2008 WSOP Gold Bracelet Winner Event #45

2008 World Series of Poker
Event #45 Final Report
$50,000 H.O.R.S.E.
World Championship

Tournament Notes

WSOP GOLD BRACELET WINNER
EVENT #45 – Scotty Nguyen

The $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. World Championship (Event #45) attracted
148 entries, creating a prize pool totaling $7,104,000. The top 16 finishers
collected prize money.

H.O.R.S.E. is an acronym for the five most popular poker games played inside
most poker rooms. H.O.R.S.E. tournaments include a rotation of the following
games -- Texas Hold’em, Omaha High-Low Split, Razz, Seven-Card Stud, and
Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split (also called Eight-or-Better). Many purists
consider H.O.R.S.E. to be the ultimate test of poker skill, since it requires that
players play all games well in order to win.

The $50,000 entry fee for this event ranks as the largest buy-in of any
annual poker tournament in the world.

The H.O.R.S.E. World Championship was first conceived of by various poker
players. The concept was to create poker’s version of an all-star game, only
to make it really matter. Three years ago, Daniel Negreanu took the idea of
holding an exclusive tournament for superstars to Harrahs Entertainment.
The idea was accepted and the tournament was added to the official WSOP
schedule in 2006. Negreanu’s role in creating the H.O.R.S.E. event was
acknowledged in a pre-tournament announcement by WSOP Commissioner
Jeffrey Pollack, who also cited the contribution made by Vice President of
Specialty Games for Harrahs Entertainment, Howard Greenbaum for his
acceptance of the idea.

While the WSOP Main Event remains the undisputed world championship of
poker, in some respects the H.O.R.S.E. title is even more prestigious within
the poker world. Most highly-successful poker players acknowledge the
winner of this event as the year’s best “all around” player.

The 2006 inaugural H.O.R.S.E. World Championship was memorable for many
reasons. Since the late 1970s, David “Chip” Reese had been widely
regarded by his peers and industry insiders as the best all- around poker
player in the world. Appropriately, he won the very first mega buy-in
tournament in WSOP history and became the first H.O.R.S.E. world champion.

Sadly, Reese suddenly passed away in December 2007. In honor of Reese’s
memory, Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack and WSOP organizers created the
“Chip Reese Memorial Trophy,” which is to be awarded to all H.O.R.S.E. world
champions from this year forward. The special trophy was unveiled prior to
the start of play at the final table.

That first year in 2006, the H.O.R.S.E. final table clocked in at more than 12
hours. However, the real test of stamina came when play became heads-up
between Chip Reese and Andy Bloch. The two weary players battled back
and forth for a marathon-like 7 hours and 10 minutes, which still stands as
the longest heads-up duel in WSOP history.

The 2007 H.O.R.S.E. World Championship final table lasted 14.5 hours, which
currently stands as the fourth-longest final table in WSOP history. Freddy
Deeb was the winner. The top prize was $2,276,832.

For the most part, the $50,000 entry fee allows only the most successful (or
very wealthy) players to compete in this event. Entries totaled 143 in 2006,
148 in 2007, and 148 (again) in 2008.

The number of entries this year would have been 149 (a new record).
However, eight-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Erik Seidel, who had planned
to enter, made it to the final table of a conflicting event, and therefore could
not play in this tournament.

In an effort to open up the H.O.R.S.E. championship to as many players as
possible, the WSOP offered satellites costing $2,250 to enter. Seven
satellites were completed, which awarded three full buy-ins and two partial
buy-ins to the winners.

The rotation of games in this tournament goes for 30 minutes at a time. The
format tends to favor stud specialists, since 3/5ths of the games are stud-
based (Seven-Card Stud, Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split, and Razz).

There were two honorary “Shuffle Up and Deal” announcements made during
the course of this event. On Day One, 2007 champion Freddy Deeb was
granted the honor. On Day Five, prior to the start of the final table, poker
legend Doyle Brunson joined the pre-game festivities and said few words in
memory of his close friend, Chip Reese.

Prior to the start of the final table, Chip Reese’s daughter, Taylor Reese was
introduced to the large crowd of spectators. She was joined by Doyle
Brunson and Jeffrey Pollack on the Corum Swiss Timepieces stage for the
much-anticipated unveiling the Chip Reese Memorial Trophy. The trophy and
special gold bracelet, made exclusively for the winner of this tournament,
were both on display throughout play at the final table on a special platform
overlooking the main stage.

