WSOP Event #21

The winner of Event #21, the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Shootout at the 2007 World Series of Poker was 42-year old Tampa resident Don Baruch.

Married father of two, Baruch learned to play poker from his father. He has been playing since childhood, but started to take the game more seriously about three years ago. His regular poker game is at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tampa, Florida.

This was Baruch’s first time to cash in any major tournament anywhere. Incredibly, it came on poker’s grandest stage, as he grabbed first place for a big old pay day of $264,107.

Poker superstar Daniel Negreanu went out in third place. He was shooting for his fourth gold bracelet. His last WOSP win was back in 2004.

The tournament attracted 900 entries, contributing to a total prize pool of $1,228,500, and the entry saw a 50 percent increase over last year’s figure of 600. It is the largest Shootout tournament in history. On Day One, the tournament started about 30 minutes late because of a crush of last-minute entrants. This created the Shootout’s first million-dollar prize pool ever.

The Shootout format requires that a champion win what amounts to just three consecutive single-table (9-handed) satellites. The initial 900 players played down to 90 winners. Then, those 90 winners played down to nine players – with a winner coming from each table. Then, the winner had to top the final table full of nine players.

An interesting side note was Steven Levitt’s entry into this tournament. The economist-turned-author penned the smash-seller called “Freakonomics.” He won his first table, but busted-out in the second round. His wife also played in the Ladies Championship held on the previous day.

Final results:
1. Donald Baruch, Tampa, FL, $264,107
2. Jared Davis, Philadelphia, PA, $149,263
3. Daniel Negreanu, Las Vegas, NV, $101,351
4. Thomas Fuller, Bolder, CO, $68,796
5. Michael Wehner, Cape Girardeau, MO, $36,855
6. Brandon Lee, Las Vegas, NV, $22,113
7. Doug Baughman, McKinney, TX, $15,971
8. Erik Lindgren, Las Vegas, NV, $12,899
9. Frederick Goldberg, Hollywood, FL, $9,828