2005 World Series of Poker Bracelet Winners

In 2005, more than 28,000 players participated in the World Series of Poker, and the richest sporting event in the world awarded nearly $100 million in prize money. Poker's largest event didn't disappoint, as it crowned the first Australian world champion, Joseph Hachem, outfitted hollywood starlet Jennifer Tilly with a bracelet, and saw poker legends Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan win their record-setting 10th bracelets. In between, Mark Seif walked away with two bracelets, and top-flight players such as Erik Seidel, Allen Cunningham, Phil Ivey, Michael Gracz, Josh Arieh, and T.J. Cloutier all won titles.



Here is a look back at all of the winners from the 2005 World Series of Poker (prize money shown is for first place).

2. Allen Cunningham

Event No. 2: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $725,405

Entrants: 2,305



Seven hours into the final table, it was down to the last three players. Showcasing the event were Allen Cunningham, David "Devilfish" Ulliott, and Scott Fischman. It took another hour before Cunningham eliminated "Devilfish," and that pot gave him a 2-1 chip lead over Fischman going into heads-up action.



It took only two more hands for Cunningham to win the match.



Final hand: Cunningham limped in from the button and Fischman checked. The flop came 10 6 3 and Cunningham bet $100,000. Fischman called to see the turn of the 4. Fischman checked to Cunningham, who bet $250,000, and Fischman pushed all in for about $800,000 more. Cunningham took a moment before calling. He had made two pair on the flop with the 6 3, while Fischman had the 5 4 for a smaller pair. Fischman could still win the hand with his open-end straight draw, but the river card was the A, and Cunningham was the champion.



Note: Scott Fischman won this same event at the 2004 World Series of Poker.

3. Thom Werthmann

Event No. 3: $1,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em Prize

Prize Money: $369,535

Entrants: 1,071



Gavin Smith and Layne Flack took big chip stacks to the final table, and Smith pulled ahead when he took a bite out of Layne's stack. But Thom Werthmann was on his tail, and by the dinner break, he'd established a clear advantage. After Smith was eliminated, Werthmann pulled further ahead when he won a $200,000 pot during preflop action against Flack. But Werthmann took a tumble, and was down to $30,000 before he turned on the heat for an impressive comeback. He finally bested Flack after a seesaw heads-up battle.



Final hand: Werthmann made it $40,000 to go and Flack raised $120,000 more. Werthmann made a pot-size bet and Flack moved all in. Werthmann called and showed the A 2. Flack had pocket fives. But the flop gave Werthmann the pair he needed when it came A K Q, and the turn sealed the win when he made a set. The meaningless river card was a jack.



Note: At one point during the event, Werthmann was so short-stacked that the tournament director mistakenly announced that he'd busted out.

4. Eric Froehlich

Event No. 4: $1,500 Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $361,910

Entrants: 1,049



Eric Froehlich started day two as the chip leader, but suffered through swings that eventually left him short-stacked by mid-afternoon. When it was down to 20 players, Froehlich was above average in chips. He increased that lead to 2-1 going into heads-up action against Jason Steinhorn. The two played 129 hands before the slated two-day tournament morphed into an unscheduled three-day event, finally ending at 4 a.m. the next morning.



Final hand: The levels had reached $25,000-$50,000 and Froehlich had the big blind. Steinhorn raised and Froehlich called to see a flop of 9-2-2 with two spades. Froehlich bet and Steinhorn called. The turn card was the 10 and Froehlich drove the action. Steinhorn called, and the 10 came on the river. Froehlich bet and Steinhorn called all in. Froehlich turned over the K 4 for a flush. Steinhorn just nodded his head and smiled, then knocked the table in a show of defeat.



Note: Eric Froehlich is presently the youngest World Series of Poker bracelet winner in history at 21 years, 3 months, and 28 days.

5. Patrick Poels

Event No 5: $1,500 Omaha Eight-or-Better

Prize Money: $270,100

Entrants: 699



In early action on day two, Patrick Poels wisely avoided several land mines as top veteran players went on the attack. But when it was down to the final table, Poels took a stand. He scooped a couple of multiple-player pots, maintaining a clear chip lead. Then, John Lukas eliminated Jeff Duval and took a substantial bite out of Poels' stack. But Poels quickly turned the tables on Lukas, eventually reclaiming the advantage. Within 30 minutes of heads-up play starting, they were down to the last hand.



