WSOP 2008 Event #48, $2,000 No Limit Hold'em, Final Results

Number of Entries: 2,314
Total Net Prize Pool: $ 4,216,940
June 27-29, 2008

Final Results

Tournament Notes

The $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em championship (Event #48) attracted a record 2,317 entries, creating a prize pool totaling $4,216,940. The top 198 finishers collected prize money.

This was the largest number of entries ever for a $2,000 buy-in hold’em event. The prize pool, at over $4.2 million, is the second-largest of the 2008 WSOP. Only the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. World Championship was higher ($7,104,120).

There are 25 No-Limit Hold’em events on this year’s schedule. This was the third $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em on the schedule.

The curse has finally been broken. Prior to this event, 47 straight defending champions had failed to cash in their respective events. Finally, in Event #48 -- Blair Rodman managed to squeak into the money. The 2007 champion finished in 136th place, ending the curse on defending champs. Note: Rodman won the third $2,000 buy-in event last year, which corresponds to this tournament.

The tournament was played over three consecutive days. The final table was played at the secondary final table, as the ESPN feature table on the main stage was used for the conclusion of the $50,000 buy-in H.O.R.S.E. World Championship (Event #45) which concluded on the same day. There were huge crowds for both finales.

The $2,000 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em champion is Alexandre Gomes. He is a 25-year-old poker pro from Curitiba, Brazil.

Gomes becomes the first Brazilian national to ever win a WSOP gold bracelet. In fact, no South American player had ever previously won a WSOP event in the 39-year history of the WSOP. Edward Moncada had roots in Bolivia when he won his gold bracelet at the WSOP in 2005. But Moncada was/is a U.S. citizen.

Gomes was cheered on by a huge crowd of Brazilians who gathered around the final table. They waved green and blue flags and chanted in native Portuguese, as Gomes’ victory became more evident.

Gomes hometown of Curitiba is a city of 1.8 million residents located in southern Brazil. It is the seventh-largest city in the nation. Although live casino poker is not legal in Brazil, it is one of the fastest emerging poker markets in the world. World-renowned Rio de Janeiro recently hosted a stop on newly formed Latin American Poker Tour, which is concluding its first season this summer.

The ramifications of a Brazilian poker player winning a WSOP championship are expected to be enormous. Gomes is certain to return home to a hero’s welcome, which will inevitably lead to more poker being played in Brazil, and greater participation at the WSOP from South Americans in the years ahead. There are many poker websites and publications now serving the poker market. Poker strategy books have also been published in Portuguese language.

Gomes won $770,448 for first place. This was his first WSOP gold bracelet. This was his first time to cash at the WSOP.

Gomes earned his law degree and practiced as an attorney for two years before trying to make it as a poker pro. His career transition has proven successful to date, as Gomes primarily plays in cash games. Now, he has a significantly bigger poker bankroll.

Following his victory, Gomes understood the profound importance of his victory and what it meant to his native country. “I want to say something to all my fellow Brazilians,” he said. “Poker is not an easy way of life. You have to study hard. You have to be prepared. You cannot rush things. You have to take it one step at a time.”

Prior to Gomes victory, the only Brazilian poker player who had made much of an impact at the WSOP was Giovanni Nervo, who currently has four cashes so far at this year’s WSOP.

The second-place finisher was Marco Johnson, from Walnut Creek, CA.

Sverre Sundbo finished in seventh place. He was the 2005 European Poker Champion.

Former WSOP gold bracelet winners who cashed in this event included Blair Rodman (136th), David “the Dragon” Pham (157th), and Chau Giang (168th).

With his cash in this event, Chau Giang posted his 45th career in-the-money finish. Giang now ranks 9th on the all-time cashes list.

At the conclusion of this event, 51 different nations have now had players cash at the WSOP. All 50 U.S. states have had at least one player cash.

With his 158th place finish in this tournament, Nikolay Evdakov, from Moscow, Russia set a new record for “Most WSOP Cashes in a Single Year.”

One player has cashed seven times at this year’s WSOP – Jacobo Fernandez.

Winner Alexandre Gomes is officially listed as being from Brazil. Through the conclusion of Event #48 at this year’s World Series of Poker, the gold bracelet count by nations and states reads as follows:
10 – Nevada
7 – California
4 – New York
3—Canada
3 – Germany
2 – Italy
2 – Missouri
1 – Arizona
1 – Belgium
1 – Brazil
1 – Denmark
1 – Florida
1 – France
1 – Georgia
1 – Holland
1 – Maryland
1 – Michigan
1 – Ohio
1 – Pennsylvania
1 – Russia
1 – South Carolina
1 – Wisconsin

Ten different nations have produced a gold bracelet winner at this year’s WSOP. This list now includes Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Russia, and the United States.

The Event #48 winner Alexandre Gomes is to be classified as a pro player. He has been playing professionally for about two years. Accordingly, the “Pro-Am” gold bracelet scoreboard currently reads:
Professionals – 34 wins
Amateurs -- 10 wins
Semi-Pros -- 2 wins

Eric Crain was the chip leader at the End of Day One in this event. He finished in 13th place. Through Event #48, the End of Day One chip leaders have gone on to cash 80 percent of the time -- 36 of 45 occasions (the chip leader was not applicable on three events). Only twelve of these same 45 chip leaders (26 percent) made it to the final table. Only one chip leader went on to win the event. That lone wire-to-wire winner was Vanessa Selbst in Event #19.

Marco Johnson was the chip leader at the start of this final table. He ended up as the runner-up. Through Event #48, eighteen of 43 chip leaders at the start of the final table (40 percent) went on to win the event. Twenty-six of 45 chip leaders (58 percent) went on to finish in the top three spots. Two events did not have a chip leader (Heads-Up and Shootout tournaments).

For a complete “Player of the Year” points list, see: www.worldseriesofpoker.com/players/2008.asp?sort=poypts