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2010 World Series of Poker
Event 1 - $500 Buy-in Casino Employees No Limit Holdem Final Results. 2010 WSOP.

2010 World Series of Poker
Event #1 - Casino Employees Event
No Limit Holdem
2010 World Series of Poker Event #1 Results
2010 World Series of Poker        
Final Results        
Event # 1
Buy In: $500
Casino Employees Event        
Date: May 28-29, 2010
Game: No Limit Hold'em
Number of Entries: 721
Net Prize Pool: $324,450
First Place Prize: $71,424
Total Spots Paid Out: 72
Hoai Pham
Final Results:
Place
Name
Hometown
Prize
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
Hoai Pham
Arthur Vea
Christopher Reider
Matthew Hollinger
Patrick Silvey
Kent Washington
David Villegas
Jeffrey Bennett
Yuta Motoyama
Jonathan Kotula
David Patent
Brian Phillis
David Fischer
Barry Hulunian
Zhen Cai
Kenyon Mckellar
Kenneth Lee
Eric Zuerndorfer
Jack McClelland
Vincent Mettlen
Christopher Perez
Derek Dillman
Edward Martin
Shaun Harris
Michael Lopez
Javier Rincon
Puangpaga Holmes
Samuel Sperrazza
Jacob Crawford
Justin Paris
Kevin Chiem
Vu Pham
Brooks Blake
Vincent Vandall
Kevin Brantner
Todd Ohnmeiss
Arthur Dupraw
Dean Saito
Laurie Strantz
Daniel Hecht
James Tarby
Jong Kim
Lance Tahata
John Hoffman
Robert Burns
Orlando Reyes
Jason Bardol
Alain Angelil
Christian Escano
John Mcavoy
Allen Rubel
Maureen Johansson
Jon Nakatani
Daniel Ahn
Nicholas Holewinski
Yolanda Basterrechea
John Armstrong
Peter Bunker
Shirley Pelletier
Elissa Reuter
Ty Stewart
Rong Li
Cindy Aly
Chad Roedersheimer
Larry White
Frank Nguyen
Jesse Jagunich
Jeremy Waken
Daniel Sanchez
Danny Leong
Jeffrey Feiler
Richard Maxie
Mission Viejo, CA
Union City, CA
Spokane, WA
Cripple Creek, CO
Spokane, WA
Oakland, CA
La Puente, CA
Roswell, GA
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Tampa, FL
Cheektowaga, NY
Las Vegas, NV
Lakeworth, FL
Henderson, NV
El Sobrante, CA
Clearwater, FL
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Reading, PA
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Stockton, CA
Fresno, CA
Santa Rosa, CA
Silverdale, WA
Amer. Canyon,  CA
Concord, CA
San Jose, CA
Elkgrove, CA
Missoula, MT
Belcourt, ND
Reno, NV
Broomfield, CO
S. Lake Tahoe, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Ukiah, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Paso Robles, CA
Bakersfield, CA
Torrence, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Milwaukee, WI
Hialeah, FL
Henderson, NV
Laval, QC, Canada
Princeton, LA
Chandler, AZ
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
San Jose, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Aurora, CO
Reno, NV
Bullhead City, AZ
Laughlin, NV
Niagra Falls, Canada
Longmont, CO
Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas, NV
Henderson, NV
Cincinnati, OH
Belmont, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Savage, MN
Ocean Side, CA
Las Vegas, NV
Indio, CA
Coer D Alene, ID
Primm, NV
$71,424
$44,079
$28,655
$21,047
$15,677
$11,829
$9,029
$6,969
$5,434
$4,273
$4,273
$4,273
$3,413
$3,413
$3,413
$2,728
$2,728
$2,728
$2,212
$2,212
$2,212
$2,212
$2,212
$2,212
$2,212
$2,212
$2,212
$1,816
$1,816
$1,816
$1,816
$1,816
$1,816
$1,816
$1,816
$1,816
$1,508
$1,508
$1,508
$1,508
$1,508
$1,508
$1,508
$1,508
$1,508
$1,265
$1,265
$1,265
$1,265
$1,265
$1,265
$1,265
$1,265
$1,265
$1,070
$1,070
$1,070
$1,070
$1,070
$1,070
$1,070
$1,070
$1,070
$914
$914
$914
$914
$914
$914
$914
$914
$914
2010 World Series of Poker Presented by Jack Link’s Beef Jerky
Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada

Official Report
Event #1
Casino Employees Championship – No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $500
Number of Entries: 721
Total Net Prize Pool: $324,450
Number of Places Paid: 72
First Place Prize: $71,424
May 28-29, 2010


Tournament Headlines:

Hoai D. Pham Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet of 2010

Poker Dealer from San Diego Wins Casino Employees Championship

2010 WSOP Begins in Grand Style – Thousands Pack Rio for Opening Weekend

One Gold Bracelet Won – 56 More to Go!

