By Nolan Dalla
If the 2012 World Series of Poker was a baseball game, this would be the seventh-inning stretch. If it were a football game, it would be the start of the fourth quarter. Indeed, everything comes down to about 15 or so remaining gold bracelet winning moments that will be played over the final few weeks.
While the poker world will be intensely focused on the Main Event Championship (July 7-16), which is preceded by the $1 Million Buy-In “Big One for One Drop,” several exciting developments over the past week or so bear reflection.
First and foremost— let’s talk about women. In particular—women poker players. The early reports of women underachieving were quite premature. Recall the dubious record that was much-discussed coming into this year’s series, that no female had won an open gold bracelet event in the past four years. Not only has that streak been smashed by Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman’s recent victory, but there have been no less than 11 women who made final table appearances this year– including two second-place finishes.
Other highlights include Phil Ivey’s five final table appearances (so far). He was blistering the felt up through the first half of the series, but has since cooled off, a bit. Good thing for his opponents. Ivey hasn’t hit the six (final table) mark quite yet, which would tie him with the all-time record in that category, should he pull up a chair in just one more finale.
Speaking of records, one vaulted mark that’s almost certain to fall in the final stages of the series is the high-mark in cashes set by the late Nikolai Evdakov, in 2008. The Russian curmudgeon cashed ten times that year, the most by anyone in history. However, at press time, two players have nine cashes each (with 15 events still to go). They are Terrence Chan (Vancouver, BC—Canada) and Konstantin Puchkov (Moscow, Russia). Look for a new record to be set this year, which will be the benchmark for years to come.
A look at the winners and in-the-money finishers through the first twothirds of the series reveals the blazing re-emergence of some older names and faces. While the poker boom has been largely defined and dominated by young twenty-something players who were boosted by their online poker prowess, a look at the top performers of the year shows a much older, more experienced cluster of veterans.
In this category, there’s Phil Ivey—who currently leads the “WSOP Player of the Year” race. Ranked right behind him is the everpresent Phil Hellmuth. Then, there’s the 40ish two-time gold bracelet winner, John Monnette, who is enjoying his first wide exposure as a top flight pro. Add in Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi, Matt Matros, and several others in their late 30s and early 40s, and the definitive trend here is that many older poker players aren’t quite ready to give the game over to the new generation just yet.
The 2012 World Series of Poker continues through July 16th.
Former New York City Chess Hustler Declares “Checkmate” for First Time at WSOP
Ylon Schwartz, a former chess master and professional poker player, originally from New York City, won his first WSOP gold bracelet after topping a brutally-competitive field of nearly 900 players in the $1,500 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. tournament (Event #27). The former “November Niner,” (who finished fourth in the 2008 WSOP Main Event Championship) out-dueled David Chiu, a three-time gold bracelet winner, in heads-up play, finally managing to defeat his formidable foe on an unscheduled fourth day of competition.
Schwartz’s victory in this event, once again, validated H.O.R.S.E.’s long-held reputation as poker’s superlative trial and tribulation on the question of comprehensive skill. The game requires one to master, not just one form of poker, but five games in all—including Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, and Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split. The format is deceptively geared towards Stud enthusiasts (after all, three of the five games are dealt in a Stud format), which naturally favors players from the Northeastern United States, a region which has traditionally been a hotbed of Stud action over the past two generations.
Realizing the obvious limitations of his skill set, Schwartz’s focus moved beyond chess. He became proficient at backgammon, darts, and other competitive endeavors, that increasingly morphed into gambling. Schwartz was also a fixture at New York’s racetracks, constantly searching for the Holy Grail betting system that just barely managed to escape the clutch of every gambler.
One day, Schwartz was taught the rules of Texas Hold’em by a friend. He began playing in the underground poker clubs, scattered throughout Manhattan, and even managed to make a big score one of the first times he played. Realizing that poker offered a much greater opportunity for financial gain than chess, not to mention, provided another avenue that fueled his competitive spirit, Schwartz began to take poker just as seriously as chess.
Schwartz became one of the very first “November Nine” finalists. He took fourth in the WSOP Main Event that year, collecting the mind-boggling sum of $3,774,974 in prize money— a ghastly financial boon for a man who once considered a $100 profit (playing chess) to be a “great day.”
Up through his victory, Schwartz had cashed 22 times in six years at the WSOP—certainly an impressive record of accomplishment, buoyed by the huge bonus of making a Main Event final table. At the same time, Schwartz’s name began appearing with increasing frequency on the unofficial list of top players without a gold bracelet.
And so, Schwartz entered Event #27 and took his seat in a sea of 889 of the world’s best all-around players. Schwartz’s victory gives him his first WSOP title, to go along with 22 cashes, and $4,426,090 in career WSOP earnings.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #27 5/31-6/3/121. Ylon Schwartz . . . . . $267,081
2. David Chiu . . . . . . . . $164,960
3. Stephen Chidwick . . $112,106
4. Robert Rasmussen . . $78,021
5. Elior Sion . . . . . . . . . . $55,422
6. David Rogers . . . . . . . $40,169
7. Jason Brown. . . . . . . . $29,679
8. Marlon Milne . . . . . . . $22,358
9. Sanjay Pandya . . . . . . $17,150
10. Allen Cunningham . . $17,150
Four-Handed No-Limit Hold’em Tournament Debuts to Rave Reviews
Not too long ago, if anyone would have proposed that a game called “Four-Handed No-Limit Hold’em” would debut at the World Series of Poker (and would attract 750 players from 35 different nations), the notion would have been unthinkable.
