Blair Rodman, professional gambler and author wins bracelet through a tough and varied sea of competitors.
In Las Vegas the winner of the $2,000 buy-in No Limit Hold’em championship was Blair Rodman, professional gambler and author. This is his first WSOP win. The 53 year old has been playing in the tournament since 1982.
Rodman co-authored the popular book, "Kill Phil" which explains counterstrategies designed to beat the best poker players in the world. Rodman is also active on the Ultimate Blackjack Tour, a televised "21" tournament.
Blair Rodman just about found himself out of WSOP. He was knocked out of the Omaha High Low from the previous date. He almost skipped the next day’s event because he was exhausted. "I got eliminated on late on the second day in Omaha," Rodman explained in a post-tournament interview. "I almost didn't play (in this tournament). If I would not have been knocked out of that Omaha High-Low event, I would not have been here. So, I guess getting busted in that event was a good thing!"
When the game came down to the final nine, Rodman was sixth in the chips stacks. With skill, he managed to survive and eventually took a decisive chip. The heads up play against Amato Galasso, a first time live event player, lasted for three hours. Through a series of see saw wins leaving Rodman to win the last pot of the night.
In his first poker tournament, Galasso won $448,808, a fantastic finish for a newbie to the world of live tournament poker.
A number of other notable events occurred in this game. Included in this Anna Wroblewski finished fourth, as the only the 6th women to make a final table appearance in an open event for the 2007 World Series. Katja Thater is still the only woman to win a gold bracelet this year in an open event.
In 9th place Mark McKibben, who entered the competition after winning a jackpot slots machine on this, his first visit to Las Vegas. The $2000 entry fee was posted with the winnings, and he continued deep into the game to finish with $42,655. That’s a vacation pay out many could enjoy.
T.J. Cloutier, a powerhouse in poker, finished in 17th place. He has won 54 WSOP cash payouts during his lifetime, including this match. This ranks him right behind Men Nguyen and Phil Hellmuth.
Even the entertainment industry did well in this match up. Jennifer Tilly, the oscar-nominated actress finished in 30th place. Rene Angelil, husband and manager of superstar entertainer Celine Dion, took 173rd place.
Many previous gold bracelet winners who finished in the top of this match up were – David Chiu (61), Rafe Furst (62), John Spadavecchia (107), Kirk Morrison (111), and James Mackey (138).
As the events approach their finish for the 2007 World Series, there have been new additions to the official ‘WSOP Millionaires Club”. Currently there are 88 players who have won each an excess of $1 million in lifetime earnings at the WSOP. The newest members to join this exceptional group of player include: Thor Hansen, Jeffrey Lisandro, Burt Boutin, Freddy Deeb, Bruno Fitoussi, Fred Goldberg, Hans Lund, Tony Ma, William Thorsen and David Singer. This is an accomplishment many will strive for in their tournament career ventures.
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