Jonathan Kotula, 2008 Casino Employees Champion, Finishes Tenth


Overview

The first gold bracelet of the 2010 World Series of Poker was won by Hoai D. Pham. He is a
43-year-old poker dealer who lives in San Diego, CA. Pham was born in Vietnam and is one
of many WSOP gold bracelet winners from Southeast Asia. Pham currently works at the
Village Club Casino, in Chula Vista, CA. Pham won the 2010 Casino Employees
Championship, officially designated as Event #1. This competition has traditionally been the
first event to be played at the WSOP since its inception in 2000. The top ten finishers
included several poker dealers, who reside mostly in the western U.S. Jonathan Kotula,
who was the winner of this event in 2008, posted an impressive showing as the tenth-
place finisher.

The Winner – Hoai D. Pham

The 2010 World Series of Poker “Casino Employees Champion” is Hoai D. Pham from San
Diego, CA.

Pham is a poker dealer. He works at the Village Club Casino, which is a small establishment
located in Chula Vista, CA. Pham describes the Village Club Casino as a place with many
friendly people. He considers much of the staff to be like his family.

Pham’s name is pronounced as follows: “Hah-Why Fam”

Pham first started playing poker in 1995.

Pham plays poker mostly online. His favorite poker games are Seven-Card Stud and Pot-
Limit Omaha. Pham also plays in several tournaments each year, mostly in the Los Angeles
area.

Pham is the father of one child.

This was Pham’s biggest cash, to date. This was also his first major tournament victory.

Pham previously lived in Europe before arriving to live in the United States. While in Europe,
he previously cashed once at a major tournament held in Vienna, Austria back in 2002.
Pham has lived in the United States since 2003.

Pham collected $71,424 for first place. He was also awarded his first WSOP gold bracelet.
Pham expects to play in more WSOP events this year, primarily focusing on the upcoming
$1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournaments.

According to official records, Pham now has 1 win, 1 final table appearance, and 1 in-the-
money finish at the WSOP.

Pham currently has $71,424 in WSOP winnings.

At the poker table, Fellows wore a 1920’s style drivers cap, a vest with a colorful necktie,
and a pair of sunglasses.

Pham’s favorite poker player is Barry Greenstein.

Winner Quotes:

On winning the Casino Employees Championship and his first-ever WSOP gold bracelet: “I
feel very good. I am very, very happy.”

On returning home and going back to work with a WSOP gold bracelet: “I can’t wait to tell
everybody. I told my boss I would take vacation to (play in this tournament). So now, I get
to go back to them and show them what I won.”

On how he feels at 5:00 am after a long 15-hour session on Day Two: “I feel very, very
tired right now.”

The Final Table

The final table contained no former WSOP gold bracelet winners.

The final table was comprised of nine players, which included the following occupations:

Poker Dealer -- 4
Casino Games Dealer (Non-Poker) – 1
Floorman/Supervisor -- 2
Administrative/Finance – 1
Bartender – 1

All final table players were from the United States. However, two of the players were born
abroad. Four different states were represented at the final table – including California,
Nevada, Washington, and Georgia. Players from Washington State took three of the top
five spots.

Final table participants ranged in age from 26 (youngest) to 48 (oldest). Six of the nine
players were aged in their 20s.

The runner up was A.J. Vea (a.k.a. Arthur Vea). He is a 27-year-old poker dealer from Union
City, CA.

The third-place finisher was Chris Reider. He is a table games dealer from Everett, WA.
Reider had previously cashed in several smaller events and won a few local events.
However, this marked his biggest payout ever. He is a former U.S. Navy veteran who
someday hopes to make it as a poker professional.

The fourth-place finisher was Matt Hollinger, from Vancouver, WA. He works as a casino
table games manager.

The fifth-place finisher was Patrick Silvey, from Spokane, WA. He is a poker dealer at the
Northern Quest Casino.

The sixth-place finisher was Kent Washington, from Oakland, CA. He is a poker dealer at
Lucky Chances Casino. Washington has serious aspirations about playing poker
professionally. He currently has five cashes at the WSOP, including his best finish – a third-
place showing at the 2004 WSOP. Washington has 40 major cashes overall and nearly
$400,000 in live tournament winnings, to date.

The seventh-place finisher was D.J. Villegas, from Valinda Heights, CA. He works as a
floorman at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles.
The eighth-place finisher was Jeffrey Bennett, from Atlanta, GA. He is a bartender. This was
Bennett’s first time to attend the WSOP.

The ninth-place finisher was Yuta Motsyama, from Las Vegas, NV. He is a financial analyst
who is originally from Japan. Prior to working in the casino industry, Motsyama was a former
racecar driving instructor for the Mario Andretti Racing School.

Other In-the-Money Finishers

Other former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Jonathan
Kotula. He won the Casino Employees Championship in 2008. Kotula finished in tenth place,
one position off the official final table.

Former WSOP Tournament Director Jack McClelland, who oversaw operations during 1984
through 1998 at Binion’s Horseshoe, finished in 22nd place. This marked his fifth time to
cash in a WSOP event.

David Patent, who formally worked as a Harrah’s executive at the Rio and Flamingo,
finished in 11th place.

Ty Stewart, Vice President of the World Series of Poker for Harrah’s Interactive
Entertainment, cashed in 62nd place.

