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Congratulations to John Phan, Winner of Event #40 ($151,896)



John Phan has won his second WSOP gold bracelet in less than a week. "History has been made," said Phan triumphantly as the Tournament Director clasped the gold bracelet onto his wrist. For his three days of work, Phan earns not only his second bracelet, but also a payday of $151,896. Congraulations once again to John Phan.
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Congratulations to Frank Gary, Event #41 Champion! ($219,508)



Event # 41 began three long days ago with a field of 731 entrants. Over the course of 25 levels of play, that number was whittled down further and further until there was just one man left standing.

That man was Frank Gary. Gary outlasted the whole field and a tough final table of nine to capture his first gold bracelet and well over $200,000 in cash money. Gary was by far the tightest player at the final table for the first several hours, contrasting mightily with the loose and aggressive style of dominant chip leader Nick Binger. Gary waited patiently though, only opening up his game when the table got down to four and three-handed. His rocky style of play paid off, and he was able to come out on top of Jonathan Tamayo in a relatively quick, high-level heads-up skirmish.

Gary is soft-spoken and mild, coinciding nicely with his style of play. We finally got to see him smile though as he was awarded the gold hardware and crowned as the victor. Congratulations to Frank Gary, Event # 41 Champion!
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Congratulations to Dan Lacourse, Event #42. Senior's World Champion!



2218 players started this Senior's World Championship. Dan Lacourse stayed the course and in the end survived the largest field in seniors World Series of Poker history. For his win, Lacourse will take home the bracelet and $368,832. Congratulations to Dan Lacourse, Senior's World Champion.
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Martin Klaser! Event 43 - $1,500 Pot Limit Omaha Hi/Lo 1st Place ($216,249)



Martin Klaser dominated his first heads up appearance here at the ESPN final table. Out of nineteen hands dealt, Martin won all but three of them, two of which were walks for his opponent Casey Kastle.

Klaser played ultra-aggressive once going heads up, leading into every pot and apparently hitting every flop perfectly. Klaser had a group of friends supporting him on the rail and he was visibly excited after the queen hit on the turn to seal his fate in WSOP history.

For his work over the last three days, Klaser is taking home a very nice prize of $216,249. Not too shabby for his first appearance at the World Series of Poker.
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Max Greenwood -- Event #44 - $1,000 No Limit Hold'em w/Rebuys Champion



23-year-old Max Greenwood from Toronto, Canada has just become your newest World Series of Poker gold bracelet owner. It took just 33 hands of heads up play for Max to complete his impressive come-from-behind win against formidable opponent Rene Mouritsen.

At one point in the tournament when the action was three-handed, a short-stacked Greenwood was all in for his tournament life and drawing to two outs when he managed to spike a miracle five on the river to stay alive. After that fateful hand, he ran his stack up from 900,000 to 3.2 million in a little over a half an hour and the rest is history.

A blazing-fast final table that wrapped up in just under five and a half hours featured everything from zany Danes wearing crowns and bearing axes to drunken Greenwood fans building pyramids with beer cans and chanting "Max.... Max..... MAX!"

The atmosphere was nutty to say the least, but no one that witnessed things go down here this afternoon would've had it any other way -- especially not Greenwood himself, who will walk away with just under $700,000 in prize money for his efforts. Runner-up Rene Mouritsen earned $445,523 for his second place finish, as well as the respect and admiration of the many Danes that came out to support him.
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Congratulations to Scotty Nguyen, 2008 $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. Champion.



It took over 13 hours, 314 hands, and countless bottles of beer for Scotty Nguyen to vanquish his seven distinguished opponents at this $50,000 H.O.R.S.E. final table. An elated Nguyen bearhugged Layne Flack, kissed his wife, and even embraced WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack in the moments after his victory.

Some would say that Nguyen experienced one of the greatest "blow-ups" of all time at last year's Main Event, where he had the chip lead with 12 players to go, yet ultimately finished 11th. Coming back a year later to win arguably the most prestigious tournament in poker has got to put some of those demons to rest for the now five-time bracelet winner.

"The $50K H.O.R.S.E. event is the best all around player...#1 in the world. Nobody can walk up to me and say, Scotty, you're second, baby" said Nguyen in his post-game interview.

Nguyen also had kind words for runner-up Michael DeMichele. "He's a great up and coming young player. Everyone told me to watch out for him."

When Jeffrey Pollack presented an emotional Nguyen with the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy, Nguyen thanked his friends, his fans, and especially his wife for their support.

"This feels so good, baby. This is it!" he exclaimed with a smile.
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Congratulations to Joe Commisso, Champion of Event No. 46 ($911,855)



After a wild first three hours which saw four of our six players eliminated within 69 hands, Joe Commisso and Richard Lyndaker then commenced a nearly six-hour long heads up battle, encompassing 209 hands total.

Commisso enjoyed a 2-to-1 chip advantage when heads up play began, and he maintained his lead for the first half of the pair's epic conflict. They traded the lead back and forth a few times, then after 180 hands and five hours of heads up both players, apparently fatigued, began shoving all in more and more often.

While Lyndaker had to survive many all ins, it was Commisso who needed to hit his open-ended straight draw on Hand No. 276 to stay alive. Two hands later, it was over, and Joe Commisso wins the largest cash prize to date in this year's WSOP -- a cool $911,855.