But that’s exactly what happened at Event #28 of this year’s WSOP, when a new Hold’em format—fourhanded play—was introduced for the first time ever as a gold bracelet event.
Timothy Adams, a business school graduate, proved to be the ultimate vulture capitalist, devouring everyone who posed the least bit of resistance to his perpetual acquisition mode. The 26-year-old professional poker player from Burlington, Ontario (Canada) took three days to end up as last player sitting at the final table, which played out on the ESPN Main Stage on a late Saturday afternoon.
Adams collected the lion’s share of a $1.7 million prize pool—pretty impressive considering that a tournament of this type had never previously been spread in a live setting. His cut of the giant poker bounty came to $392,476, plus the most coveted prize in the game—the WSOP gold bracelet. With this victory, Adams became the third Canadian gold bracelet winner at this year’s WSOP—following victories by fellow maple-leaf waving countrymen Ashkahn Razavi, and Simon Charette.
It’s a test that Timothy Adams passed proudly, and with flying colors. Whatever happens in the future, he will forever be able to claim he was the first (and right now, only) Four-Handed No-Limit Hold’em World Champion.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #28 5/31-6/3/121. Timothy Adams . . . . $392,476
2. Brendon Rubie . . . . $242,458
3. James Schaaf . . . . . . $164,823
4. Tony Gregg . . . . . . . . $114,711
5. Gregory Merson . . . . $70,280
6. Torry Reily . . . . . . . . . $70,280
7. Toan Trinh . . . . . . . . . $38,279
8. Andrey Gulyy . . . . . . $38,279
9. Jason Koon. . . . . . . . . $25,252
10. Mickey Petersen . . . . $25,252
Seniors World Championship Smashes Previous Attendance Record—4,128 Players
Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman, a magazine attorney and writer, won the 2012 Seniors World Championship and collected $603,713 in prize money.
This year’s seniors event— open to players age 50 and over—drew a whopping 4,128 entrants, making it the largest such event in poker history. The turnout eclipsed last year’s number by more than 400 players. In fact, this tournament was the largest single-day start in poker history. Jaffrey-Shulman topped a stellar final table that included some notable players— including two-time gold bracelet winner Hoyt Corkins. Dennis Phillips, best known for his thirdplace in the 2009 Main Event Championship, was the runner up.
The victory by a female in an event open to both genders breaks a longrunning streak of 249 straight male winners of gold bracelet events. Vanessa Selbst had previously been the last female winner of a gold bracelet (aside from the annual Ladies World Championship). Selbst’s victory took place in 2008. Jaffrey-Shulman is originally from Brooklyn, NY. However, she spent much of her life in Los Angeles, where she worked as a criminal defense attorney for 25 years. She now resides in Las Vegas.
This was Jaffrey-Shulman’s first WSOP gold bracelet victory following several previous deep runs, cashes, and final table appearances. Her husband, Barry Shulman, and step-son, Jeff Shulman, both made final tables over the course of the past week— a WSOP first.
Jaffrey-Shulman became the second female to win this event, following Claire Miller’s win in 2006.
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #29 5/31-6/3/121. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman. . $603,713
2. Dennis Phillips . . . . $372,895
3. Bob Phelps . . . . . . . . $270,727
4. Hoyt Corkins . . . . . . $199,023
5. Bill Stabler . . . . . . . . $147,605
6. Stuart Spear . . . . . . . $110,416
7. Bill Thomson . . . . . . . $83,332
8. Martin Fitzmaurice . $63,418
9. Harold Lilie . . . . . . . . $48,669
10. Carolyn Tulloch . . . . $37,672
Latest Champion Pledges Majority of Prize Money Winnings to Charity
Larry Wright has added his name to a prestigious list of Texans with a World Series of Poker victory. The part-time poker player and retired businessman from McQueeney, TX, who started coming to the WSOP in the 1970s, triumphed in the Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball (No-Limit) tournament.
Wright topped a stacked tournament field of 285 players, including many of the world’s top pros, en route to his first gold bracelet victory. He pocketed $101,975 in prize money. Despite the six-figure score, the bankroll booster was secondary to the validation bestowed by winning poker’s ultimate prize. The tournament was played over a three-day period. The final table included a powerhouse lineup— including four former WSOP champions. Brandon Cantu, who finished runner up, was shooting for what would have been a third gold bracelet. Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi (4th) and Rep Porter (6th) were in a similar state as two-time winners, but came up short. Erik Lindgren, another former champ, ended up in fifth place.
Four decades in the making, the Deuce-to-Seven tournament victory marks a momentous occasion, giving Larry Wright his first career WSOP gold bracelet. He also earned six figures, his largest poker prize ever. But if you think this was about cards or chips or gold bracelets or prize money or any of the trappings of a championship victory on poker’s most glamorous stage, you would be wrong. You would be very wrong, indeed.
Shortly after his win, it was revealed that Larry intended to donate the majority of the money to a religious charity that does missionary work in Africa. In a moment that seemed almost surreal in a room filled with incessant bloodthirsty competitiveness, Larry spoke of new housing and construction projects he’s helped fund in the dire nation of Sudan.
