by Nolan Dalla
Schulman Wins Deuceto-Seven for Second Time in Four Years
New York Poker Pro, Nick Schulman, laid claim to one of the last remaining bracelets of the 2012 World Series of Poker with his win in Event #60, the $10,000 Buy-in No-Limit 2-7 Draw Lowball World Championship.
After getting the best of runner-up (and former gold bracelet winner) Mike Wattel in a surprisingly brief heads-up duel, Schulman was awarded the sum of $294,321 in prize money, plus his second gold bracelet. Moreover, the 26-year-old eclipsed the seven-figure threshold with a total of $1,021,601 in career WSOP earnings.
Schulman's win marks his second victory in this event-a phenomenal accomplishment, given the composition of the field-which includes most of the top 100 or so poker players in the world. In 2009, Schulman outlasted a (then-record) field of 96 players to take home his first WSOP bracelet, and $279,742.
This year's Draw Lowball championship drew 101 entries, generating a total prize pool of $949,400. The defending champion, John Juanda, seemed to be an ideal position to defend his title, after making the final table with a healthy stack size. But he fell short of doing so, ultimately finishing in sixth place. No doubt, Schulman deserved the headline, with two wins in four years, which includes three final table appearances. However, a bold subheading goes to Juanda as well, for making the final table of this event for four consecutive years.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #60 7/5-7/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $10,000
PLAYERS 157
PRIZE POOL $1,570,0001. Nick Schulman . . . $294,321
2. Mike Wattel . . . . . $181,886
3. George Danzer . . . $115,295
4. Ben Parker . . . . . . . $78,088
5. Ashton Griffin . . . . $55,482
6. John Juanda . . . . . . $41,270
7. Robert Bright . . . . . . $32,080
8. Ali Eslami . . . . . . . . $26,004
9. Larry Wright . . . . . $22,386
10. Andy Bloch . . . . . . . $22,386
What Doesn't Destroy Nitsche Makes Him Stronger
Dominik Nitsche, a 21-year-old professional poker player from Minden, Germany, won the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament, which was completed in front of a cheering mob of international supporters.
The four-day competition attracted a whopping 4,620 players-which was the largest field of the year. Only the WSOP Main Event will attract a bigger number for 2012.
Nitsche collected $654,797 in prize money for his first WSOP victory. He enjoyed a surprisingly easy victory at the final table, which was completed in a relatively quick fourhour period. The runner up was Jonathan Hilton, from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
This was Germany's second gold bracelet victory at this year's WSOP. Jan-Peter Jachtmann, from Hamburg, won the Pot-Limit Omaha World Championship, held two weeks ago. This marked Nitsche's fourth time to cash, in what was his first year to attend the WSOP. His previous in-the-money finishes included 230th, 116th, 44th, and now 1st. Interestingly, Nitsche improved on each cash, leaving one to wonder how the German poker player will top this incredible night.
Perhaps, moving up alongside reigning world champion and fellow countryman, Pius Heinz, would be the next step in what has been a steady progression towards poker excellence.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #59 7/4-7/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,000
PLAYERS 4,620
PRIZE POOL $1,566,0001. Dominik Nitsche . . $654,797
2. Jonathan Hilton . . $405,156
3. Alex Cordero . . . . $291,725
4. Sebastien Comel . . $215,592
5. Randolph Lanosga $160,665
6. Franklin Johnson . $120,748
7. Martin Vallo . . . . . . $91,476
8. Jonathan Miller . . . $69,896
9. Daniel Eichhorn . . . $53,846
10. Iakov Onuchin . . . . $41,788
The Russians Aren't Coming... They're Here!
The Russians are not only coming, they are now winning-and, winning big. One of the most starstudded fields of the year turned up for this World Series of Poker tournament, which was the $3,000 Buy-In Pot-Limit Omaha High-Low Split Championship. The highcaliber four-day competition finally concluded with the crowning of a new gold bracelet champion: Viacheslav Zhukov, from Stary Oskol, Russia.
Prior to taking up the game full-time last year, Zhukov graduated from Moscow Mining University, where he earned his degree in geology. Zhukov returned to this year's WSOP following a breakout victory at last year‘s tournament. This time, he was seeking to mine even more cash and gold. He ultimately ended up uncovering another treasure chest.