Congratulations to Joe Commisso, the $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em Short-Handed champ! And thanks for following the coverage.
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Congratulations to Ryan Hughes, Champion of Event #47 ($183,368)



For the second year in a row, Ryan Hughes won a tournament he wasn't even supposed to play.

"I was supposed to go home two days ago but someone emailed me and told me to play," said Hughes. It was the same situation last year, with the same result -- a gold bracelet.

Technically, according to Media Director Nolan Dalla, Hughes is not the defending champion in this event. Every year, there is a higher buy-in stud-8 event and a lower buy-in event. Last year, Hughes won the higher buy-in event. This year, he has won the lower buy-in. No matter to Hughes -- he's thrilled to have his second bracelet.

"The second bracelet means a little more because it's a lot tougher crowd to get into," explained Hughes. "A lot of people get the first bracelet, but the second one means it's not quite a fluke."

For his not-quite-a-fluke, Hughes will pocket $183,368 in addition to that second bracelet to match the first. Congratulations once again to Ryan Hughes.
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Alexandre Gomes Wins Event #48 - $2,000 No Limit Hold'em Event ($770,540)



After a cyclonic final table, Alexandre Gomes has emerged through a field of 2,317 players to claim victory in Event 48 - $2,000 No Limit Hold'em. Gomes became prominent late on Day 2 to build a large chip stack entering into today's final table.

With plenty of gusto and a lot of gamble, Gomes found luck was on his side today as he survived some amazing situations to claim victory in a tough heads up battle with Marco Johnson.

The Brasilian fans are jumping around and chanting amongst some amazing celebrations here in the Amazon Room as Gomes collects his first WSOP bracelet and $770,540 in prize money. Congratulations Alexandre!
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Congratulations to J.C. Tran - Champion of Event #49 ($631,170)



Things have come to a close here at the ESPN Final table. Rasmus Nielsen, who at one point had a 6:1 chip lead over the remaining players has taken second place and took home $389,557 for his three days of work.

J.C. Tran continues to have an amazing run here at the World Series of Poker. Tran came in to the final table with second in chips and the two of these players duked it out for the majority of the day. Once the heads up battle began, Tran slowly started to inch his way out into the lead. After more than seventy hands heads up, Tran took first place, netting $631,170 for his work as well his first WSOP gold bracelet.
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Congratulations to Marty Smyth, Champion of Event #50 ($859,532)



Marty Smyth had a raucous cheering section throughout the final table on the way to his win in Event No. 50 - $10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha. He bested a field of 381 competitors to take him his first WSOP gold bracelet and $859,532 in pocket money. He played admirably throughout what he called "the most stressful day" he can remember in a while. It was so stressful that he didn't know what a great situation he was in on the final hand.

"I didn't realize I had clubs," he said. "That's the God's honest truth."

Whether he realized it or not, clubs made Marty Smyth the champion of this event. Congratulations to him once again.
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Congratulations to James Schaaf, Champion of Event #51 ($256,412)



James Schaaf, from Torrance, CA, was down to only 200 chips earlier in this tournament. He's managed to come back from nearly being felted to win the entire event. James has never been to the WSOP and has never cashed here before, so this is a great way to start out! Schaaf managed to dodge a bracelet-mad Phil Hellmuth along the way to win it all, and takes home $256,412 and the dazzling WSOP bracelet.

Congratulations!
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Congratulations to David Daneshgar, Event No. 52 Champion ($625,443)



David Daneshgar has negotiated his way through a field of nearly 2,700 to land his first WSOP bracelet, winning Event No. 52, a $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em event, after coming from behind against Scott Sitron.

Sitron played well tonight. He entered play one of the table's short stacks (8th in chips), but picked up pocket queens on the third hand of the night and after doubling up there picked his spots carefully, eventually assuming the chip lead.

When play got down to three-handed, Sitron, Daneshgar, and eventual third-place finisher Dan Heimiller traded the lead back and forth until Sitron finally took out a short-stacked Heimiller when his A-10 outlasted Heimiller's A-3.

When heads up play began, Sitron enjoyed close to a 2-to-1 chip advantage over Daneshgar. During the fifty hands of heads up, Daneshgar received several big hands -- aces twice, kings -- but Sitron kept folding to Daneshgar's preflop raises. After about 30 hands, the tide turned when Daneshgar took a big pot without a showdown, then in the 50th hand of heads up, Daneshgar's pocket tens carried the day.

"It feels great to win my first one," he said afterwards. "I'm hoping to win my next one in about two weeks... plus three months, to make it back-to-back bracelets."

Congratulations to Daneshgar, who takes home $625,443 and a gold bracelet. And thanks for following the coverage!
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Matt Graham Wins Event #53 ($278,180)



Matt Graham is the winner of this Limit Hold'em Shootout. In addition to the gold bracelet, Graham takes home $278,180 in prize money.

823 players started this Limit Hold'em Shootout, taking their shot at the last open bracelet before the Main Event. In a day two that lasted over 17 hours, Matt Graham emerged as this event's champion. In addition to the championship gold bracelet, Graham will receive $278,180 in prize money. Congratulations to Matt Graham, $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout Champion.
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