And so, Larry’s victory goes much further than being about the glory of winning a large prize.This victory was about rewarding righteousness. Surely, Larry is a worthy winner, and his victory proves that once in a great while, great things do happen to good people.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #30 5/31-6/3/121. Larry Wright . . . . . . $101,975
2. Brandon Cantu . . . . . $63,048
3. Andrew Lichtenberger. $41,445
4. Michael Mizrachi. . . . $28,198
5. Erick Lindgren . . . . . $19,676
6. Ralph E Porter . . . . . . $14,078
7. Ryan Tepen . . . . . . . . . $10,318
8. John Phan . . . . . . . . . . . $7,748
9. Bryan Devonshire . . . . $5,955
10. Stuart Rutter . . . . . . . . $5,955
Welcome Back Carter: Carter Phillips Becomes a Two-Time WSOP Gold Bracelet Winner
Carter Phillips won Event #31 ($1,500 No-Limit Hold’em) at this years WSOP, overcoming the secondlargest field at the 2012 WSOP thus far, besting more than 2,800 entrants to win $664,130 in prize money and the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
After a lackluster WSOP last year, and a slow start this year, Phillips is rejuvenated by his victory.
In his own words, Phillips played really poor poker at the WSOP last summer. His love for the game was diminishing and his patience was wearing thin. The tournament grind was becoming monotonous and he didn’t care if he won or lost. “I knew I would rather not be in the poker world than doing that. School was an option for me,” Phillips said. He dropped out in 2007 to pursue poker full-time, but is currently enrolled in classes for the Fall 2012 semester at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He has aspirations to study business, and hopes his poker winnings can help him with his own start-up company in the future.
In order to cash in on his most recent payday, Phillips bested a final table that included 2009 Main Event champion, Joe Cada. The pair would play heads up for before Phillips was finally crowned champion.
“Joe is probably one of the toughest opponents I could have been playing. I knew, coming into today, if I was going to make it deep in this, then he was going to be my biggest threat,” Phillips said about his adversary.
This gold bracelet victory marks the second of Phillips’ young career. At only 23-years-old, the poker pro from Charlotte, North Carolina won his first bracelet in 2010 at the ripe age of 21, when he beat 1,663 players in a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em Six-Handed tournament to win $482,774.
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #31 5/31-6/3/121. Carter Phillips . . . . $664,130
2. Joe Cada . . . . . . . . . $412,424
3. Tom Chambers . . . $290,875
4. Cherish Andrews . . $210,083
5. Najib Kamand . . . . $153,578
6. Max Lehmanski . . . $113,618
7. Michael Aron . . . . . . $85,043
8. Jonathan Poche . . . . $64,399
9. Huy Quach . . . . . . . . $49,333
10. Jim Kasputis . . . . . . . $38,214
David “Bakes” Baker Wins Second WSOP Gold Bracelet
David Baker was the winner of the $10,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. championship (Event #32). He topped one of the toughest and most experienced fields ever assembled for any WSOP event. Six of the nine final table players were former gold bracelet winners. Baker is a 25-year-old professional poker player from Las Vegas, NV. He enjoyed a breakthrough year in 2010, when he final tabled the $50,000 buy-in Poker Players Championship, finishing sixth. Baker followed up that performance with a win in the $10,000 buy-in Deuce-to- Seven Lowball event—good for his first gold bracelet. Baker is a dedicated poker pro who started playing seriously while in college. He gradually improved to the point he was making a living at the game, mostly toiling away in online poker games. Baker now plays in some of the biggest and toughest cash games in the world.
This marked his second WSOP gold bracelet victory. Note: Baker uses “Bakes,” in part to differentiate himself from another notable poker pro with the same name. In most of his official records, he is listed as DAVID BAKES BAKER. Baker played poker parttime, mostly online while attending college. He eventually decided to attend a technical institute in Miami, FL, where he transferred for one year. While living in Florida, Baker continued to play poker. He enjoyed his first major score in poker when he won $30,000 in 2006.
He invested more time and energy in improving his game and has been playing professionally ever since. Baker credits former WSOP gold bracelet winner Vanessa Selbst with coaching him and helping to improve his game. Baker is dating “Poker Queen” Maria Mayrinck, from Brazil. She was in the crowd to cheer him to victory at the final table. According to official records, David Baker now has two wins, seven final table appearances, and 16 in-the-money finishes at the WSOP.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #32 5/31-6/3/121. David Baker . . . . . . $451,779
2. John Monnette . . . . $279,206
3. Paul Sokoloff . . . . . $183,784
4. Phil Hellmuth Jr . . $134,056
5. Phil Ivey . . . . . . . . . . $99,739
6. Abraham Mosseri . . $75,511
7. Matthew Waxman . . $58,093
8. Dan Kelly . . . . . . . . . . $45,360
9. Mori Eskandani . . . . $35,923
10. Brandon Shack-Harris $35,923
23-Year-Old Poker Pro Gets His Redemption Following Second-Place Finish Two Years Ago
Max Steinberg overcame a massive field size and three long days and nights of intense competition to win the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event. (This was the 33rd of 61 gold bracelet events on this year’s schedule.)
Steinberg pocketed a handsome sum of $440,238 in prize money—which more than doubles all of his previous combined WSOP earnings. He also received poker’s supreme symbol of excellence—the WSOP gold bracelet. This marked his first such victory.
Steinberg is a 23-year-old professional poker player who learned much of his craft from playing online. The Washington, DC native how resides in Oakland, CA, and specializes in shorthanded, and heads-up play.
After surviving an initial field size totaling 2,795 players, Steinberg defeated a formidable final table lineup. After about six initial hours of play on Tuesday, the top three finishers were set. They battled for nearly four hours, trading the chip lead back and forth several times. No doubt, one of Steinberg’s toughest foes proved to be Matt Stout (Las Vegas, NV), who finished third.
