WSOP round-up

Two tournament results to bring you: the first is a classic Vegas tale of bust to boom; the second sees a veteran vindicated at Razz.

Justin Scott flew into Las Vegas and promptly lost his entire bankroll at a baccarat table. This would not be an unusual story, since millions of visitors arrive in the gambling capital of the world each year and then leave town with less money. Scott’s story is unique because out of the ashes of defeat in the pit, the 22-year-old professional poker player from Detroit scratched together a $2,000 buy-in for the No-Limit Hold’em championship and ended up winning $842,262 at the 2006 World Series of Poker.

Scott steamrolled over a staggering field of 2,050 players – one of the largest tournaments held thus far at the World Series. After 2,041 players had been eliminated over two long days, nine players took their seats at the final table upon the Rio poker stage. The nine finalists comprised largely an unknown group of poker players. None had previously won a WSOP gold bracelet. When play began, Justin Scott enjoyed a decisive chip lead.

Rouhani put all of his last chips into the pot as the favorite. His pocket eights were in the lead on the final hand of the tournament. But Scott simply could not be stopped. His queen-six made a pair when a queen landed on board, and Rouhani ended up as the last victim of what can only be described as poker’s closest thing to a massacre.

The new poker champion was interviewed afterward and began with a classic understatement. “I came in with 1.5 million,” Scott said. “I was able to use my chips to run over the table.” Scott was complimentary toward his opponents, particularly Rouhani. “Maybe I’m going to write a poker book,” he said. “I’m going to put (Rouhani) in it for how to play short-handed in tournaments. He was simply amazing.”

Justin Scott’s trip to Las Vegas may have started off with a wimper. But it certainly ended with a bang. He went from being flat broke to $842,262 richer. “I’m going to pay off the rest of my dad’s home,” Scott said. “Then, I’m going to buy a home for myself.”

Event #31
$2,000 No-Limit Hold’em
Final table results:

1. Justin Scott, Detroit, MI, $842,262
2. Farzad Rouhani, Gaithersburg, MD, $429,065
3. Bob Bright, Las Vegas, NV, $261,170
4. Gregory Glass, Newport Beach, CA, $186,550
5. Nathan Templeton, Chattanooga, TN, $149,240
6. Carl Olson, Seattle, WA, $130,585
7. Joshua Wakeman, Sandwich, IL, $111,930
8. Jason Johnson, Coral Springs, FL, $93,275
9. Bryan Micon, Atlanta, GA, $74,620

Seven-Card Razz has developed a bad reputation. It’s the proverbial step-child of poker games. While the rest of the poker world is playing Texas Hold’em, Razz is the quirky card game that pops up every now and then at a few major poker tournaments. The game attracts an admittedly older and more traditional crowd.

Few spectators were left in the audience to witness James Richburg’s resounding first WSOP victory. He won his first gold bracelet precisely at 4:45 am early on a Monday morning in front of hundreds of empty seats and poker tables which had been filled to capacity only hours earlier. Richburg won the tournament in typical Razz fashion – by simply outlasting everyone else, waiting for the right moments, and pushing small advantages which produced large gains.

The Razz championship at the 2006 World Series of Poker attracted 409 entries. The final table consisted of three former WSOP gold bracelet winners – “Miami John” Cernuto (with 3 wins), Carlos Mortensen (with 2 wins), and Cliff Josephy (with one win).

This was the “oldest” final table so far at this year’s WSOP, other than the seniors championship. The youngest player was age 38. In fact, the finalists ranged from 38 up to 62 years – in dramatic contrast to most hold’em final tables which have been dominated by twenty-somethings.

It took a few hours before James Richburg finally defeated his last rival. Carlos Mortensen put up a fight. But he was never able to seriously threaten Richburg for most of his chips. The 2001 world poker champion finally went out, losing to a 9-8 low shown by Richburg. Mortensen’s cards were not seen. Mortensen earned $94,908 as the runner up.

The Razz champion, James Richburg has a long history of play at the World Series of Poker. He finished second in the 1991 Stud Eight-or-Better championship. Little did he know it back then, but that would be his last WSOP final table in 15 years. The past would be forgotten at this early morning hour. After all, it was the beginning of a new day. Richburg collected $139,576 in prize money and his first WSOP gold bracelet as the sun peaked over the horizon.

It’s important to note that this year’s Razz world championship attracted an all-time record of 409 entries. That’s the most players ever in history for a Razz-only poker tournament. Contrast that number with 291 entrants in 2005 and 195 entrants in this same event back in 2004.

Event #33
$5,000 Seven-Card Razz
Final table results:

1. James Richburg, Long Beach, CA, $139,576
2. Carlos Mortensen, Las Vegas, NV, $94,908
3. Steve Diano, Las Vegas, NV, $61,411
4. Cliff Josephy, Muttontown, NY, $39,080
5. Ron Ritchie, Marietta, GA, $30,706
6. Richie Sklar, Northridge, CA, $25,123
7. "Miami John" Cernuto, Miami, FL, $19,540
8. Jamie Brooks, Phoenix, AZ, $13,957
9. Chad Carpenter, Las Vegas, NV, $7,258