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Official Report
Event #30
No-Limit Hold’em
Buy-In: $1,500
Number of Entries: 2,394
Total Net Prize Pool: $3,231,900
Number of Places Paid: 243
First Place Prize: $581,851
June 16-19, 2010
TOURNAMENT HEADLINES
Mike Ellis Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet in Event 30
London Financier Earns Fourth UK WSOP Victory in 2010
Ellis Collects $581,851 in Prize Money
Through 30 WSOP Events -- WSOP Attendance Up Over Last Year
OVERVIEW
Mike Ellis was the winner of the $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em championship at the 2010 World Series of Poker. He is a 45-year-old financial trader from London, England. This marked Ellis’ first career WSOP gold bracelet victory. He previously had earned more than $500,000 in career tournament winnings worldwide. But this thrilling comeback victory reached new heights, as first place paid $581,851, plus the most coveted prize in poker. The runner up was Christopher Gonzalez, from Fremont,
. He put up a valiant fight. But Gonzalez could not overcome Ellis’ late surge. He doubled up a few times and took the chip lead for the first time when play went to heads up. Then, Ellis finally won his victory as the clock on the graveyard shift passed the 5 am mark. Second-place finisher Gonzalez earned a nice consolation prize totaling $360,906. Ellis became the fourth English player at this year’s WSOP to win a gold bracelet. The previous champions were Praz Bansi, James Dempsey, and Richard Ashby.
The $1,500 buy-in tournament drew a huge field of 2,394 players. The top 243 finishers collected prize money. Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Carlos Mortensen (23rd) and Howard “Tahoe” Andrew (192nd). Howard “Tahoe” Andrew currently holds the record for playing the most consecutive years at the WSOP. Andrew, who first came to the 1974 WSOP, holds the active streak of 36 straight years entering at least one event.
THE CHAMPION – MICHAEL ELLIS
The $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em Champion (Event #30) is Mike Ellis, from London, England.
Ellis is 45-years-old.
Ellis graduated from Oxford.
Ellis played draw and stud poker while studying in college. He was passionate about the game and played recreationally for many years.
Ellis is a professional poker player. Prior to playing, he worked in banking and investments. He specialized in analyzing financial markets.
Six years ago, Ellis rediscovered his passion for poker and began playing full time. He has played poker as a professional since 2004.
Ellis’ decision to pursue a poker career coincided with the global poker boom that began around 2004.
Ellis’ passion for poker was sparked during a 2004 business conference in Las Vegas. He began playing during the nights and “got hooked again,” he says.
Ellis’ first recorded tournament cash was in 2004. He has since cashed 40 times in major tournaments around the world. His career tournament earnings up to this point amounted to well over half a million dollars.
Ellis collected $581,851 for first place in this event.
Ellis says he will pay off some of his mortgage at home with his winnings and use the rest to add to his poker bankroll.
According to official records, Ellis now has one win, one final table appearance, and six in-the-money finishes at the WSOP. His career WSOP earnings now total $626,810.
Ellis now has in excess of $1.1 million in overall career tournament winnings.
Ellis became the fourth English player at the 2010 WSOP to win a gold bracelet. The previous champions were Praz Bansi, James Dempsey, and Richard Ashby.
The U.K. had three gold bracelet winners last year. Now with four wins already in 2010, this is the best showing ever by British poker players at the WSOP.
WINNER QUOTES
On what winning his first WSOP gold bracelet means: “This means absolutely everything. It’s definitely the marking post for playing poker. If you have won a bracelet, then you have really achieved something playing poker.”
On enjoying the game: “I love the game. I absolutely love the game. I never tire of it. There is always a different situation. It’s a challenge to work things out. You also meet so many great people in poker – it’s just a fantastic game.”
On being English and taking pride in winning the U.K.’s fourth gold bracelet at this year’s WSOP: “The British players have had a fantastic year. And you can see from all the support we get. We are all kind of rooting for each other here and we come together. We are all friends and we know each other back home. It’s nice to see all of us doing well. It’s great.”
