Tournament Notes:
The $1,500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split championship (Event #47) attracted 544 entries, creating a prize pool totaling $742,560. The top 56 finishers collected prize money.
This was the second of two Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split events in the 2008 WSOP schedule. The first event was the $5,000 buy-in World Championship, won by Sebastian Ruthenburg.
Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split was the first 'split' game ever to be played at the WSOP, when it was first introduced 32 years ago. In 1976, Doc Green became the first Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split World Champion. He won $12,750 for first place that year, which is about what the 11th- and 12th-place finishers earned in this year's event.
In 1986, this game was inexplicably omitted from the WSOP schedule. After some protest by stud high-low enthusiasts, it was reinstituted and has been included on the poker menu every year. Since 1995, every WSOP has included at least two such events.
No player had ever won more than one gold bracelet in this game - prior to this year.
Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split is a game in which the highest and lowest hands split the pot equally. However, the lowest hand must first qualify to be eligible for half the pot. The qualifying low hand must be an 'eight-low' or better. For this reason, the game is sometimes called Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better.
The tournament was played over three consecutive days. The final table was played at a secondary area, as the ESPN feature table on the main stage was used for the conclusion of the $5,000 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em championship (Event #46).
Technically speaking, the defending champion for this event was Tom Schneider, who won his second WSOP gold bracelet in what was the lower (buy-in) of two Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split events on the 2007 schedule. However, buy-in amounts are different this year. This entry fee was $1,500. Last year's two events had buy-ins of $1,000 and $2,000.
The 2008 $1,500 buy-in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split champion is Ryan Hughes. He is a 27-year-old poker pro from Phoenix, AZ.
Hughes was born in San Francisco, CA. He has been playing poker as a pro for about five years.
Hughes won his second WSOP gold bracelet. He won the $2,000 buy-in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split championship in 2007.
Hughes becomes the first player in history to ever win two WSOP gold bracelets in this game. This list of one-time Eight-or-Better champions includes - Johnny Moss, Doyle Brunson, Chip Reese, Mickey Appleman, Phil Ivey, John Juanda, Max Stern, Men 'the Master' Nguyen, Mike Sexton, Artie Cobb, Vince Burgio, Cyndy Violette, and 32 others. Yet no player had ever won twice in this game.
Oddly enough, in a post-tournament interview Hughes revealed that he does not play much Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split. 'This is only the second time I have played since I won last year,' he said.
Hughes stated that his favorite poker game is Omaha High-Low Split.
Hughes almost did not enter this event. He was on his way to home return to Phoenix when he was talked into playing this tournament by a friend. He reluctantly stayed in Las Vegas a few more days, and ended up winning his second WSOP victory.
Hughes stated that he appreciated this victory far more than the first. He cited the more exclusive club of two-time winners, which he is proud to be included amongst. Sixty-one players have won exactly two WSOP gold bracelets. Hughes becomes the 111th player in WSOP history to win multiple gold bracelets (ranging from two to 11 in number).
Hughes won $183,341 for first place.
As play was winding down at the final table, there was a strange delivery which arrived in a white paper sack. Hughes' mother, who lives in Florida, ordered the delivery of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to her son at tableside. Hughes' mother included a greeting card wishing him well and noted that she wanted to send him something that he always enjoyed as a youngster. The sandwich was even sliced diagonally, just the way Hughes liked it.
The second-place finisher was former WSOP gold bracelet winner Ron Long, from Fort Wayne, IN.
When play was heads-up, a two-time winner in Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split was guaranteed. Long, the runner up won his WSOP gold bracelet in this same game back in 1999. The buy-in for that event was $2,500.
Thomas Hunt III (who appropriately - finished third) made his second final table this year.
Poker theorist and author David Sklansky made it to the final table and finished eighth. Sklansky, who owns three WSOP gold bracelets (actually two gold watches and a gold bracelet, as watches were given out as the prize in 1982 for his two wins), earned his last WSOP victory back in 1983. Had Sklansky won this tournament he would have eclipsed the record set by the late Chip Reese as the player with the longest gap between WSOP victories - Sklansky now at 25 years versus Reese's 24-year gap.
