2009 World Series of Poker
Final Results
Event # 1
Buy In $500
Casino Employees Event
Date 5/27/2009
Game No Limit Hold’em
Number of Entries 866
Net Prize Pool $389,700
First Place Prize $83,833
Total Spots Paid Out 81
FINAL RESULTS:
Name Prize City State/Country
1 Cohen, Andrew $83,833 Las Vegas NV
2 Peterson, Paul $51,787 Las Vegas NV
3 Kuhn, Casey $33,923 Coralville IA
4 Yasui, Grant $23,483 Waipahu HI
5 Elpidio, Dulay $17,127 Las Vegas NV
6 Rooney, Robert $13,125 Oakland CA
7 Mcavoy, John $10,545 Gilbert AZ
8 Boleski, Ferdinand $8,865 Las Vegas NV
9 Porter, Sam $7,782 Bullhead City AZ
10 Williams, Jonathan $5,502 Dupont WA
11 Chavez, Cesar $5,502 Las Vegas NV
12 Fernandez, Osmel $5,502 Las Vegas NV
13 Vonalst, Jeffrey $4,087 Pahrump NV
14 Medrano, Aaron $4,087 Las Vegas NV
15 Karli, Felix $4,087 Zurich Switzerland
16 Duangrudeesawat, Jesse $3,152 Las Vegas NV
17 Adler, Alan $3,152 Bakersfield CA
18 Rafaele, Tuni $3,152 Billings MT
19 Donahue, Stephanie $2,474 Long Beach CA
20 Hecht, Daniel $2,474 Las Vegas NV
21 Lan, Alex $2,474 Las Vegas NV
22 Ludwick, Steven $2,474 Henderson NV
23 Liu, Sang $2,474 Las Vegas NV
24 McNeel, Ryan $2,474 Las Vegas NV
25 Harris, John $2,474 Las Vegas NV
26 Abrahim, Amen $2,474 El Cajon CA
27 Devlin, Joe $2,474 Las Vegas NV
28 Sanders, Jodie $2,045 Mentone CA
29 Tran, Phi $2,045 Stockton CA
30 Houghtaling, Lesley $2,045 Maricopa AZ
31 Hillis, David $2,045 Normal IL
32 Bell, Clayton $2,045 Las Vegas NV
33 Sergeant, Theanne $2,045 Las Vegas NV
34 Zakaria, Ramy $2,045 Spring Valley CA
35 Armstrong, John $2,045 Bullhead City AZ
36 Sallot, Stephen $2,045 Albuquerque NM
37 Pettit, Matthew $1,745 Las Vegas NV
38 Beddow, Christopher $1,745 Sterling Heights MI
39 Quintanilla, Cavin $1,745 Torrance CA
40 Sanchez, Stephen $1,745 Las Vegas NV
41 Zhen, Cai $1,745 Melbourne FL
42 Buccieri, Adam $1,745 Las Vegas NV
43 Trinidad, Angelito $1,745 Las Vegas NV
44 Karakaskyan, Tigran $1,745 Henderson NV
45 Platt, Charles $1,745 Silsbee TX
46 Mason, Robert $1,512 Oad View CA
47 Day, Ming $1,512 Miami FL
48 Fischer, David $1,512 Cheektowaga NY
49 Lopez, Michael $1,512 Stockton CA
50 Ouellette, Michael $1,512 Las Vegas NV
51 Surbeck, Aaron $1,512 Hoquiam WA
52 Alper, Thomas $1,512 Los Angeles CA
53 Baverman, Dayne $1,512 Las Vegas NV
54 LaLaw, Wern $1,512 Sacramento CA
55 Bergida, Barry $1,328 Yuma AZ
56 Price, Daniel $1,328 Henderson NV
57 Gardner, Sunshine $1,328 West Wendover NV
58 Haughey, Richard $1,328 Las Vegas NV
59 Ghrist, Randi $1,328 Henderson NV
60 Petersen, Brian $1,328 Las Vegas NV
61 Parker, Matthew $1,328 Burnaby BC, Canada
62 Marcus, Edward $1,328 Las Vegas NV
63 Salonek, Aaron $1,328 Belle Plaine MN
64 Bartlett, Stanley $1,145 Snohomish WA
65 Silverstein, Marshall $1,145 Oceanside CA
66 Maxwell, Robert $1,145 Pismo Beach CA
67 Presley, Frank $1,145 Denver CO
68 Baptista, Robert $1,145 Pomona CA
69 Patton, Mary $1,145 Las Vegas NV
70 Gaw, Bruce $1,145 Santa Fe NM
71 Stroud, Timothy $1,145 Montecito CA
72 Carbajal, Guadalupe $1,145 Las Vegas NV
73 Bakunowicz, James $974 Longview WA
74 Brown, David $974 Hemet CA
75 Suk, Geoffrey $974 St. Catharines ON, Canada
76 Jankowski, Guy $974 Wellington FL
77 Girdpool, Thanva $974 Las Vegas NV
78 O’Mara, Robert $974 Mea AZ
79 Kelley, Tyrone $974 N. Las Vegas NV
80 Avery, Colton $974 Denton TX
81 Cloutier, Jean $974 Montreal QC, Canada
2009 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: 866
Total Net Prize Pool: $389,700
Number of Places Paid: 81
First Place Prize: $83,833
May 27-28, 2009
Tournament Highlights:
The Winner
The 2009 World Series of Poker “Casino Employees Champion” is Andrew Cohen, from Las Vegas, NV. Cohen is originally from New York.