On playing poker at Oxford as a student: “There’s plenty of poker played at Oxford. We played more poker than studied, I think. Of course, back then it was mostly Stud and Draw poker. I imagine they play Texas Hold’em, now.”
THE FINAL TABLE
The final table consisted of no former WSOP gold bracelet winners, which guaranteed a first-time champion. This is the 13th final table (of 30) played this year which included no former WSOP title holders.
Four different nations were represented at the final table: Canada, Great Britain, Sweden, and the United States.
The ages of the nine finalists ranged from 22 to 52.
This was the first final table at this year’s series (other than the Casino Employees Championship) which was composed entirely of amateur players. All nine finalists held traditional jobs, with poker as a sideline for extra money or means of recreation.
The final table began nine-handed.
The runner up was Christopher Gonzalez, from Fremont,
. He put up a valiant fight. But Gonzalez could not overcome Ellis’ late surge. He doubled up a few times and took the chip lead for the first time when play went to heads up. Then, Ellis finally won his victory as the clock on the graveyard shift passed the 5 am mark. Second-place finisher Gonzalez earned a nice consolation prize totaling $360,906.
The third-place finisher was David Wilkinson, a businessman from Boulder, CO. He recently graduated from the University of Michigan Law School. Wilkinson founded an outdoor travel company called Alta Terra Travel. He previously won a WSOP Circuit gold ring at Caesars Palace Las Vegas back in 2007 (good for $101,637). He also cashed twice thus far at this year’s WSOP. But this cash reached new heights, as third place paid $254,996.
The fourth-place finisher was Martin Jacobson, from Stockholm, Sweden. He is 22 years old. Jacobson previously finished 2nd at EPT Budapest and 3rd and WPT Venice. He also final tabled an event at last year’s WSOP. Fourth place paid $183,345.
The fifth-place finisher was Billy Griner, a tree trimmer from Monroe, MI. His best finish was 42nd place in last year’s WSOP Main Event. Griner received $133,574 in prize money for
another fine performance.
The sixth-place finisher was William Kakon, from Miami, FL. He is a business owner who has won four major tournaments within the past 18 months, including a huge victory last month at the Borgata Atlantic City. Kakon cashed for the first time ever in a WSOP event, finishing in sixth place, which paid $98,605.
The seventh-place finisher was Jason Hallee, from Sherbrooke, Quebec (Canada). He is an online poker pro. This was his first time to cash at the WSOP. Hallee, who is active on various French language poker forums as a strategist, collected $73,719 in prize money.
The eighth-place finisher was Chris Kastler, a 35-year-old business owner from Charlotte, NC. This was his first time to cash in a WSOP event. Eighth place paid $55,814.
The ninth-place finisher was Jeffrey Cohen, from Parkland, FL. This was his third time to cash at the WSOP. Cohen has also made the money in several WSOP Circuit tournaments held around the country. Ninth place paid $42,790.
The final table officially began at 8:30 pm and ended at 5:15 am. The final table clocked in at 8 hours and 45 minutes.
OTHER IN-THE-MONEY FINISHERS
The top 243 finishers collected prize money. Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – Juan Carlos Mortensen (23rd), Howard “Tahoe” Andrew (192nd),
Howard “Tahoe” Andrew, who finished 192nd place, holds the record for playing the most consecutive years at the WSOP. Andrew, who first came to the 1974 WSOP, holds the active streak of 36 straight years entering at least one event.
The gold bracelet continues to elude British pro Neil Channing. He made this third cash this year and 15th in-the-money finish over the past three years, but came up short of victory – finishing in 11th place.
ODDS AND ENDS
This is the 858th gold bracelet event in World Series of Poker history. Note: This figure includes every official WSOP event played, including tournaments during the early years when there were no actual gold bracelets awarded. It also includes the 11 gold bracelets awarded at WSOP Europe (to date).