But this time, the dig was harder and it was deeper. He overcame a granite-tough field and a brutally-competitive final table lineup, which included no less than six former gold bracelet winners- Chris Bell (3rd), David “ODB” Baker (4th), Randy Ohel (5th), and former world champion Scotty Nguyen (8th). But the biggest test of all was from Roch Cousineau, who finished as the runner up. No question, the Zhukov/ Cousineau heads-up finale was one of the best battles of the year.
If Zhukov's name sounds familiar, you are either a student of 20th Century history, or a big fan of poker.
Reminiscent of his military namesake, Marshal Georgy Zhukov, who commanded Russian forces during “The Great Patriotic War,” this modern- day Zhukov displayed a similar fortitude of skills, becoming only the second Russian to ever win multiple WSOP gold bracelets. Vitaly Lunkin is the other Russian champ.
Zhukov's first victory was in last year's $10,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low Split event. At the time, he was only the fourth Russian in history to win a gold bracelet. But two other Russians won last year, bringing the total number to six. Now, he is in even more elite territory. In fact, 2011 was Zhukov's first year to attend the WSOP. That victory was also his very first WSOP cash.
Indeed, this was huge day for Russian poker players. Just as Zhukov was earning his second gold bracelet victory, across the room, comrade Konstantin Puchkov cashed for the 11th time at this year's WSOP. That broke the all-rime record for most cashes in a single year at the WSOP. Fittingly, the old record (at ten) was held by Nikolay Evdakov, another Russian.
WORLD SERIES OF POKER WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #58 7/3-5/12
POT LIMIT OMAHA HI-LO SPLIT
BUY-IN $3,000
PLAYERS 526
PRIZE POOL $1,435,9801. Viacheslav Zhukov $330,277
2. Roch Cousineau . . $204,426
3. Chris Bell . . . . . . . $135,858
4. David Baker . . . . . . $100,820
5. Randy Ohel . . . . . . . $75,662
6. Yuval Bronshtein . . . $57,339
7. Jack Ward . . . . . . . . $43,840
8. Scotty Nguyen . . . . . $33,789
9. Juan Ramirez . . . . . $26,235
10. Daniel McNally . . . . $20,520
Marylander Becomes Instant Millionaire
It may simply be known as “Event #57,” but the recent No-Limit Hold'em tournament that ended after just one hand was bigger and richer than every single WSOP Main Event Championship held up through 1999.
The $10,000 buy-in SixHanded No-Limit Hold'em tournament attracted 474 entrants-nothing out of the ordinary in the modern poker era. However, the latest champion earned a whopping $1,136,197 in prize money-which is the third-largest prize of this year's WSOP.
The winner was Gregory Merson. He is a 24-year-old poker pro from Laurel, MD. Merson not only received the game's most coveted prize-the gold bracelet, but the satisfaction that he beat one of the toughest fields in recent memory in doing so. This was his first WSOP victory.
Merson defeated an incredibly stacked field in this short-handed event. Since being introduced in 2009, the Six-Handed format continues to draw some of the most star-studded fields of the summer, and this Championship event was no exception.
Merson had to last three long days and nights, and then come back and play one final hand on a fourth day to close out his tough final adversary.
The runner up was Keith Lehr, a.k.a. “Lehr Jet” of Bossier City, Louisiana, who won a nice consolation prize of $701,757.
WORLD SERIES OF POKER WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #57 7/3-5/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM 6-HANDED
BUY-IN $10,000
PLAYERS 474
PRIZE POOL $4,455,6001. Gregory Merson .$1,136,197
2. Keith Lehr . . . . . . . $701,757
3. Shannon Shorr . . . $455,362
4. Eddy Sabat . . . . . . . $300,753
5. Christopher Brammer $200,502
6. Andrew Lichtenberger $140,351
7. Timothy Adams . . $100,696
8. Layne Flack . . . . . . $100,696
9. Nick Maimone . . . . $75,299
10. Tony Hachem . . . . . $75,299
Junek Becomes First WSOP Winner in History from Czech Republic
Tomas Junek topped a huge field of 2,798 players to win $661,022, and a WSOP gold bracelet.
Other than that, it was pretty much a normal day for Mr. Junek.