Final hand: Both players bet down to the river, and Lukas was all in on a board of K 6 6 10 8. As Lukas placed his last chips into the pot, Poels couldn't mask his excitement. He was sure he was about to win a World Series of Poker bracelet. Lukas had two pair with the J 10 9 8, but Poels showed his 9 8 7 5 for the 10-high straight.



Note: Men "The Master" Nguyen was one of the many veteran professional players who returned on day two, pointing out the obvious, "These players are in for the fight of their lives."

6. Isaac Galazan

Event No. 6: $2,500 Shorthanded No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $315,125

Entrants: 548



In day-one action, Mel Judah took down Daniel Negreanu, David Singer knocked out Jeff Lisandro, Eli Elezra crushed Can Kim Hua, and "Miami" John Cernuto eliminated Al Ardebili. Antonio Esfandiari celebrated a double elimination when his pair of fives "lucked out" on the river against Martin Green's pocket nines and John Juanda's pocket kings. Thirteen players advanced to day two, but the final table featured Harry Demetriou, Isaac Galazan, Tommy Grimes, David Barnes, Singer, and Esfandiari – in that chip order.



Final hand: Demetriou moved all in before the flop with the Q 9. Galazan called immediately with the K J. The board of 8 5 4 5 2 missed both players, giving Galazan the win with a high-card king.



Note: The shorthanded no-limit hold'em format requires players to compete against no more than five other opponents at a time. It makes for an exciting, action-packed event with plenty of aggressive play.

7. Maciek "Michael" Gracz

Event No. 7: $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $594,460

Entrants: 826



Michael Gracz was short-stacked throughout the day, but when it was down to three players, he finally made his move. He won a race against Chuck Thompson when his pocket eights held up against Thompson's A J. The $850,000 pot gave Gracz some wiggle room before facing off against C.T. Law. Gracz narrowed Law's lead on the first hand of heads-up action, but it took him another two hours to send Law to the rail.



Final hand: Gracz raised to $60,000 from the button and Law called. The flop came J 8 5 and Law checked to Gracz, who bet $75,000. Law raised another $100,000, and Gracz came over the top all in. Law called, and showed the Q J for top pair, and Gracz was behind with the Q 8. He needed to catch one of the two remaining eights in the deck to win. He got his wish on the turn when the 8 came. A 6 fell on the river, and Gracz was the victor.



Note: This star-studded event featured several big-name players, including Annie Duke, David Williams, Marco Traniello, Eli Elezra, Barry Greenstein, Tony Cousineau, Robert Mizrachi, Hoyt Corkins, and Gavin Smith.

8. Cliff Josephy, aka 'Johnny Bax'

Event No. 8: $1,500 Seven-Card Stud

Prize Money: $192,100

Entrants: 472



Cliff Josephy was way behind going into day two, but turned things around before the dinner break. When it was down to the final table, only Abe Almahi had more chips than he did. Josephy dominated throughout the night, and by the end of the 18th level, he had more than $500,000 in chips. Even after Kirill Gerasimov eliminated Mark Burtman, Gerasimov went into heads-up action with just enough for a single round of betting. Within 15 minutes, Josephy had Gerasimov's back to the wall.



Final hand: Kirill took a stand and went all in on fourth street with a pair of fives. Josephy called with a pair of fours. But, Josephy paired an ace on sixth street, while Gerasimov's hand failed to improve.



Note: Apparently, "Johnny Bax," who works by day as a stockbroker, won at least five seats to the main event by playing online. This was his first tournament win, even though he had never played stud before. In fact, Scott Fischman and "The Crew" gave Josephy a five-minute lesson right before the cards went in the air.

