Poker Tournament Results

World Poker Finals / WPT Event Season 6

John Ruggieri

Tournament Report

JOHN “THE GRAVY TRAIN” RUGGIERI WINS $39,513 FOR FIRST!! The 2007 Foxwoods World Poker Finals Omaha Hi-Lo Championship began with 218 hopeful poker players. With a total prize pool of $114,528 on the line the competition was spirited and in the end it came down the three final table chip leaders to decide the Championship. Daniel Battaglia, Steve Bander and John "The Gravy Train" Ruggiero of the Bronx, NY, battled it out and in the end it was "The Gravy Train" who claimed the Championship Trophy, commemorative leather jacket and $39,513 in cash! When two players were eliminated on the last hand Thursday night, it meant that nine players would return for the final table. Richard Cohen, Marblehead, MA, and Thomas Hunt, Las Vegas, NV, were out in 10th and 11th respectively. The first player to collect his winnings from the final table was Warwick, RI, resident Bill "Oz" Oziemblewski. Oz was soon all-in with AKQ8; Roger Smith filled on the river and Oz was the 9th place winner of $2,577. A full house also spelled defeat for Raymond DeLeon who resides in Dunellen, NJ. He had A227 but there was no low and Steve Bander flopped a full house to leave Ray with $2,863 for 8th place. Horace York, one of the short stacks, climbed to 7th place. He survived several all-ins until Steve caught a flush on the river and Horace would have $3,436 to take home to Limington, ME. Bellerose, NY, native, Martin Berchenko, had an up and down ride to 6th place. Martin built his way to the chip lead but slowly lost his advantage; he had A246 but John flopped a straight and Martin had $4,008 for his efforts. Roger Smith of Foster, RI, pushed all-in for his last 13K but he could not take any part of the pot and claimed $5,154 for 5th. With four players remaining, Henry Gullotti was the short stack. In three way action, Henry lost when the river gave a full house to John with no low. Henry, a resident of Astoria, NY, took home $6,871 for 4th. Daniel Battaglia, who traveled here from Kent, OH, was the chip leader at one point and down to the felt at another. Dan, who had never played Omaha Hi-Lo before this event, was slightly behind with three players left. His stack was slowly depleted until he was all-in with KJ85 after a KJ3 flop; it looked like he would survive but Steve caught a flush on the turn to relegate Dan to 3rd place with $11,167. Steve Bander started the day as the chip leader but as heads up action began he trailed John Ruggiero by a wide margin. With the blinds at 15K-30K it only took a few hands before Steve was all-in. His only hope was to take the low when John flopped a straight but it was not to be and Steve, a resident of Concord, MA, was the 2nd place winner of $20,042! And John "The Gravy Train" Ruggiero was the 2007 FWPF Omaha Champion! Reported by Jeffrey A Toth for Foxwoods Resort Casino