1. Mark Vos Brisbane, AU $803,274 2. Nam Le Huntington Beach, CA $401,647 3. J.R. Reiss Omaha, NE $209,555 4. Thomas Hunt Las Vegas, NV $160,659 5. Willard Chang Honolulu, HI $136,211 6. Kevin Peterson Plano, TX $115,255 7. Vanessa Selbst Montclair, NJ $101,285 8. David Wells Toledo, OH $87,315 9. Carlos Mortensen Madrid, Spain $73,344 10. Alfredo "Toto" Leonidas Glendale, CA $59,374 11. Steven Conighiard San Francisco, CA $55,881 12. Raymond Millard Tamarac, FL $52,389 13. Jack Ward Gulfport, MA $48,896 14. Charles Thompson Santa Cruz, CA $45,404 15. Raymond Foley Livonia, MI $41,911 16. Yarom Limor Beverly Hills, CA $38,418 17. Ryan Krall North Las Vegas, NV $34,926 18. Jimmy Stoitsiades Northville, MI $31,433 19. Garret Allen Chandler, AZ $27,941 20. Billy Baxter Las Vegas, NV $27,941 21. Massimiliano Pescatorei Las Vegas, NV $27,941 22. Diego Garcia Albequerque, NM $24,448 23. Carlos Zambrano Babylon, NY $24,448 24. Randall Swope Lanesville, OH $24,448 25. Jeffrey Ashton Phoenix, AZ $20,955 26. Eng Tay Chamblee, GA $20,955 27. Randy Lowery Macon, GA $20,955 28. Herbert Cheng New York, NY $17,463 29. Keith Witermans Vancouver, BC $17,463 30. Roy Thung White Plains, NY $17,463 31. Mink Nguyen Bell Gardens, CA $13,970 32. Noah Nodine Norman, OK $13,970 33. Thomas Kierstead IV Bainbridge Island, WA $13,970 34. Pierce Shaad Valley Glen, CA $12,224 35. Hieu Ma S. El Monte, CA $12,224 36. David Gregory South Lake, TX $12,224 37. Bertrand Grospellie Vandoeuvre, France $10,478 38. Jason Lefkowitz Carmel Valley, CA $10,478 39. Thomas Antanucci Germantown, MD $10,478 40. James Gauley Sunnyside, WA $10,478 41. Dwayne Boring Lake Forrest, CA $10,478 42. Luis Gonzalez Las Vegas, NV $10,478 43. Devin Porter Salt Lake City, UT $10,478 44. Peter Dalhuissen Utrecht, Holland $10,478 45. Norman Lapin Sherman Oaks, CA $10,478 46. Brian Lindsay Coral Springs, FL $8,731 47. Jennifer Harman Las Vegas, NV $8,731 48. Douglas White Henderson, NV $8,731 49. Joshua Vanduyn San Diego, CA $8,731 50. Takatushi Uei Osaka, Japan $8,731 51. Alon Butcher Guttman Encino, CA $8,731 52. Sam Kim Waltham, MA $8,731 53. Jose Rosenkrantz Miami, FL $8,731 54. Mo Socarras Coconut Grove, FL $8,731 55. Francois Safieddine Denver, CO $6,985 56. Michael Abdoulah Las Vegas, NV $6,985 57. Evan Brown New York, NY $6,985 58. Cyndy Violette Los Angeles, CA $6,985 59. Mike Addy Albuquerque, NM $6,985 60. Joshua Sisar Barnegat, NJ $6,985 61. Steve Cowley Richmond, VA $6,985 62. Moshe Elazar Las Vegas, NV $6,985 63. Lonnie Heimowitz Monticello, NY $6,985 64. Benjamin Lin Rockville, MD $6,985 65. Jason Stern San Jose, CA $6,985 66. Hung Doan Overland Park, KS $6,985 67. Eric Govelstein Austin, TX $6,985 68. Michael Simpson Middle Viarage, NY $6,985 69. Ray Blodgett Riverside, CA $6,985 70. Jet Taylor Satellite Beach, FL $6,985 71. Christopher Roth Waukesha, WI $6,985 72. Steve Happas "Dakota" Brain Tree, MA $6,985 73. Andy Ball San Diego, CA $5,239 74. Joseph Nekrasz Sammamish, WA $5,239 75. Enberto Soto Mesa, AZ $5,239 76. Jonas Johansson Linkoping, Sweden $5,239 77. Jean-Robert Bellande Las Vegas, NV $5,239 78. Chris Reslock Atlantic City, NJ $5,239 79. Marc Durand Henderson, NV $5,239 80. Jose Homberto Brenes Miami Lakes, FL $5,239 81. Steve Fox Youngstown, FL $5,239 82. Darryl Huey Placentia, CA $5,239 83. Walter Tiptin Lexington, KY $5,239 84. Johnny Chan Las Vegas, NV $5,239 85. Diana Eiges Norco, CA $5,239 86. Greg Violette Las Vegas, NV $5,239 87. Scott Zakheim Davie, FL $5,239 88. Jared Woodin Pittsburg, CA $5,239 89. Scott Fischman Las Vegas, NV $5,239 90. unknown unknown $5,239 91. Tim Davis San Diego, CA $5,239 92. Mike Kachan Edina, MN $5,239 93. Ricci Cesidio Lasalle, Quebec $5,239 94. Ken Justin Cambridge, MA $5,239 95. Al Horowitz East Brunswick, NJ $5,239 96. Brett E. Kell Lake Elsinore, CA $5,239 97. Trent Schuler Springfield, Oh $5,239 98. Michael Raimon Bradenton, FL $5,239 99. John Espisito, Jr. Las Vegas, NV $5,239 100. Richard Sharpe Henderson, NV $5,239 101. Steve L. Rassi Morton, IL $5,239 102. James Richburg, Jr. Henderson, NV $5,239 103. Thomas Sanduski Las Vegas, NV $5,239 104. Delainey Blakeney Brandon, MS $5,239 105. Aviv Shaham Scottsdale, AS $5,239 106. Adan K. Nilsson Eskilstung, Sweden $5,239 107. Chad Bradbury Wichita, KS $5,239 108. Lucio Procopio Liverpool, NY $5,239 109. Joshua McBroom Las Vegas, NV $3,493 110. Paul E. Nobles, Jr. Eagan, MN $3,493 111. Charlie Culp Mebane, NC $3,493 112. Dave Morrison Victoria, BC $3,493 113. Alon Doitch Northridge, CA $3,493 114. Dana Diephouse Baton Rouge, LA $3,493 115. Todd E. Kilpatrick Helotes, TX $3,493 116. Kent Washington unknown $3,493 117. Marcello Cabrera Los Angeles, CA $3,493 118. Darius Zolnor Los Angeles, CA $3,493 119. John Tucley Columbus, OH $3,493 120. Jiji Liv Las Vegas, NV $3,493 121. Avi Freedman Philadelphia, PA $3,493 122. Mahamoud Mastafa Los Angeles, CA $3,493 123. John Tsai Sigual Hill, CA $3,493 124. Mark Stinson Wescosville, PA $3,493 125. Gary Lent Riverside, CA $3,493 126. Assani Fisher New York, NY $3,493 127. Jonathan Hart New York, NY $3,493 128. Kendall Copp Ponder, TX $3,493 129. Jerry Dixon Guymon, OK $3,493 130. Gary Benson Sidney, Australia $3,493 131. Barry Werthman Beverly Hills, MI $3,493 132. Justin Marchand Las Vegas, NV $3,493 133. Bruno "Da Butcher" Fiorenza Philly $3,493 134. Kenneth Fitzgerald Roseville, CA $3,493 135. Michael Bittan Englewood, NJ $3,493 136. Jerri Thomas Hamilton, OH $3,493 137. Alvin Zendenfeld Los Angeles, CA $3,493 138. John Minor Indianapolis, IN $3,493 139. Greg Turk Sterling, VA $3,493 140. Michael Zimbric Madison, WI $3,493 141. Kent Lindblom Las Vegas, NV $3,493 142. Samuel Eden Austin, TX $3,493 143. Willie Tan London England $3,493 144. William Meenhofen FL $3,493 145. Blair Rodman Las Vegas, NV $3,493 146. Veilli Walbeck Finland $2,794 147. David Colclough England $2,794 148. Napoleon Ta Palo Alto, CA $2,794 149. Jon Lactaoen Honolulu, HI $2,794 150. John Dagostino 3rd Egg Harbor Twp $2,794 151. Todd Krauss Tarzana, CA $2,794 152. Padroag Parkinson Dublin, Ireland $2,794 153. Sirous Baghchehsaraie Long Beach, CA $2,794 154 Fahrhad Kohani Los Angeles, CA $2,794 155 Lee Kimmel Upland, CA $2,794