Junek is a 23-year-old Czech poker player from a town called Vysoke Myto-which, one might guess, just crowned its first WSOP champion.
Perhaps Martin Staszko, the runner up of last year's WSOP Main Event, still holds the distinction of being the biggest WSOP money earner from the Czech Republic. But now, his fellow countryman has done him one better- actually winning the coveted WSOP gold bracelet.
This was Tomas Junek's first time to cash at the WSOP.
WORLD SERIES OF POKER WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #56 7/2-5/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 2,798
PRIZE POOL $3,777,3001. Tomas Junek . . . . . $661,022
2. David Borg . . . . . . $410,517
3. Daniel Vogel . . . . . $289,530
4. Peter Eastgate . . . . $209,111
5. Eliyahu Levy . . . . . $152,867
6. Andrew Taylor . . . . $113,092
7. Steven Goldberg . . . $84,649
8. Tomas Trampota . . $64,101
9. Bassel Moussa . . . . . $49,105
10. Gianluca Mattia . . . $38,037
26-Year-Old New York Poker Pro Collects Half-a-Million Dollars
Following the richest night in poker history, Will Jaffe took poker's grandest stage and seized the spotlight.
If any group is capable of splashing water on the face of a monster hangover, it was Jaffe and his colorful (and often vocal) rail of supporters. Prompted by a horde of Brazilians standing at the opposite side of the gallery, cheering for their favorite player, Luis Campelo, the heads-up finale resembled an international soccer game more than a poker tournament. There were chants. There were cheers. There were flags. All that was missing was a riot.
Final score:
Jaffe (USA)-1....
Campelo (Brazil)-0.
Indeed, Jaffe won the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em (Event #54), which attracted a monstersized field totaling 3,221 players. He collected $500,070 in prize money. Jaffe was also presented with his first WSOP gold bracelet. Fittingly, the victory by the American took place on the Fourth of July.
Jaffe is a 25-year-old professional poker player from Bridgehampton, NY-located in Long Island. He has been playing full time for about four years. Jaffe first became passionate about the game when he was a sophomore in college, studying in New York City.
Jaffe defeated the Brazilian after a long headsup match that lasted nearly four hours. The third day and final table session went so long that it was suspended. Players returned for an unscheduled fourth day, during which the championship was ultimately decided. The final hand came when Jaffe was dealt A-2 offsuit. He ended up making a full house-deuces full of aces.
The runner up, Campelo, received a nice consolation prize in the amount of $309,429. He is a 47-yearold engineer, who also operates “Liga Curitibana de Texas Holdem.” The club helps to promote the game of poker not just in his hometown of Curitiba, but throughout the country.
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #54 7/1-3/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,000
PLAYERS 3,221
PRIZE POOL $2,898,9001. Will Jaffe . . . . . . . . $500,075
2. Luis Osorio Campelo $309,429
3. Joseph Kuether . . . $218,983
4. Nghi Van Tran . . . $158,512
5. Ken Fishman . . . . . $116,072
6. Jason Tompkins . . . $85,981
7. Muhamet Perati . . . $64,414
8. Benjamin Grise . . . . $48,788
9. Jeffrey Fielder . . . . . $37,367
10. Brett Schwertley . . . $28,931
Dallas Attorney Collects $737,248 Cash Settlement
Neil James “Jim” Willerson (a 36-year-old attorney, from Dallas) won the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament, classified as Event #53.
Willerson not only received the game's most coveted prize-the gold bracelet-but a whopping $737,248 in prize money as well. Willerson is used to competing-and winning. He was the 1994 Texas State singles champion in tennis. He also played tennis while in college, where he attended Southern Methodist University and lettered for three-straight years.
However, this victory was a bit more profitable. The three-day competition drew a monster-sized field. The tournament began with 3,166 entrants. The field size was so large, and the final table play went so long, that an unscheduled fourth day was added.
