World Series of Poker Casino Employee Championship
Encyclopedia
The Casino Employees Championship is one of only three closed tournaments awarding WSOP bracelet's at the World Series of Poker
gathering. While most of the events are open to the general public, participants in the Ladies Championship, Seniors Championship, and the Casino Employees Championship must meet certain eligibility requirements. While these events are closed, the winner of these events is "afforded the same distinction as all gold bracelet tournaments." The WSOP bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker
player can win.
(WSOP), held annually in Las Vegas
, is "the oldest, largest, most prestigious, and most media-hyped gaming competition in the world". In 2000, the WSOP started to honor Casino Employees by offering a bracelet event that only they could enter. The first tournament was called the "Dealers World Poker Championship" because it was limited to poker dealers. The following year the field was open to all casino employees.
Since the tournament is restricted to casino employees, most of the big name poker pros and previous bracelet winners are not allowed to participate. Therefore, even though the Casino Employee Championship is a World Series of Poker bracelet
event, it has typically received relatively little coverage. Despite this perception, the Casino Employee Championship event does involve numerous recognized names in the poker world. The 2009 tournament included two time bracelet winner Pat Poels
, WSOP vice president Ty Stewart, Bellagio Tournament Director/Former WSOP Director Jack McClelland, and Woman Poker Hall of Famer Marsha Waggoner
.
Prior to 2003, the tournament format was a Limit Hold'em tournament, but in 2004, No-Limit Hold'em became the standard. The 2006 tournament, with 1,232 entrants, was the largest field ever for the event. Since its inception, with the exception of 2008, the Casino Employees event has started on the first day of the WSOP. Much of the drama encountered at the Casino Championship often involves informal rivaliries between dealers and proposition players. Proposition players are people hired to play poker, with their own money, at casinos to get games started or to ensure that they do not die out. Thus, while both the prop and dealer are casino employees, they sit on opposite sides of the table.
from Las Vegas outlasted a field of 109 participants to become the first "Dealers World Poker Championship". While other Dealer Tournaments had a reputation for sloppy play, the first Dealer Championship was noted for the seriousness with which the players approached the game. In the end, however, the winner was not determined by the deal of the cards, but by a deal at the table. According to initial reports, the deal was only achieved because "a World Series bracelet was not available for negotiation, the players decided to take their money and go home." Other sources, however, indicate that the event was always intended to be a bracelet event. Either way, the official WSOP standings, credits Alizadeth with winning a WSOP bracelet at this event. By contrast the final three contestants at the 2003 Championship were doing Kamikaze
shots. "We were all having such a great time," the winner David Lukaszewski
said, "sitting around playing poker that I think we may have forgotten about the prize money and the bracelet."
The 2002 Casino Employee Championship almost mirrored Treetop Straus
's amazing comeback in the 1982 WSOP Main event. At the 1982 Main Event, Treetop was down to one $500 chip and came back to win the tournament. At the Casino Employee Championship, Dave Crunkleton, who has made 11 final WSOP tables but never won a bracelet, was down to one $500 chip with only four players left in the tournament. Crunkleton went all in with pocket eights and then succeeded in rebuilding his stack to $26,000 before being busted in third place. The 2002 winner, David Warga
went on to become the first Casino Employee Champion to win a WSOP open event in 2010.
Many of the top professional poker players got their start working in casinos. 1998 WSOP Main Event Champion and five time bracelet winner, Scotty Nguyen
's first job was as a dealer. Ted Forrest
, another five time bracelet winner, credits his ability to read players because of his experience as a dealer. One-time bracelet winner Erick Lindgren
also boasts a pedigree of starting out as a dealer.
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
gathering. While most of the events are open to the general public, participants in the Ladies Championship, Seniors Championship, and the Casino Employees Championship must meet certain eligibility requirements. While these events are closed, the winner of these events is "afforded the same distinction as all gold bracelet tournaments." The WSOP bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
player can win.
History
The World Series of PokerWorld Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
(WSOP), held annually in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
, is "the oldest, largest, most prestigious, and most media-hyped gaming competition in the world". In 2000, the WSOP started to honor Casino Employees by offering a bracelet event that only they could enter. The first tournament was called the "Dealers World Poker Championship" because it was limited to poker dealers. The following year the field was open to all casino employees.
