Miguel Proulx Wins WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event 28
Quebec Semi-Pro Poker Player Scoops Huge Pot-Limit Omaha Victory
Proulx Collects $315,311 in Prize Money
Through 28 WSOP Events -- Attendance Up Seven Percent Over Last Year
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OVERVIEW
Miguel Proulx was the winner of the $2,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha championship at the 2010 World Series of Poker. This marked his first career WSOP gold bracelet victory. The Quebec-based poker player made his first WSOP cash in three years, earning a huge payout totaling $315,311. This was his biggest poker payday ever.
Proulx is from St. Charles, Quebec (Canada). Proulx became the third Canadian to win a gold bracelet this year, after fellow countrymen Aadam Daya and Pascal LeFrancois won their WSOP victories.
The Pot-Limit Omaha runner up was Loren Klein, a Las Vegas poker pro who had cashed six times at the WSOP over the past three years. He came close to earning a breakthrough victory, but lost the chip lead late and was unable to overcome Proulx’s final flurry of good fortune. Klein received $195,147 for second place.
In all, the top 54 finishers collected prize money. Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Chau Giang (20th), Joshua Teiman (27th), Scott Clements (28th), T.J. Cloutier (38th), Richard Ashby (40th), and Peter Vilandos (45th).
With his 20th-place finish, Chau Giang cashed for the third time this year and now has 54 career in-the-money finishes. This currently ranks eighth on the all-time WSOP cashes list.
With his first cash this year, 38th-place finisher T.J. Cloutier now has 56 career cashes, which currently ranks sixth on the all-time WSOP cashes list.
With his 31st-place finish, Tony Cousineau added to his semi-dubious record as the player with the most cashes in WSOP history without a gold bracelet victory. Cousineau cashed for the 43rd time, moving him one ahead of Johnny Chan on the all-time cashes list.
THE CHAMPION – MIGUEL PROULX
The $2,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha champion (Event #28) is Miguel Proulx, from Saint Charles, Quebec (Canada).
Proulx is 27–years-old.
Proulx earned his undergraduate degree in computer science from Universite Laval, in Quebec City, Quebec.
Proulx is fluent in both English and French.
Proulx has one child and another on the way. He says the money he won in this tournament will go a long way towards providing for his family.
Proulx collected $315,311 for first place.
Proulx classifies himself as a semi-pro player. He plays poker seriously and earns income by playing part-time. But he has also worked in the computer field. He plans to return to school and complete his Masters Degree, followed by taking a full-time position in the high-tech industry. However, Proulx also plans to continue playing poker part-time.
Proulx had only one other cash at the WSOP, which took place in 2007. He finished 50th in a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournament.
Proulx says his favorite poker game is Pot-Limit Omaha. He plays mostly in online cash games.
According to official records, Miguel Proulx now has one win, one final table appearance, and two in-the-money finishes at the WSOP. His career WSOP earnings now total $319,499.
Proulx became the third winner so far this year from Canada. His countrymen Aadam Daya and Pascal LeFrancois won the previous two gold bracelets for Canada.
Proulx and LeFrancois became the first two players from the Canadian province of Quebec to win WSOP gold bracelets in a single year.
WINNER QUOTES
On what winning his first WSOP gold bracelet means: “It feels really great. It’s an accomplishment that not many players will be able to get. I mean, they will spend a lot of money to get one. But in my case the field was large, so it feels great to come over the top and win the gold bracelet.”
On what he expects to do with the $315,311 in prize money: “I have a family in Quebec. I already have one daughter and another child on the way. The family is expanding. That’s a pretty nice gift for the family.”
On his expectations coming into this year’s WSOP: “I usually come to the WSOP to play in the cash games. I did not want to waste my time in tournaments. This year, I was tired of playing in cash games. So, I tried my chances in tournaments to see how it goes. I could have played more in the (other games), but I am better at PLO and the fields are not as large, so I thought my chances to win a bracelet were better in this event, so that is why I have played the PLO tournaments.”
On the emerging poker scene in Quebec: “We have had a huge year here. This is the second gold bracelet we have won. We have about 7 million people (the population of Quebec), so that’s pretty good. We have a runner up too, so he could have won. It’s been a pretty good year for the guys here in Quebec.”
On taking pride in being a poker champion from Quebec: “You always watch for your country and your province. So, it feels really great.”
THE FINAL TABLE
The final table consisted of no former WSOP gold bracelet winners, which guaranteed a first-time champion. This was the 12th final table this year with no former winners, which is an unusually large number of first-time finalists.
The final table included players from five different nations: Canada (1), Germany (2), Great Britain (1), France (1), and the United States (4).
The final table began nine-handed.
Final table participants ranged in age from 23 to 46.
The runner up was Loren Klein, a Las Vegas poker pro who had cashed six times at the WSOP over the past three years. He came close to earning a breakthrough victory, but lost the chip lead late and was unable to overcome Proulx’s final flurry of good fortune. Klein received $195,147 for second place.
The third-place finisher was Michael Greco, from London, UK. He is an actor, most famous for his role in a popular British soap opera called “East Enders,” which ran from 1998-2002. Greco has also done well at the WSOP, accumulating more than $300,000 in career winnings after taking down $129,691 for third place in this event. It was his second time to finish third in a WSOP tournament (last time was in a $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event last year).
The fourth-place finisher was Stephane Tayar, from St. Mande, France. He has now cashed during each of the last three years at the WSOP. This marked his second final table appearance. Tayar has several cashes in major tournaments dating back to 2005. Fourth place paid $96,243.
