Zero for 15, No Problem! 16th Tournament a Charm for Shawn Busse
21-Year-Old Poker Pro Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event 47
Busse Collects $485,791 in Prize Money
Through 47 WSOP Events -- WSOP Attendance Increases 23 Percent from Last Year
For the tournament portal page, including official results, click HERE.
OVERVIEW Shawn Busse was the winner of the $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em championship at the 2010 World Series of Poker. He is a 21-year-old poker pro from Massapequa, NY. This marked his first time ever to cash at the WSOP. Busse collected $485,791 in prize money.Busse’s victory was as shocking as it was unforeseeable. He entered 15 events thus far, coming up empty in every tournament he entered. His confidence unshaken, Busse entered this tournament, which attracted a whopping 3,128 players. He was the last player sitting after five long days of competition.The runner up was Owen Crowe, from Darmouth, Nova Scotia (Canada) who cashed for the eighth time at the WSOP. Crowe’s most notable previous achievement was a 15th-place finish in the 2008 WSOP Main Event championship. He came close to becoming the sixth Canadian champion at this year’s WSOP and collected a nice consolation prize of $300,494.This tournament had special meaning because it was played in memory of former gold bracelet winner Amir Vahedi, who won a similar No-Limit Hold’em event in 2003. Vahedi, famous for his smile, his wit, and his trademark cigar, passed away late last year. To remember Vahedi, the WSOP presented the winner of this tournament, Shawn Busse, with a box of the late champion’s favorite cigars – Saint Luis Rey Rothchilde.THE CHAMPION – SHAWN BUSSEThe $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em champion (Event #47) is Shawn Busse, from Massapequa, NY.Busse is 21-years-old.Busse is a professional poker player and has been playing seriously for about three years.Busse was enrolled as a student at State University of New York at Albany. He studied business administration. Busse says he is very entrepreneurial-minded. He looks at poker as an investment in his skill and knowledge. He plans to continue playing as long as he believes he enjoys an edge, but is also interested in pursuing other business interests when the opportunity arises.Busse admits his family was not enthusiastic about his career path. But after he was successful for a few years, they slowly began changing opinion. Busse expects this victory, which paid nearly half-a-million dollars for first place will seal his family’s approval.Busse’s regular cardroom is at the Turning Stone Casino in upstate New York.Prior to playing at this year’s WSOP (his first), Busse cashed in seven other major tournaments, including the WSOP Circuit event held at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.Busse suffered a rough going during the first four weeks of this year’s WSOP. He entered 15 previous tournaments and failed to cash even one time. Busse planned to play the remaining $1,000 buy-in tournaments (there were two remaining) and then return home.Busse collected $485,791 for first place. He was presented with his first WSOP gold bracelet.According to official records, Busse now has one win, one final table appearance, and one cash at the WSOP. His career WSOP earnings now total $485,791. WINNER QUOTES On playing poker full time: “When I started to play poker, that’s what I discovered I wanted to do.”On the reaction of family member to choosing poker as a profession: “Definitely, at first they were resistant. But when I enjoyed some success they came around to it. And, I think this will really help.”On his expectations coming into this tournament: “I played 15 tournaments so far. This was my first cash in the entire World Series of Poker. I was starting to question myself, but I just kept at it. And, it worked out.”On adjusting his play or making changes this time, which resulted in victory rather than defeat: “No, I did not change anything. It’s just the way tournaments are. After each day of this tournament my confidence was getting higher.”On what winning the WSOP gold bracelet means: “It means so much to win. It is the most coveted prize in all of poker. To get this at my first World Series of Poker in my first cash out here means so much.”THE FINAL TABLE The final table included no former WSOP gold bracelet winners, which guaranteed a first-time champion. The final table began