Cohen is a 39-year-old bartender. He works at The Palms Casino, inside the Nine steakhouse. Cohen is married and has one child, a daughter who was born last December.
“The one thing that I always wanted – for any poker player, this is it,” Cohen remarked in reference to winning the first WSOP gold bracelet of 2009. “I told all these guys here, it’s not about the money to me, and I’m not even a rich guy. I’m a bartender. And, I don’t care about the money. You can always get money. It’s the bracelet that counts.”
Cohen plays regularly in Las Vegas poker tournaments, mostly nightly events spread at various Strip casinos. He has done well recently, with three consecutive cashes. But this was his biggest poker victory, by far.
Cohen was moved emotionally by his victory. He was unable to contain his enthusiasm at various points during the post-tournament interview and took a few seconds to regain his focus on questions asked by reporters.
Cohen called his wife moments after winning. He stated that she was crying at their Las Vegas home. “She knows how much the gold bracelet means to me. Life doesn’t get much better than today,” he said.
Cohen is close friends with Alex Outhred, who is an instructor at the WSOP Academy. Outhred remarked afterward: “Andrew played flawlessly. He just played flawless all night long. This is the stuff you teach and you see it actually happen – it’s even better to see it come out so perfectly in the end.” Cohen also wanted to note the contribution of his friend, poker player Floyd Lewis.
Cohen came into this year’s WSOP planning to enter five events – three $1,500 buy-in events and a $1,000 buy-in event. He had just enough bankroll ($5,000) to cover a select number of modestly-priced tournaments. Cohen now says he will likely add the $10,000 buy-in Main Event to his future plans.
Cohen collected $83,833 for first place. He was also awarded his first WSOP gold bracelet. The bracelet is/was to be presented at a special ceremony held at center stage held the following day. Cohen is/was the first gold bracelet winner to be honored in this way, which will include the winner’s national anthem.
The Players
The final table was comprised of nine players, which included the following occupations:
Poker Dealers (4)
Casino Games Dealers (2)
Bar Back (1)
Floorman (1)
Bartender (1)
Two of the nine players at the final table were born in The Philippines. The remaining seven players were born in the United States.
The runner up was Paul Peterson, from Las Vegas, NV. He is a bar back who works at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas. “Don’t tell them where I work, because I called in sick today,” Peterson joked to the media.
Interestingly, in a tournament filled with poker dealers, it was a bartender and bar back who ended up as the top two finishers.
The third-place finisher was Casey Kuhn, from Bettendorf, IA. He is a casino games dealer formally employed at the Riverside Casino and Golf Resort in Iowa.
The fourth-place finisher was Grant Yasui, originally from Waipahu, HI. He now works as a poker dealer at Fitzgerald’s in Downtown Las Vegas.
The fifth-place finisher was Jun Dulay, from Las Vegas, NV. He now works at The Mirage as a blackjack dealer.
The sixth-place finisher was Bobby Rooney, from Oakland, CA. He is a Floorman at The Oaks Card Club in Emeryville, CA. Rooney previously cashed at the 2005 Aussie Millions poker tournament in Australia.
The seventh-place finisher was John McAvoy, from Chandler, AZ. He is a poker dealer at the Gila River Casino at Wild Horse Pass. This was McAvoy’s first time to play in a WSOP event.
The eighth-place finisher was Ferdinand Boleski, from Las Vegas, NV. He is a table games dealer.
The ninth-place finisher was Sammy Porter, from Bullhead City, AZ. He is a poker dealer at Harrah’s Laughlin.
The defending champion was Jonathan Kotula (Las Vegas, NV). He did not enter this year’s event.
Odds and Ends
The tournament kicked off in grand style with WSOP President and Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel standing at center stage. The center stage platform is positioned at the center of the Amazon Ballroom at the Rio Convention Center, which holds 160 of the tournament’s 295 tables.
During his introduction, Jack Effel thanked the tournament players, who are all casino employees. He stated, “It’s you who are out there spreading the word about the World Series of Poker which keeps the players coming back again and again. Thank you!”
