Phoenix, Arizona native Ryan Hughes became the first ever dual bracelet winner in Seven Card Stud High-Low, taking down Event 47 of the 2008 World Series of Poker this weekend. He bested a field of 544 entrants en route to a $183,368 payday and his second WSOP bracelet. Last year, Hughes took down the $2,000 buy-in Seven Card Stud Hihg-Low Eight or Better tournament (Event 20). Players from three different countries cashed in the top five spots, a prelude to the diverse field that will converge on Las Vegas for the Main Event, which starts on Thursday. The first ever dual bracelet winner in this tournament was just the latest superlative from one of the most successful WSOPs ever held.
Previous winners of this event have included a star-studded spectacle of poker players: Johnny Moss, the legendary Doyle Brunson, the late Chip Reese, Full Tilt Poker pros Phil Ivey and John Juanda, Men “The Master” Nguyen, World Poker Tour host Mike Sexton, and Cyndy Violette, just to name a few. Hughes defeated Ron Long heads up. Long’s bracelet came in his first ever cash back in the 1999 WSOP. In that year, he took down a Limit Seven Card Stud High-Low event for $170,000. His $113,240 cash in Event 47 brings his career total to just over $330,000. In essence, when play was down to Long and Hughes, a dual bracelet winner was guaranteed. Italian native Alessio Isaia finished fourth and Jonas Klausen, from Denmark, rounded out the top five finishers in this event.
Poker author David Sklansky finished in eighth place. His first three WSOP cashes were all for bracelets. In the 1982 World Series of Poker, he took down the Mixed Doubles - Limit Seven Card Stud tournament for his first bracelet. Five events later, he captured his second WSOP bracelet in a Limit Draw High tournament. In 1983, he notched his third bracelet after winning a Limit Omaha tournament. Although he hasn’t won a bracelet since, his career WSOP winnings amount to $373,660. He’s authored such books as Theory of Poker and Tournament Poker for Advanced Players. Any serious poker pro owns a copy of the former and studies it frequently. The book is on the same level as Brunson’s Super System in esteem. Sklansky took third in the Borgata Poker Open during the fifth season of the World Poker Tour.
Two high-profile poker pros also cashed in Event 47. Men “The Master” Nguyen finished in 17th place. He logged his third cash during the 2008 WSOP, banking $4,752. The six-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner captured his first piece of hardware back in 1992. Last year, he took down a Circuit Event in Caesars Indiana for $238,756. Lifetime, Nguyen has pocketed over $2.8 million from WSOP play. Eleven-time WSOP bracelet winner Phil Hellmuth finished 33rd. The face of UltimateBet has cashed three times during the 2008 World Series of Poker, including a final table appearance in Event 28 for $100,292. Hellmuth recorded his 66th career WSOP cash, the most among any player. He stormed onto the poker scene with a win in the 1989 Main Event. I still can’t get the image of him celebrating out of my head. The second place person on the career cash list: none other than Men “The Master” Nguyen.
Through 45 events of the WSOP, pros have won 33 events, amateurs have taken down 10 events, and semi-pros have emerged victorious in two events. The 73% success rate by the pros reverses a three-year trend during which amateurs have mostly overwhelmed the pros at the World Series of Poker.
The Main Event begins on Thursday, with Day 1-A kicking off. Stay tuned to MacPoker.net for all of the latest from the largest poker tournament on the face of the Earth.