9. Erik Seidel

Event No. 9: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $611,795

Entrants: 1,403



The $2,000 no-limit hold'em event was one of the most popular preliminary events of the World Series. At the final table, Perry Friedman sent three players to the rail: William Blanda, Chris Wunderlich, and Fabrice Soulier. Morgan Machina eliminated Harry Demetriou, and then Cyndy Violette knocked out Machina. Erik Seidel crushed Paul Sexton and Perry Friedman. It was then heads up for 90 minutes before Violette took a stand.



Final hand: Seidel made a modest raise before the flop and Violette pushed all in for $700,000. After much deliberation, Seidel called with pocket eights. Violette had a pair of nines. Seidel flopped eights full of fives, and Violette's hand didn't improve.



Note: The final table of this event was delayed for the finale of the World Series of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Bobby Boyd eliminated Rafe Furst, and Kevin Keller crushed Annie Duke. Keller and Boyd then competed for a seat in the $10,000 championship event. Keller savored his hard-fought, well-studied victory in this grueling contest of man versus rock versus paper versus scissors.

10. Reza Payvar

Event No. 10: $2,000 Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $303,610

Entrants: 569



Reza Payvar had a 3-1 chip advantage over his closest competitor going into day two. He maintained that momentum for another three hours until it was down to the final table. On a heater, he had more than half the chips when it was fivehanded. Toto Leonidas, John Myung, and Payvar took four hours to get things down to heads up. And after Leonidas eliminated Myung, it took only 30 minutes for Payvar to send Leonidas home in second place.



Final hand: Leonidas raised to $40,000 preflop. Payvar reraised to $60,000, and Leonidas reraised all in. Payvar showed the A 9, and Leonidas showed the Q 5. The flop came J 9 4, giving Payvar middle pair. Leonidas needed a queen, runner-runner straight, or runner-runner fives to survive. The turn (2) and the river (7) sealed the win for Payvar, who took home the cash and the bracelet.



Note: Three-way action felt like an eternity during the final table of this event. At one point, Tournament Director Jack Effel announced, "We have all officially lost our minds."

11. Edward Moncada

Event No. 11: $2,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $298,070

Entrants: 540

Steve Hudak and Edward Moncada were tied for the chip lead going into the final day. Moncada eliminated Yoshitaka Oku early, giving him a comfortable advantage. But, Marco Traniello doubled through Moncada and left him severely short-stacked. Elia Ahmadian took another bite out of his stack, and it wasn't until he doubled through Freddy Deeb that he was back in the running. Moncada remained short-stacked until Hudak rewarded him with a monster pot. After that, the mild-mannered Moncada showed no mercy.



Final hand: Hudak raised to $48,000 and Moncada reraised to $144,000. Hudak moved all in, and Moncada called. Moncada showed pocket eights (8 8), while Hudak had the A 8. Hudak was dominated, and needed to catch an ace to survive. The flop came 9 4 2, and Moncada maintained his lead. Hudak needed an ace or a runner-runner straight to stay alive. The turn card was the Q, and Hudak now needed a non-diamond ace to stay alive (two outs). The river card was the Q.



Note: The prize pool for this preliminary event totaled close to $1 million.

12. Josh Arieh

Event No. 12: $2,000 Pot-Limit Omaha

Prize Money: $381,600

Entrants: 212

Josh Arieh began the final table saddled between two short stacks: Erik Seidel and Max Pescatori. Before long, Arieh had eliminated Seidel, and Chris Ferguson took down Doug Lee. Then, Arieh sent David Colclough to the rail. Ferguson then knocked out Arturo Diaz and Ronald Graham, while Arieh sent Pescatori and Tony Sevnsom home. The two table dominators then traded chip leads for more than an hour.



Final hand: Ferguson raised from the button and Arieh called. The flop came 7 5 2 and Arieh bet $50,000. Ferguson raised to $200,000, Arieh came over the top, and Ferguson went all in. Arieh showed the K 9 3 2 (pair of deuces with a king-high flush draw), dominating Ferguson's K 10 9 3. The turn card was the A, and Ferguson had only three outs. The river was the J, giving Arieh the title.



Note: Arieh sometimes used a "blind-straddle" approach during final-table play – unusual, but not illegal – whereby he raised the minimum from under the gun before the cards were dealt. The strategy worked, and forced the short stacks to fold, enabling Arieh to collect the blinds.