The runner up was Vladimir Mefodichev, from Moscow, Russia. He had a shot to becoming the first Russian to win a gold bracelet this year. When heads-up play began, Mefodichev enjoyed about a 3 to 1 chip lead, and it appeared he was going to join the likes of fellow countrymen Konstantin Puchkov, Alex Kravchenko, and other Russians who have won poker's supreme achievement. But Willerson played an extraordinary heads-up match and earned the biggest victory of his poker career.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #53 6/30-7/3/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 3,166
PRIZE POOL $4,274,1001. Neil Willerson . . . . $737,248
2. Vladimir Mefodichev $456,217
3. Hugh Henderson . $322,866
4. Zachary Humphrey . $233,708
5. Matthew Graham . $171,135
6. Hai Chu . . . . . . . . . $126,770
7. Bryan Piccioli . . . . . . $94,971
8. Randy Ashe . . . . . . . $71,933
9. Ryan Hughes . . . . . . $55,093
10. Sylvain Gonon . . . . $42,656
Vanessa Selbst Triumphs in Six- Handed Ten-Game Mix
Vanessa Selbst deserves a front page story all her own for what she accomplished. She won the $2,500 buy-in Six-Handed Ten-Game Mix tournament, which was completed at the tail end of a historic day.
The Yale University Law School graduate (and poker superstar) from New York City defeated a tough tournament lineup of 421 players. She pocketed $244,259 in prize money. The online star and poker icon was also presented with her second WSOP gold bracelet. Selbst's first victory took place in 2008, in the Pot- Limit Omaha championship.
Entering this year's WSOP, she had been the last female to win an open (to both sexes) event. In fact, a record 251 tournaments passed between
Selbst's victory four years ago and (female) Allyn Jaffrey-Shulman winning the record-breaking Seniors World Championship just weeks ago. However, Selbst has essentially won back to back titles with regards to women in open events.
Remarkably, Selbst is just as the start of what could be a very long and lucrative poker career. In fact, should she continue to perform at this high a level as she's done in recent years, perhaps the word female will ultimately be removed from any discussion, and she will simply be known as “the best tournament player in the game today.”
Selbst is one of just twenty women to win a gold bracelet in the 39-year history of the WSOP for non-Ladies Championship.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #52 6/60-7/2/12
SIX-HANDED 10-GAME MIX
BUY-IN $2,500
PLAYERS 421
PRIZE POOL $957,7751. Vanessa Selbst . . . . $244,259
2. Michael Saltzburg $150,849
3. Tam Hang . . . . . . . . . $97,884
4. Chris Bjorin . . . . . . $64,649
5. Thomas Chambers . $43,099
6. Mike Gorodinsky . . $30,169
7. Julien Renard . . . . . $21,645
8. Scott Clements . . . . $21,645
9. Gabriel Nassif . . . . . $16,186
10. Matthew Ashton . . . $16,186
Ladies Championship Attracts 936 Entrants
Yen Dang, from Denver, CO, is the new 2012 Ladies World Poker Champion. The 29-yearold Vietnamese-born professional poker player won the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament, generally regarded as the premier ladies-only poker event in the world. Dang defeated a diverse lineup of 936 players, many of whom came to Las Vegas specifically to participate in this event. The ladies-only tournament began in 1978, and is designed to celebrate and encourage women in the game of poker.
Dang pocketed $170,587 in prize money. She was also presented with her first WSOP gold bracelet.
Dang discovered poker while attending college. She was going to law school when she found another passion in home games and casinos located in Colorado. She quickly discovered an aptitude for the game, and has been playing full-time for about five years.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #51 6/29/12
LADIES–NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,000
PLAYERS 936
PRIZE POOL $842,4001. Yen Dang . . . . . . . . $170,587
2. Debbie Pechac . . . . $105,586
3. Janet Howard . . . . . $66,061
4. Angela Moed . . . . . . $47,949
5. Candida Ross-Powers . $35,398
6. Rae Rocco . . . . . . . . $26,536
7. Lesley Amos . . . . . . $20,184
8. Freda Lawrence . . . $15,559
9. Anna Lundholm . . . $12,156
10. Lisa Santy . . . . . . . . . $9,620
72-Year-Old Isn't Done Yet-Wins Third WSOP Gold Bracelet
Panayote “Peter the Greek” Vilandos, a 72-year-old Greek-born retiree, now living in Houston, has won his third career WSOP gold bracelet. “The Greek” won the $5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament, which was completed on what turned out to be an unscheduled fourth day of play. Indeed, the field was so big, and so tough, that three players returned for an impromptu finale, which lasted an additional four hours past the third day.
