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Texas Holdem-Poker

2007 World Series Of Poker
Sun-Tue June 3-5, 2007
Event #4
Pot-Limit Hold’em
$1,500 BUY-IN

Players: 781
Prize Pool: $1,066,065

1. Michael Spegal St. Marys, GA $251,957

2. Gavin Smith Las Vegas, NV $155,446
3. Jonathan Friedberg Las Vegas, NV $101,147
4. William Hill Clarksburg, MD $67,076
5. Thomas Savitsky Randolph, NJ $47,912
6. Bruce Van Horn Ada, OK $36,732
7. Eric Lynch Olathe, KS $27,682
8. Jeff Langdon Santa Fe, NM $20,229
9. Marco Traniello Las Vegas, NV $14,906
10. John McCarthy Jersey City, NJ $10,115
11. Nick Binger Raleigh, NC $10,115
12. Tony Basile Toronto, ON $10,115
13. Stephen Jones Springfield, IL $9,050
14. Bill McNamara Fairfield, CT $9,050
15. Robert Gerstenzang Jamestown, NY $9,050
16. Javad Navran CA $7,985
17. Steve Mills UK $7,985
18. Ken Koski Canton, MI $7,985
19. Mark Wilds Biloxi, MS $6,921
20. Josh Patterson Simpsonville, SC $6,921
21. Jean Bellande Las Vegas, NV $6,921
22. Graham Wheldon Cambridge, England $6,921
23. Cody Slaubaugh Rugby,ND $6,921
24. Frank Margolis Thousand Oaks, CA $6,921
25. Robert Zipf Ravenstein, Germany $6,921
26. Eugene Todd Brooklyn, NY $6,921
27. Jameson Hughes Lakeland, FL $6,921
28. Robert Thies Debary, FL $5,962
29. Francois Safieddine Denver, CO $5,962
30. Bart Wetsteijn Middelburg, Netherlands $5,962
31. David Roepke Troy, TX $5,962
32. Robert Ellis Houston, TX $5,962
33. KENNY WU LONG BEACH, CA
34. Andrew Webking Seattle, WA $5,962
35. Nhan Le Orange County, CA $5,962
36. Shannon Puskarich Las Vegas, NV $5,962
37. Matthew Shepsky Illinois $5,962
38. Shane Beckham New Zealand $5,111
39. Zorn Venture CA $5,111
40. Nick Andricopulos Chicago, IL $5,111
41. Gilbert Salas NA $5,111
42. Ed Giron Jacksonville, FL $5,111
43. Mark Smith Georgetown, KY $5,111
44. NA NA $5,111
45. Freddy Deeb Las Vegas, NV $5,111
46. Keith Tilston Austin, TX $4,365
47. Kirke Rivkin Deerfield, IL $4,365
48. Archibald Van Horn Ada, OR $4,365
49. Wallace Darling Aurora, CO $4,365
50. Colin Shattock UK $4,365
51. Danny Ciaramella Brays Landing, PA $4,635
52. Scott Bohlman Homer Glen, IL $4,365
53. Robert Firestone Santa Barbara, CA $4,365
54. Daniel Alspach Las Vegas, NV $4,365
55. David Hipperson St. Louis, MO $3,567
56. Jan Christoph Von Halle Hamburg, Germany $3,567
57. Larry Vickers Winter Garden, FL $3,567
58. Kenneth Auker Rock Island, IL $3,567
59. Joseph Lazaro Carson City, NV $3,567
60. Jesse Jamison Glendale, AZ $3,567
61. Benjamin Sarnoff San Francisco, CA $3,567
62. Katja Thater Hamburg, Germany $3,567
63. Ishak Noyan Sodertalje, Sweden $3,567
64. David Plastik Las Vegas, NV $2,981
65. Nicholas Rosenberger Orlando, FL $2,981
66. Lee Kun Oakton, VA $2,981
67. Nesbitt Coburn Minneapolis, MS $2,981
68. Derek Tomimoto Redondo Beach, CA $2,981
69. Jonathan Snyder Mt. Juliet, TN $2,981
70. Kevin Manley Arlington Heights, IL $2,981
71. Mark Lowe UK $2,981
72. Arias Jorge Venezuela $2,981


Tournament Notes:

-- Michael Spegal won $252,290 for first place. He overcame a decisive chip advantage. He was arrived sixth in the chip count going into the final table, versus several top pros. He overcame the odds and won his first gold bracelet in what was his first-ever cash at the WSOP. This is his third year to play at the WSOP.