13. T.J. Cloutier

Event No. 13: $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $657,100

Entrants: 466

The World Series of Poker was now picking up steam; 466 players created a prize pool totaling more than $2 million. T.J. Cloutier faced seasoned professionals Johnny "World" Hennigan, John Bonetti, Tony Ma, and Todd Brunson. Newcomers Dustin Woolf, Neal Wang, Jason Berilgen, and Steven Zoine would make their first WSOP final-table appearances. Gavin Smith narrowly missed the final table, going out in 10th place. When the tournament was down to heads up, it was between the sage and the sapling.



Final hand: Zoine raised to $50,000 from the button and Cloutier reraised to $300,000. Zoine moved all in, and Cloutier called. Cloutier showed the A 5, but was dominated by Zoine's A K. The flop came 9 8 6, and Cloutier needed to catch a 5 or a 7 to eliminate Zoine. The turn card was the J, and Cloutier had seven outs. The river card was the 7, and Cloutier made his straight for victory.



Note: T.J. Cloutier earned his sixth World Series of Poker bracelet in this event.

14. Steve Hohn

Event No. 14: $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better

Prize Money: $156,985

Entrants: 595

Final-table players were eliminated every 45 minutes, on average. The most dramatic moment was early on when Steve Hohn eliminated Men "The Master" Nguyen. Nguyen went all in on sixth street and the river cards were dealt facedown. Hohn turned his card over for Nguyen to see that he'd made two pair. In typical Nguyen fashion, The Master slid his river card toward Hohn and said, "We'll look together." He slowly took a peek and then tossed the card on the table. The Master had made a lower two pair and went out in seventh place. When the tournament was down to Mike Wattel and Steve Hohn, they battled it out for almost five hours before a winner was determined.



Final hand: Hohn won the title with a pair of jacks for the high and 8-7-6-5-2 for the low.



Note: This would be the third World Series of Poker final-table appearance for Steve Hohn in 10 years. He came close to winning his first bracelet in the same event in 1995, placing second.

15. Mark Seif

Event No. 15: $1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout

Prize Money: $93,770

Entrants: 450

This event featured a unique structure, very similar to a one-table satellite. Each table emerged with only one winner. Those players advanced to the next round and the same rules applied until it was down to the final table. Big-name players find limit hold'em shootout tournaments irresistible, making them great events for spectators to watch.



Final hand: When it was finally down to two players, Mark Seif faced off against Bill Shaw. When Shaw was severely short-stacked, he was forced to make a move. Shaw had the 9 3, while Seif showed a dominating K Q. The flop came A J 2, and Shaw needed a 3 or a 9 to stay alive. Seif called for a 10 on the turn, and sure enough, it fell. Shaw was drawing dead.



Note: Mike Matusow commented about the number of bracelets that had been won at the table he was assigned when he went up against several veterans like Doyle Brunson, Ted Forrest, Thor Hansen, and Brett Jungblut. The consensus of how many bracelets the table represented was around 19. Incidentally, Matusow had some other choice words about his luck of the draw.

16. Anthony Reategui

Event No. 16: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Shootout

Prize Money: $269,100

Entrants: 780

Anthony Reategui came to the final table second in chips, but after the first break, he moved ahead of the pack when he knocked out Erick Lindgren. Seventeen hands later, he swallowed up rival chip leader Allen Goldstein, giving Reategui twice as many chips as all of the other players combined. He gunned down both Ted Lawson and Kenny Robbins in one hand, and then proceeded to send Young Phan out in fourth place and Phil Gordon to the rail in third. Paul Kroh doubled up a couple of times before going into the final hand.



Final hand: Kroh raised from the button and Reategui moved all in. Kroh called with the K Q, while Reategui showed the A 2. The flop came 10 10 8, and Kroh needed to catch a queen, a king, or a runner-runner straight to stay alive. The turn card was the 8, giving Kroh more outs to a chop if he could catch another 8 or 10 on the river. But, the 7 fell on the river, giving Reategui the pot, the prize money, and the bracelet.



Note: Reategui single-handedly eliminated every player from the final table of this event.