Day Two ran longer than expected, so Day Three resumed with 13 players instead of eight. After two more hours of play on Day Three, the final table began at 4 pm and ended at 10 pm, which totaled about six hours of play.
Former WSOP gold bracelet winners who cashed in this event included Vince Burgio (16th), Men 'the Master' Nguyen (17th), Chris Bjorin (22nd), Phil Hellmuth (33rd), and Brett Jungblut (54th).
Men 'the Master' Nguyen cashed for the 60th time in his WSOP career. He ranks second behind Phil Hellmuth on the all-time cashes list.
Chris Bjorin cashed for the 42nd time in his WSOP career. He now ranks 13th on the all-time cashes list.
Phil Hellmuth cashed for the 66th time in his WSOP career, the most of any player in history. He maintains a six-time lead on Men 'the Master' Nguyen.
On this day, Nikolay Evdakov, from Moscow, Russia tied the record set for 'Most WSOP Cashes in a Single Year,' shared by five players -- Michael Binger (2007), Chad Brown (2007), Phil Hellmuth (2006), Richard Tatalovich (2006), and Humberto Brenes (2006), with eight. Note: Evdakov was still alive in Event #48 as this tournament ended, which means is close to becoming the first player in WSOP history ever to cash nine times in a single year.
Five players have cashed six times at this year's WSOP. This short list includes - Chau Giang, Rolf Slotboom, Alex Jacob, Jacobo Fernandez, and Roland Isra.
Winner Ryan Hughes is officially listed as being from Phoenix, Arizona. Through the conclusion of Event #47 (omitting 45 and 46) at this year's World Series of Poker, the gold bracelet count by nations and states reads as follows:
10 - Nevada
7 - California
4 - New York
3 Canada
3 - Germany
2 - Italy
2 - Missouri
1 - Arizona
1 - Belgium
1 - Denmark
1 - Florida
1 - France
1 - Georgia
1 - Holland
1 - Maryland
1 - Michigan
1 - Ohio
1 - Pennsylvania
1 - Russia
1 - South Carolina
1 - Wisconsin
Nine different nations have produced a gold bracelet winner at this year's WSOP. This list now includes Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Russia, and the United States.
The Event #47 winner Ryan Hughes is to be classified as a pro player. He has been playing professionally for about five years and now owns two WSOP gold bracelets. Accordingly, the 'Pro-Am' gold bracelet scoreboard currently reads:
Professionals - 33 wins
Amateurs -- 10 wins
Semi-Pros -- 2 wins
Ben Tang was the chip leader at the End of Day One in this event. He finished as the 42nd place finisher. Through Event #47, the End of Day One chip leaders have gone on to cash 80 percent of the time -- 35 of 44 occasions (the chip leader was not applicable on two events). Only twelve of these same 44 chip leaders (27 percent) made it to the final table. Only one chip leader went on to win the event. That lone wire-to-wire winner was Vanessa Selbst in Event #19.
Ryan Hughes was the chip leader at the start of this final table. He ended up as the winner. Through Event #47, eighteen of 43 chip leaders at the start of the final table (42 percent) went on to win the event. Twenty-five of 42 chip leaders (59 percent) went on to finish in the top three spots. Two events did not have a chip leader (Heads-Up and Shootout tournaments).
The Milwaukee's Best Light 'Player of the Year' standings currently shows Jacobo Fernandez as the current leader, with David Benyamine close behind. Here are the top five ranked players:
1. Jacobo Fernandez - 227 points
2. David Benyamine - 220 points
3. John Phan - 215 points
4. Barry Greenstein - 190 points
5. Erick Lindgren - 185 points
For a complete 'Player of the Year' points list, see:
http://www.worldseriesofpoker.com/players/2008.asp?sort=poypts
David Benyamine is now the leader on the 2008 prize money list, having won the most money at the WSOP, to date. His accrued winnings total $941,651.
Through the end of Event #47 (omitting 45 and 46), twenty-seven players have now earned at least $500,000 at this year's WSOP.
SPECIAL NOTE: On this day, three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner John Bonetti died at his home in Houston, TX. His life and passing were commemorated with a moment of silence at the start of the day. Bonetti will be missed by many in the poker community and the WSOP staff extends its most heartfelt condolences to surviving members of the Bonetti family.
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