage would increase in 2004 and 2005 to include preliminary events from the WSOP, in addition to the "Main Event". ESPN has expanded poker to all-new levels, especially with their coverage of the 2006 WSOP, including providing the entire final table of the 2006 Main Event via pay-per-view airing. In 2008, ESPN experimented with the idea of a delayed final table.  This idea presented greater sponsorship opportunities and notoriety, culminating in a recap of the Main Event and the conclusion of the 2008 Main Event final table. In 2009, ESPN announced they would again move the final table to November 2009. The WSOP also decided there would be no rebuy events in 2009. The decision was reached because of complaints that rebuy events provided an unfair advantage to professionals with no limitation on how much money they can spend for an event.  There were 57 bracelet events that year. The 2010 WSOP had the same number of bracelet events as in 2009, again with no rebuy events.

text: With 58 bracelet events and no rebuy events, the 2011 WSOP featured unprecedented "nearly live" coverage, with broadcasts being delayed by much smaller amounts of time while still satisfying Nevada Gaming Commission regulators. Caesars Entertainment, via WSOP.com, streamed final-table coverage of all bracelet events on a 5-minute delay, although without pocket cams. The ESPN family of networks aired 36 hours of Main Event coverage leading up to the November Nine on a 30-minute delay, showing the hole cards of all players who voluntarily entered the pot once the hand ended. The Main Event final table was broadcast on a 15-minute delay with the same policy regarding hole cards. The first day of the final table was aired on ESPN2 and the final day on ESPN, with both days also streamed on ESPN3 and WSOP.com.

text: POKER PROductions, led by Mori Eskandani, a former poker player turned television executive, has produced the World Series of Poker Europe since 2008 and World Series of Poker since 2011.  Eskandani pioneered the live broadcast format seen at the WSOP Final Table since 2011. Once a 2-day format, the Final Table is now carried over 3 nights, after several years of a "November Nine", the Final Table was held in July for the 2018 Main Event. Ratings for the Final Table have remained consistent with poker's boom despite Black Friday.

text: WSOP broadcasters[edit]

text:
1973 (special) – Jimmy Snyder
1978 (CBS) – Brent Musburger and Jimmy Snyder
1979 (CBS) – Frank Glieber and Jimmy Snyder
1981 (special) – Curt Gowdy
1983 (special) – Curt Gowdy and Bobby Baldwin
1987 (special) – Ted Robinson
1988 (ESPN) – Chris Marlowe
1989 (ESPN) – Chris Marlowe
1990 (ESPN) – Chris Marlowe
1991 (ESPN) – Chris Marlowe
1992 (ESPN) – Chris Marlowe
1993 (ESPN) – Dick Van Patten and Jim Albrecht
1994 (ESPN) – Dick Van Patten and Jim Albrecht
1995 (ESPN) – Dick Van Patten and Jim Albrecht
1996 – Was not televised
1997 (ESPN) – Gabe Kaplan and Jim Albrecht
1998 (ESPN) – Vince Van Patten and Jim Albrecht
1999 (The Discovery Channel)
2000 (The Discovery Channel)
2001 (The Discovery Channel)

2002 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Gabe Kaplan; (ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Gabriela Hill
2003 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Gabriela Hill
2004 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Gabriela Hill
2005 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Gabriela Hill and Andrés Agulla
2006 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; Phil Gordon and Ali Nejad in Main Event Pay-per-view; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Gabriela Hill and Andrés Agulla
2007 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; Phil Gordon and Ali Nejad in Main Event Pay-per-view; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Fernando Álvarez and Gabriela Hill
2008 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Fernando Álvarez and Gabriela Hill
2009 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Georgina Ruiz Sandoval and Fernando Álvarez

2010 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern and Norman Chad; (ESPN3) – James Hartigan and Adam Schoenfeld, Phil Hellmuth, Gavin Griffin, Bernard Lee, Jonathan Aguiar, Joseph Cheong; (ESPN Deportes and ESPN Latin America – Spanish) – Georgina Ruiz Sandoval and Fernando Álvarez
2011 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern, Norman Chad and Kara Scott; (ESPN2 & 3 LIVE) Lon McEachern, David Tuchman, Antonio Esfandiari, Norman Chad, Phil Hellmuth, Olivier Busquet, Johnny Chan, Vanessa Rousso
2012 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, Antonio Esfandiari, Kara Scott, and Olivier Busquet
2013 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, Antonio Esfandiari, Kara Scott, Marianela Pereyra, and Phil Hellmuth
2014 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, Antonio Esfandiari, Kara Scott, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Hellmuth
2015 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, Antonio Esfandiari, Kara Scott, Daniel Negreanu, and Phil Hellmuth
2016 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, Antonio Esfandiari, Kara Scott