17. Quinn Do

Event No. 17: $2,500 Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $265,975

Entrants: 373

Quinn Do, though short-stacked going into day two, gradually increased his stack to $70,000 until he suffered back-to-back hits when both Tony Nasr and Noah Boeken doubled up through him. Do bravely rallied back, but several losses put him way behind going into the break. Then after dinner, the cards began to fall in Do's favor, enabling him to double through Tom Franklin and Boeken, and he finally eliminated Boeken a few hands later. From then on, Do was the aggressor and quickly took down Samuel Arzoin and Franklin. He followed that up by winning two substantial pots against Chi Chang. After Chang eliminated Mike Davis, Do dominated heads-up action right up to the final hand.



Final hand: Chi Chang went all in before the flop with his last $30,000. Chang turned over the J 9 and Do showed the A 7. Do made the nut flush on the flop of Q 3 2, leaving Chang drawing dead.



Note: Quinn Do started day two with only $33,000. It took him 13 hours of patience and courage to win the coveted gold bracelet and more than $250,000 in prize money.

18. Barry Greenstein

Event No. 18: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha

Prize Money: $128,505

Entrants: 291

After 14 hours of play on day one, the field had been reduced to 11 players, and Phil Hellmuth was hoping to add another World Series of Poker final table to his resume. But, he ended up in a three-way all-in pot after flopping two pair, and was outdrawn by Tim Martz, who turned a straight and rivered a flush. Hellmuth went out in 10th place and unleashed one of the most memorable tirades of the 2005 WSOP. Barry Greenstein entered the final table with the most chips, and carried that momentum all the way up until the action went heads up. When Chris Lindenmayer busted out in third place, Greenstein and Paul Vinci were nearly even in chips.



Final hand: In the 36th heads-up hand, Vinci was all in with the Q J 8 8 against Greenstein's A K 10 5. The board came A K 9 4 6, and Greenstein won the title with two pair (aces and kings).



Note: This was Greenstein's second WSOP bracelet; he also won the $5,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven event in 2004. Greenstein not only donated his winnings to charity, but also dedicated this victory to poker fan Charlie Tuttle, a 26-year-old with terminal cancer.

19. Denis Ethier

Event No. 19: $2,000 Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better

Prize Money: $160,685

Entrants: 279

The final table included gold bracelet winner and two-time champion Jennifer Harman. Lance Edelman was celebrating his second consecutive final-table appearance in this event, and former Hollywood actor Chad Brown was the chip leader going in. Ethier eliminated Bonnie Rossi, and then scooped a pot from Harman. Then, Brown sent Edelman and Fu to the rail. Ethier eliminated Harman in third place, and heads-up action between Ethier and Brown continued for three hours before Ethier finally had Brown on the ropes.



Final hand: Ethier had two pair and called Brown, who had moved all in with a higher two pair. Ethier made a full house on sixth street. Brown needed an 8 to make a bigger full house, or he could split the pot for the low hand with a 7 or better. But a jack came on the river, giving Ethier the victory.



Note: As he snapped on the gold and diamond bracelet presented to all WSOP winners, Ethier was visibly thrilled with his victory. When asked why he left horse racing in favor of poker, he joked, "I got tired of losing."

20. Brian Wilson

Event No. 20: $5,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $370,685

Entrants: 239

The chip leader after day one was Joe Sebok. Sebok would reach the final table, where he would face a lineup of big names like John Gale, Allen Cunningham, Tony Cousineau, and chip leader Cyndy Violette. But Sebok and Violette hit some rough spots early, and they were out in eighth and seventh place, respectively. That cleared the way for Brian Wilson, who took over the chip lead and made it to the final two against John Gale.



Final hand: In the 31st heads-up hand, Wilson and Gale reraised each other until Gale was all in with the K J against Wilson's A Q. The board came 9 6 3 7 2, and Wilson won the title with ace high.



Note: This was one of four final tables for Allen Cunningham at the 2005 World Series of Poker, and one of three for Cyndy Violette.

