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Lee wins WSOP's first 10-game mix event, $254,95519 June 2011Chris Lee became the first winner of the $2,500 buy-in Six-Handed 10-Game Mix at the World Series of Poker, claiming $254,955 in prize money and his first WSOP bracelet. He earned $254,955 in prize money. Incredibly, this was the first time Lee has ever cashed in any WSOP tournament. Lee overcame a larger-than-expected field size for a first-time tournament. The event attracted 431 entries. The respectable turnout is a strong indication of the growing demand for Mixed Games and for more major tournaments, other than Hold’em. A hushed debate has persisted for quite some time as to whether the person coroneted as the official “World Poker Champion” should be decided upon based solely on one’s mastery of a single game. After all, poker is a potpourri of many different card games. Texas Hold’em may very well be the “Cadillac of poker games.” But the fact is -- many Mercedes, Jaguars and Lexus cars idle in our poker parking lot, as well. Poker even has a few Edsels and AMC Pacers. So many different poker variants are played now in virtually all regions of the world that it’s next to impossible to keep track of all the quirks and peculiarities of every game. Standard rules, such as a flush beats a straight, no longer necessarily apply. Now, there are games where the worst hand wins. Other games aim to create a hodgepodge of low cards of mixed suits. It’s become tougher to figure out than the tax code. It’s hardly a surprise then, that the World Series of Poker would do its best to reflect changes and encourage greater diversity. Accordingly, for the first time in history, a WSOP tournament featured 10 different poker games in what was the first event of its kind ever offered. Mixed game formats have proven to be popular when they've been offered. H.O.R.S.E. was the first multigame ever spread at the WSOP, which is a five-game mix. There have also been H.O.S.E. and S.H.O.E. events in the past. This year, a new gold bracelet event debuted which includes ten different poker games. Predictably, the event is called the “10-Game Mix.” The following games are played in rotation: 1. No-Limit Hold'em 2. Pot-Limit Omaha 3. Deuce-to-Seven Triple-Draw Lowball 4. Limit Hold'em 5. Omaha High-Low Split 6. Razz 7. Seven-Card Stud 8. Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split 9. Badugi 10. No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball No doubt, Hold’em will remain king of the poker universe for a long time. The WSOP Main Event Championship is in no danger of becoming a Badugi competition. Nevertheless, at least for a time, the new champion can credibly boast that he’s the best all-around poker player in the world, at least until next year when this event shall inevitably return. Lee was born in Hamburg, Germany. His father was a businessman and the family lived in Germany. Lee moved to the United States when he was 11-years-old, and is a recent graduate of Duke University. Lee has no previous live major tournament cashes. Lee was primarily an online poker player prior to the indictments of the owners of three major online sites, which have subsequently shut out American players. He specializes in Sit n’ Go’s and particularly Heads-Up Sit n’ Go’s. He has played for stakes as high as $5,000 per match. Lee has attended the WSOP each of the last three years. His results up to his point had been underwhelming. In the previous 10 tournaments Lee entered this year, he has failed to cash each time. This was the 11th WSOP tournament Lee played this year. "I was really starting to doubt myself," said Lee. "But this summer I came out here planning to play a lot of events and really started off slow. This is my 11th event. This is my first cash. And I’m actually not a mixed game player at all. I usually play just No-Limit Hold’em and Pot Limit Omaha. So a lot of these games are new to me, so I didn’t go in with high expectations, but I ran really good." The tournament marked the first time that Badugi, a lowball game where players attempt to draw to four unsuited, unpaired cards. And many of the players — including Lee — didn't have much experience playing the game. "I played it twice at the Commerce (casino)," said Lee. "I made it clear at the final table that Badugi was the one game I have no idea how to play. You guys can go steal my blinds all day and that’s pretty much what happened. … But actually, I made a big play in Badugi when I got heads-up, a bluff that worked, so that was a big part of me winning heads-up, I think." The runner up was Brian Haveson, from Garnet Valley, Pa. He is a graduate of Purdue University and now serves as the CEO of international health company conglomerate, Nutrisystem. Poker wise, Haveson has now cashed 12 times at the WSOP, including an in-the-money finish in the 2002 Main Event Championship. For his second place finish, Haveson collected a consolation prize amounting to $157,491. Travis Pearson, from Las Vegas, finished third for $101,258, Shaun Deeb, from Troy, N.Y., was fourth, Kendall Fukumoto, from Honolulu, Hawaii, was fifth, and John D’Agostino, from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., was sixth. The top 42 finishers collected prize money. Among former gold bracelet winners who cashed in this tournament were: Daniel Alaei (23rd), Freddy Deeb (27th), Lyle Berman (28th), Steve Sung (32nd), Cyndy Violette (38th), “Miami” John Cernuto (40th) and Mike Wattel (41st). Tournament summary provided by Nolan Dalla, WSOP Media Director, reprinted by permission. |