TOURNAMENT HEADLINES:
Poker
Instructor Puts on a Clinic
Mark Schmid
Wins $1K No-Limit Hold’em Championship
Schmid’s
$1,000 Investment Yields $488,283
Michigan
Poker Pro Collects First WSOP Gold Bracelet
Full House at
the 2011 WSOP-- Tournament Attendance Remains up over Last Year
34 Gold
Bracelets Won – 24 More Still to Go
OVERVIEW
Mark
Schmid won the latest World Series of Poker competition held in Las
Vegas. The 31-year-old professional poker player from Grand Rapids, MI,
overcame a monster-sized field of 3,144 entrants, en route to his first WSOP
victory.
Schmid collected $488,283 in
prize money for his win – not bad for a mere $1,000 investment, which was the
grand sum of his entry fee. He won the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em
tournament, classified as Event #34.
Schmid’s
victory was certainly due in part to his efforts and association as an online
pro and instructor for a poker training website called Sharkscopers.com.
Schmid has posted about 60 training videos to the site. However, his
talent clearly extends beyond just poker as an academic exercise.
Schmid has
cashed in nearly half of the WSOP tournaments he's entered over the last two
years. This marked his sixth career in-the money finish. Schmid
also has four cashes on the WSOP Circuit during the previous year.
Schmid endured
a roller coaster final table. He had the
chip lead during much of play; however, Schmid lost the chip advantage late in
the tournament to a tough Australian player named Justin Cohen. Schmid
played a tenacious game, never tilting or giving up despite enduring a number of
emotional and financial swings.
"It all
comes down to making the
right decisions," Schmid said just moments after his victory.
"There are wild swings in tournament poker. All you can do is make
the best possible EV (expected value) decision and hope for the best. It
all worked out for me tonight."
The tournament was played over
three consecutive days, which actually ran into a fourth day given the late
ending time – Wednesday at 2:40 a.m.
For a comprehensive recap of Event #34,
please visit the WSOP.com tournament portal page HERE.
EVENT #34 CHAMPION – MARK SCHMID
The 2011
World Series of Poker $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em champion is Mark Schmid,
from Grand Rapids, MI.
Schmid is a
31-year-old professional poker player and online instructor.
Schmid was
born in Grand Rapids, MI.
Schmid is a
graduate of Grand Valley State. He
earned his degree in finance.
Schmid is
affiliated with an online poker training website called Sharkscopers.com. Over the past two years, he has created about
60 training videos that are posted to the site.
His focus is on high-stakes Sit-N-Go.
His “Sit-N-Go” guide series covers all aspects of strategy.
This marks
only the second year Schmid has attended the WSOP.
Schmid had
entered seven tournaments at this year’s WSOP and has cashed in three of them.
For his
victory, Schmid collected $488,283.
According to
official records, Schmid now has 1 win, 1 final table appearance, and 6
in-the-money finishes at the WSOP. He
also cashed 4 times on the WSOP Circuit last season. All of Schmid’s WSOP-related cashes have
taken place within the past year and 5 days.
His first recorded cash was at the 2010 WSOP, which was Event #30.
Schmid
currently has $511,054 in career WSOP winnings.
Schmid is to
be classified as a professional poker player (in WSOP records and stats), since
he has been a full-time player for the past six years, and also works in the
industry.
WINNER INTERVIEW
On his
expectations coming into this year’s WSOP:
“There is so much variance in
tournaments. You can’t really expect to
win a bracelet. There are good players
who go a decade without winning one.
It’s just such a high variance.
So, I did not really expect to do it.
I just try to make the best EV decision on every hand, and it led to the
bracelet.”
On winning
his first WSOP gold bracelet:
“It’s huge for me. This is one of my life goals. I remember on my blog last year, I posted my
goal was to win a WSOP bracelet. To come
through with this a win is huge.”
On the
impact of “Black Friday” on his livelihood as a poker player:
“I have been an online pro for six
years. Once I could not play online
anymore, I came here to Las Vegas and started playing in cash games. I was really looking forward to the WSOP
starting. Now, this win is a huge boost
to my bankroll.”