Vilandos defeated a brutally tough tournament lineup of 1,001 players, including many of the world's best No-Limit Hold'em players. He was well-compensated for his achievement, pocketing the whopping sum of $952,694 in prize money. Vilandos was also presented with his third career WSOP gold bracelet. Vilandos has been playing in WSOP events for twenty years. He previously won gold bracelets in 1995 (Pot- Limit Omaha), and 2009 (No-Limit Hold'em). At this point, after his 21st time to cash, his combined earnings add up to $2.5 million.
The runner up was Kyle Julius, a 25-year-old poker pro from Naperville, IL. He accepted a nice consolation prize totaling $589,687.
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WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #50 6/28-7/1/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $5,000
PLAYERS 1,001
PRIZE POOL $4,704,4001. Peter Vilandos . . . . $952,694
2. Kyle Julius . . . . . . $589,687
3. Dan Smith . . . . . . . $368,943
4. Kevin Schulz . . . . . $267,792
5. Derek Gregory . . . $197,691
6. Thomas Conway . . $148,198
7. Matt Giannetti . . . $112,725
8. Tommy Vedes . . . . . $86,889
9. Amir Lehavot . . . . . $67,889
10. Erik Aude . . . . . . . . $53,728
Alaska Poker Pro Collects $256,691 in Prize Money
A new tournament recently debuted at the 2012 World Series of Poker. The game is called “Ante-Only No-Limit Hold'em.” This marks the first time such a game has ever been featured as a gold bracelet event. The first-ever Ante-Only No-Limit Hold'em champion is Greg Hobson, from Anchorage, Alaska. The 33-year-old professional poker player pocketed $256,691 in prize money, along with his first WSOP gold bracelet. This marked Hobson's fourth time to cash at the WSOP. He has previously been highly successful in the online poker world, playing under the screen name “DUCK_U.” His name stems from his status as a graduate of the University of Oregon (Ducks).
This was the 49th of 61 gold bracelet events on the 2012 WSOP schedule. The three-day competition drew a larger-than-expected fieldsize, particularly since such an event had never been offered before. Moreover, the $1,500 entry fee wasn't exactly a frivolous sum for tournament entrants, most of whom had not played this form of poker in the past. But at least for one player, the ultimate winner Hobson, it appeared that he's been playing this unique variation for a lifetime.
In a post tournament interview, Hobson confided that he had actually played the game very little, in fact. He arrived the first day with about the same grasp of the game as most players.
However, he was able to make some quick adjustments and learned the game better as the tournament progressed over three days. The tournament began with 939 entrants.
The runner up was Mike Sowers, a 25-year-old poker pro and part-time coach from Thomasville, NC.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #49 6/27-29/12
ANTE-ONLY LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 939
PRIZE POOL $1,267,6501. Greg Hobson . . . . . $256,691
2. Mike Sowers . . . . . $158,887
3. John Hayes . . . . . . . $99,409
4. Harrison Gimbel . . $72,155
5. Eugene Du Plessis . . $53,267
6. Mike McDonald . . . $39,931
7. Seth Davies . . . . . . . $30,373
8. Sameer Aljanedi . . . $23,413
9. Justin Schwartz . . . $18,292
10. Grayson Ramage . . $14,477
Hsiung Makes Huge Comeback at End of All-Night Marathon
Kenny Hsiung won the most recent championship event at the 2012 World Series of Poker. The 29-year-old poker player and college student-now residing in Henderson, NV by way of his hometown of Cincinnati, OH-won the $3,000 buy-in Limit Hold'em tournament, which is classified as Event #48.
Hsiung not only received the game's most coveted prize, the gold bracelet, but $165,205 in prize money, as well.
The three-day competition drew a modest-sized field- beginning with 247 entrants. A worldwide viewing audience also followed the final table action over the WSOP.com live stream broadcast.
Hsiung is no stranger to making deep runs at the WSOP and finishing in the money. This marked his eighth time to cash. His first showing on the WSOP radar screen was back in 2006.
