WSOP Event #37

The winner of Event #37, the $2,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Hold’em championship, was Greg Hopkins a 41-year-old poker pro from Anchorage, AK. Hopkins has paid his dues on the poker tournament trail for 13-long years. This is his first WSOP gold bracelet.

Hopkins was born in Whittier, CA. He spent most of his adult years playing in the cardrooms of Los Angeles. Hopkins has suffered the most extreme swings imaginable in poker – cashing numerous times at major events, but also suffering the depths of despair when the cards did not fall his way. Perhaps more than any other player who has entered hundreds of tournaments over more than a decade, Hopkins won this gold bracelet the old fashioned way – he earned it.

This was Hopkins’ third time to cash at the WSOP, and was his third final table. First place paid $269,274.

Through 37 events played thus far at this year’s WSOP, Hopkins’ win was the most deeply satisfying. When asked afterward how good he felt about winning over a quarter of a million dollars and his first gold bracelet, Hopkins bowed his head and said quietly, "You have no idea how good this moment feels." When asked what was his profession before becoming a professional poker player, Hopkins replied "an optimist."

This event came close to producing yet another winner in his 20s. Like six events so far at this year’s World Series, a young up and coming poker player almost won. Jason Newburger, a 23-year-old graduate student battled Hopkins heads-up for two hours before finally finishing in second place. Newburger is a college baseball coach at Bradley University.

Yuval Bronshtein, from Atlanta, GA took third place. Bronshstein arrived at the final table as the chip leader. He knocked out Joe Hachem and T.J. Cloutier late on Day Two.

TJ Coutier finished in 11th place. He was two spots away from making another final table, which would have been number 40 in his lifetime at the WSOP. That would have put him one appearance ahead of Phil Hellmuth, who is currently tied to Cloutier for the all-time lead with 39. It was not to be. However, Cloutier’s 53rd lifetime cash currently ranks third on the career list.

Final results:
1 Greg Hopkins, Anchorage, AK, $269,274
2 Jason Newburger, Vernon Hills, IL, $165,707
3 Yuval Bronshtein, Atlanta, GA, $109,018
4 Pete Lawson, Sandy, Utah, $72,497
5 David Zarrin, Torrance, CA, $52,874
6 Bob Collison, Baltimore, MD, $41,427
7 Gioi Luong, Westminster, CA $31,070
8 Ray Coburn, Jackson, NJ, $22,894
9 Bryan O’Connell, Limerick, Ireland, $16,353
9. Nick Goodall, London, UK, $40,195