The final table was played on the ESPN Main Stage.
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 hosting all noon starts this year. The ceremony begins at the conclusion of the first break of the noon tournament, usually 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 are permitted by both public and members of the media.
Ellis requested that the national anthem of the Great Britain, “God Save the Queen,” be
played at his WSOP gold bracelet ceremony.
EVENT HISTORY
An alternative lower buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament (less than $10,000) has been included as part of the WSOP schedule every year since 1973. Over the years, these buy-in amounts have ranged from $1,000 up to $5,000. However, more $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournaments have now taken place at the WSOP over the past 39-years than any other event.
Last year there were seven $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em tournaments on the 2009 WSOP schedule. This game and buy-in level has consistently proven to be the most popular draw on the schedule in recent years, aside from the Main Event. However, with the expansion of $1,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em tournaments, attendance for the $1,500s is expected to drop slightly from last year, since many players chose to play in the lowest buy-in events.
The 2010 WSOP is hosting huge No-Limit Hold’em events every weekend. Most Fridays include a $1,500 No-Limit Hold’em tournament. Then, a $1,000 buy-in event takes place on Saturday and Sunday (two flights/starting days). Each Monday includes another $1,500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event. All Day One starting times are noon.
TOURNAMENT PLAY
The tournament was played over three consecutive days, from June 16-19, 2010.
The winner Mike Ellis cracked his opponent’s pocket aces twice, including on the final hand of the tournament.
The final hand of the tournament came after Mike Ellis and Christopher Gonzalez had battled back and forth for nearly three hours. Ellis finally took about a 3-to-1 chip lead when the final hand was dealt. Ellis had
. Gonzalez had As Ah. Gonzalez was all in by the turn, but Ellis had set the perfect trap as the board cards showed
– good for a nut flush in diamonds. A rag
fell on the river, which gave Ellis the victory.
2010 WSOP STATISTICS
Tournament attendance is up from this same point last year. Last year, through 30 events, there were 29,084 entries. This year, there have been 32,946 total entries through 30 events, an increase of 13.3 percent.
Tournament prize money figures are down slightly from last year. Last year, through 30 events, the sum of total prize money won was $57,349,935. This year’s total prize money figure currently stands at $56,864,730 – which represents a decrease of .8 percent (note the decimal).
Through the conclusion of Event #30, the nationalities of winners have been:
United States (20)
Great Britain (4)
Canada (3)
Hungary (1)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Through the conclusion of Event #30, the national origin (birthplace) of winners has been:
United States (15)
Great Britain (4)
Canada (3)
Vietnam (2)
China (2)
Hungary (1)
New Zealand (1)
France (1)
Lebanon (1)
Through the conclusion of Event #30, the ratio of professional poker players to semi-pros and amateurs who won gold bracelets is as follows:
Professional Players (21): Michael Chow, Michael Mizrachi, Praz Bansi, Josh Tieman, Peter Gelencser, James Dempsey, Men “the Master” Nguyen, Matt Matros, Yan R. Chen, Steve Gee, Carter Phillips, Jason DeWitt, Eric Buchman, David Baker, Richard Ashby, Dutch Boyd, Sammy Farha, David Warga, Will Haydon, Matt Keikoan, Mike Ellis
Semi-Pros (3): Frank Kassela, Tex Barch, Miguel Proulx
Amateurs (6): Duc Pham, Aadam Daya, Pascal Lefrancois, Simon Watt, Vanessa Hellebuyck, Jeff Tebben
Through the conclusion of Event #30, here is the list of repeat WSOP gold bracelet winners at the 2010 WSOP:
Praz Bansi
Men “the Master” Nguyen
Russ “Dutch” Boyd
Sammy Farha
David Warga (* his first WSOP win was in a non-open event)
Matt Keikoan
-- by Nolan Dalla
Author