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The bumpy start the 2007 World Series of Poker got off to was to be expected. Granted, some of the problems were created from nothing; the unusual choice of playing cards, the ludicrous lineups caused by the lumping of satellite registration in with tournament. Still, record numbers were coming through the virtual turnstiles, and new tournament capacities were bound to lead to new problems.
Still, one problem didn’t route from the new experience. The pros weren’t winning in a year where proving the skill of the game would prove vital in light of the UIGEA; Tom Schneider was the biggest name to win thus far, and his career consisted of five WSOP cashed until 2007. Poker needed a big name to step up and show the world that this was still their game.
It wouldn’t happen in event six - $1,500 limit hold’em. The final table was night to event five’s day. Where the previous tournament had an uber-strong final table full of star power, event six’s final nine, befitting the generic nature of the format they were playing, had virtually no star power at all. As a matter of fact, there was relatively no WSOP success in the assembled resumes.
From the unknown mass of 910 players, it would be first time WSOP casher Gary Styrczynski who would emerge victorious. Like Schneider before him, Gary entered the final table with the chip lead, his stack starting at T817,000, with only James Gorham starting with half as much. He’d eventually lose the lead to Varouzhan Gumroyan after Gumroyan took most of Gorham’s stack.
Styrczynski took out Gorham’s hopes, then eliminated Soheil Shaseddin in fourth, taking back the lead for good. Gumroyal took out third place finisher Hansu Chu, but Styrczynski still held a slight lead going to heads-up. Once there, he’d only lose that lead in one brief stretch of two hands, despite heads up going as long as the rest of the final table combined.
The end came when Styrczynski got Gumroyan all-in with Ah-4s against Gary’s Jc-8d on the flop of 10c-9s-5d. The turn came Qc, hitting Styrczynski’s straight draw and cinching the hand. The river came a meaningless Jd and the WSOP had another unknown champion. That would change the next day.
Gary Wise
gary@wisehandpoker.com
