https://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/columnists/chuck_blount/article/WSOP-still-creating-amazing-stories-11277488.php
WSOP still creating amazing stories
By Chuck Blount
Updated 11:47 pm CDT, Monday, July 10, 2017
These are the stories that keep people coming back and taking a stab at the big money tournament poker scene.
Shane Buchwald of Brazil was originally in Las Vegas to support a friend, but decided to enter a $1,500 limit hold 'em event at the World Series of Poker on a whim after a taxing 24-hour flight.
Buchwald had never played in a WSOP event, and it was his first tournament in the limit variation.
He walked out as a bracelet winner, and $177,985 richer.
"I built up a stack and ran really, really well," Buchwald said to wsop.com.
Success in limit hold 'em is predicated on making lots of good small decisions, since you can't go broke with one ill-timed bet.
You have to pay constant attention to the odds and know when it's proper to chase draws vs. folding it away to save a few incremental bets.
Buckwald said he has played about 20,000 hands of limit, but that isn't enough to make him an expert.
The victory may be the last we ever see out of him at the WSOP. He plans to take the money outside of the poker world.
"I've recently signed up for culinary school, trying to get out of poker," Buckwald said. "I'm quite content to stick with my one-for-one in WSOP events. This is probably as good as it gets."
Super-senior double: The "Super Seniors" event at the WSOP is limited to players that are 65 or older, and 1,720 bought into the $1,000 event. James Moore felt an obligation to play the event after winning it last year. And the full-time radiologist managed to defend his championship, winning $259,230 after 133 hands of heads-up play.
"I am shell-shocked at this point," said Moore, who has won almost $490,000 in the event the past two years. His previous top tournament finish was a $3,534 in a $300 buy-in event in Chicago in 2016.
Colossal Colossus: The numbers are bit misrepresentative, since players were allowed to re-enter at various stages in the $565 buy-in Colossus III event at the WSOP. But from an accounting perspective, Thomas Pomponio managed to defeat 18,053 opponents on his way to the championship. He earned $1 million, which was a huge difference from the $545,480 awarded to the runner-up.
Going old school: Back in the day, players didn't have to beat a convention room of opponents to win a bracelet. The entire tournament could be confined to fewer than a dozen tables. That was the feel to the $10,000 buy-in limit 2-7 lowball triple draw championship, a specialty game no doubt, but only 80 players signed up for the event. Ben Yu pocketed $232,738 as the winner, but only 12 players made it into the money.
cblount@express-news.net
Twitter: @chuck_blount
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