On his
affiliation with Sharkscope and role as a trainer/instructor:
“It’s kind of expensive compared to
the other sites. But I have gotten back
a lot of e-mails that say they are making a lot more money. So, it works out for them.”
THE FINAL TABLE
The official
final table was comprised of the top nine finishers.
The final
table contained no former gold bracelet winners. This was the eighth (of 34) final tables with
no previous winners, which guaranteed a first-time champion.
Three nations
were represented at the final table – Australia (1 player), Gibraltar (1
player) and the United States (7 players).
When heads-up
play began, Justin Cohen was ahead of Mark Schmid by about 3-to-1 in
chips. The duel lasted about 45 minutes.
The runner up
was Justin Cohen, from Sydney, Australia.
Cohen made his second final table appearance at this year’s WSOP,
following his ninth-place showing in Event #25.
He is an accountant who was playing at the WSOP for the first time.
The third-place
finisher was Andrew Rudnik, from Johnstown, PA.
He is a 24-year-old student at Georgetown University, studying
biology. Rudnik started his poker
bankroll a few years ago with a $20 deposit online. He has run that up to a considerable
sum. Third place paid $213,747.
The fourth-place
finisher was Jonathan Clancy, from Portland, OR.
The fifth-place
finisher was Trevor Vanderveen, from Bellingham, WA. He is a graduate of Washington State University.
The
sixth-place finisher was Ben Volpe, from Chicago, IL. He is a graduate of Emory University who now
works as an accountant. Volpe took one
week off from work in order to play in the WSOP and earned $83,925 on his
“vacation.”
The
seventh-place finisher was Robbie Verspui, from the nation of Gibraltar. This was his second final table appearance at
this year’s WSOP, after finishing second in the No-Limit Shootout nearly two
weeks ago.
The
eighth-place finisher was Michael Souza, from San Diego, CA. He had to be somewhat disappointed, since he
came into the third day of play with the chip lead. Souza is a three-time WSOP Circuit gold ring
winner. He’s also a graduate of San
Diego State University.
The
ninth-place finisher was Jeremy Kottler, from Los Angeles, CA. He cashed twice in the WSOP Main Event
Championship. He is a graduate of Ohio
State University.
Final table
play began at 8:15 pm Tuesday. Play
concluded about 6.5 hours later, at 2:45 am, Wednesday.
When final
table play began, Mark Schmid enjoyed nearly a 2-to-1 chip lead over his
closest rival.
The final
table was played on ESPN’s main stage. The
new final table set this year is getting raves in terms of design and
appearance. No stage in the history of
poker has ever looked as spectacular. Viewers
will be able to see ESPN’s coverage again once the WSOP Main Event begins in
July.
Action was
streamed live over WSOP.com. Viewers can
tune in and watch most of this year’s final tables. Although hole cards are not shown, viewers
can follow an overhead camera as well as a pan-shot of the table. The floor announcer provides an official
account of the action.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS
The top 324
finishers collected prize money.
Among former
gold bracelet winners who cashed in this tournament -- aside from the players
who made the final table – were: Tomer
Berda (61), Mike “Little Man” Sica (76), Simon Watt (101) and Barry Shulman
(258).
A WSOP
rarity: Matthew Affleck (Mill Creek, WA)
cashed in two events on the same day.
Event 32 - $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em – 225th
place
Event 34 - $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em – 223rd
place
Tournament results
are to be included in all official WSOP records. Results are also to be included in the 2011
WSOP “Player of the Year” race.
“WSOP Player
of the Year” standings can be found at WSOP.com HERE. Phil Hellmuth currently leads the “Player of
the Year” point race.
ODDS AND ENDS
This
tournament attracted 3,144 entries.
For the
second day in a row, the tournament was won by a player who serves as an
instructor at an online training website.
The previous winner, (Event #33) Eric Rodawig, works with Cardrunners.