Since the tournament is restricted to casino employees, most of the big name poker pros and previous bracelet winners are not allowed to participate. Therefore, even though the Casino Employee Championship is a World Series of Poker bracelet
World Series of Poker bracelet
The World Series of Poker bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". ...
event, it has typically received relatively little coverage. Despite this perception, the Casino Employee Championship event does involve numerous recognized names in the poker world. The 2009 tournament included two time bracelet winner Pat Poels
Pat Poels
Patrick Poels is an American professional poker player from Mesa, Arizona and a two-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner....
, WSOP vice president Ty Stewart, Bellagio Tournament Director/Former WSOP Director Jack McClelland, and Woman Poker Hall of Famer Marsha Waggoner
Marsha Waggoner
Marsha Waggoner is an American professional poker player who lives in Los Angeles, California.Waggoner has finished in the money at 20 World Series of Poker events as of 2010...
.
Prior to 2003, the tournament format was a Limit Hold'em tournament, but in 2004, No-Limit Hold'em became the standard. The 2006 tournament, with 1,232 entrants, was the largest field ever for the event. Since its inception, with the exception of 2008, the Casino Employees event has started on the first day of the WSOP. Much of the drama encountered at the Casino Championship often involves informal rivaliries between dealers and proposition players. Proposition players are people hired to play poker, with their own money, at casinos to get games started or to ensure that they do not die out. Thus, while both the prop and dealer are casino employees, they sit on opposite sides of the table.
Highlights
In 2000, Dave AlizadethDave Alizadeth
Dave Alizadeth was a poker dealer who won bracelet in the 2000 Dealer's Tournament event at the World Series of Poker...
from Las Vegas outlasted a field of 109 participants to become the first "Dealers World Poker Championship". While other Dealer Tournaments had a reputation for sloppy play, the first Dealer Championship was noted for the seriousness with which the players approached the game. In the end, however, the winner was not determined by the deal of the cards, but by a deal at the table. According to initial reports, the deal was only achieved because "a World Series bracelet was not available for negotiation, the players decided to take their money and go home." Other sources, however, indicate that the event was always intended to be a bracelet event. Either way, the official WSOP standings, credits Alizadeth with winning a WSOP bracelet at this event. By contrast the final three contestants at the 2003 Championship were doing Kamikaze
Kamikaze (cocktail)
The Kamikaze is made of two to one parts vodka, triple sec and lemon juice. According to the International Bartenders Association, it is served straight up in a cocktail glass. Garnish is typically a wedge or twist of lime....
shots. "We were all having such a great time," the winner David Lukaszewski
David Lukaszewski
David Lukaszewski was a 33 year old Poker Room Shift Manager at the Desert Diamond Casino who won a bracelet in the 2003 Casino Employees Championship event at the World Series of Poker. The Casino Employees Championship event was the first time that Lukaszewski had played in a tournament with a...
said, "sitting around playing poker that I think we may have forgotten about the prize money and the bracelet."
The 2002 Casino Employee Championship almost mirrored Treetop Straus
Jack Straus
Jack Straus was an American professional poker player. He is best known for winning the poker world championship in 1982....
's amazing comeback in the 1982 WSOP Main event. At the 1982 Main Event, Treetop was down to one $500 chip and came back to win the tournament. At the Casino Employee Championship, Dave Crunkleton, who has made 11 final WSOP tables but never won a bracelet, was down to one $500 chip with only four players left in the tournament. Crunkleton went all in with pocket eights and then succeeded in rebuilding his stack to $26,000 before being busted in third place. The 2002 winner, David Warga
David Warga (poker player)
David Warga poker dealer who won a bracelet in the 2002 Casino Employees Championship event at the World Series of Poker and then at the 2010 World Series of Poker won his second bracelet in an open event in the $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Low-8 or Better....
went on to become the first Casino Employee Champion to win a WSOP open event in 2010.
Many of the top professional poker players got their start working in casinos. 1998 WSOP Main Event Champion and five time bracelet winner, Scotty Nguyen
Scotty Nguyen
Thuận B. "Scotty" Nguyễn is a Vietnamese American professional poker player who is a five time World Series of Poker bracelet winner, most notably as the winner of the 1998 World Series of Poker Main Event and the 2008 WSOP $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship...
