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GIMME' FIVE! JEFFREY LISANDRO WINS FIFTH WSOP GOLD BRACELET
Sep 18 2010 03:17 PM EST
NEWS FLASH:
The winner of the ₤5,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha championship is Jeffrey Lisandro from Salerno, Italy by way of Perth, Australia. He earned ₤159,000, equal to about $248,450. He was also presented with his fifth WSOP gold bracelet.
The victory gives Lisandro exalted status within the poker world, as he continues to acquire victories and acheieve quasi-immortal status. Gold bracelet number five places him in a tie for 12th place on the all-time WSOP wins list -- along with such luminaries as Stu Ungar, Berry Johnston, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Allen Cunningham, Scotty Nguyen, Ted Forrest and Gary "Bones" Berland.
The victory gives Lisandro exalted status within the poker world, as he continues to acquire victories and acheieve quasi-immortal status. Gold bracelet number five places him in a tie for 12th place on the all-time WSOP wins list -- along with such luminaries as Stu Ungar, Berry Johnston, Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, Allen Cunningham, Scotty Nguyen, Ted Forrest and Gary "Bones" Berland.
Joseph Serock, a 22-year-old poker pro from Albuquerque, New Mexico (USA) claimed second place, worth £98,262 (approx. $165,000 U.S.D.) and some valuable final table and short-handed experience against several of the best poker players in the game today. This is Serock's second runner-up finish at the WSOP. In 2009, he won $341,783 in a Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em event at the 40th Annual WSOP. In just two short years of play, Serock has amassed more than $650,000 in WSOP winnings and now has ten in-the-money finishes. Not many players can claim such impressive results.
The three-day tournament concluded today at Casino at the Empire in London. This was the second of five events scheduled this year at World Series of Poker Europe.
The Pot-Limit Omaha championship has been part of the WSOP Europe schedule each and every year since inception. Previous PLO champions include Dario Alioto (Italy) in 2007, Theo Jorgensen (Denmark) in 2008, and Jani Vilmunen (Finland) in 2009.
This was one of the most star-studded Pot-Limit Omaha tournaments in recent memory. Of the 120 entrants, more than two dozen players were former WSOP gold bracelet winners. Many more were among the top PLO specialists in Europe.
Lisandro overcame a valiant effort from the 22-year old Serock, who despite a lack of live tournament experience proved his mettle throughout. But ultimately Lisandro was too much for the young lion, en route to a thrilling gold bracelet victory -- his fourth WSOP gold bracelet in the last 15 months.
The final table included four former WSOP gold bracelet winners – including Chris Bjorin (London, UK), Willie Tann (London, UK) and Jeff Madsen (Los Angeles, CA USA). Two of the finalists were former WSOP “Player of the Year” winners – including Madsen (2006) and Lisandro (2009). Furthermore, Bjorin and Tann each made their second consecutive final table at this year’s London series.
In addition, this table included John Racener, a member of the 2010 WSOP Main Event Final Table. Racener, a November Niner, gained some more valuable live tournament experience as he hones his game for November's restart. He finished fifth place in this event, worth another £39,486 to his burgeoning bankroll.
In addition, this table included John Racener, a member of the 2010 WSOP Main Event Final Table. Racener, a November Niner, gained some more valuable live tournament experience as he hones his game for November's restart. He finished fifth place in this event, worth another £39,486 to his burgeoning bankroll.
The total prize pool amounted to ₤600,000. The top 18 finishers collected prize money. Day Two ran nearly 14 hours due to an unusually long hand-for-hand sequence, when play remained locked at 19-handed. With players one spot away from the money, hands were dealt out one at a time per table in order to reach the 18th payout position. Normally, hand-for-hand takes no more than 30 minutes to an hour to complete. However, hand-for-hand took more than three hours in this tournament, leaving just about everyone exhausted at the end of a very long night.
Also of note -- with yet another impressive in-the-money showing, two-time gold bracelet winner Chris Bjorin now has six WSOP Europe cashes and four final table appearances -- the most by any player. Since this was only the 13th gold bracelet presented in Europe, this means Bjorin has cashed in almost half of all events and final-tabled nearly one-third of all tournaments played in London, so far.
To see official results and additional information about WSOP Europe, please click HERE.
