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Rep Porter wins WSOP Razz title, $210,61529 June 2011Other than Hold’em, the game with the longest and richest tradition at the World Series of Poker is most certainly Seven-Card Razz -- sometimes called “Razz,” for short. It’s a peculiar game. For instance, you don’t want to be dealt any Royal Flushes in Razz. You’ll go broke quickly, if you do. In fact, the object of the game is to make the worst (or lowest) possible ranked hand. That’s right. You want bad cards. Trash. Garbage. Bricks. But the game is hardly for losers. The illustrious list of former Razz champions reads like a “Who’s Who” of poker. Former gold bracelet winners include -- Billy Baxter, Doyle Brunson, Eskimo Clark, T.J. Cloutier, Ted Forrest, Linda Johnson, Berry Johnston, O’Neil Longson, Lakewood Louie, Tom McEvoy, Huck Seed, Barry Greenstein, Jeffrey Lisandro, Frank Kassela and others who have pretty much written the history of poker by themselves. The first-ever Razz champion was legendary Sam Angel, one of the most (how does one phrase this?) colorful personalities ever to burst upon Las Vegas. He won the inaugural event held at Binion’s Horseshoe, in 1973. Angel was a complete contradiction of his given name (he was hardly “angelic”), and is often remembered as a surly, abrasive figure. He often wore loud checkered jackets and slurred ceaseless profanities. And, that was his good side. When he was at the poker table, things usually got worse. Perhaps in part due to Angel’s two early victories in Razz and his undeniably cantankerous demeanor, the poker variant developed an undeserved reputation as the perfect game for sour-faced nits. It’s certainly changed since the early days of Angel's antics. Yet the game remains as a bone fide WSOP tradition, with as interesting a history of any tournament held annually, other than the WSOP Main Event. The Razz championship was televised by ESPN once, back in 2004. That was one of the most interesting tournament final tables ever shown. There were several interesting personalities among the eight finalists and lots of table chatter. However, the game was never broadcast again, presumably because it was difficult for viewers to follow and confusing (to novices) since the object of the game was the make the worst/lowest hand. Which is a real shame, as the following years would prove to be just as unusual. This event has also been particularly kind to the ladies. Two women have won this event in the past – former Card Player magazine owner and editor, Linda Johnson (1997) and German poker pro Katja Thater (2007). The 2005 Razz championship was one of the longest final tables in WSOP history. That finale clocked in at a mind-numbing 16 hours – which set a WSOP record at the time. The Razz mark stood for three years until the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event final table, which lasted 19 hours. Perhaps 2007 included the oddest episode of any Razz tournament in history. Late in the tournament when players finally reached the money, ex-champ “Eskimo” Clark sat alone as the chip leader. Then suddenly, he suffered a heart attack in the middle of the tournament, hitting the floor at the Rio while paramedics rushed to the rescue. Incredibly, Clark not only brushed off medical assistance, he demanded being allowed to continue to play. Half a pack of smokes and a dozen hot wings later, Clark did indeed continue and ended up finishing in fourth place, while an emergency stretcher was conspicuously parked near tableside. After an Angel, a marathon, and even a heart attack – it’s hard to imagine what might come up next in the wild wacky game of Razz. The answer appears to be – Rep Porter. Rep Porter won the $2,500 buy-in Razz championship, which attracted 363 entries. Porter won $210,615 in prize money for finishing first. He was also presented with his second WSOP gold bracelet, symbolizing the ultimate achievement in the game. Porter's previous win took place in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold'em, in 2008. Porter's path to victory was not easy. It took four days and every bit if skill and energy in his reservoir to achieve a most satisfying win. Among those who tested Porter were runner up Stephen Su, and two former gold bracelet winners who made it to the final table – Robert Williamson III (who finished 4th) and Chris Bjorin (who finished 6th). Other former gold bracelet winners who cashed in this tournament were: John Monnette (13th), David Sklansky (21st), Chau Giang (25th), Dan Idema (28th), David Warga (31st), Perry Friedman (34th) and Chris Viox (37th). Alas, Rep Porter may not have very much in common with the late Sam Angel. Porter seems like a nice enough guy. But Porter does share at least two similarities with the legend from WSOP past. Both players have double gold bracelets. And both players have proven themselves to be outstanding Razz champions. Porter is a 40-year-old professional poker player and financier. Born in Edmonds, Wash., Porter’s first name is Ralph. However, his initials are R.E.P. So, he goes by “Rep Porter.” Porter and his wife, Lisa, have two children. He graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in information systems. Porter worked in Wall Street for six years before settling down in the Seattle area. Porter began playing poker in 1977 when he was in grade school. Porter’s first WSOP cash was in 2005. His breakthrough victory in poker took place in the 2007 WSOP Main Event. Porter finished in 39th place out of 6,358 entries. Porter collected nearly a quarter million in prize money. Porter attended the WSOP the following year, where he won his first gold bracelet. Porter won the $1,500 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em title, which paid $372,843. For this victory, Porter collected $210,615 for first place. Su, who lives in Houston, Texas, won $130,075 for his runner-up finish, while Tommy Chen finished third. Williamson hoped to win his first WSOP title in nine years, but ended up in fourth place. Williamson made a monster move on the last day, going from 15,500 in chips to more than 600,000 within a one hour span. Andreas Krause of Heilbronn, South Africa, was fifth. Bjorin finished in sixth place. He cashed in this event last year as well, finishing in 10th place. The Swedish-born two-time gold bracelet winner (now living in London) now has 60 career cashes, which places him alone in eighth place on the all-time cashes list at the WSOP. Matthew Smith of Lithia, Fla., was seventh, and Scott Epstein of Las Vegas was eighth. Other former gold bracelet winners who cashed in this tournament were: John Monnette (13th), David Sklansky (21st), Chau Giang (25th), Dan Idema (28th), David Warga (31st), Perry Friedman (34th) and Chris Viox (37th). With his 25th-place finish, Chau Giang now has 59 career cashes, placing in ninth place on the all-time list. Roland “Speedy” Israelashvili finished in 20th place. This marked his sixth cash at this year’s WSOP. The all-time record for most cashes in a single year is 10. David Sklansky -- a three-time gold bracelet winner and one of poker’s foremost theorists -- finished in 21st place. Frank Mariani, part-owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers, finished in 27th place. Tournament summary provided by Nolan Dalla, WSOP Media Director, republished by permission. |