Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu Favorites to Win WSOP

Aces.com hosts 3 weekly qualifying matches with more than $1,000,000 in World Series of Poker Prize Packages

Las Vegas, NV — The online casino most like Las Vegas itself is among the first to post odds on the biggest poker tournament in Sin City this season. Aces.com has posted early odds on the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and favors Phil Ivey and Daniel Negreanu to win the prestigious tournament.

“With odds like 200-1, even the favorites look like long shots, but that will change quickly as the field narrows.” said Aces.com Manager Rene Quesada. “Who knows, maybe there’s another Chris Moneymaker in the crowd!”

The dance. The Big Kahuna. Going to the show. Call it what you want, the 2006 World Series of Poker $10,000 buy-in Main Event is one of the largest, most prestigious tournaments in the poker world. Its coveted World Champion bracelet is considered to be the ultimate achievement in any poker player’s career. Last year, Joe Hachem beat other 5,618 players to win the title and a record breaking 7.5 million dollars. This year’s prize pool figures to be even bigger.

From now through July, Aces.com is hosting three weekly qualifying tournaments and awarding a $12,000 WSOP prize package — including a seat at the Main Event July 28th — to the winner of each.

Phil Ivey, the Tiger Woods of Poker, is the early favorite at 200-1. Last June, Ivey, he won his fifth WSOP bracelet in a $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha event. Phil was introduced to poker by his grandfather, who'd deal out hands of penny-ante Five-Card Stud to his eight-year-old grandson. At 18, he scored a fake ID and started frequenting the poker rooms in Atlantic City casinos. Recently, Ivey moved to Las Vegas where he is now a fixture in the high-limit area at the Bellagio, regularly sharing a table with Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, and Jennifer Harman.

In 1997 Daniel Negreanu (currently 250-1 to take the WSOP bracelet) won two events at the World Poker Finals at Foxwoods, and was named the tournament's best all-around player. He followed this triumph in the 1998 World Series of Poker by becoming the youngest WSOP bracelet winner in history — a record he held until 2004. He became one of the most successful poker tournament players in history, winning two World Poker Tour (WPT) events, another two World Series bracelets, and appearing at 11 final tables. Negreanu is known for his ability to "read" other players by studying their betting patterns and physical expressions. His televised poker appearances include Late Night Poker, High Stakes Poker and Ultimate Poker.

Current odds on who will win the 2006 World Series of Poker, as posted at Aces.com as of April 12:

Phil Ivey 200-1
Daniel Negreanu 250-1
Howard (The Professor) Lederer 300-1
Phil Hellmuth 400-1
Marcel Luske 400-1
Layne Flack 400-1
Gus Hansen 400-1
Paul Phillips 500-1
Men (The Master) Nguyen 500-1
Johnny Chan 500-1
John Juanda 500-1
John (World) Hennigan 500-1
Erik Seidel 500-1
Dave (Devilfish) Ulliott 500-1
Dan Harrington 500-1
Chris (Jesus) Ferguson 500-1
Carlos Mortenson 500-1
Barry Greenstein 500-1
Doyle (Texas Dolly) Brunson 750-1

Aces.com is giving their players a chance to follow in the footsteps of Chris Moneymaker – the previously unknown player who won the 2004 WSOP after winning his seat at the Main Table in an online tournament. Weekly tournament times and winners to date are posted at Aces.com.