The first person at this year's World Series of Poker was Absolute Poker pro Mark Seif. He won two championships this year, putting him second for the money and first in the running for the WSOP's Player of the Year award. Currently, Seif is ranked 10th in the World for Poker pros.
His first gold and diamond WSOP bracelet was won in the $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout Friday, June 17. Here he went for $181,330 and then went on to win his second bracelet last Friday in the $1,500 NL Hold'em event. Here he ranked above 2,013 players, the third largest in WSOP history. The victory, he beat world champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, who�s worth is $611,145. Earlier this month he placed 53rd in the $1,500 No Limit Hold'em with a win of $7,475. This win brought his 2005 WSOP winnings to $799,950, to date.
This has been thrilling for Seif, who can�t believe what has just happened. Over the last five years, he has been struggling for the win. He is proud to say that he is a lawyer and a professional poker player now too. The same week his sister graduated from university. The week couldn�t be sweeter for Seif and his family.
Seif has been playing high-stakes poker in public card rooms for many years; in 2001 he won more than a half a million in cash games at the WSOP. Since that win, he was set, and happy to continue. This win put him in an elite crowd.
Records are now being confirmed, and this may be all-time first in WSOP history. No one has won back-to-back titles in fields this huge. If he wins again, he'll be the third person in history to win three bracelets in a year.
Nine players competed In Friday's event for the WSOP bracelet and the $611,145 top prize, they were:
Mark Seif, Incline Village, NV $611,145
Minh Nguyen, Lake Elsinore $329,975
Bill Gazes, Miami, FL $202,790
Webber Kang, Dallas, TX $175,010
Peter Lee, Queens, NY $147,230
Greg "Fossilman" Raymer, Stonington, CT $119,450 (Defending World Champion)
Steve Carter, Frisco, TX $91,670
Steve Rassi, Morton, IL $63,895
David "Devilfish" Ulliot, Hull, U.K. $47,225
Needless to say Seif played well. It was a long and well deserved win. Over the years he crafted his game, and now is in the rankings of the elite players. The game of poker, and the association could not be prouder.
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