2017 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, and Kara Scott
2018 (ESPN) – Lon McEachern, Norman Chad, Antonio Esfandiari, and Joe Stapleton

text: Marketing[edit]

text: This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: The WSOP has corporate sponsors and licensed products which pay fees to market themselves as an official sponsors and/or licensees and exclusively use the WSOP insignia and cross-promote with their events.  Besides the Harrah's properties and ESPN, major sponsors have included Jack Links Beef Jerky, Miller Brewing's "Milwaukee's Best" brand of beers, Pepsi's SoBe Adrenaline Rush energy drink (sponsors of the 2005 TOC), Helene Curtis's Degree brand of anti-perspirant/deodorant, United States Playing Card's Bicycle Pro Cards, Bluff Magazine, GlaxoSmithKline/Bayer's Levitra erectile dysfunction medicine, and The Hershey Company.  Licensees include Glu Mobile, Activision (video games for different platforms such as Nintendo's GameCube, Microsoft's Xbox, Sony's PlayStation 2, and PC, featuring computer-generated versions of stars like Chris Ferguson), and products made by different companies ranging from chip sets, playing cards, hand-held games, and clothing like caps and shirts. The official playing cards and chips are manufactured by Excalibur Electronics, Inc. which is based out of Miami, Florida and has been the main chip licensee since 2005. The fees and licenses bring in more than a million dollars to Harrah's.

text: DVD releases[edit]

text: In 2003[42] and 2004,[43] DVD sets were released by ESPN of the Main Event.

text: Video games[edit]

text: In 2005, a video game based on the tournament series, titled World Series of Poker, was released for several consoles and PC. A sequel called World Series of Poker: Tournament of Champions came out in 2006. In 2007, World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets was released. WSOP video poker machines now appear at some Harrah's casinos; the machines are standard video poker machines, but have a bonus feature which allows a player to play a modified game of Texas Hold 'em against the machine.[44]

text: WSOP Poker Academy[edit]

text: Beginning in 2007, Harrah's announced the creation of the World Series of Poker Academy, a poker school aimed at providing poker players with the skills needed to win a WSOP bracelet.  The instructors for the Academy include Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Jr., Greg Raymer, Scott Fischman, Mark Kroon, Mark Seif, Alex Outhred, and former FBI interrogator Joe Navarro.  Initial academies were launched in Tunica, Mississippi, Indiana, and Las Vegas.[citation needed]

text: WSOP online[edit]

text: In September 2009, Harrah's signed an agreement with Dragonfish, the B2B arm of 888 Holdings, to provide its online gaming services. The offering went live in the UK later that year, allowing UK users to play for real money. Real money online poker is available in the United States, but only in Delaware, Nevada, and New Jersey.

text: WSOP Arizona Lottery[edit]

text: In December 2010, the Arizona Lottery issued Game Number 739: World Series of Poker $5 Scratchers(sm) with a $50,000 top prize.  Played on two tables, the game included a second chance drawing for non-winning tickets to win one of two Grand Prize Trip Packages that included a seat at the 2011 World Series of Poker Main Event or one of eight WSOP Poker Party Prize Packs.[citation needed]


document_title: Lift Every Voice and Sing

question_text: who wrote the lyrics to the black national anthem

text: Lift Every Voice and Sing

text: "Lift Every Voice and Sing" — often referred to as the "Black American National Anthem"— is a song written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) in 1900 and set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954) in 1905.[1]

text: History[edit]

text: "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was publicly performed first as a poem as part of a celebration of Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12, 1900, by 500 school children at the segregated Stanton School in Jacksonville, Florida. Its principal, James Weldon Johnson, wrote the words to introduce its honored guest Booker T. Washington. The poem was set to music in 1905 by Johnson's brother John. In 1919, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) dubbed it "The Negro National Anthem"[2] for its power in voicing the cry for liberation and affirmation for African-American people.[1]

text: In 1939, Augusta Savage received a commission from the New York World's Fair and created a 16-foot (5 m) plaster sculpture called Lift Every Voice and Sing which was destroyed by bulldozers at the close of the fair.[3]

text: In Maya Angelou's 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the song is sung by the audience and students at Maya's eighth grade graduation, after a white school official dashes the educational aspirations of her class.[4]

text: In 1990, singer Melba Moore released a modern rendition of the song, which she recorded along with others including R&B artists Stephanie Mills, Freddie Jackson, Anita Baker, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Brown, Stevie Wonder, Jeffrey Osborne, and Howard Hewett; and gospel artists BeBe & CeCe Winans, Take 6, and The Clark Sisters, after which, "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" was entered into the Congressional Record by Del. Walter Fauntroy (D-DC).[5]

text: In 2008, jazz singer Rene Marie was asked to perform the national anthem at a civic event in Denver, Colorado, where she caused a controversy by substituting the words of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" into the song. This arrangement of the words of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" with the melody of "The Star Spangled Banner" became part of the titular suite on her 2011 CD release, "The Voice of My Beautiful Country".[6]

text: On January 20, 2009, the Rev. Joseph Lowery, who was formerly president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, used a near-verbatim recitation of the song's third stanza to begin his benediction at the inauguration ceremony for President Barack Obama.

text: On September 24, 2016, this song was sung by mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves and chorus at the conclusion of the opening ceremonies of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, at which Obama delivered the keynote address.

text: On October 19, 2017, when white supremacist leader Richard Spencer spoke at the University of Florida, the university's carillon played "Lift Every Voice and Sing" to convey a message of unity.[7]