1. Andy Nguyen Las Vegas, NV $83,390 2. Danilo Flores San Leandro, CA 43,195 3. Thang Luu Las Vegas, NV 23,830 4. Simon Matthews Victoria, BC (Canada) 20,855 5. Steven Cuti Stockton, CA 17,875 6. Dustin West Riverside, CA 14,895 7. Todd Dakake Las Vegas, NV 11,915 8. David Slowik Las Vegas, NV 8,935 9. Justin Porter Kansas City, MO 5,960 10. Tyler Wasileff 3,275 11. Patrick Olsson 3,275 12. Christopher Gibase 3,275 13. Stanley Bartlett 2,680 14. Christopher Swanson 2,680 15. Nicholas Ruff 2,680 16. Charles Pannabe II 2,085 17. Donovan Barton 2,085 18. David Wortham 2,085 19. Anthony Suarez 1,490 20. Marsha Waggoner 1,490 21. Pete Climer 1,490 22. Shiela Drake 1,490 23. Mark Erb 1,490 24. Danny Plovide 1,490 25. Quac Dep 1,490 26. Aaron Well 1,490 27. Patrick Grace III 1,490 28. David Branch 1,045 29. Derek Scott Powell 1,045 30. Tamir Sad Ilcatass 1,045 31. Eric Schutzberg 1,045 32. Kevin Luc Chiem 1,045 33. Gholam Ghanavati 1,045 34. Brian Wolard 1,045 35. David Stainton 1,045 36. Brent J. Pollack 1,045 37. Edward Rudd 895 38. Justin Lepper 895 39. Jason Reep 895 40. Shawne Portman 895 41. Aaron Bass 895 42. Arthur Eastridge 895 43. William Kiley 895 44. Delia Derby 895 45. Dalton McCulley 895 46. John Sheffield 745 47. Casey J. Loop 745 48. Nick Sanders 745 49. Randall Hampton 745 50. Michael Chicoski 745 51. Thomas B. Liming 745 52. Theodore Finkleman 745 53. Desiree Lee Turner 745 54. Chi Wei Lee 745 55. Peter Sanders 595 56. William Gilmore 595 57. Mohammed Falnipour 595 58. Donald Johnson 595 59. Wade Michael 595 60. Dana Martino 595 61. Joe Ramos 595 62. John Vasher 595 63. Chris Harner 595

Andy Nguyen Wins!
Poker Dealer at Binion’s Becomes 2005 Casino Employees World Poker Champion

Every year, the World Series of Poker starts off with the Casino Employees World Championship. To be eligible to enter, players must be active employees at a casino. The winner of the event receives a gold bracelet and bragging rights as the ‘world champion’ among casino employees.

The 2005 World Series of Poker began with a record-setting parade of poker players who jammed into the Rio in Las Vegas. The number of entries (662) smashed the previous all-time record for this event, when 279 players entered. It took 14 long hours for the final table to begin, as 653 players had been eliminated by 2 am. The final nine players assembled around the final table and were eliminated as follows:

9th Place - Justin Porter, a poker dealer from the Isle of Capri Casino in Kansas City was the 9th-place finisher. He collected $5,960 in prize money.

8th Place – David Slowik, a poker dealer from the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas was the 8th-place finisher. He collected $8,935 in prize money.

7th Place – Todd Dakake, a poker dealer at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas was the 7th-place finisher. He collected $11,915 in prize money.

6th Place – Dustin West, a poker dealer at Casino Morongo near Palm Springs, CA was the 6th-place finisher. He collected $14,895.

5th Place – Steven Cuti, a poker dealer at the Casino Real in Stockton, CA was the 5th-place finisher. He collected $17,875.

4th Place – Simon Matthews, a poker dealer at Great Canadian Casinos in Victoria, British Columbia was the 4th-place finisher. He collected $20,855.

3rd Place – Thang Luu, a craps dealer at Harrah’s Las Vegas was the 3rd-place finisher. He collected $23,830.

2nd Place – The runner up was Danilo Flores, a poker dealer at the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville, CA. He collected $43,195.

The winner was Andy Nguyen, a poker dealer at Binion’s Casino in Las Vegas. Nguyen is a 43-year-old native of Vietnam. He has been in the U.S. for 20 years and has worked at Binion’s since 2001.

Official Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director

World Series of Poker Circuit Director of Operations – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Rio Poker Room Manager – Michael Matts
Rio Poker Tournament Director – Robert Daily

2005 World Series of Poker