Hsiung cashed in this same event once before, finishing ninth back in 2009. Hsiung is enrolled as a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
The runner up was a longtime poker grinder, Robert Hwang, from Barnegat, N.J. He is known within the poker world as “Action Bob,” for his aggressive playing style.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #48 6/26-28/12
LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $3,000
PLAYERS 247
PRIZE POOL $674,3101. Kenny Hsiung . . . . $165,205
2. Robert Hwang . . . $102,118
3. John Virtue . . . . . . . $76,244
4. Paul Berende . . . . . . $57,310
5. Dwyte Pilgrim . . . . . $43,345
6. Matthew Woodward $32,994
7. Mitchell Davis . . . . . $25,266
8. John Myung . . . . . . $19,474
9. Stephen Hung . . . . . $15,098
10. Jason Manger . . . . . $11,780
High Stakes Big 'O' Player Steven Loube Bests the Best in Pot-Limit Omaha Hi-Low.
A lot can change in a few days.
Until recently, Steven Loube's largest tournament cash came in the form of a $50 food voucher. He had never played in a WSOPsanctioned poker tournament.
Now Loube has bested the 978-player field in Event #47, and can call himself World Series of Poker champion. The 34-year-old attorney from Atlanta, Georgia was awarded $267,345 for his “vacation” in Las Vegas. But it sure didn't feel like a vacation. “This is too much work,” Loube kept repeating, after the three-day mental marathon finally concluded. Mentally and physically exhausted, Loube's first order of business after becoming poker's newest champion-to sleep. “I couldn't sleep last night. I couldn't sleep two nights ago. I've had about two hours of sleep the entire tournament,” Loube said. “I was nervous because I thought I could (win it).” It was only at the urging of his friend and business associate that Loube decided to play the three-day tournament in Las Vegas. Four days ago, his friend pushed him to make the trip, and Loube decided to give it a shot. He booked a plane ticket the following day.
No novice to poker, Loube began the tournament feeling comfortable and confident. He often spends weekends playing cards at Harrah's Cherokee, located about three hours north of Atlanta, but the majority of his experience comes from playing high stakes Big “O” home games in the Atlanta area. He says that worked to his advantage. “You have to have the best hand,” Loube said, of playing Big “O”. “I took that into the tournament, and became very conservative... I was just waiting for those really, really, good hands and really good moments.”
Without a doubt, Loube's strategy certainly paid off. As did his decision to make the pilgrimage to Las Vegas. Loube received the lion's share of the $1.3 million prize pool. In all, 117 players finished in the money.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #47 6/26-28/12
POT LIMIT HOLD'EM HI-LO SPLIT 8/B
BUY-IN $1,500
PLAYERS 978
PRIZE POOL $1,320,3001. Steven Loube . . . . $267,345
2. Timothy Finne . . . $165,486
3. Roch Cousineau . . $103,538
4. Cameron Mckinley . $75,151
5. Charalampos Lappas . $55,479
6. Sonu Sharma . . . . . $41,589
7. Paul Taylor . . . . . . . $31,634
8. Kyle Carlston . . . . . $24,386
9. Paul Ewen . . . . . . . . $19,052
10. Viatcheslav Ortynskiy . $15,078
Weissman Wins Thrilling WSOP Victory With Help of a Special Friend.
Joey Weissman won, a 24-year-old poker pro originally from Syosset, NY won the $2,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament, classified as Event #46. He earned this victory, big time. Weissman not only received the game's most coveted prize-the championship gold bracelet-but a whopping $694,609 in prize money, as well. This was his biggest career score, by far.
The three-day competi-tion held at the Rio in Las Vegas drew another sizable field of 1,607 entrants. Weissman absolutely dominated the nine-hour long final table-at least up until the next-to-last opponent. He was never in serious danger of going bust during the first six hours, which were played during the afternoon. Moreover, Weissman held more than half the chips in play during much of the duration.
His was as dominant a performance in the closing stages of the tournament as has been seen at this year's WSOP.
However, Jeremy Quehen, from Nice, France wasn't about to let Weissman win too easily. He got into the scene when heads-up and played the match of his life. Quehan put up a ferocious fight during the final three hours, and came close to winning France's first gold bracelet of 2012. But ultimately, the Frenchman was no match for Weissman, who was mobbed by a huge gallery of supporters, including his special friend, a dog named “Revis.”