This is the 926th
gold bracelet awarded in World Series of Poker history. This figure includes every official WSOP
event ever played, including tournaments during the early years when there were
no actual gold bracelets awarded. It
also includes the 16 gold bracelets awarded to date at WSOP Europe (2007-2010). Moreover for the first time ever, one gold
bracelet was awarded for this year’s winner of the WSOP Circuit National
Championship.
The official
WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner’s
victory (or some hours later when the tournament ends very late). The ceremony takes place inside The Pavilion,
which is the expansive main tournament room hosting all noon starts this year. The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the
first break of the noon tournament. The
ceremony usually starts around 2:20 pm.
The national anthem of the winner’s nation is played. The entire presentation is open to the public
and media. Video and photography is
permitted by both the public and members of the media.
Schmid’s gold
bracelet ceremony is set to take place on Wednesday, June 22nd. The national anthem of the USA will be played
in honor of his victory.
TOURNAMENT PLAY
The tournament
was scheduled to be played over three consecutive days/nights – which ran into
a fourth day due to the late finish.
Day One began
with 3,144 entries and ended with 323 survivors.
Day Two began
with 323 players and ended with 27 survivors.
Day Three
began with 27 players, which played down to the winner.
The tournament
officially began on Sunday, June 19th at noon. The tournament officially ended early Wednesday
morning, June 22nd, at 2:45 a.m.
OVERALL WSOP STATISTICS (THROUGH MIDWAY POINT, END OF EVENT #29)
In general,
younger people are outperforming older people at this year’s WSOP. Case in point:
Average age
of all entrants: 36.2 years
Average age
of all players who cashed: 34.9 years
Average age
of all final table players: 33.9 years
Average age
of all winners: 28.8 years
The WSOP
continued to attract players from all over the world:
Number of
countries represented (to date): 74
Number of
countries which have had at least one player to cash: 62
Number of
U.S. states represented: 50
Number of
Canadian provinces represented: 10
The overall
percentage of females who have entered gold bracelet events is 3.2 percent.
MORE 2011 WSOP STATISTICS
Through the conclusion
of Event #34, the 2011 WSOP has attracted 44,598 combined total entries. $66,968,160 in prize money has been awarded
to winners.
Through the
conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of nationality of gold bracelet
winners has been:
United States
(23)
Canada (4)
Great Britain
(3)
France (2)
Russia (1)
Ukraine (1)
Through the
conclusion of this tournament, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has
been:
United States
(18)
Canada (4)
Great Britain
(3)
France (2)
Ukraine (2)
Israel (1)
Russia (1)
Honduras (1)
Indonesia (1)
Germany (1)
Through the
conclusion of this event, the home-states of (American) winners have been:
California
(5)
Nevada (3)
New York (3)
Texas (2)
Illinois (2)
New Jersey
(1)
Florida (1)
Tennessee (1)
Connecticut
(1)
Indiana (1)
Maryland (1)
Virginia (1)
Michigan (1)
Through the
conclusion of this tournament, the breakdown of professional poker players to
semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets has been:
Professional Players
(26): Jake
Cody, Cheech Barbaro, Eugene Katchalov, Allen Bari, Harrison Wilder, Matt Perrins,
Sean Getzwiller, Viacheslav Zhukov, David Diaz, Andrew Badecker, Tyler
Bonkowski, Brian Rast, John Juanda, Aaron Steury, Darren Woods, Jason
Somerville, Bertrand Grospellier, John Monnette, Elie Payon, Mark Radoja, Chris
Viox, Dan Idema, Andy Frankenberger, Chris Lee, Sam Stein and Mark Schmid
Semi-Pros (4): Sean R. Drake, Amir Lehavot, Oleksii
Kovalchuk, Eric Rosawig
Amateurs
(4): Geffrey Klein, Foster Hays, James
Hess, Kirk Caldwell
Since
tracking first started in 2005, this year’s WSOP has the greatest disparity of
professionals winning over semi-pros and amateurs than any year recorded, so
far – with 30 out of 34 events being won by pros or semi-pros.
Through the
conclusion of this tournament, the victories of eight of the 34 winners (24 percent)
marked the first time the new champion had ever cashed at the WSOP.
