Poker professional Scotty Nguyen won nearly $2 million at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas yesterday, topping a field of 148 players and emerging from a marathon final table with his fifth gold bracelet.
Nguyen beat out 23-year-old Michael DeMichele in H.O.R.S.E., a rotating-game tournament that cost $50,000 to enter.
The various games and limited betting structure reward all-around play and is said to truly reward the best players over the long haul. Along with the main event, many players consider H.O.R.S.E. the most important tournament in the World Series of Poker.
“Scotty Nguyen's gonna be triple crown, baby!” Nguyen said after posing at the made-for-TV final table with thick stacks of $100 bills and his newly won bracelet. “That's my dream.”
The 45-year-old Nguyen, who won $1 million at the series' main event in 1998, said he hoped to also win the main event this year and the series' Player of the Year award to complete his dream run.
Nguyen won the final hand at limit Hold 'em, pushing DeMichele all in with an ace and a 10. DeMichele, far behind in chips, called with an ace and a three, and Nguyen's 10 gave him the win when both players paired their aces. DeMichele won $1.24 million for his second-place finish.
“I guess I'll have to live with being that guy,” said DeMichele of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
TRIVIA TIME
How many Wimbledon singles championships did Pete Sampras win?
BOSOX TROPHY COULD BE YOURS
A trophy commemorating the Boston Red Sox's 1912 World Series victory and bestowed to the manager by John F. Kennedy's grandfather will be auctioned in the next few months.
The 11-inch sterling silver piece was given to Jake Stahl, who managed the Red Sox and played first base, and is inscribed with his name. John Fitzgerald, the Boston mayor known as “Honey-Fitz,” presented Stahl with the award and hosted a reception honoring the team at Faneuil Hall.
Boston capped its first year at Fenway Park by defeating the New York Giants to capture the championship. It's not an official World Series trophy because Major League Baseball didn't begin giving those out until 1967.
A second trophy awarded to Red Sox owner James McAleer is believed to be lost.
QUOTABLE
“I've had coaches leave here for other schools, but I hadn't lost one to the United Nations.” – South Alabama Athletic Director Joe Gottfried on two-time Olympic gold medalist Lee Evans, who is leaving his job as track and field coach at the university to work for the United Nations in West Africa.
Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press, on why the Pistons traded for UAB forward Walter Sharpe – whose medical dossier includes bouts of narcolepsy – after the Sonics made him the 32nd selection in last week's NBA draft: “When you draft as low as the Pistons did, sometimes you have to go for a sleeper pick.”
TRIVIA ANSWER
Pete Sampras of the United States won seven Wimbledon singles titles – from 1993 to 1995 and from 1997 to 2000.
COMPILED BY P.K. DANIEL
FROM NEWS SERVICES, ONLINE REPORTS