-- On this night of his victory, Michael Spegal was celebrating his ninth wedding anniversary. His wife Jeanne sat at ringside and celebrated their win. "She can have the prize money. I'll take the bracelet," Spegal joked. ESPN commentator Norman Chad ribbed Spegal during the post-tournament interview, noting "You are the only married man I know of who gets to play poker on his anniversary."

-- Spegal is 39-year-old former United States Marine. He was born in Newton, IA. He owns an equipment rental and UPS store in southeast Georgia. He has been married to his wife Jeanne for nine years. They have four children.

-- Spegal's poker nickname is "Bob Cat Spegal."

-- The final table lasted approximately five hours. The star-studded field guaranteed a full house, which was packed inside the ESPN poker arena at the Rio.

-- Among the players who came up short were former WSOP gold bracelet winner Jon Freidberg and tournament pro Gavin Smith.

-- Gavin Smith was the runner up. He battled with Spegal for the win, but ended up with a frustrating second-place showing. Smith is widely considered to be one of the best tournament players NOT to have yet won a WSOP gold bracelet. During the heads-up battle with Spegal, Smith delivered the line of the night when he said to his opponent, "Why don't you start playing like a business man and not like a poker player. Stop it!"

-- The ninth-place finisher Marco Traniello has the somewhat shadowy status of being married to one of the best poker players in the world, wife Jennifer Harman. However, it is Traniello who has outperformed just about everyone at WSOP over the past two years. Traniello cashed a whopping seven times at the 2005 World Series. He cashed four times in 2006. Now with a cash in this event, Traniello has a combined total of 12 WSOP cashes dating back to the start of the 2005 WSOP. No other poker player has more in this time frame.

-- The sixth-place finisher Dr. Bruce Van Horn is a physician (pathologist) from Ada, Oklahoma. He is most famous for being the runner-up in the 1996 main event to Huck Seed. Dr. Van Horn's son also played in this event, and cashed. Archie Van Horn took 48th place - good for $4,365.

-- The most popular area inside the tournament room appears to be the Milwaukee's Best Light beer garden set up over the poker arena. Spectators can visit the elevated deck and see action on both sides of the room. With tables and chairs for spectators, it may be the only vantage spot in the room to actually watch six tournaments going on all at once, which is what was taking place on this day - two final tables, two Day Twos, and two start-up events.

-- This was the third WSOP poker event this year to be recorded for broadcast by ESPN. The show is expected to debut sometime in July.

-- After his upset win at the final table, the "Big Cat" was visibly moved when his wife was invited up to the Corum gold bracelet stand and was permitted to present and latch the coveted World Series of Poker gold bracelet on her husband’s wrist. With WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack doing the official honors, Michael "Big Cat" Spegal collected the most meaningful anniversary present a poker player could ever hope to receive.

Nolan Dalla
Photos Courtesy of IMAGEMASTERS PHOTOGRAPHY


2007 World Series of Poker

Event 1 Event 2 Event 3 Event 4
Event 5 Event 6 Event 7 Event 8
Event 9 Event 10 Event 11 Event 12
Event 13 Event 14 Event 15 Event 16
Event 17 Event 18 Event 19 Event 20
Event 21 Event 22 Event 23 Event 24
Event 25 Event 26 Event 27 Event 28
Event 29 Event 30 Event 31 Event 32
Event 33 Event 34 Event 35 Event 36
Event 37 Event 38 Event 39 Event 40
Event 41 Event 42 Event 43 Event 44
Event 45 Event 46 Event 47 Event 48
Event 49 Event 50 Event 51 Event 52
Event 53 Event 54 Event 55 Day 1-A Event 55 Day 1-B
Event 55 Day 1-C Event 55 Day 1-D Event 55 Day 2-A Event 55 Day 2-B
Event 55 Day 3 Event 55 Day 4 Event 55 Day 5 Event 55 Day 6
Event 55 Final Table

 

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