The trophy is unique in many ways. It weighs 60 pounds. The marble base
is inscribed with the names of past winners. The plaque reads David “Chip”
Reese Memorial Trophy – Standing the Test of Time. The phrase was
famously uttered by Reese following his victory during the first year. The
trophy is crowned with the gold-embossed winning hand from the inaugural
event. Perhaps most unusual is the fact that the trophy was slightly
damaged while in transit between the manufacturer and the Rio. Fittingly,
the trophy has a small “chip” in the base, which Jeffrey Pollack described as
“Reese’s ghost leaving his mark.”

This is the third of three H.O.R.S.E. tournaments on the 2008 WSOP
schedule. The other buy-ins were considerably smaller, at $1,500 and
$3,000.

This tournament was played over five consecutive days. Day One thinned
the field down from an initial 148 entrants to 140. Day Two ended with 67
survivors. Day Three played down to 24. Players reached the money on Day
Four as the field was reduced to the final eight. The eight finalists took seats
at the final table on Day Five, and played until a winner was determined.

Technically, the tournament lasted six days, since the final table lasted well
past midnight on Day Six.

Final table play commenced at 3:30 pm on Sunday afternoon. Player
introductions were made by WSOP Tournament Director, Jack Effel (Las
Vegas, NV). Tournament Supervisor Brooks Turk (Tulsa, OK) provided all of
the play-by-play announcing. The final table ended at 5:01 am PST. Hence,
the final table clocked in at 13 hours and 31 minutes.

The ESPN main stage and Milwaukee’s Best Light All-In Lounge were filled to
capacity. Hundreds of spectators lined up in advance to watch a star-filled
final table. The grandstand remained full all night long until a winner was
determined.

ESPN filmed the entire final table for later broadcast. The event will be
shown in two parts (one-hour each) on August 19th, from 8-10 pm EST.

Nine of the 16 players who finished in-the-money were former WSOP gold
bracelet winners. The nine former event champions combined for 35 total
career wins.

Five of the final 8 players (the final table) were former WSOP gold bracelet
winners. The five former champions combined for 15 total career wins.

The 2008 H.O.R.S.E. World Champion is Scotty Nguyen. He is from
Henderson, NV. Nguyen won the WSOP Main Event in 1998. This was his
fifth WSOP gold bracelet.

Despite his extraordinary success in tournament poker for more than a
decade, Nguyen suffered through one of his lowest points following last year’
s meltdown, which resulted in an 11th place finish in the 2007 Main Event. At
one point, Nguyen seemed primed to go much deeper in last year’s
championship and many say he should have won. But Nguyen went through
a horrific two-hour phase late on the preceding day to the final table and was
eliminated. So distraught with disappointment, Nguyen reportedly did not
eat regularly for months afterward. He was physically ill. He lost 15 pounds
and refused to leave the house.

Nguyen’s wife Julie was instrumental in rekindling the former champion’s
enthusiasm for poker. Prior to the start of this year’s WSOP, Nguyen was
determined to win one of two events – this H.O.R.S.E. championship, or the
Main Event.

Nguyen was born in Nha Trang, Vietnam. He grew up in the midst of the
Vietnam War.

Nguyen escaped his native homeland on a small boat which sailed out into
the South China Sea. He ultimately made safe passage to the United
States. He and his family arrived in the U.S. with very little money or material
possessions.

Nguyen started playing in small poker games in Las Vegas about 20 years
ago. He eventually built his bankroll and began playing in poker tournaments
in 1994. Nguyen’s first WSOP cash came in 1995. He won his first WSOP
gold bracelet in 1997.

This was Nguyen’s first WSOP gold bracelet victory since 2001.

Scotty Nguyen’s poker nickname is “The Prince.” He relishes the nickname as
he considers himself the people’s champion.

“When I was first coming into poker, I wanted to be playing with Doyle
(Brunson), Chip (Reese), and Stuey (Ungar),” Nguyen said. “Now, two of
them are gone. I wanted to win this trophy to be the first winner to honor
Chip.”

As proud of he was of this victory, Nguyen still referred to his 1998 WSOP
Main Event win as his most satisfying poker accomplishment.

At one point during final table play, Nguyen became testy – quite
uncharacteristic for the popular poker champion. He was dissatisfied with
many things, anger perhaps misdirected from a flurry of bad cards and poor
luck. He later defended his emotional outbursts by saying, “You can’t be
friends at the poker table. You have to want to win. If you want to make
friends, then go bowling.”

Nguyen won $1,989,120 for first place.

In a post-tournament interview, Nguyen thanked his wife Julie, as well as
players and fans for their support.

Nguyen went on to predict that he will win the 2008 WSOP Main Event.