Every WSOP
held over the past 11 years has included at least one multiple gold bracelet
champion (meaning two or more wins within the same year). The last year the WSOP was comprised
exclusively of single-event winners was back in 1999. The record for most multiple gold bracelet
winners within a single year was in 2009, when five players managed to win two
or more titles. So far, no player has
yet won two gold bracelets (this year).
The streak of
consecutive male WSOP gold bracelet winners has now reached 193 consecutive
events. Aside from the annual Ladies
Championship, the last female player to win a WSOP tournament open to both
sexes was Vanessa Selbst, in 2008. The
longest “cold” streak for female players occurred between years 1982 and 1996,
when 221 consecutive open events passed without a female champion.
The highest
finishes by a female (open events) at this year’s WSOP were by two players --
Maria Ho, who finished second ($5,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em), and Kim Nguyen,
who also finished as the runner up ($1,500 buy-in Six-Handed Limit Hold’em).
The highest
finish by any defending champion at this year’s WSOP was by David Baker, who
finished in sixth place after winning the previous $10,000 buy-in No-Limit
Deuce-to-Seven Draw Lowball World Championship.
New
tournament records set at the 2011 WSOP (to date):
Biggest
Heads-Up tournament prize pool in history ($3,040,000) – Event #2
Largest
live Omaha High-Low Split Tournament in history (925 entries) – Event #3
Largest
live Six-Handed tournament in poker history (1,920 entries) – Event #10
Biggest
Deuce-to-Seven tournament prize pool in history ($1,184,400) – Event #16
Largest
live $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start
(3,157 entries) – Event #18
Largest
live $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament in history with single day start
(3,175 entries) – Event #20
Largest
consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,332 entries)
– Event #18 and Event #20
Largest
live Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in poker history (1,071 entries) – Event #22
Largest
Mixed-Game (Eight-Game Mix) in poker history (489 entries) – Event #23
Largest
Seniors tournament in poker history (3,752 entries) – Event #30
Biggest
Seniors No-Limit Hold’em championship prize pool in history ($3,376,800) –
Event #30
Largest
single-day live tournament start in poker history (3,752 entries) – Event #30
Largest
consecutive-days starting field sizes in poker history (combined 6,580 entries)
– Event #30 & Event #32 (broke Event #18 and Event #20 record from earlier
in WSOP)
New player
records set at the 2011 WSOP (to date):
The
35-year span between Artie Cobb’s first cash in this event (1976) and most
recent cash in the same event (2011) represents the longest time span in WSOP
history. He accomplished this in
Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split (Event #25).
Phil
Hellmuth has added to his record as the individual all-time leader in cashes
(81) and final table appearances (42).
RAISING AWARENESS: BAD BEAT ON CANCER AND THE WSOP
Bad Beat on
Cancer was created in 2003 by Phil Gordon and Rafe Furst as an easy and fun way
for poker players to donate to the Prevent Cancer Foundation. It all began when Chris Moneymaker pledged 1
percent of his 2003 Main Event winnings and went on to capture the championship,
contributing $25,000 when he was awarded the $2.500,000 first- place prize. By taking the pledge, wearing the patch, and
joining ‘Team 1%’, players can feel good supporting a cause that only benefits
when they win. As the official charity
of the WSOP, pledges simply indicate to the payouts staff that they are
donating 1 percent of their winnings, and the funds are automatically withheld.
A tax receipt is generated and sent to
their mailing address. Several high
profile professionals have made ‘life pledges’ of 1 percent of all their
winnings -- including Annie Duke, Phil Hellmuth, Lee Childs, Paul Wasicka, Andy
Bloch, Dennis Phillips, and others. Since
2003, the initiative has raised over $3.500,000 for cancer prevention research,
education, and community outreach programs.
Players can pick up a patch and join Team 1% by stopping by the Bad Beat
on Cancer booth, located at the 2011 WSOP opposite the Amazon Room in the
concourse. The
Nevada Cancer Institute based in Las Vegas is a benefiting charity from the Bad
Beat on Cancer.