During his introduction, Jeffrey Pollack noted “Jack Effel is the best tournament director on the planet,” which brought a rousing ovation. Effel and his staff have worked tirelessly for months refining and some say perfecting the schedule and structures to the players’ benefit.
Jeffrey Pollack, speaking to the large gathering of casino employees and poker players stated, “Without you, the WSOP would not be possible. You make it happen.”
While exiting the stage, Jeffrey Pollack casually remarked to that he had difficulty sleeping the night before, in great anticipation for the opening of the 2009 WSOP. Summing up the thoughts and feelings of millions of poker players around the world he stated, “Last night felt like Christmas Eve.”
Next, Jeffrey Pollack introduced 11-time WSOP gold bracelet winner and 1989 world champion Phil Hellmuth to the crowd, who was bestowed with the “Shuffle Up and Deal” honors. Hellmuth made it clear that he supports the new rules in effect for this year’s WSOP. He also joked with the crowd that he occasionally gets out of line, “but never, ever with the dealers – only the other players,” he said. Although Hellmuth’s introduction brought a predictable mix of cheers and boos from the good natured crowd, his comments were favorably received.
Prior to the start of the event, the tournament room was filled with popular music from the year 1970. Since this is the 40th anniversary of the WSOP, much of the music and memories that his year’s series will flashback to the earlier era. The three songs played as background music prior to the start were “American Woman” by The Guess Who, “Instant Karma” by John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band, and “Cecilia” by Simon and Garfunkel.
The 2009 WSOP officially opened for business one day prior to the start of this tournament, on May 26th. While the biggest poker event in the world was underway at the Rio, less than a quarter-mile away at Harrah’s sister property, President Barack Obama was speaking to a gathering at Caesars Palace Las Vegas.
The Event
The first Casino Employees Championship was held at the 2000 WSOP. It was actually called the “Dealers World Poker Championship” at the time, since the tournament was open only to casino dealers (the following year, all casino employees became eligible). That inaugural event attracted 109 entries and was won by Dave Alizadeh, from Las Vegas.
Casino employees were given their own poker tournament, which became a gold bracelet event from the first year forward. The tournament was added to the WSOP schedule to honor the efforts and commit of poker dealers and all casino employees who help make the WSOP so successful.
The Casino Employees Championship is included amongst all official WSOP records and statistics. However, it is not an open event, since there are restrictions on entry. The event is generally grouped with the Seniors World Championship and Ladies World Championship, which are non-open events but which are still coveted titles afforded the same distinction as all gold bracelet tournaments.
From 2000-2003, the championship was a Limit Hold’em tournament. Since 2004, the championship has been a No-Limit Hold’em tournament.
The largest turnout in history for this event occurred in 2006, when 1,232 casino employees participated.
Last year, the tournament was held towards the end of the WSOP (Event #55). However, this year the tournament returned to its traditional spot on the schedule as the opening event of the WSOP.
The tournament was played over a two day period. The prize money was reached at the conclusion of the first day, which lasted 14 hours. The 81 in-the-money survivors continued play on Day Two, which lasted nearly 12 hours.
The End Day One chip leader was Zurich Karli, from Zurich Switzerland. He ended up finishing in 15th place.
Andrew Cohen (Las Vegas, NV) arrived at the final table with a slight chip lead. However, he lost his advantage about an hour into final table play. He regained the lead when his pocket kings scooped a big pot and essentially dominated play in the final two hours.
The final table lasted about 4 hours and 20 minutes.
The final hand took place when Paul Peterson re-raised all-in with ace-queen. Andrew Cohen called with pocket sixes. “I knew it was either a race situation or I had a big lead,” Cohen said later. The board failed to improve either hand, which meant the pocket sixes won the last pot of the tournament.
Although Cohen held a 5 to 1 chip advantage over Peterson when heads-up play began, he was modest about how the final hand was played out. “I got lucky on the last hand to win the race,” he said. “And you know how important it is to win the races.”
The tournament officially began on Wednesday, May 27th at 12:06 pm. The tournament officially ended on Friday, May 29th at 1:52 am.
WSOP Statistics
Through the conclusion of Event #1, the 2009 WSOP has attracted 866 entries. $389,700 in prize money has been awarded to winners.
The 2009 World Series of Poker’s title sponsor is Jack Link’s Beef Jerky. For more information, visit: www.jacklinks.com
World Series of Poker President and Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Vice President of Sponsorship and Licensing — Ty Stewart
Vive President of Broadcasting and New Media – Craig Abrahams
Director of Communications – Seth Palansky
Regional Vice President of Specialty Gaming — Howard Greenbaum
WSOP Events Manager — Angele Marshall
WSOP Marketing Manager – Elizabeth Anne Hill
WSOP Tournament Director – Jack Effel