21. Todd Brunson

Event No. 21: $2,500 Omaha Eight-or-Better

Prize Money: $255,945

Entrants: 359

This event was originally scheduled for two days, but was extended for another when it took much longer than expected to get down to the final table. Larry Reynolds and Todd Brunson were out in front as the chip leaders, but Reynolds finished in fifth place. Ultimately, it would come down to Brunson ($590,000 in chips) and the day-one chip leader Allen Kessler ($310,000 in chips).



Final hand: Heads-up play lasted nearly an hour and a half, Kessler was all in preflop with the A J 10 5 against Brunson's 9 6 2 2. The board came K 10 3 4 5, giving Brunson a 6-high straight to scoop the high and the low for the title.



Note: This was Todd's first WSOP title, and it marked the first time that a father and son have both won WSOP bracelets.

22. Mark Seif

Event No. 22: $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $611,145

Entrants: 2,013

The number of entrants in this event made it the third-largest event of the World Series. Mark Seif had a huge chip lead after day one, and he carried that momentum to the final table, where defending World Champion Greg "Fossilman" Raymer had taken the lead. Even though he was the crowd favorite, Raymer was crippled by Bill Gazes before being eliminated in sixth place. When Gazes busted out in third place, that left Seif and Minh Nguyen to battle for the bracelet, and they were fairly close in chips.



Final hand: Heads-up play lasted an hour, and on the 30th hand, Seif and Nguyen reraised each other until they were both all in: pocket kings for Seif, and A-10 suited for Nguyen. Seif flopped a set of kings to win the title.



Note: Seif had won the first WSOP bracelet of his career seven days earlier, but because he had skipped the events in between that one and this one, it represented back-to-back victories for him.

23. Jan Sorensen

Event No. 23: $5,000 Seven-Card Stud

Prize Money: $293,275

Entrants: 192

Defending champion Joe Awada returned to the final table in 2005 to defend his title, but his average-size chip stack would have to overcome chip leaders Chip Jett and John Phan. Awada would have to settle for fifth place, followed by Phan in fourth and Jett in third. The last men standing were Keith Sexton ($605,000 in chips) and Jan Sorensen ($365,000 in chips).



Final hand: The heads-up match lasted 103 hands, more than two and a half hours. Finally, Sexton was all in with (K-K) 8 against Sorensen's (9-7) 9. Sorensen made two pair on fifth street, and rivered a third 9 for a full house to win the title.



Note: Sorensen was a professional soccer player in Denmark until a knee injury ended his career. This was his second World Series of Poker bracelet; he also won a $2,500 pot-limit Omaha event in 2002.

24. Farzad Bonyadi

Event No. 24: $2,500 No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $594,960

Entrants: 1,056

Dane Lars Bonding took control with a big chip lead on day one. He continued to distance himself from the pack on day two, and headed to the final table with nearly one-third of all the chips. He continued to dominate the field until three players were left, when Farzad Bonyadi finally caught up to him. When those two started heads-up play, they were nearly even in chips.



Final hand: In the 53rd heads-up hand, Bonding moved all in after a flop of K-3-2 with two hearts, and Bonyadi called with the K 6 (pair of kings). Bonding was bluffing with the Q 10, and needed something runner-runner to survive. The turn card was the 10, giving Bonding a pair and Bonyadi a flush draw. The river card was the 8, and Bonyadi won the title with a flush.



Note: This was Bonyadi's third World Series of Poker bracelet. He also won $2,000 limit hold'em (1998) and $1,000 deuce-to-seven triple-draw (2004) events.

25. Johnny Chan

Event No. 25: $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $303,025

Entrants: 425

Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi had the chip lead for most of day one, but he ran into pocket aces twice in 10 minutes to unexpectedly bust out in 23rd place. The drama steadily increased on day two, as Johnny Chan moved closer and closer to a record 10th bracelet, which would break a three-way tie with Doyle Brunson and Phil Hellmuth. This final table wasn't originally scheduled for TV coverage, but when Chan and Phil Laak were ready to play heads up for the title, action was suspended until the TV table was available so that ESPN could tape the historic conclusion.



Final hand: On the 16th hand of heads-up play, Laak and Chan reraised each other all in, with Laak's K-J going up against Chan's pocket queens. Laak flopped a pair of jacks, but the queens held up, and Chan won his record-breaking 10th career World Series of Poker bracelet.



