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Zeidman wins bracelet, $201K in stacked Stud High-Low event at WSOP1 June 2012Motivation can come from many different sources. Just ask Cory Zeidman, winner of the $1,500 Stud High-Low Split event at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. Zeidman was propelled to the $201,559 first-place prize, by former NFL star Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson, the flamboyant ex-Dallas Cowboy linebacker from the Tom Landry-era, who gave his friend several pep talks during the final day of what turned out to be Zeidman's greatest poker triumph. During breaks in the tournament action, Zeidman used his cell phone to call his close friend, who has since become a highly sought-after motivational speaker. Henderson provided just the right mix of solace and guidance, giving Zeidman an extra boost of confidence that enabled him to overcome one of the most champion-heavy final days in recent WSOP memory. "He just kept telling me, 'The cards are bigger than you. You’re not bigger than the cards. The cards are the best player at the table. So, let them come to you and don’t look to force the issue. Pick your spots,' When I would get myself down a little bit, he would say, 'Come on, you’ve been there before. Just don’t let up. You’re an animal.' In every different way he’d occasionally make me laugh. Great motivator, and a super individual," said Zeidman. Given his connections to star athletes like Henderson through his full-time work in sports marketing, it's no surprise that Zeidman shares a winner-take-all mentality. Take, for instance, his unusual pattern of results playing in World Series of Poker events over the years. When Zeidman cashes -- which has now occurred eight times with his most recent feat -- he tends to go very deep. Indeed, there are no min-cashes on Zeidman’s tournament resume. He’s no slacker. When he enters an event, Zeidman plays with a single purpose in mind -- to win. "I would have been devastated if I would have come back this year and finished second," Zeidman stated just moments after his victory. "I had to win this. I knew this gold bracelet was going to be mine." Indeed, Zeidman's previous showings in WSOP events include placing sixth through 39th (which occurred in the 2003 Main Event Championship). That’s a pretty impressive record when one considers the mentality of many fellow non-pro players, which is to somehow get into the money above all else, giving up the chance of building enough chips to make a serious run at victory. It’s like sacrificing one’s own heart on some Mayan altar, trying to appease the sun gods, and Zeidman would have none of that. Zeidman’s tournament strategy, tenacity, and will to win -- whether it came from former footballer Henderson or some deeper hunger from within -- paid off on Thursday night when he managed to out-duel a lion’s den of final-day survivors en route to his first WSOP title. Given the strength of his competition, Zeidman could be doubly proud of his accomplishment. Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split has become an event popular with many of the game’s most accomplished tournament players. As proof, the list of in-the-money finishers reads like a virtual “Who’s Who” in poker over the past 20 years. Names gracing the official results included: Chris Bjorin, Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi, and Todd Brunson, who all made the final table, as well as Marsha Waggoner, Linda Johnson, Frank Kassela, Mike Sexton, David Singer, Jerrod Ankenman, and Frankie O’Dell. And that was just the list of uber-notables that cashed in the top 20. Then, there was Brian Nadell, the Robert Mizrachi, Jeff Madsen, Dan Shak, Chris Bell, Mickey Appleman, Steve Billirakis, Tom Schneider, Vladimir Shchmelev, Matt Waxman, and Amnon ilippi, who populated the 21st-64th range. You get the idea. The runner-up was longtime tournament journeyman and two-time gold bracelet winner, Chris Bjorin, from London – who shows absolutely no signs of slowing down as an accomplished tournament player. Bjorin, who claimed $124,838, may very well be playing the best poker of his life at the moment as he continues to defy conventional wisdom that seniors can no longer compete amongst the wave on former online wunderkinds. This marked Bjorin’s 62nd time to cash at the WSOP, which ranks fifth all time. "You know Chris doesn’t budge," said Zeidman. "He’s got great instincts. I can’t tell you how many times before the turn, he laid down hands, you know, where so many guys would have just tried to bully me where I just happened to have huge hands. I’m just like ‘wow.’ These 62 cashes that Chris has, and his (two) bracelets, it’s got to be a sixth sense as well involved because I was stealing a lot from him at times. I mean I was bullying my share. But he has great instincts. I knew he was a little bit tired and I felt that that gave me a little bit of an edge. It’s a long haul. I can go for a long time if I got it. Chris is a great guy. Who’s tougher than Chris? It doesn’t come any tougher than that." The final table was comprised of the top eight finishers – including three former WSOP gold bracelet winners. The previous champions in the final playing session included Bjorin, Michael “the Grinder” Mizrachi, and Todd Brunson. Brandon Shack-Harris, a cash game specialist from Chicago, was the third-place finisher, claiming $84,415. Yarron Bendor, a CEO originally from Israel and now living in Scottsdale, Ariz., finished fourth, and Michael Mizrachi took fifth place. Xuan Liu, a 26-year-old poker pro from Toronto (Canada), hoped to break the streak of 222 straight male winners at the WSOP, but ran out of momentum about midway through the final table to finish sixth. Brunson was seventh, and Bonnie Rossi, a retiree from Federal Way, Wash., was eighth. The event drew 622 players, and the top 64 finishers collected prize money. Mike Sexton posted a notable double cash in simultaneous poker events. While the WSOP is one of the few tournaments that allows for the possibility of participants playing in two events at the same time, few players have been able to manage even a minimal overlap, let alone three straight days in conflict. Sexton’s cashing in two events simultaneously (Event #3 and Event #4) -- where all three playing days overlap -- is unprecedented. Furthermore, Sexton has proven once again that he’s among the very best at Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split. This was his 11th time to cash in this event. In fact, he won the event in 1989, finished as the runner up in 2011, and then ended up as the 15th-place finisher this year. Modified from tournament notes provided by WSOP Media Director Nolan Dalla. |