WSOP Event #36

The winner of Event #36, the $5,000 buy-in Omaha High-Low World Championship was 26-year-old professional poker player from Vancouver, WA John Guth. Guth is an accomplished online player, specialising exclusively in Omaha High-Low games.

This event is the undisputed Omaha High-Low world championship. No event held anywhere featuring this game has a higher buy-in nor attracts as large or tough a field.

Guth demonstrates unusual discipline and fortitude for a player in his 20s. "All I do all day long is sit at home and play Omaha High-Low," he said in a post tournament interview. "That’s my specialty." 26-year-old professional poker player from Vancouver, WAGuth certainly does not lack confidence. "I will win the (next) Omaha High-Low tournament, too," he predicted. His next schedule tournament is Event #42, which starts in two days.

Guth went through a list of fearsome opponents late on Day Two of the tournament. He eliminated Mike Matusow, Todd Brunson, and Annie Duke in succession. On Day Three, Guth arrived third in the chip count at the final table, and from there it took him nine hours to achieve victory.

Guth enjoyed the largest and rowdiest following of any final table player thus far as this year’s WSOP. Despite the generally dawdling nature of Omaha High-Low, Guth received cheers and applause every time he won a pot. Over 20 friends and followers posed with Guth in the winning photograph, taken at tableside following the victory. First place paid $363,216 – one of the largest cash payouts in Omaha High-Low history.

The "Dreamcrusher," a.k.a. Randy Jensen is one of poker’s most unorthodox characters. He has been known to destroy side games with his hyper-aggressive style, however, on other occasions, he has lost every single dollar in high-limit cash games. This tournament marked Jensen’s first-ever WSOP final table, after winning over $1 million in various tournaments elsewhere. He took sixth place.

Poker star Annie Duke took 13th place. She now has more cashes than any woman in WSOP history with 31. Following her were fellow stars Todd Brunson, who won a WSOP gold bracelet in 2005, who finished in 14th place, and Mike ‘the Mouth" Matusow who took 15th place. Through 36 events this year, Matusow has yet to make a final table appearance. He currently has the longest current WSOP streak of consecutive years with at least one final table appearance — with 8. There are 19 events remaining on the schedule.

Chris Reslock, who won the Seven-Card Stud World Championship two weeks ago, finished in 26th place, just inside the money.

With the conclusion of Event #36, four more players have moved into the WSOP "Millionaires Club," which means they each have in excess of $1 million in winnings at the WSOP in their lifetime. The most recent members of this elite poker club are Jeffrey Lisandro, David "Devilfish" Ulliot, Chau Giang, and Burt Boutin. All went past the million-mark in winnings this past week.

Final results:
1. John Guth, Vancouver, WA, $363,216
2. Robert Stevanovski, Cornelius, NC, $218,456
3. David Flores, Alhambra, CA, $148,708
4. Massimo Reynaud, Italy, $101,332
5. Greg Jamison, Phoenixville, PA, $75,012
6. Randy Jensen, Windsor, CO, $59,220
7. Michael Pollowitz, Shoreline, WA, $44,744
8. Bart Hanson, Los Angeles, CA, $32,900
9. Jim Grove, Las Vegas, NV, $23,688