Nguyen joins an exclusive club of five-time WSOP gold bracelet winners which
includes Bones Berland, Allen Cunningham, Phil Ivey, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson,
Ted Forrest, Berry Johnston, and Stu Ungar.

The second-place finisher was Michael DeMichele, from Las Vegas, NV.

DeMichele was both mature and wise far beyond his 23 years of age. He
completely understood the gravity of the moment, fully understanding how
special Chip Reese and the H.O.R.S.E. championship are to the legacy of
poker. “I never dreamed I would finish this deep,” he said afterward. “There
were so many players to deserving of this victory more than me – I was the
new kid on the block.”

DeMichele added: “I still have a long way to go to get where I want, but I
am happy with my focus. I also have to say that Scotty is really a great
player and I congratulate him.”

Former WSOP gold bracelet winner Erick Lindgren finished in third place. As
the early chip leader, he seemed primed to seize victory. But he was the
shortest-stack during most of the 3.5 hour three-handed exchange, which
forced him to be more selective about hands.

“It hurts a lot (not to win),” Lindgren said afterward. “I really wanted to
honor Chip (Reese) by winning.”

Atlantic City-based poker pro Matt Glantz (who lives in Philadelphia and
commutes to the Jersey Shore) finished in fourth place. Glantz is a former
options trader who specializes in high-limit cash games. This was his sixth
time to cash at the WSOP.

Three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner and Poker Hall of Fame member Lyle
Berman finished in fifth place.

Three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Barry Greenstein finished in sixth
place. Greenstein’s third career win came just two weeks ago in the Razz
championship.

1996 world poker champion Huck Seed finished in seventh place. The four-
time WSOP gold bracelet winner survived about 90 minutes at the final table.

Patrick Bueno arrived with the shortest stack of the final eight players. He
ended up busting out quickly and ended up as the eighth-place finisher.

Other former WSOP gold bracelet winners who cashed in this event included
Ralph Perry (9th), Phil Ivey (12th), Daniel Negreanu (13th), and Doyle
Brunson (16th).

The only player to cash in all three H.O.R.S.E. championships played to date
(2006-2008) is Barry Greenstein. He now has 12th, 7th, and 6th place
finishes on his WSOP resume.

Only three players have cashed twice in this event over the past three years
– Doyle Brunson (8th and 16th), Dewey Tomko (7th and 10th), and David
Singer (6th and 6th).

The unfortunate “bubble” finisher was former WSOP gold bracelet winner
Mike Wattel, from Phoenix, AZ. Wattel came in 17th, but only the top 16
finishers collected prize money. Finishing one spot out of the money cost
Wattel $124,320.

Nikolay Evdakov has made history. With his in-the-money finish in Event #48
(which ended on this day), the poker player from Moscow, Russia established
a new record set for “Most WSOP Cashes in a Single Year.” Evdakov became
the first player in WSOP history ever to cash nine times in a single year.

Winner Scotty Nguyen is officially listed as being from Henderson, NV.
Through the conclusion of Event #48 at this year’s World Series of Poker, the
gold bracelet count by nations and states reads as follows:

12 – Nevada
7 – California
4 – New York
3—Canada
3 – Germany
2 – Italy
2 – Missouri
1 – Arizona
1 – Belgium
1 – Brazil
1 – Denmark
1 – Florida
1 – France
1 – Georgia
1 – Holland
1 – Maryland
1 – Michigan
1 – Ohio
1 – Pennsylvania
1 – Russia
1 – South Carolina
1 – Wisconsin

Ten different nations have produced a gold bracelet winner at this year’s
WSOP. This list now includes Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France,
Germany, Holland, Italy, Russia, and the United States.

The Event #48 winner Scotty Nguyen is to be classified as a professional
player. He has been playing professionally for about 15 years and has
earned many major tournament victories. Accordingly, the “Pro-Am” gold
bracelet scoreboard currently reads:

Professionals – 35 wins
Amateurs -- 11 wins
Semi-Pros --        2 wins

Scotty Nguyen is now the leader on the 2008 prize money list, having won
the most money at the WSOP, to date. His accrued winnings total
$2,039,628.

Through the conclusion of Event #51, the total amount of prize money
awarded at the WSOP totals $111,115,333. This is more than last year’s
prize pool at this same time last year.

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack

Director of Sponsorship and Licensing -- Ty Stewart

Director of Broadcasting and New Media – Craig Abrahams

Director of Communications – Seth Palansky

Regional Vice President of Specialty Gaming -- Howard Greenbaum

Tournament Director – Jack Effel

Scotty Nguyen

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Scotty Nguyen 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Gold Bracelet Winner