| 2007 World Series of Poker Champion!
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On June 1st, 2007, the annual World Series of Poker kicked off at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. This series of poker tournaments boasts of the largest turnout of any poker event in the world. On Friday July 6th, the Main Event of these tournaments kicks off, the $10,000 buy-in No-Limit Texas Holdem poker tournament that for many crowns the “World Poker Champion” for a year. Last year's winner, Jamie Gold, took home $12 million in what was without a doubt the biggest Main Event prize pool ever.
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Suggested reading:
The 2007 World Series of Poker Kicks Off!
The History of the World Series of Poker
July 18th, 2007 Update:
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2007 World Series of Poker Champion is 39-year old psychologist Jerry Yang from Temecula, California. Yang entered the final table in eighth place, but quickly asserted himself over his eight opponents, and in the end, won it all to the tune of $8,250,000.
Another exciting No-Limit Holdem Main Event, and here's what everybody else took home in money winnings:
Tuan Lam: $4,840,981
Raymond Rahme: $3,048,025
Alexander Kravchenko: $1,852,721
Jon Kalmar: $1,255,069
Hevad Khan: $956,243
Lee Childs: $705,229
Lee Watkinson: $585,699
Phillip Hilm: $525,934
Watkinson, the biggest lifetime earner going into the final table, leaves with over $3 million in lifetime money finishes.
July 16th, 2007 Update:
We're down to the final nine players. At first sight, you might not recognize the players at this table, but several are money-finishers in major poker events. Here they are and the size of their stacks as of 7:21 PM Las Vegas time, Monday, July 16th:
Philip Hilm: $22,070,000
Tuan Lam: $21,315,000
Jon Kalmar: $20,320,000
Raymond Rahme: $16,320,000
Lee Childs: $13,240,000
Lee Watkinson: $9,925,000
Hevad "Rain" Khan: $9,205,000
Jerry Yang: $8,450,000
Alex Kravchenko: $6,570,000
Chip leader Hilm is from Denmark and has just over $150,000 in lifetime wins. Canadian second place Lam has a couple money finishes in WSOP events, totalling just over $10,000. British third place Kalmar has almost $110,000 in major tournament finishes, including two in WSOP events.
Among the amateurs at the final table are Rayme from South Africa, Childs from Washington, DC, and Yang from Temecula, CA.
In sixth place, Watkinson is a player with more than $2.5 million in lifetime tournament wins. The millionaire professional poker player has many of his money finishers at the WSOP and its year-long circuit, including a bracelet win in a 2006 WSOP Pot-Limit Omaha event.
Khan from Poughkeesie, NY has a little over $20,000 in WSOP money finishes. Kravchenko from Russia has more than $250,000 in WSOP money finishes, made up mostly from a bracelet win at this year's $1,500 WSOP Omaha Hi-Lo event.
Not the names you might recognize, but certainly a tough final table made up almost entirely of accomplished poker players, and only a third of it amateur players. This year, we're seeing more of the rise of players in the grey area between amateur and purely professional. Stay tuned!
July 10th, 20
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