Note: Pocket queens were lucky for Chan in this event; he also cracked aces with them to stay alive with four players left. Second-place finisher Laak, who has never won a WSOP bracelet, watched his girlfriend (Jennifer Tilly) win one the next day.

26. Jennifer Tilly

Event No. 26: $1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $158,625

Entrants: 601

The ladies event was one of the most exciting of the 2005 World Series of Poker. Actress Jennifer Tilly accumulated a lot of chips early, and cruised to the final table as the leader. Simultaneously, Phil Laak (Tilly's boyfriend and poker tutor) was at another final table, and they regularly checked each other's progress, even standing on chairs to see each other over the crowd. This event was originally scheduled for a single day, but with a record 601 entrants, it continued late into the night. Play was suspended at 4 a.m. with four players left (including Tilly and Cecelia Mortensen), so ESPN would record the finish the next day.



Final hand: Ann Le moved all in with the K J, and Tilly called with the A 7. The board came 10 6 5 8 4, and Tilly won the bracelet with an 8-high straight.



Note: Tilly, an Academy Award-nominated actress, would go on to win the World Poker Tour Ladies Night III a few months later, becoming the first player to hold both major ladies titles.

27. Phil Ivey

Event No. 27: $5,000 Pot-Limit Omaha

Prize Money: $635,603

Entrants: 134

Phil Ivey started the final day with a huge chip lead, and stayed on top until reaching the final three. The advantage shifted between Ivey, Robert Williamson III, and Davood Mehrmand. It took another six hours (195 hands) before Mehrmand was out in third place, and at that point, Ivey had a 3-1 chip lead over Williamson.



Final hand: Both players limped in to see a flop of 8-7-4. Williamson bet, Ivey raised, and Williamson called all in with the A 8 2 2 (pair of eights). Ivey showed the 10 6 5 4 (8-high straight) for a big lead. The turn card, the 4, paired the board, and Williamson needed a deuce on the river to survive with a full house. The last card was the 3, and Ivey's straight held up for the win.



Note: There were 20 World Series of Poker bracelets represented in this event: Phil Hellmuth (9), Allen Cunningham (4), Phil Ivey (4), Eddy Scharf (2), and Robert Williamson III (1). This victory gave Ivey his fifth bracelet, putting him halfway to the leading career mark of 10 before the age of 30.

28. Dan Schmiech

Event No. 28: $5,000 Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $404,585

Entrants: 269

The final table of this three-day event included famous players Annie Duke, Jeff Shulman, Young Phan, Joe Sebok, and Gabe Kaplan. Phan and Shulman were quickly knocked out in eighth and seventh place, respectively, and Sebok finished fifth, missing a chance to pick up a bracelet the same year as his stepfather (Barry Greenstein). Duke came close to her second bracelet, but went out in fourth place. At 12:40 a.m., things were heads up between Dan Schmiech and Kaplan, and Schmiech had a 2-to-1 chip lead.



Final hand: After a flop of 10 6 4, Kaplan check-raised from a short stack, and Schmiech called. The turn card was the Q, Kaplan bet, Schmiech raised, and Kaplan called. The river card was the J, and Kaplan bet his remaining chips with the Q 3 (pair of queens). But, Schmiech showed the 10 6 (two pair) to win the pot and the bracelet.



Note: Second-place finisher Gabe Kaplan is best known for playing the lead role in the 1970s sitcom Welcome Back, Kotter. Kaplan is also a poker commentator, having worked on the NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship and GSN High Stakes Poker. In the past, he also has been a TV commentator for the World Series of Poker.

29. Lawrence Gosney

Event No. 29: $2,000 No-Limit Hold'em

Prize Money: $483,195

Entrants: 1,072

The final table included Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf, Shack Ko, Lawrence Gosney, Bjorn Isberg, Jarl Lindholt, Tony Rila, Alan Purdy, Carlo Citrone and J.C. Tran. Tran, ever the short stack, clung to life and celebrated a brief comeback, but eventually went out in fifth place. By this time, Gosney was second in chips behind Dusin Wo