Team Bodog pro David Williams, the 26-year-old Texan who rocketed
into stardom two years ago with his memorable runner-up finish at
the 2004 World Series of Poker, has captured his first bracelet in
poker's showcase event.
Williams bested a field of 478 players to take the top prize in Event
No. 10 of the 2006 World Series of Poker, the $1,500 Seven-Card Stud
tournament. He earned $163 118 for the win.
"This is the greatest day of my life," Williams
said. "I came so close to winning a bracelet in 2004 in
the Main Event, and I've been thinking about this moment ever since.
It's even better than I expected."
On his way to victory, Williams faced a final table filled with some
of poker's most decorated and seasoned tournament pros, including
poker legend Johnny Chan, who was gunning for his 11th WSOP bracelet,
and "Miami" John Cernuto, a three-time WSOP winner. Also
among the final eight were Jack Duncan, a 2002 world champion in Pot
Limit Omaha, and John Hoang, an experienced tournament ace.
Williams, though, quickly took command at the final table with aggressive
play against the veterans, gaining the chip lead early and never looking
back. He eventually found himself heads-up against Hoang for the title
with a sizable chip advantage, and after a little more than two-and-a-half
hours of heads-up play, Hoang was severely shortstacked and forced
to go all-in on 5th street with an ace high. Williams, with just a
pair of fours, called and the small pair proved to be all he needed
for the win and career first bracelet.
Williams has now won a total of $3 670 823 in three WSOP appearances,
earning him the distinction of being the youngest player on the World
Series of Poker's "Top Ten" All-Time Money List. Williams
ranks seventh on the list just behind poker greats Phil Hellmuth and
T.J. Cloutier.
In just the past two years, Team Bodog has earned more than $5 million
in tournament winnings.
Joining Williams and Arieh on Team Bodog for this year's World Series
of Poker is the latest member of Bodog's pro team, Evelyn Ng. More
than 500 other players who qualified through online satellite qualifiers
at Bodog.com are competing for Team Bodog. Two online qualifiers from
Team Bodog have already made a final table this year - Thomas Hunt
of Las Vegas finished fourth in the $2 000 No-Limit Hold'em ($160
659) and David Solomon of Austin , Texas , finished sixth in $2 500
Short Handed No-Limit ($68 277).