The fifth-place finisher was Joerg Engels, from Cologne, Germany. He received $72,227.
The sixth-place finisher was Karl Gal, from Munich, Germany. He has three previous cashes at tournaments played in Europe. This fine effort paid $54,736.
The seventh-place finisher was Trevor Pope, from Gainesville, FL. He now has three cashes in 2010, after taking $41,850 for seventh place.
The eighth-place finisher was Tommy Le, from Tustin, CA. He cashed for the second time this year, worth a payout of $32,254.
The ninth-place finisher was Patrick Hanoteau, from Paris, France. This was his first recorded cash at the WSOP after four cashes at various European tournaments. His ninth place finish in this event paid $25,044.
The final table officially began at 4:30 pm and ended at 1:00 am. The final table clocked in at 8 hours and 30 minutes.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS
The top 54 finishers collected prize money. Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Chau Giang (20th), Joshua Teiman (27th), Scott Clements (28th), T.J. Cloutier (38th), Richard Ashby (40th), and Peter Vilandos (45th).
With his 20th-place finish, Chau Giang cashed for the third time this year and now has 54 career in-the-money finishes. This currently ranks eighth on the all-time WSOP cashes list.
With his first cash this year, 38th-place finisher T.J. Cloutier now has 56 career cashes, which currently ranks sixth on the all-time WSOP cashes list.
With his 31st-place finish, Tony Cousineau added to his semi-dubious record as the player with the most cashes in WSOP history without a gold bracelet victory. Cousineau cashed for the 43rd time, moving him one ahead of Johnny Chan on the all-time cashes list.
The defending champion was J.C. Tran, from Sacramento, CA. He entered this year’s tournament but did not cash.
ODDS AND ENDS
This is the 856th 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 final table was played on the ESPN secondary-stage, which is adjacent to the set used for most televised WSOP events. The secondary stage area is a more intimate setting that allows spectators a closer view of the table and players.
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.
Proulx requested that the national anthem of Canada be played at his WSOP gold bracelet ceremony.
On this day, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 7 to win their 16th NBA championship. The World Series of Poker congratulates Dr. Jerry Buss and Frank Mariani, co-owners the storied franchise. Buss and Mariani are devoted poker players who enter many WSOP events each year. Congratulations to both champions!
EVENT HISTORY
Pot-Limit Omaha made its WSOP debut in 1984. The first Pot-Limit Omaha gold bracelet winner was Dewey Tomko, who was inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame in the Class of 2008.
Last year's event attracted 436 entries. The number of entries increased significantly this year to 569 players.
Sparked by widespread popularity in Europe, Pot-Limit Omaha tournament attendance at the WSOP continues to grow. Since the WSOP has been played at the Rio, here are the attendance figures over the past six years for this event:
2005 – 540 players (*$2,000 buy-in)
2006 -- 590 players (*$2,000 buy-in)
2007 – 599 players (*$2,000 buy-in)
2008 – 320 players
2009 – 436 players
2010 – 569 players
Here are the Pot-Limit Omaha attendance figures for the $1,500 buy-in event, which shows even more of an upward trend:
2005 – 291 players
2006 -- 526 players
2007 – 578 players
2008 – 758 players
2009 – 809 players
2010 – 885 players
The other Pot-Limit Omaha tournament completed thus far was won by Tex Barch, who won $256,919 and his first gold bracelet in Event #20. That was the largest live Pot-Limit Omaha tournament in history, with 885 entrants.
There are two Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments remaining on this year’s schedule, which are the $5,000 buy-in (Event #50) and the $10,000 buy-in championship (Event #55).
TOURNAMENT PLAY
The tournament was played over three consecutive days, from June 15-17, 2010.
Miguel Proulx started the final table as one of the biggest stacks. But he lost his lead and was short-stacked at one point. However, when play became three-handed, Proulx climbed back into contention and overtook rival Loren Klein during heads-up play.
Heads-up play lasted about 40 minutes.
The final hand of the tournament came when Proulx was dealt against Klein’s . The final board showed , which gave Proulx the nut spade flush and the victory.
2010 WSOP STATISTICS
Tournament attendance is up significantly from this point last year. Through 28 events last year, participation stood at 28,402 entries. Through 28 events this year, the number is 30,381, an increase of 6.9 percent.
Tournament prize money figures are down slightly from last year. Last year, through 28 events, the sum of total prize money won was $53,940,726. This year’s total prize money figure currently stands at $52,025,430, a decrease of 3.5 percent.
Through the conclusion of Event #28, the nationalities of winners have been:
United States (19)
Great Britain (3)
Canada (3)
Hungary (1)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Through the conclusion of Event #28, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:
United States (14)
Great Britain (3)
Canada (3)
Vietnam (2)
China (2)
Hungary (1)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Lebanon (1)
Through the conclusion of Event #28, the ratio of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:
Professional Players (19): 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
Semi-Pros (3): Frank Kassela, Tex Barch, Miguel Proulx
Amateurs (6): Duc Pham, Aadam Daya, Pascal LeFrancois, Simon Watt, Vanessa Hellebuyck, Jerry Tebben
Through the conclusion of Event #28, here is the list of repeat WSOP gold bracelet winners at the 2010 WSOP:
Praz Bansi
Men “the Master” Nguyen
Russ “Dutch” Boyd
Sammy Farha
David Warga (* his first WSOP win was in a non-open event)