WSOP - Event #21 Official Report

[Talking Poker]

2005 World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suites Casino-Resort
Official Report

Event #21
Omaha High-Low Split
Buy-in: $2,500
Number of Entries: 359
Total Prize Money: $825,700

Official Results:

1. Todd Brunson Las Vegas, NV $255,945
2. Allen Kessler Huntingdon Valley, PA $132,110
3. Tom Fischer Las Vegas, NV $66,055
4. Manny Minaya Tampa, FL $57,800
5. Frank Reynolds W. Hollywood, CA $49,540
6. Allyn Jaffrey Shulman Laguna Niguel, CA $41,285
7. Glenn Cozen S. Pasadena, CA $33,030
8. Ben Lang San Diego, CA $24,770
9. Nat Koe Irvine, CA $16,515

10. Lance Allred Pasadena, CA $9,910
11. Shawne Portman Lake Elsinore, CA $9,910
12. Michael Taylor Eastman, GA $9,910
13. Sirous Baghchehsaraie Long Beach, CA $8,255
14. William Bennett Jr. Palm Beach, FL $8,255
15. Eric Goodson Phoenix, AZ $8,255
16. Michael Epstein Las Vegas, NV $6,605
17. Tri Van Mays Landing, NJ $6,605
18. Dolan Thomas Jr. St. Louis, MO $6,605
19. Max Pescatori Milan, Italy $4,955
20. Saundra Taylor Washingto, DC $4,955
21. Soo Young Lee Las Vegas, NV $4,955
22. Michael Wattel Phoenix, AZ $4,955
23. Arthur Cobb Las Vegas, NV $4,955
24. Katherine Kolberg Polson, MT $4,955
25. Xiaowei Zuo Carretos, CA $4,955
26. Richard Gryko UK $4,955
27. Dan Schnake Solana, CA $4,955
28. David Eltringehem Gateside, UK $3,305
29. Stephen Ladowsky Toronto, ON, Canada $3,305
30. Ross Boatman London, UK $3,305
31. Michael Gambony Scottsdale, AZ $3,305
32. Chris Grigorian Los Angeles, CA $3,305
33. Juan Carlos Mortensen Las Vegas, NV $3,305
34. Scotty Nguyen Henderson, NV $3,305
35. William Chen Lafayette Hill, PA $3,305
36. Hassan Kamoei India, CA $3,305

Out of the Shadow
Todd Brunson triumphs in Omaha High-Low championship and wins first gold bracelet


When Todd Brunson was 23-years-old, he approached his parents. He told them that he intended to become a professional poker player. After graduating from Texas Tech University, Brunson had many career options from which to choose. But like his famous father who made an identical decision a generation earlier, Brunson figured he could make a much better living toiling across the green felt rather than conforming to a more conventional way of life.

Doyle Brunson later told the story that upon hearing his son Todd wanted to become a professional poker player, he acted displeased. “I knew that his mother would be upset, so I acted like I didn’t want him to do it. But, the truth is – when I heard Todd wanted to be a poker player, I was very proud inside.”

From the first day Todd Brunson walked into a public cardroom, he became an object of curiosity. Most new poker players conduct themselves anonymously. They make common mistakes, make bad decisions, and lose money while learning to become better poker players. No one remembers beginning players or their errors. Brunson was in a different league. He knew that every decision would be dissected, every action evaluated, and every session assessed.

Imagine being the son of Jack Nicklaus and teeing-off at The Masters. Or, growing up as Bill Walton’s son and playing in the NBA. While these children of legendary sports figures failed to live up to the lofty expectations of the public and media, Todd Brunson can now say he has stepped out of the long shadow cast by his famous father.

On Thursday, June 23, 2005 Todd Brunson emerged from the ‘son of a poker champion’ to ‘a poker champion’ in his own right. Brunson topped a highly-competitive field of 359 players in the $2,500 buy-in Omaha High-Low event and won his first gold bracelet. First-place prize money amounted to $255,945.

At the start of Day Three, players and chip counts were as follows:

THE FINAL TABLE:

SEAT 1: Larry Reynolds West Hollywood, CA 247,000
SEAT 2: Nat Koe Irvine, CA 27,000
SEAT 3: Ben Lang San Diego, CA 56,000
SEAT 4: Allen Kessler Huntingdon Valley, PA 68,000
SEAT 5: Todd Brunson Las Vegas, NV 177,000
SEAT 6: Glenn Cozen S. Pasadena, CA 68,000
SEAT 7: Tom Fischer Las Vegas, NV 86,000
SEAT 8: Allyn Jaffrey Shulman Laguna Niguel, CA 76,000
SEAT 9: Manelic Miwaya Tampa, FL 94,000


Players were eliminated in the following order:

9th Place – Thai-born Nat Koe arrived with the lowest stack at 27,000. With limits set at 6,000-12,000 Koe didn’t get many chances to find a hand. Koe started with A-J-10-6 and was called down by Todd Brunson holding 5-4-3-3. Brunson flopped a three, good for a set. The board failed to bring a low and Koe was the first player to be felted. Ninth place paid $16,515.