Samuel Gerber (Brugg, Switzerland), the runner up, was even more problematic. The last two players shared at least one defining characteristic (aside from both being in their early 20s). Both had finished as runner up in events played two years ago. Naturally, Steinberg and Gerber were both equally motivated for another chance to earn a victory, with Steinberg gaining the upper hand on this occasion.
As runner up, Gerber barely missed out on becoming only the second WSOP gold bracelet winner in history from the nation of Switzerland.
With this victory, Steinberg now has one win, two final table appearances, and four cashes on his WSOP resume. He has also massed nearly $800,000 in career earnings, all won during the past three years.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #33 5/31-6/3/121. Max Steinberg . . . . $440,238
2. Samuel Gerber . . . . $273,385
3. Matt Stout . . . . . . . $192,813
4. Dylan Hortin . . . . . $139,258
5. Joseph Marzicola . . $101,802
6. David Nicholson . . . $75,314
7. Ryan Laplante . . . . . $56,372
8. Vitaly Meshcheriakov . $42,688
9. Christopher Shaw . . $32,702
10. Mikhail Timoshin . . $25,331
Will Kaoya Kihara Become Japan’s Chris Moneymaker?
Naoya Kihara won the $5,000 buy-in, Six-Handed Pot-Limit Hold’em championship, played at the Rio in Las Vegas, giving him his first gold bracelet, and giving the nation of Japan their first gold bracelet winner in the 43 year history of the WSOP. Kihara topped a highly-competitive field of 419 players from more than 25 different countries, and collected $512,029 in prize money. But what seemed to matter most to the new poker champion, was the realization that he’d done what no other Japanese player had ever done.
Kihara’s win will be remembered as a first for Japan, although Maeda Azusa came very close last year. As part of WSOP Europe, Azusa finished second in the first gold bracelet event played at Cannes, France, in 2011. Alas, despite Japan’s sizable population, affluence, and high standard of living, the Asian nation remains behind much of the rest of the world when it comes to taking an active a role in the global poker boom.
With Kihara’s victory however, a great deal could change. He hopes not only to lock up a sponsorship deal with one of the major online poker sites, but to become a poker ambassador in his home country, and throughout Asia. He’s off to a great start as a promoter of the game: while playing at the final table, which took place on the third and final day of competition, Kihara was swarmed with hundreds of text messages and calls from 10,000 miles away. The relatively small poker market in Japan seemed to follow his every move on a live stream broadcast. No doubt, when Kiahara dragged the final pot of the tournament, the small, but fiercely-dedicated poker enthusiasts back in Japan erupted in an ultimate moment of celebration in what could potentially go down as his nation’s “Chris Moneymaker moment.”
Kihara is a 30-year-old professional poker player. He mostly plays online, although he now hopes to travel around the world and play in more live tournaments with this victory. Prior to playing full-time, Kihara was a private school teacher.
Runner-up, Chris De Maci, put up a good fight, but he was no match for what can only be described as “destiny.” Two former gold bracelet winners made it to the final table, including Davidi Kitai, who took fifth. Jason DeWitt finished eighth.
This was Kihara’s second time to cash in a WSOP event. It’s also the second year he has traveled from Tokyo to Las Vegas to play at the WSOP. Last year, Kihara played in the Main Event Championship, and cashed in 653rd place.
Not bad at all, Mr. Kihara—cashing in the Main Event the first year, and winning a gold bracelet in the second.
So, what’s next? The answer to that is, plenty of celebration in Japan, at least for now.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #34 5/31-6/3/121. Naoya Kihara . . . . . $512,029
2. Chris DeMaci . . . . . $316,308
3. Daniel Hindin . . . . $203,369
4. Hans Winzeler . . . . $134,857
5. Davidi Kitai . . . . . . . $92,064
6. Tommy Le . . . . . . . . . $64,671
7. Scott Bohlman . . . . . $46,692
8. Jason Dewitt . . . . . . . $46,692
9. Joseph Cheong . . . . . $34,620
10. Dimitar Danchev . . $34,620
Tryba Wins Final Hand with Straight Flush— Former Gold Bracelet Winner Erik Cajelais Finishes Second
Chris Tryba, the always talkative and occasionally bombastic touring pro, has earned his biggest career victory to date, topping the $2,500 Mixed Hold’em event, which combined both Limit and No-Limit Hold’em.
Tryba earned $210,107 in prize money, but dollar figures were the last thing on Tryba’s mind, as he held up the cylinder of gold and beamed for cameras, photographers, reporters, and poker fans gathered on the ESPN Main Stage.
Indeed, the poker player known for his trademark white t-shirt and worn out baseball cap more than earned this victory. His dues were paid the hard way, the old-fashioned way, and the way poker rounders used to hustle to make a living, bouncing from town to town, looking for the next possible score.
Prior to this WSOP, most of Tryba’s previous tournament experience consisted of traveling around the United States, playing at each of the 17 WSOP Circuit stops that run from September through May. During the last two years, he’s spent nearly half his time in hotel rooms (150 days a year, according to his estimate), although he somehow called Las Vegas his “home.”
This is not to say, however, that Tryba lacks big-time tournament experience. He’s played in dozens of gold bracelet events over the past four years, and has posted ten cashes. In fact, this was Tryba’s third cash at this WSOP, following 10th and 17th place showings over the past two weeks. Tryba has also cashed 24 times on the WSOP Circuit, making him one of the top 25 of all-time. Despite the six-figure payout, and some pretty impressive jewelry, don’t expect Tryba to change much, if at all. To get some perspective of exactly who this new poker champion is, and how obsessively practical he has become, consider the revealing explanation of why he chooses to wear white t-shirts every single day, at virtually every poker tournament. Tryba explained that some time ago he was shopping at a discount store. He noticed that white 100-percent cotton t-shirts (Size XXX-L) were on sale for three bucks each. So, in one massive swoop—like a big grizzly bear pawing at a school of salmon—Tryba emptied out the store’s entire rack and stacked a shopping cart full of white t-shirts. He says that he hasn’t had to buy a single shirt since.