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie! (Redux)

“Australian poker pro Mark Vos wins $803,274

WSOP event attracts near record-field of nearly two-thousand players

Las Vegas, NV – Mark Vos has a plan. And, despite winning over three-quarters of a million dollars tonight, he’s sticking to it. You see, Vos – at the tender age of 23 – made a personal decision that he will spend the next five years of his life “working” and the five years immediately after that “relaxing.” Vos’ plan is to play poker (which he defines as “work”) and then take the second-half of a decade off. It’s an unconventional career path to say the least.

If “work” means coming to Las Vegas to play in the World Series of Poker, overwhelming a near-record field of 1,919 players, and earning $803,274 in just three days, then – then, there are certainly worse jobs. One has to ask, “Are there any job openings left? Where does one sign up?” Indeed, Vos won the $2,000 buy-in no-limit hold’em championship and earned his very first WSOP gold bracelet. Vos, a college student-turned-poker player from Brisbane became only the third Australian national ever to win an event at the World Series of Poker. He joins former Aussie champs Gary Benson (1996 -- Seven-Card Stud) and Joe Hachem (2005 – championship event) in the trifecta of poker winners from down under.

After two long days of play, the final table on Day Three started with nine players, including 2001 world poker champion Carlos Mortensen. Vos arrived a distant second in the chip count to Kevin Peterson, a poker pro from the Dallas area:

Name - Chip Count - Seat #

David Wells $275,000 1
J.R. Reiss $222,000 2
Willard Chang $214,000 3
Kevin Peterson $1,130,000 4
Nam Le $323,000 5
Vanessa Selbst $492,000 6
Mark Vos $528,000 7
Thomas Hunt III $468,000 8
Carlos Mortensen $215,000 9

Despite being short-stacked, the first player eliminated was something of a surprise. “The Matador,” Carlos Mortensen didn’t last long. Mortensen’s pocket sevens turned out to be an unlucky number when he was all-in and ran into ace-nine. An ace flopped and Mortensen waved farewell. Ninth-place paid $73,344.

Next, David Wells (no relation to the major league baseball player) struck out when he took a tough beat – king-ten against his opponent’s king-eight. An eight flopped and Wells was yanked from the game. The stock trader from Scottsdale, Arizona collected $87,315 for eighth place.

Vanessa Selbst was the second female player to make a final table appearance at this year’s WSOP. She had enough chips to be a force early, but was caught bluffing at the worst possible time. Selbst tried to move Kevin Peterson off of his hand with an all-in pre-flop re-raise, but she might as well have been standing on the railroad tracks staring at a roaring freight train. Peterson called instantly and flipped over pocket aces. He caught two more aces on the board to make four-of-a-kind, flattening Selbst’s chances to become history’s tenth female WSOP gold bracelet winner (in open events). Vanessa Selbst, a Yale University graduate last year, received $101,285.

The end-result for Kevin Peterson had to be disappointing. The chip-leader at the start, Peterson went through a very rocky two hours and failed to survive. He lost most of his chips holding pocket queens against Nam Le’s ace-king. A king flopped. That was the first serious hatchet chop into Peterson’s stack. Others would follow. The final blow was Peterson’s all-in move with queen-ten suited, losing to J.R. Reiss’ small pocket pair. Peterson picked up $115,255 in prize money.

A short time later, Willard Chang went out with a weaker hand that he would have liked under the circumstances. With blinds and antes escalating, Chang moved in hoping not to get called holding king-three, which was covered by Nam Le’s king-queen. Both players flopped a king, but the queen –kicker played and Chang was eliminated. Willard Chang, am engineer from Hawaii, received $136,211.

Thomas Hunt must have felt like a gang victim when he moved all-in with his few remaining chips in the small blind and was called down by all three opponents. The players checked on each successive round, and when J.R. Reiss revealed an ace to go with an ace on board, everyone mucked their cards – including Hunt, who ended up as the fourth-place finisher. Thomas Hunt, a physician from Las Vegas, billed the prize pool for $160,659.

Down to just three players, J.R. Reiss moved all-in with top-pair, top kicker (ace jacks to the board’s – 10-8-4-J-6) and was called quickly by Nam Le, holding nine-seven, good for a straight. Reiss, a professional gambler from Omaha, Nebraska added $209,555 to his bankroll.

When heads-up play began, Nam Le enjoyed nearly a 3 to 1 chip advantage – 2,775,000 to Vos’ 1,065,000. But great poker players shine in moments of adversity. It took Vos 45-minutes to seize the chip lead, plus another hour to lock down the victory. After Vos made a flush and took the chip lead, Le made one last valiant stab at the top prize, temporarily regaining the chip lead for a short time. He could have broken Vos when he had his opponent all-in with queen-jack to Vos’ pocket sevens. But Le failed to connect with a pair, and that would ultimately spell doom fro the aspiring champ.

Vos picked away chips from Le’s stack and gradually built up a 2 to 1 chip lead. The final hand was somewhat unanticipated as Vos was dealt queen-ten suited against Le’s pocket sixes. After catching a queen on the flop, Vos bet out and Le called. A blank fell on the turn, and Vos bet again. Le called. The river brought a queen, giving Vos trip-queens. Vos moved all-in and Le, suspecting a bluff, called. That was a mistake. The trip queens gave Vos the championship.

Nam Le, the second-place finisher, collected $401,647.

“I prefer to play poker online,” Vos said immediately following his victory. “I still prefer cash games online, but there is nothing like the experience of playing in a live tournament and making it all the way to the final table. Cash games are my day job, but the tournaments are for excitement and fun.”

Vos said he plans to stick with his game plan. “(Winning) does not really change things,” he said. “I mean, it helps. But I still plan to play poker…..then (in five years) I’ll relax, settle down, and find a place to live and decide what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

By Nolan Dalla

Overall Tournament Statistics (through end of Event #5):

Total Entries to Date: 7,246

Total Prize Money Distributed: $8,763,510

2006 World Series of Poker