8th Place – South African-born Ben Lang now lives in San Diego. This was his second event ever at the WSOP. After getting three-quartered in a big pot, Lang took a 10-minute penalty (for swearing). When he returned to the table he was low on chips. He went out with A-K-5-5 which lost to Todd Brunson’s two pair (aces and queens). Brunson also had a better low for the scoop. Lang received $24,770 for 8th place.

7th Place – Glenn Cozen is likely to always be remembered for his mystifying 2nd-place finish in the 1993 main event – versus Jim Bechtel (and John Bonetti who came in 3rd). The southern California-based manager of a surgical center hoped to win his first gold bracelet after several in-the-money finishes over the past 15 years. But the best he could do in this event was 7th place. ‘All in’ and desperate to double up and stay alive, Cozen mucked his hand (not shown) and lost to Allen Kessler’s nut flush. Cozen added $33,030 to his WSOP winnings.

6th Place – Allyn Jaffrey Shulman is a Brooklyn-born attorney who now lives in Laguna Niguel, CA. She is one of the foremost legal experts on gambling, and specifically Internet gambling -- knowledge which serves her well as Corporate Counsel for Card Player magazine. Jaffrey-Shulman has also proven she can play tournament poker with the very best in the world, evidenced by the fact she has a number of final tables and high finishes at major tournaments in recent years. Jaffrey-Shulman went out when she was dealt K-Q-9-9 and missed a flush. Tood Brunson ended up scooping the pot. Jaffrey-Shulman collected $41,285 for 6th place.

5th Place – Larry Reynolds arrived as the chip leader but watched helplessly as Tom Fischer and Allen Kessler caught fire and zoomed up to over 300,000 each in chips. Reynolds tried to stop the hemorrhaging when he hoped to scoop a big pot with a high-straight draw. But he bricked on the final two cards. Tom Fischer ravaged through Reynolds’ final chips like a starving wolf. That left the Hollywood, CA-based CEO with poker’s version of a golden parachute. He plummeted to a 5th place finish but received a conciliatory $49,540.

4th Place – Manelic ‘Manny’ Minaya was born in the Dominican Republic. He now lives in Tampa, FL. The 53-year-old billing and collection manager got zonked out of the tournament when he flopped a set of kings, which failed to improve, finally losing to a straight. Minaya showed disgust. Welcome to Omaha High-Low. Flop top set – go home now. Minaya mooched $57,800 for 4th place.

3rd Place – Tom Fischer was shooting for his third gold bracelet. The longtime poker player previously won titles in Deuce-to-Seven Lowball and Seven-Card Stud High-Low (both in 1985). After Fischer lost most of his chips with a flush to a higher flush, Fischer went in with J-8-8-3 after the flop came Q-9-3. Fischer had both a straight and flush draw and missed both. Fischer hooked $66,055 for 3rd place.

2nd Place – When heads-up play began, Todd Brunson enjoyed nearly a 2-to-1 chip lead over Allen Kessler. But Kessler played tough for nearly an hour. Just when it seemed Brunson was on the verge of victory, Kessler would stage a small rally which gave him hope of coming back. But in the end, the comeback fell short. On the final hand of the tournament, Kessler took a brutal beat when Brunson hit an inside straight. Kessler started with A-J-10-5. Brunson started with 9-6-2-2. Brunson had plenty of chips with which to call Kessler’s raise. The flop (K-10-3) gave Kessler a pair with redraws to the straight. The turn brought a four. That meant Kessler enjoyed an even bigger advantage. Only a five on the river would allow Brunson to scoop the pot and finish off his opponent. Wham! The five fell out of the sky like a one-card hailstorm, busting Kessler and turning Todd Brunson into a World Series champion.

Allen Kessler, an experienced gambler and talented poker player earned a well-deserved $132,110 as the runner up. The winner of several majors, Kessler was dissatisfied with the final outcome but had to feel that he played his best game at the highest level on the grandest of poker stages.

1st Place – Todd Brunson is a 35-year-old poker player who has won 10 major events in his lifetime. He also routinely plays in the biggest cash games in the world, mostly in Las Vegas. This was his first WSOP victory.
Given the magnitude of his father’s shadow, it would be impossible to dismiss the fact that Todd Brunson’s victory was indeed historic. Todd and Doyle Brunson became the first father-son duo in World Series of Poker history to win gold bracelets.

The reality is – given that Todd Brunson already plays in (and routinely wins) the highest-limit poker games in the world, and has now won a WSOP championship – he deserves to be judged on his own merits and accomplishments….just as though his last name was ‘Smith’ or ‘Jones.’

But that won’t happen. He will always be judged as a ‘Brunson.’ And that’s the toughest scale of all.


Official Report by Nolan Dalla – World Series of Poker Media Director

World Series of Poker Circuit Director of Operations – Ken Lambert
World Series of Poker Tournament Director – John Grooms
Rio Poker Room Manager – Michael Matts
Rio Poker Tournament Director – Robert Daily