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Part-time poker dealer wins casino employees championship at WSOP2 June 2011LAS VEGAS -- The first World Series of Poker tournament of the year has come to a thrilling conclusion with the crowning of a new poker champion. Sean R. Drake, from Folsom, Calif., won the $500 Casino Employees Championship and $82,292 in prize money. Drake, age 27, is a part-time poker dealer who works at the Folsom Lake Bowl. Although he still pitches cards across the felt regularly, Drake has also enjoyed a good run in recent poker tournaments, particularly in a few of the major online events. He's won more than $150,000 playing online this year. The victory sets Drake up well financially for the summer as he planned to come to Las Vegas and play in several events. With an additional infusion of cash into his bankroll, Drake hopes to catapult himself into an even more successful career as a full-time player. “I’m here to stay in Las Vegas this summer," said Drake. "If I go broke, they’ll let me go back. But, that’s not the plan.” Drake attended and played football at Modesto Junior College. He previously worked at a car dealership. He did very well financially as a car salesman, however, the economic downturn a few years ago resulted in a job loss. He then started playing poker more and gradually became a winning player. Drake played a lot of online poker, up until recent developments. He admits he enjoyed a few winning streaks, but later “blew it all.” He says he is wiser and more disciplined as a player now. The tournament was originally planned as a two-day affair. However, the large turnout mandated that a third day be added to the schedule. Attendance was up significantly for this tournament over last year; 850 players entered this year, compared to 721 entrants last year, an increase of about 18 percent. Just prior to the start of the Rio’s first event, WSOP Tournament Director Jack Effel took the main stage inside the Pavilion Tournament Room and began things in grand style. Keeping with ritual that has become an annual tradition, all casino employees in the room were asked to join in with a rousing rendition of the customary announcement which begins all WSOP events. "Shuffle Up and Deal" boomed across the arena, when cards flew into the air for the first time on the tournament floor. Over the next seven weeks, the Rio will be the epicenter of all things poker-related. Poker players, media and fans from all over the world are expected to flood into Las Vegas for what promises to be the most exciting and expansive WSOP in history. The Casino Employees Championship has been the launching pad of most WSOP calendars since it was first added as a gold bracelet event, back in 2000. The tournament was initially called the “Dealers World Poker Championship," since the tournament was only open to casino dealers at the time. The following year, all casino employees became eligible. The tournament was originally added to the WSOP schedule to recognize the considerable contributions of many dedicated professionals in the gaming industry. It has been an official gold bracelet event during all 12 years it’s been held. The largest turnout in history for this event took place at the 2006 WSOP when 1,232 players entered. The runner up was Jason Baker, from Assiniboia, Saskatchewan (Canada). He is a 34-year-old poker dealer and floorman. Baker survived heart surgery back in 2001 and nearly won a gold bracelet. He had a 2-1 chip lead at one point when play was heads-up. But Baker lost a series of late hands and ended up finishing second. He collected a $50,807 consolation prize. The third-place finisher was Claudio Falcaro, from Venice, Italy; Christopher Perez, a 38-year-old server from Las Vegas, Nev., finished fourth; Daniel T. Quach, a 30-year-old bartender from Honolulu, Hawaii, was fifth; Richard Kozlowski, a 41-year-old casino host from Las Vegas as sixth; Adam Falk, a 27-year-old self-employed poker dealer from Las Vegas who works regularly traveling on the WSOP Circuit, was seventh; Joseph Zeman, a 58-year-old investor from Seattle, Wash., was eighth; and Edward Marcus, a 46-year-old casino dealer from Blackhawk, Colo., was ninth. Tournament summary by Nolan Dalla, WSOP Media Director, reprinted by permission. |