Next time Tryba visits the discount store, he may want to add one more item to his shopping list—and that’s some gold jewelry polish. Of course, knowing Tryba, once he eyes the gold polish— he’ll swipe off the entire shelf once again, confident that he’s going to have more jewelry to clean for many more years to come.
Tryba defeated Erik Cajelais, a man who already had a gold bracelet to his credit, with a straight flush. The event came to an abrupt halt when Cajelais shoved all-in on the river holding the nut straight only to have Tryba give a smile and a nod before calling, screaming out to his fans on the rail, “Straight flush, baby!”
Tryba collects $210,107, and his first gold bracelet, for the victory at a fast-paced final table that saw the field cut from nine to a winner in the span of just over five hours. The Las Vegas poker pro has been a presence at the WSOP since 2003. This was his third career WSOP final table. His previous final table appearances were both in Stud events.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #35 5/31-6/3/121. Chris Tryba . . . . . . $210,107
2. Erik Cajelais . . . . . . $129,766
3. Salman Behbehani . $93,842
4. Joep van den Bijgaart . $68,576
5. Michael Gathy . . . . . $50,640
6. Samuel Golbuff . . . . $37,793
7. Brent Wheeler . . . . . $28,494
8. Phil Ivey . . . . . . . . . . $21,699
9. Michael Foti . . . . . . . $16,692
10. Jeremy Ausmus . . . . $12,964
English Poker Pro Collects $368,593 in Prize Money
Craig McCorkell won the most recent championship event, played at the 2012 World Series of Poker. He overcame a field of 587 players en route to his first major tournament victory, which took place in the No-Limit Hold’em Shootout (Event #36).
The landmark victory paid $368,593 in prize money. McCorkell also collected the coveted WSOP gold bracelet, the most prestigious prize in the game.
But a huge six-figure score and a gold bracelet were mere exclamation points to what was unquestionably the most entertaining and exciting final table of the entire 2012 WSOP (so far), which is a bold claim considering the stellar lineups that have stared at the 36 events that have been completed up to this point.
In fact, McCorkell’s victory was as memorable as it was shocking. At one point late in the tournament when play was down to threehanded, former gold bracelet winner and poker superstar Antonio “the Magician” Esfandiari held about 80 percent of the total chips in play. It appeared that the two underdogs—McCorkell and Jeremiah Fitzpatrick (who ended up finishing second)—were positioning themselves to hold on long enough to jump up into second place—a money leap worth nearly $80,000. Then, the most stunning turn of events so far at this year’s WSOP took place when Esfandiari not only lost the chip lead, he was ultimately knocked out of the tournament. All it took was three brutal hands for “the Magician” to disappear from the ESPN Main Stage.
No doubt, the turning point of the grand finale came when Esfandiari held pocket nines. He had one of his opponents (Fitzpatrick) all in and drawing as a huge dog—holding pocket sevens. Fitzpatrick needed a miracle.
Ka-boom!
A seven flopped, igniting a temporary comeback for Fitzpatrick which was orchestrated in perfect unison with a monumentally painful fall for Esfandiari. Five minutes later, Esfandiari was toast. Burnt toast. At that instant, with spectators packed fivedeep on the rail, Esfandiari received a nice ovation as the wounded ex-champion. It seemed almost a foregone conclusion that this would become Jeremiah Fitzpatrick’s first WSOP victory. When heads-up play commenced, Fitzpatrick enjoyed a 3 to 1 chip lead. Perhaps, more importantly, the part-time poker player from North Carolina was on an emotional and financial freeroll, just one player away from a thrilling triumph on poker’s grandest stage. McCorkell ended up making a pair of eights on the final hand of the tournament, which raked in the last pot of the night. Oddly enough, the final board was an inappropriately anti-climatic swan song of a thrilling final table that included eight full hours of ecstasy, tragedy, jubilation, and heartbreak.
Yet, the ten player-finalists were just part of the story. The final table was the wildest of any event, thus far—due mostly to the crowd. Large mobs of Brazilian and British poker players and fans camped out on opposite sides of the arena, cheering for players from their respective country. The atmosphere resembled a championship soccer match, with constant singing, chanting, and merriment. The Brits certainly got their wish—a victory for their fellow countryman. The heavily-accented fish and chip eaters finally got to witness the first U.K. winner of the 2012 WSOP, no doubt a long overdue victory.
McCorkell obliged the shining moment and the support his adoring fans had given by leaping from his chair, dashing over the rail filled with the swarm, and embracing the entire gallery in one fell swoop, which behaved as though England had just won the World Cup. If not the poker moment of the year, it was most certainly one of the WSOP’s most thrilling moments. Craig McCorkell got to enjoy the biggest celebration of all, as the newest WSOP gold bracelet champion. Even a disappointed third-place finisher Antonio Esfandiari would likely agree—this moment was magical.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #36 5/31-6/3/121. Craig Mccorkell . . . . $368,593
2. Jeremiah Fitzpatrick. . $228,261
3. Antonio Esfandiari. $151,613
4. Jonathan Lane . . . . . $112,512
5. Athanasios Polychronopoulos.$84,436
6. Alessandro Longobardi. $63,988
7. Roberto Romanello . $48,924
8. Thiago Nishijima . . . $37,707
9. Joe Tehan . . . . . . . . . . $29,277
10. Sardor Gaziev . . . . . . $22,899
Houston Poker Pro Wins Eight-Game Mix Title
David Baker finally achieved the poker thrill of a lifetime. He won the $2,500 buy-in Eight-Game Max event, which was the 37th of 61 gold bracelet tournaments on this year’s schedule, and collected $271,312 in prize money. The competition required players to play a mix of eight of poker’s most popular games—including Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split, Deuceto- Seven Triple-Draw Lowball, Pot-Limit Omaha, and No-Limit Hold’em. By almost universal consideration, it is poker’s best test of all-around talent and skill.
