Dominik Nitsche was among the poker professionals who came to Las Vegas for the World Series of Poker with high expectations. His desire was to win a bracelet and it goes without saying that he properly celebrated the victory when it occurred in the first events of the series. Much to his credit, he kept the dream alive and bought in for more tournaments, which resulted in another victory for the German.
It was Event #21 – $1k NLHE that brought him the coveted victory, which is the second this year and third overall, not to mention that he also took home $335,000. The competition was intense throughout the tournament, but no poker professional made the final table which greatly simplified his mission. Dominic is among the best online poker players and the fact that he found a way to replicate his success at live tables suggest that he made a successful transition.
- Dominik Nitsche – $335,659
- Dave D’Alesandro – $208,931
- Bob Bounahra – $145,229
- Zachary Gruneberg – $104,594
- Thayer Rasmussen – $76,443
- Jeff Gross – $56,549
- Eric Milas – $42,382
- Billy Horan – $32,168
- David Burt – $24,702
- Lance Harris – $19,398
The beauty of participating in the World Series of Poker is that you don’t get to compete exclusively at Texas hold ’em tables, but can participate in different tournaments. HORSE events are by far the most demanding, because those who sit down at these tables need to be equally skilled at playing different types of poker. Event #22 – $10k HORSE Championship is the highlight of the series and it was Christopher Wallace who made the most of this rare opportunity to showcase his unique skills.
The final table took longer than expected and the remaining three players brought equal stacks in play, therefore it took a few hours for a winner to be decided. Wallace took an early lead and grew it one step at a time, until Richard Sklar was eliminated and the heads-up battle ensued. He outshined Randy Ohel in the final phase of the tournament, to win in excess of half a million dollars and the coveted bracelet.
- Christopher Wallace – $507,614
- Randy Ohel – $313,715
- Richard Sklar – $206,499
- Richard Ashby – $150,625
- Max Pescatori – $112,066
- Lee Goldman – $84,844
- Bill Chen – $65,273
- Calvin Anderson – $50,966
- Bruno Fitoussi – $40,363
Elsewhere, Doug Polk made a deep run in the Event 23 – $1k NLHE Turbo and he realized that this was the best opportunity he’s got so far at the World Series of Poker. When most of his opponents shifted into less aggressive gear, he kept pushing them into a corner, until only two of them were left. He proved to be more than a match for Andy Philachack and won his jewelry, while the next nine players had to settle for the amounts listed below:
- Doug Polk – $251,969
- Andy Philachack – $155,756
- Jonathan Hanner – $102,503
- Chad Cox – $73,894
- Liam Alcock – $54,088
- Tony Gregg – $40,168
- Gianluca Cedolia – $30,252
- Dash Dudley – $23,093
- Andrew Mackenzie – $17,857
- Amanda Baker – $14,039