Odds and Ends

The defending champion from 2009 was Andrew Cohen, from Las Vegas, NV. He entered
this year’s tournament, but did not cash. Cohen went out on a horrible beat on Day One.
He moved all-in holding AK and was called by a player with AQ. The flop was a nightmare for
Cohen – three queens! Cohen was paralyzed and drawing dead after the flop and ended
up losing to four-of-a-kind.

Attendance for this tournament declined from last year’s number, when there were 866
entries. This year’s event attracted 721 entries.

The tournament began in grand fashion with WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel standing
tall and proud on the Pavilion Stage welcoming players to the first event on this year’s
schedule. In his opening remarks, Effel said, “All of you are special to us. Without casino
employees, there is no live poker. Without casino employees, there is no Las Vegas.
Without casino employees, there is no WSOP.” The last comment evoked loud cheers from
the gallery of players and spectators.

The tournament was played over two consecutive days – which extended by default into a
third day when the final table stretched into Sunday morning. The final table was played
inside the Amazon Room, on an ESPN designated feature table. Despite the late hour, a
large crowd of spectators watched most of the action.

The Casino Employees Championship is not considered an “open” event, since entry is
restricted to workers in the gaming industry. This is one of three non-open events on the
2010 WSOP schedule. The other non-open events are the Ladies World Championship and
the Seniors World Championship. All the other 54 tournaments are open events, since
anyone over the age of 21 is eligible to enter.

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 host all noon starts
this year. The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the first break of the noon tournament.
The ceremony usually starts 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 is
permitted by both public and members of the media.

The winner Hoai D. Pham requested that the national anthem of Vietnam be played at his
WSOP gold bracelet ceremony.

Event History

The first Casino Employees Championship was held at the 2000 WSOP. It was then called
the “Dealers World Poker Championship.” At the time, the tournament was only open to
casino dealers. The following year, all casino employees became eligible. The inaugural
event attracted only 109 entries. It doubled in size the next year due to the expanded
eligibility.

The Casino Employees Championship was initially added to the WSOP schedule to
recognize the considerable contributions of many dedicated professionals in the gaming
industry. It has been an official gold bracelet event during all 11 years it’s been held.
From 2000 to 2003, the Casino Employees Championship was played as a Limit Hold’em
tournament. Since 2004, the event has been a No-Limit Hold’em tournament.

The largest turnout in history for this event took place at the 2006 WSOP when 1,232
players entered.

This event has traditionally been held either at the very start of the WSOP, or the very end.
It has been the first event of the WSOP during the last two years.

The previous list of previous winners of the Casino Employees Championship includes:

Andrew Cohen (2009)
Jonathan Kotula (2008)
Eric Narciso (2007)
Chris Gros (2006)
Andy Nguyen (2005)
Carl “Coach” Nessel (2004)
David Lukaszweski (2003)
David Warga (2002)
Travis Jonas (2001)
Dave Alizadeh (2000)

No event champion has ever repeated, nor won any other WSOP gold bracelet.

Tournament Play

The $500 buy-in Casino Employees Championship was a No-Limit Hold’em competition. The
tournament attracted 721 entries. The total prize pool amounted to $324,450. The top 72
finishers collected prize money.

The chip leader at the end of Day One was Kent Washington, from Oakland, CA. He ended
up finishing in sixth place.

The chip leader coming into the final table was Hoai D. Pham. He ended up winning the
tournament.

Pham was never in serious danger at the final table. However, Pham was very fortunate
early in the tournament when on Day One he committed much of his stack with QJ after
flopping a jack. His opponent had pocket aces. Pham caught a queen on the turn to make
two pair and ended up winning the hand. He was in comfortable chip position from that
point forward.

Pham later stated he was fortunate to be dealt several big hands. He stated he was dealt
pocket aces about 12 times and was dealt pocket kings 8 times during the duration of the
tournament.

When heads-up play began, Pham enjoyed a sizable chip lead over A.J. Vea. The heads-up
match lasted only about 15 minutes.

The final hand of the tournament came when Pham was dealt Ac Ad. Vea was dealt 4s 4c.
After the flop came Qh 7d 2c, Pham moved all-in and Vea made a crying call after
deliberating for a few minutes. The board ran out 5d and 6c, giving Pham the victory with
pocket aces.

The tournament ended at Level 22.

The final table officially lasted 4 hours and 50 minutes.

The tournament officially began on Friday, May 28th at noon. The tournament officially
ended on Sunday, May 30th, at 4:50 am.

2010 WSOP Statistics

Through the conclusion of Event #1, the 2010 WSOP has attracted 721 entries. $324,450 in
prize money has been awarded to winners, so far.
__________________________________
For official news and the latest updates from the 2010 World Series of Poker,
visit: www.wsop.com

The 2010 World Series of Poker’s title sponsor is Jack Link’s Beef Jerky.
To view the complete schedule and results for the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP), click on the link below:

2010 World Series of Poker Schedule and Results
Poker Stars
World Series of Poker (WSOP) Results
2010 World Series of Poker WSOP Event #1 Winner Hoai Pham