No doubt, Baker has plenty of both. The professional poker player from Katy, Texas (a suburb of Houston) had already proven himself to be one of tournament poker’s most steady performers in recent years. Prior to this event, he’d cashed 27 times at the WSOP since 2006—placing him among the top ten within that time frame. He’d also already earned in excess of $1 million at the WSOP before this victory, a testament to the notion that it wasn’t so much a question of if Baker would win a gold bracelet, but when.
“When” finally arrived on a Friday on a main stage of the Pavilion arena, which was filled to capacity with poker action. Baker made a remarkable comeback against two-time former gold bracelet winner Greg Mueller, who ended up finishing second. The two friends played a cordial but intense heads-up match, with Baker finally getting a well-deserved victory.
Note: David Baker (Katy, TX) is not to be confused with David “Bakes” Baker (Las Vegas, NV), who won a gold bracelet earlier this year. This is David “ODB” Baker as in, “Original David Baker,” but he’s deserving of a much more exceptional nickname now.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #37 5/31-6/3/121. David Baker . . . . . . . $271,312
2. Greg Mueller. . . . . . . $167,637
3. Kevin Calenzo . . . . . $106,564
4. Joseph Couden . . . . . $76,841
5. Donnacha O’Dea . . . . $56,277
6. Konstantin Puchkov .$41,844
7. Christopher Mchugh. . $31,578
8. Chris Viox . . . . . . . . . $24,188
9. Mikal Blomlie . . . . . . $18,795
10. Stephen Su . . . . . . . . . $18,795
Three-Minute Hallway Conversation Nets $607,200 Win
Preface: Ever had a threeminute conversation worth $607,200? Dung “Gomer” Nguyen has. Perhaps, it’s too good a story—a tale no one would possibly believe. But it really happened. Here’s the incredible story of how a 37-year-old recreational poker player from Wichita, Kansas stormed into the 2012 World Series of Poker, massacred a field of 2,534 players, and walked away with more than 600 grand and a glistening new gold bracelet, which all came about due to a brief hallway conversation:
Nguyen was walking down the hallway of the tournament area at the Rio in Las Vegas. It was just a few minutes prior to noon, which was the starting time of the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament (Event #38). Nguyen had absolutely no plans to play in the tournament that day. His intent was to sit in some cash games and perhaps enter one of the Deep Stack tournaments, which cost a few hundred dollars. That’s when Nguyen ran into his friend. It was be a moment that would literally change his life.
Nguyen revealed his friend that he had no intention to play in that day’s gold bracelet tourney. The field size was much too large— more than 2,500 players were expected. The entry fee also cost a considerable sum to the recreational player on a short bankroll.
Nguyen’s friend argued otherwise. He pleaded. The poker comrade explained that he would, in fact, post $750—which was half the entry fee. In exchange, the two friends became business partners and agreed that the investment would be worth a 50/50 split of any prize money winnings.
The notion of winning prize money and dividing a cash prize of any substantive value seemed like only a remote possibility. After all, players have what amounts to only a ten percent chance of getting back a dime. As things turned out, Nguyen and his investor would do slightly better than that.
Indeed, this brief conversation out in the hallway, while hundreds of other poker players raced by to their tables and seats, turned out to be an angelic flap of proverbial wings, ultimately creating an end-game typhoon out of what should have been an innocuous initial act. Nguyen’s friend and the confidence he expressed, was a guardian angel, an inspiration, and a butterfly that would later create a tremor.
And so, off Nguyen went. Three days later, the situation was very different. Nguyen wasn’t out in the hallway anymore. He was sitting on the ESPN Main Stage playing for the biggest pot of his life. In a six-hour display of dominance that was undoubtedly the most decisive—and perhaps easiest— victory witnessed so far at this year’s WSOP, Nguyen won his very first WSOP gold bracelet and the hefty sum of $607,200 some of which was shared with a certain railbird watching with intense interest.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #38 6 /20-22/121. Dung Nguyen . . . . . . $607,200
2. Theo Tran . . . . . . . . . $377,565
3. Bahman Jahanguiri. . $267,241
4. Blair Hinkle . . . . . . . $192,734
5. David Pham . . . . . . . $140,736
6. Kristijonas Andrulis. . $103,995
7. Zachary Korik . . . . . . $77,791
8. Jeffrey Manza . . . . . . . $58,874
9. Tyler Patterson . . . . . $45,087
10. Scott Clements . . . . . . $34,927
Jan-Peter Jachtmann Wins $10,000 Buy- In Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship
Jan-Peter Jachtmann won the biggest tournament of his life at this years WSOP: the $10,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship. This is the 39th of 61 gold bracelet events on the 2012 WSOP schedule. The three-day competition drew another blistering lineup of heavyweights.
Of the 36 players who finished in the money, nearly half (16) were former gold bracelet winners. The tournament began with 293 entrants and concluded on Saturday night under the bright lights of the ESPN Main Stage.