's first job was as a dealer. Ted Forrest
Ted Forrest
Ted Forrest is an American professional poker player, currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada.- Tournament Wins:...
, another five time bracelet winner, credits his ability to read players because of his experience as a dealer. One-time bracelet winner Erick Lindgren
Erick Lindgren
Erick A. Lindgren is an American professional poker player. He has won two World Poker Tour titles, one World Series of Poker bracelet, and more than seven million dollars in tournament earnings during his poker career.-Poker career:He won his first major tournament at the Bellagio in 2002 and...
also boasts a pedigree of starting out as a dealer.
Key
| Event | The buy-in and poker variant played |
| Year | The year of the tournament |
| Winner | The person who won the Employee Championship Event |
| Prize (US$) | The amount of money they won for winning the Employee Event that year |
| Winnings | Lifetime winnings in WSOP and WSOP Circuit events |
| Bracelets | WSOP victories are counted in terms of bracelets, this column represents the total number of bracelets the player won. |
| Ref. | References |
WSOP Casino Employee Championship Events
| Event | Year | Winner | Prize (US$) | Winnings | Bracelets | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $500 Dealers Championship Limit Hold'em | 2000 2000 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 512 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter the tournament.Ferguson had a 10 to 1 chip lead when starting his heads-up vs Cloutier. After a see-saw battle, Ferguson decided to call Cloutier's AQ all-in with his own A9... |
$ | $ | 1 | ||
| $500 Employee Event - Limit Hold'em | 2001 2001 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 613 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a non-online casino at the time.-Final table:-Other High Finishes:... |
$40,200 | $40,200 | 1 | ||
| $500 Employee Event - Limit Hold'em | 2002 2002 World Series of Poker The 2002 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe.This edition was historically notable for two reasons. It was the first WSOP in which pocket cams were installed to allow broadcasters to show the players' hole cards, although only for the Main Event... |
$47,300 | $57,140 | 2 | ||
| $500 Casino Employees Limit Hold'em | 2003 2003 World Series of Poker -Preliminary events:-Main Event:There were 839 entrants to the main event. Each paid $10,000 to enter what was the largest poker tournament ever played in a brick and mortar casino at the time... |
$35,800 | $35,800 | 1 | ||
| $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em | 2004 2004 World Series of Poker The 2004 World Series of Poker was held at Binion's Horseshoe after Harrah's Entertainment purchased the casino and the rights to the tournament in January... |
$40,000 | $40,000 | 1 | ||
| $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em | 2005 2005 World Series of Poker The 2005 World Series of Poker opened play on June 2, continuing through the Main Event No Limit World Championship starting on July 7. The conclusion of the Main Event on July 15 marked the close of play, and the largest prize in sports and/or television history at the time was awarded to the... |
$83,390 | $83,390 | 1 | ||
| $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em | 2006 2006 World Series of Poker The 2006 World Series of Poker began on June 25, 2006 with "satellite" events, with regular play commencing on June 26 with the annual Casino Employee event, and the Tournament of Champions held on June 28 and 29... |
$127,496 | $129,974 | 1 | ||
| $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em | 2007 2007 World Series of Poker The 2007 World Series of Poker began on June 1, 2007. The $10,000 no-limit Texas hold 'em Main Event began on July 6 and was completed on the morning of July 18... |
$104,701 | $108,305 | 1 | ||
| $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em | 2008 2008 World Series of Poker The 2008 World Series of Poker was the 39th annual World Series of Poker . Held in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino, the series began on May 30, 2008, and featured 55 poker championships in several variants. All events but the $10,000 World Championship No Limit Texas hold... |
$87,929 | $87,929 | 1 | ||
| $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em | 2009 2009 World Series of Poker The 2009 World Series of Poker was the 40th annual World Series of Poker . It was held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 27 to July 15. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No-Limit Hold'em Main Event... |
$83,833 | $83,833 | 1 | ||
| $500 Casino Employees No-Limit Hold'em | 2010 2010 World Series of Poker The 2010 World Series of Poker was the 41st annual World Series of Poker , held at the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and ran from May 28 to July 17. There were 57 bracelet events, culminating in the $10,000 No Limit Hold'em Championship that began on July 5... |
$71,424 | $71,424 | 1 |