WSOP 2011: Record-Breaking Tournaments and Surprising Winners

The World Series of Poker (WSOP) 2011 has been marked by several significant tournaments and surprising winners. The WSOP #22 PLO, $1,500, tournament was the largest PLO tournament in poker history, with 1,070 players participating. This event saw a 21% increase in participants compared to the previous year, continuing a trend of growth that has been observed since 2005.

Éli Payan, a 27-year-old Frenchman, emerged as the winner of the WSOP #22 PLO tournament. Payan, who listed his profession as a project manager, secured a gold bracelet and $292,825 in prize money. His victory was particularly notable as it was his first major achievement in poker, despite having previously only made a few ITM finishes in smaller tournaments. Payan's success was even more remarkable given that he had struggled in cash games earlier in the year and decided to focus on the PLO tournament to turn his luck around.

Another highlight of the WSOP 2011 was the WSOP #23, an 8-game tournament that attracted 489 players, making it the largest 8-game tournament in history. John Monnette, a 29-year-old professional from California, won the tournament, earning $278,144 and his 17th WSOP cash finish. Monnette's victory was a significant milestone, as he had previously come close to winning a bracelet but had not yet achieved this feat.