Jachtmann is a 44-year-old professional poker player and publisher from Hamburg, Germany. He operates the largest German-language poker publication in the world. For this achievement, Jachtmann collected the astronomical sum of $661,000 in prize money, plus his first WSOP gold bracelet. This was undoubtedly yet another huge boost to the booming poker market in Germany.
Indeed, Jachtmann becomes this year’s first WSOP winner from Germany, following reigning world poker champion Pius Heinz’s landmark victory in the 2011 WSOP Main Event Championship.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #39 6 /21-23/121. Jan Peter Jachtmann. . $661,000
2. Andrew Brown . . . . $408,393
3. Steven Silverman . . . $299,960
4. Micah Smith. . . . . . . $222,044
5. Andy Seth. . . . . . . . . $165,665
6. Benjamin Sage . . . . . $124,600
7. Nikolai Yakovenko . . $94,442
8. Jason Mercier. . . . . . . $72,132
9. Joe Kusher . . . . . . . . . $55,525
10. Ville Wahlbeck . . . . . $43,076
Ronnie Bardah Wins $2,500 Buy-In Six- Handed Limit Hold’em
Ronnie Bardah has been on the world’s biggest poker stage before. The professional poker player finished 24th in the 2010 Main Event Championship - an unforgettable experience. But nothing in his previous poker life could quite compare with what happened when Bardah finally managed to win his first WSOP gold bracelet.
Bardah won the $2,500 buy-in Six-Handed Limit Hold’em title. This was the 40th of 61 gold bracelet events on the 2012 WSOP schedule. The three-day competition drew another tough field, largely comprised of Limit Hold’em specialists— their number often overshadowed by the global dominance of No-Limit Hold’em. The tournament began with 302 entrants, and concluded with just one player—a radiant Bardah— sitting at the feature table at the Rio in Las Vegas surrounded by one of the largest mobs of supporters at this year’s WSOP, so far. Bardah is a 29-year-old poker pro from Brockton, Massachusetts. The parttime kick-boxer, who recently took several months off from poker to live and study in Thailand, returned to his profession with a fury.
Fueled with some extra energy and added motivation— not to mention experience that may have been lacking in previous deep tournament runs, Bardah’s skills served him extraordinarily well in this battle. For this achievement, Bardah collected $182,088 in prize money, plus his first WSOP gold bracelet.
The runner up was Marco Johnson, a 26-year old poker pro from Walnut Creek, CA.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #40 6/21-23/121. Ronnie Bardah. . . . . $182,088
2. Marco Johnson . . . . $112,525
3. Vincent Gironda . . . . $73,040
4. Brent Wheeler . . . . . . $48,828
5. Sorel Mizzi . . . . . . . . . $33,541
6. Hans Minocha . . . . . . $23,648
7. Terrence Chan . . . . . . $17,107
8. Ralph E Porter . . . . . . $17,107
9. Chad Brown. . . . . . . . $12,682
10. Joep van den Bijgaart . . $12,682
Former Upstate New York Cop Wins No-Limit Hold’em
Event and $742,072 There was a time when Greg Ostrander pretty much stood bare-naked in front of the entire world. When he was in his early 20s, he modeled for Calvin Klein menswear, posing in his briefs for several national ad campaigns. If the designer’s popular slogan was “Nothing Gets Between Me and My Calvin’s,” Ostrander was the racy poster boy of provocation.
Ostrander used his assets wisely. With the earnings he gained as a model, Ostrander went to college and earned a degree in criminal justice. Next, he took a job as a police officer with the Monroe County (New York) Sheriff’s Department, which oversees Rochester.
Then late one night, Ostrander found himself in the fight of all fights. Just as some out-of-control delinquent was being physically restrained so as to not endanger himself or others, the brute lashed out and munched a chunk out of Ostrander’s face. His left face was mangled like $10 rib eye.
Not only was Ostrander bloodied and scared, the incident required him to take a leave of absence to be tested for possible infections. As Ostrander slowly recuperated, he began to reflect upon yet another brawl and the incessant dangers of his occupation. Pondering the inherent dangers of returning to work and continuing life on the streets as a cop, not to mention the lack of compensation requisite of laying his life on the line every time he went to work, Ostrander finally decided he’d had enough. He quit his job as a police officer. Ostander’s gamble and faith in himself ultimately paid off, at the Rio in Las Vegas. The 40-year-old poker pro who had once modeled underwear and put his life on the line to protect his community, had his life-changing decision validated on this glorious day, when he managed to win his first WSOP gold bracelet. He collected three-quarters of a million dollars -- which will provide at least some measure of security for his family from this point forward.
Of course, not every poker story turns out this way. Not all stories have happy endings. This is especially true for those involved in law enforcement, where each and every gamble is played for stakes which can be a matter of life and death.
But this story ends well. It ends happily.
