WSOP Circuit result

World Series of Poker Circuit, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, 1 May 2008

Entrants: 334
Buy in: $5,000 + 150
Prize pool: $1,609,900

Final results:
1. Allen Cunningham, Las Vegas, NV, $499,069
2. Ben Fineman, Las Vegas, NV, $257,585
3. Kelly “K-Boy” Samson, Las Vegas, NV, $128,792
4. “Moto” Mabuchi, Osaka, Japan, $112,693
5. Justin Bonomo, Los Angeles, CA, $96,594
6. Blair Hinkle, Kansas City, MO, $80,495
7. Thomas Hover, Las Vegas, NV, $64,396
8. Ralph Perry, Las Vegas, NV, $48,297
9. Doug Lee, Calgary, Canada) $32,198

All great athletes possess intangible qualities. Many athletes win championships. It was the way they won which captivated fans everywhere leaving an indelible mark on the consciousness of a generation.

Allen Cunningham may have started his quest for yet another tournament victory ranked seventh in the chip count of the final nine, but all eyes were focused on the phenomenally-talented 31-year-old winner of five WSOP gold bracelets. Indeed, very late in the competition, Cunningham began heads-up play down by a 4 to 1 stack margin.

But every spectator packed to the rafters inside Caesars Palace seemed to expect Cunningham’s inexorable fate – yet another championship on his burgeoning resume of poker accomplishments. Only a rare few stars in any sport or field have the capacity to instill such confidence.

This is not to say Cunningham’s victory came easy. To the contrary, the tournament’s runner up — 24-year-old Ben Fineman — was an arduous adversary. Facing anyone except a dozen or so players in the world, including Cunningham, Fineman would certainly have been a prohibitive favorite to win the match, given both his talent and massive chip count during most of the five-hour finale.

But true champions have a way of displaying their best game under the most extraordinary of circumstances and in that manner Allen Cunningham proved once again why he is so revered by so many as a great tournament player. The $5,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em championship event was played inside the expansive $10 million tournament facility at Caesars Palace. With poker’s icons looking down from photographs encircling the 63-table room (including Allen Cunningham’s portrait) Caesars has quietly become the venue with Las Vegas’ busiest tournament schedule.

With five daily tournaments, and major poker events including the Caesars Classic, NBC’s Heads-Up World Poker Championships, and the WSOP Circuit series each year, Caesars Palace has regained its foothold as a place where history is made.

First place paid $499,069. He also was awarded a seat in the $10,000 buy-in championship event at the Rio Las Vegas, which begins in July. Allen Cunningham proves that in poker, the rich continue to get richer. And those of us watching and cheering will continue to marvel at the talent and flair demonstrated by Cunningham at poker’s highest levels.

Dreamers hope to win. Champions expect to win. Allen Cunningham just wins – and makes it all look too easy.