nine-handed.This was the most international finale of any event played this year. The final table included players from six different nations – Canada (1 player), China (1 player), Denmark (1 player), Finland (1 player), Russia (1 player), and the United States (4 players).The runner up was Owen Crowe, from Darmouth, Nova Scotia (Canada). This was his eighth time to cash at the WSOP. Crowe’s most notable previous achievement was a 15th-place finish in the 2008 WSOP Main Event championship. He came close to becoming the sixth Canadian champion at this year’s WSOP, ending up second. He collected a nice consolation prize of $300,494. The third-place finisher was Pekka Ikonen, from Helsinki, Finland. He’s cashed in a few European tournaments, but this marked his biggest score, by far. Third place paid $212,660.The fourth-place finisher was Chuan Shi, from Plano, TX. He is a 21-year-old student. This was Shi’s first time to cash at the WSOP. Fourth place paid $153,935.The fifth-place finisher was Wenlong Jin, from Shanghai, China. He is an electrical engineer-turned-poker pro. Jin cashed in the 2007 WSOP Main Event championship. This was his highest career cash to date. Fifth place paid $112,720.The sixth-place finisher was Ilya Andreev, from Roster-on-Don, Russia. He has previous cashes at tournaments held in Russia, Egypt, and elsewhere. This was his first time to cash at the WSOP. Sixth place paid $83,498.The seventh-place finisher was Jason Mann, from Hermitage, AR. He won a WSOP Circuit gold ring at Caesars Indiana. This was his first WSOP final table appearance, which paid $62,553 in prize money.The eighth-place finisher was Allan Baekke, from Fredriksberg, Denmark. He has several big cashes in various European poker tournaments. This marked his best finish yet at the WSOP. Eighth place paid $47,379.The ninth-place finisher was Adam White, from Tempe, AZ. He cashed for the eighth time at the WSOP and now has more than $500,000 in career earnings. White’s best showing was a second place finish at the 2005 WSOP. He also cashed in the 2007 Main Event championship. Ninth place paid $36,287.The final table began at 2:30 pm and ended at 11:30 pm, a duration of about 10 hours.OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERSThe top 324 finishers collected prize money. Aside from those who made the final table, former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Scott Montgomery (29th), Antonio “the Magician” Esfandiari (73rd), Peter Traply (75th), Simon Watt (118th), Mickey Appleman (156th), Jeff Madsen (200th), David Sklansky (247th), and Al Krux (276th).One of the more interesting players who played in this event was Alan “Einstein 007” Snow, from Seattle, WA – who finished in 18th place. He is a doctor and biotech industry executive. Snow invented more than 170 patents which relate to medical research. His area of expertise is in the treatment of Alzheimers and Parkinsons. Four-time gold bracelet winner Mickey Appleman cashed for the 41st time. This ranks 25th on the all-time WSOP cashes list.Poker theorist and writer David Sklansky cashed in 247th place. Sklansky owns three gold bracelets, all in games which are no longer offered at the WSOP.Mike Paulle, from Las Vegas, NV, was the 318th-place finisher. He was the official WSOP tournament reporter during the late 1990s. This was the first tournament Paulle had ever played at the WSOP. After cashing, he stated: “I’m like Rocky Marciano. I’m 1 for 1 in cashes. I’m retiring undefeated.” ODDS AND ENDSThis is the 876th gold bracelet event in World Series of Poker history. Note: This figure includes every official WSOP event played, including tournaments during the early years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded. It also includes the 11 gold bracelets awarded at WSOP Europe, to date.The official WSOP gold bracelet ceremony takes place on the day following the winner’s victory (or some hours later when the tournament runs past midnight). 