| The winner of the "Seven-Card Stud World Championship" at the 2007
World Series of Poker is Chris Reslock. He is originally from Chicago, IL. Reslock,
now 58, lives and plays poker for a living in Atlantic City, NJ.
Before turning to poker for most of his income, Reslock was a licensed taxi
driver. About ten years ago, Reslock started playing $10-20 hold'em games in
Atlantic City casinos. He started making more money at the poker table than
as a driver. So, with confidence he could make it as a pro, he quit driving
and started to play poker full-time.
Reslock's breakthrough tournament win was in 2003 at the "Showdown
at the Sands" in Atlantic City. In 2005, he won the WSOP Circuit championship
at the Atlantic City Showboat (good for $335K). That event was televised by
ESPN. With the win, he qualified to play in the 2006 Tournament of Champions
in Las Vegas. He took fourth place in that tournament (netting $150,000), which
was filled with former champions. Reslock won his first WSOP gold bracelet after
finishing in the money four times. First place paid $258,453.
The runner-up was poker superstar Phil Ivey. He fell just short of capturing
his sixth WSOP gold bracelet. This was Ivey's 26th lifetime cash at the WSOP.
At age 31, he is the youngest player to reach that mark in WSOP history.
David Oppenheim finished in third place. He is noted for playing in the
highest cash games in the world. Considering the stiff competition Reslock faced
in this event, his victory is all the more impressive.
The first female player to make a final table appearance at the 2007 WSOP
is Oriane Teysseire. She is from Paris, France. She finished in 7th place.
Marco Traniello is fast becoming one of poker's elite. He cashed yet again
in this event and become the first player to make it to two final tables at
this year's WSOP. He finished ninth in the pot-limit hold'em championship four
days ago. A surprising fact: Now with 13 cashes since the 2005 WSOP, he has
finished in-the-money more times than any other poker player in that same period.
Jerrod Ankenman finished in 10th-place in this brutally tough field. It
was Ankenman's second cash so far this year. Ankenman is noted for being the
co-author of "The Mathematics of Poker" along with two-time gold bracelet
winner Bill Chen.
The 13th-place finisher was Thor Hansen, originally from Norway. With this
cash, he jumped up into 18th-place on the all-time lifetime cashes list. Hansen
now has 35.
Johnny Chan moved up in 16th-place all-time (cashes) with his 18th-place
showing. However, a much-anticipated Chan-Ivey final table did not materialize.
The crowds inside the Rio to watch all three days of this star-studded event
were most likely the largest crowd collectively to ever assemble for a seven-card
stud tournament. Several thousand poker fans took turns along the rail to star
gaze and watch poker history being made.
Maureen Feduniak has certainly paid her dues as a poker tournament player.
She has entered countless WSOP events over the past decade. She came close to
winning her first gold bracelet last year. Feduniak put up a noble fight in
this event and ended up as the 17th-place finisher.
The final table was played on the ESPN stage, which has been deemed the
"poker arena." However, after five straight nights of filming, the
cameras were turned off. That did not dampen the spirit of the competition as
a large crowd assembled to watch most of the final table competition.
This event has become the de facto "Seven-Card Stud World Championship."
It is the highest buy-in stud event in the world. It attracts the toughest field
of any competition, by far. It is a World Series of Poker attraction. Now and
henceforth, it shall be the official world championship of the game. | 