This was truly a dog-day afternoon.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #46 6/25-27/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $2,500
PLAYERS 1,607
PRIZE POOL $3,655,9251. Joey Weissman . . . . $694,609
2. Jeremy Quehen . . . $429,535
3. Fernando Brito . . . $282,676
4. Philip Meulyzer . . $203,781
5. Bradley Lipsey . . . $149,162
6. Joe Gualtieri . . . . . $110,775
7. Michael Gagliano . . $83,428
8. Joshua Pedraza . . . . $63,686
9. Konstantin Puchkov $49,245
10. Williams Reynolds . $38,716
'The Grinder' Becomes First Player in History to Win Chip Reese Memorial Trophy Two Times
Over the past decade, so much has been written and said about Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi, that it's nearly impossible to list all his poker accomplishments.
His meteoric rise to the top of poker's hierarchy during the early to mid-2000s, followed by an epic crash and burn some years later (that many claimed was foreseeable). That was followed by a majestic and monumental comeback at the 2010 World Series of Poker, which only served to reconfirm his elite standing as one of the living legends of the game. Then, there was another strong 2011, followed by what happened in one of the most anticipated tournaments of the year.
To say Mizrachi outdid himself with yet another triumph here at the WSOP would be audacious. But he did, indeed. Fact is, Mizrachi expects to win. He expects to succeed each and every time he sits down at the poker table. That's not arrogance. That's not conceit. That's self-confidence. And Mizrachi has it in spades with the rank of a Royal Flush.
Mizrachi won the 2012 Poker Players Championship, which includes a mix of the eight most popular forms of poker. He collected a whopping $1,451,527 in prize money, which-hard to believe-ranks as only the third biggest WSOP score on the Mizrachi uber-skewed scale of success. But he was hardly complaining about the paltry million and a half when last seen, snapping on WSOP gold bracelet number three for his career. Mizrachi won his first WSOP gold bracelet in this same event two years ago. That victory paid $1,559,046.
He went on to cash four more times over the next four weeks, making four final table appearances. Most impressive of all was his astounding run in the 2010 Main Event Championship- where he outlasted 7,314 players and ultimately finished in fifth place. That paid another $2,332,992. If anyone was counting, Mizrachi's financial take from 2010 alone at the WSOP amounted to more than $4 million. Then, he won a second gold bracelet last year, which took place at WSOP Europe. His victory in the Mixed-Game event brought in another $400,000, which added yet another memorable chapter in the Mizrachi legacy.
Coming into 2012, if any poker player had a tough act to follow, it was the player everyone knows as “the Grinder.” And frankly, up until this week, Mizrachi hadn't done much nor been heard from in what was starting to seem like a very long time. Then, like a sleeping smoldering volcano, the incontestable skill of a great poker champion finally burst into the sky and rolled across the Rio like burning lava.
Those burned by the Mizrachi eruption included several notable tournament players who very well might have won their own coveted bracelet had it not been for the tenacity of a certain poker pro from Miramar, FL. Falling by the wayside like scorched trees in the path of molten magma was just about every poker superstar in the world.
“Mount Mizrachi” took out everything in its path, a magnificent spectacle to observe from afar, but a frighteningly perilous position, if in the unenviable state of being nestled aside such a powerful force of nature.
If they were a “somebody” in the game of poker, they probably played in this event, and they most certainly helped to line Mizrachi's pocket with an unintended contribution.
With this victory, the next mystery surrounding Mizrachi is not so much if he'll win another gold bracelet, but when. Given the ups and downs of his tumultuous past, no one really knows exactly what's in the next poker chapter to be written by Mizrachi. But one thing is for sure: It's going to be fascinating to watch and witness.
RIO ALL SUITES HOTEL
WORLD SERIES OF POKER
EVENT #45 6/25-27/12
POKER PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP
BUY-IN $50,000
PLAYERS 108
PRIZE POOL $5,184,0001. Michael Mizrachi .$1,451,527
2. Chris Klodnicki . . $896,935
3. Andy Bloch . . . . . . $561,738
4. Luke Schwartz . . . $406,736
5. Roland Israelashvili . $317,882
6. Stephen Chidwick . $253,497
7. Bill Chen . . . . . . . . $205,856
8. Bruno Fitoussi . . . . $169,879
9. David Oppenheim $142,197
10. David Baker . . . . . . $142,197
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 6/24-26/12
NO LIMIT HOLD'EM
BUY-IN $1,000
PLAYERS 2,949
PRIZE POOL $2,654,1001. 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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