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, usually around 2:20 pm. The national anthem of the winner’s nation is played. The entire presentation is open to public and media. Video and photography are permitted by both public and members of the media.Busse requested that the national anthem of the United States be played at his WSOP gold bracelet ceremony, to be held either Thursday (July 1st) or Friday (July 2nd).EVENT HISTORY (IN MEMORIAM – AMIR VAHEDI)This tournament was played in memory of former gold bracelet winner Amir Vahedi. Vahedi passed away late last year. Prior to the start, Tournament Director Jack Effel made the following remarks: Seven years ago, this exact same tournament – this same championship on the 2003 WSOP schedule – was won by a player who, sadly, is no longer with us. I remember him. I am sure you remember him, too. His name was AMIR VAHEDI.Amir was one of the kindest and most cheerful poker players I have ever met. And, he was a former gold bracelet winner. He was born in Iran. He fought in the Iran-Iraq War. And, he arrived in this country without a cent to his name as a refugee. Despite being dealt a bad hand in life, Amir Vahedi played his cards like a champion. He discovered poker and eventually became a regular on the tournament trail and at the WSOP. He made it to the final table of the Main Event in 2003. We all remember him. And, we all miss him.I respectfully ask that we take just a few seconds to pause, and try to remember who we are, and those we respect as fellow competitors. A moment of silence please, for a fallen champion.Thank you. We miss you, Amir. Finally, let it be known that in memory of Amir, who won this event, the WSOP will be presenting the winner of this tournament with the gold bracelet, a huge amount of prize money, and a box of Amir’s favorite cigars – Saint Luis Rey Rothchilde.So, ladies and gentlemen, you are now all playing for a box of cigars! On behalf of Amir, dealers – Shuffle Up and Deal.TOURNAMENT PLAYThe tournament was played over four consecutive days, from June 26 to July 1, 2010.There were 3,128 entries. The total prize pool amounted to $2,815,200. The top 324 finishers collected prize money.As is the case with all $1,000 buy-in level tournaments, there were two starting days (Day Ones).When heads-up play began, Shawn Busse enjoyed about a 5-to-1 chip lead over Owen Crowe. The duel lasted only about 15 minutes.The final hand of the tournament came when Busse was dealt against Crowe’s . The final board came . Busse’s ace played as the kicker to go with two pair, and he won the championship.2010 WSOP STATISTICSTournament attendance is up significantly from this same point last year. Last year, through 47 events, there were 44,276 entries. Thus far this year, there have been 54,457 total entries, an increase of 23 percent.Prize money is also up from last year’s figures. Last year, through 47 events, the amount of prize money won was $89,640,694. This year’s prize money currently stands at $92,659,865, an increase of 3.3 percent.Through the conclusion of Event #47 (which ended after Event #48), the nationalities of gold bracelet winners have been:United States (32)Great Britain (5)Canada (5)Hungary (2)New Zealand (1)France (1)Russia (1)Norway (1)Through the conclusion of Event #47 (which ended after Event #48), the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:United States (25)Great Britain (5)Canada (5)Vietnam (2)China (2)Hungary (2)New Zealand (1)France (1)Lebanon (1)Russia (1)Mexico (1)Bangladesh (1)Norway (1)Through the conclusion of Event #47 (which ended after Event #48), the breakdown of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:Professional Players (35): Michael Chow, Michael Mizrachi, Praz Bansi, Josh Tieman, Peter Gelencser, James Dempsey, Men “the Master” Nguyen, Matt Matros, Yan R. Chen, Steve Gee, Carter Phillips, Jason DeWitt, Eric Buchman, David Baker, Richard Ashby, Dutch Boyd, Sammy Farha, David Warga, Will Haydon, Matt Keikoan, Mike Ellis, Luis Velador, Ayaz Mahmood, Phil Ivey, Luigi Kwaysser, Scott Montgomery, Steven Kelly, Steve Jelinek, Dean Hamrick, Ian Gordon, Gavin Smith, Jesse Rockowitz, Chris Bell, Sigurd Eskeland, Shawn BusseSemi-Pros (5): Frank Kassela, Tex Barch, Miguel Proulx, Jeffrey Papola, Frank KasselaAmateurs (8): Duc Pham, Aadam Daya, Pascal Lefrancois, Simon Watt, Vanessa Hellebuyck, Jeff Tebben, Konstantin Puchkov, Harold AngleThrough the conclusion of Event #47, here is the list of repeat WSOP gold bracelet winners:Praz BansiMen “the Master” NguyenRuss “Dutch” BoydSammy FarhaDavid Warga (* his first WSOP win was in a non-open event)Matt KeikoanLuis VeladorPhil IveyFrank Kassela (two wins this year)Through the conclusion of 2010 World Series of Poker -- Event #47:Youngest Winner – Steven Kelly (21) and Shawn Busse (21)Oldest Winner – Harold Angle (78)Female Winners (open events) – NoneMultiple-Event Winners (this year) – Frank Kassela