Cliff Goldkind Wins World Series of Poker Event 19 -- $1,500 No-Limit Hold’Em

Cliff Goldkind topped a 2,302-player field to win the latest World Series of Poker$1,500 no-limit hold’em event, capturing his first WSOP gold bracelet, the $559,514 first-place prize and 1,080 Card Player Player of the Year points, moving him into 55th place in the overall standings when combined with his final table at a WSOP Circuit prelim event at Harrah’s Chester earlier this year.

The 24-year-old from Potomac, Maryland is only a few months removed from voluntary service in the Israeli Defense Force, which he undertook after graduating from Washington University in St. Louis with a business degree in game theory application.

“I guess I felt like I had a commitment because I’m Jewish, and any Jew can automatically gain citizenship in Israel. So that is sort of like a safety net for Jews all around the world if anything like what happened in World War II happens again. It’s a mandatory draft over there, so every 18-year-old man and 19-year-old woman serves, so I felt that I had a responsibility to do that also.”

After making the trip to Israel, Goldkind had a year before actually being drafted, during which he earned a living playing poker online. Now that he has completed his term of service, he plans to attend graduate school at Tufts University. But before matriculating, he decided to stop off and play some events at the WSOP, where his time playing poker in Israel seemed to come in handy, as he went on to win his very first live title.

After finding his way through the massive field, Goldkind defeated a tough final table that featured David Peters (7th -$70,886) and Card Player Publisher Barry Shulman (8th – $53,669). Shulman was looking win his third WSOP bracelet, with prior in the 2009 World Series of Poker Europe Main Event and another bracelet in a 2001 $1,500 seven-card stud eight-or-better event.

In addition to expanding his own decorated record, Shulman also had a chance to make history with his son and Card Player CEO Jeff Shulman, who was simultaneously playing at the final table of the $5,000 limit hold’em final table. The 2009 November Niner ultimately finished in third place in that event for $92,562.

Had the Shulman’s both won, they would be the first ever father and son to win bracelets on the same day, and the first pairing of this kind to win bracelets during the same series since Todd and Doyle Brunson each won events at the 2005 WSOP.

Here is a look at the payouts and POY points awarded at this final table:

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