For Greg Ostrander, a bite led to a $742,072 win and his first WSOP gold bracelet. The 40-year-old former police officer from upstate New York won the $3,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em title. This was the 41st of 61 gold bracelet events on the 2012 WSOP schedule. The four-day competition attracted a tougher-than-usual lineup of No-Limit Hold’em specialists – 1,394 in all who started with high hopes of a gold bracelet victory. It was a cop-turned-poker pro from Webster, NY who ultimately enjoyed his finest poker moment on the ESPN Main Stage, played to completion in an overtime session on a Monday afternoon at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Ostrander’s only other notable WSOP accomplishment took place in last year’s Main Event Championship, when he outlasted more than 7,000 players and ended up with an impressive 232ndplace finish. This time, he went much deeper, collecting a whopping $742,072 for this victory.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #41 6 /22-24/121. Greg Ostrander. . . .$742,072
2. Jackie Glazier . . . . .$458,996
3. Paul Vas Nunes . . . .$290,407
4. Morten Mortensen .$210,793
5. Roger Fontes . . . . . .$155,498
6. Darryl Ronconi . . . .$116,452
7. Joseph Chaplin . . . . .$88,481
8. Kyle Frey . . . . . . . . . .$68,121
9. Dylan Hortin . . . . . . .$53,126
10. JP Kelly . . . . . . . . . . .$41,976
Oleksii Kovalchuk Wins $2,500 Buy-In Mixed-Split – Seven- Card Stud/Omaha
Oleksii Kovalchuk became the first Ukrainian poker player in history to win two gold bracelets after he took the top prize in the Mixed- Split event at the 2012 World Series of Poker.
Kovalchuk won the $2,500 buy-in Mixed-Split Seven- Card Stud/Omaha title— which is a combination of two popular high-low forms of poker. This was the 42nd of 61 gold bracelet events on the 2012 WSOP schedule. The three-day competition attracted a highly-competitive field of Mixed-Split specialists.
There were 393 players who started with hopes of a gold bracelet victory. But it was a professional poker player from Kiev, Ukraine, who ultimately enjoyed his finest poker moment on the Pavilion Stage in a Sunday night celebration at the Rio in Las Vegas.
Kovalchuk’s previous victory took place last year in the $2,500 buy-in Six- Handed No-Limit Hold’em event. He now has seven career cashes and nearly $1 million in WSOP earnings, after a $228,014 payday for this victory.
The runner up was George Danzer, from Munich, Germany. Mark Gregorich, the longtime Split-games specialist from Las Vegas, took third.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #42 6 /22-24/121. Oleksii Kovalchuk .$228,014
2. George Danzer . . . .$140,825
3. Mark Gregorich . . . .$90,829
4. Danny Ratigan . . . . .$65,812
5. Yuval Bronshtein. . . .$48,387
6. Norman Chad . . . . . .$36,093
7. Wing Wong . . . . . . . .$27,313
8. Tim Burt. . . . . . . . . . .$20,966
9. Brandon Guss . . . . . .$16,325
10. Jeff Lisandro. . . . . . .$16,325
Lu-Channing Heads-Up Match: One of 2012 WSOP Highlights
The 2012 World Series of Poker is nearly two-thirds of the way complete. The energy and excitement of the globe’s grandest gaming spectacle shows absolutely no signs of slowing down, as yet another huge crowd turned out for the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, classified as Event #43.
Tournament newcomer, Henry Lu, added his name to this year’s extraordinary list of gold bracelet champions after winning his first WSOP title tonight at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. He not only received the game’s most coveted prize—the gold bracelet—but a whopping $654,380 in prize money as well—his biggest score ever. The three-day competition drew another massive field. The tournament began with 2,770 entrants, and concluded on the ESPN Main Stage in front of a large crowd and a worldwide WSOP.com live stream viewing audience. The runner up was the popular, but long-suffering British poker veteran, Neil Channing, who barely missed the chance at what would have been his longawaited first WSOP victory.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #43 6 /23-25/121. Henry Lu . . . . . . . . .$654,380
2. Neil Channing. . . . .$406,409
3. James Mackey . . . .$286,633
4. Tom Alner . . . . . . . .$207,019
5. John Nelson . . . . . . .$151,338
6. Hovan Nguyen . . . . $111,961
7. Balazs Botond . . . . . .$83,802
8. Francois Dur . . . . . . .$63,459
9. Jared Rosenbaum . . .$48,614
10. Zach Clark . . . . . . . .$37,657
23-Year-Old Poker Pro from Genoa Collects $464,464
The 2012 World Series of Poker is nearly two-thirds of the way complete. The energy and excitement of the globe’s grandest gaming spectacle shows no signs of slowing down, as yet another massive crowd turned out for the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament, classified as Event #44.
Rocco Palumbo added his name to this year’s extraordinary list of gold bracelet champions, by winning his first WSOP title. He not only received the game’s most coveted prize—the gold bracelet—but a whopping $464,464 in prize money, as well.
Palumbo, a 23-year-old professional poker player from the Mediterranean seaport city of Genoa, became only the sixth Italian person in history to win a WSOP gold bracelet. He joins fellow countrymen Jeffrey Lisandro (Salerno),* Max Pescatori (Milan), Dario Alioto (Palermo), Dario Minieri— (Rome), and Valter Farina (Genoa). Farina was the first Italian champion, who won his breakthrough victory back in 1995.
The three-day competition drew another monstersized field. The tournament began with 2,949 entrants on Sunday, and concluded on Tuesday night on the ESPN Main Stage, in front of a large crowd and a worldwide viewing audience following final table action the WSOP. com live stream broadcast.
The runner up was American poker player Nelson Robinson, from Winston-Salem, NC.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #44 6/24-26/121. Rocco Palumbo . . . .$464,464
2. Nelson Robinson . . .$288,448
3. Thomas Conway. . .$203,437
4. Niel Mittelman . . . .$146,931
5. Jason Everett . . . . .$107,411
6. Kevin Elia . . . . . . . . .$79,464
7. Anke Berner . . . . . . .$59,478
8. Patrick Karschamroon.$45,040
9. David Forster . . . . . .$34,503
10. Darren Rabinowitz . . $26,727
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