284 poker players competed for a piece of the $1.3 Million prize pool in Event 46 of the 2010 World Series of Poker, a $5,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha High-Low Split tournament. 27 places got paid, but the ultimate big winner of the much-coveted WSOP gold bracelet was Chris Bell, who also won $327,040 to top it off.
Chris Bell's big win is something he needed so much. A year ago, Chris Bell was running bad - really bad - to the point that he admitted he was broke. Definitely, it was tough for Chris Bell as a poker pro, who joined several tournaments to come short of ITM, eating up on his bank roll. Chris Bell eventually began questioning himself and even began to contemplate his future in the game, and he had to make some brutally tough decisions about his prospects for success in a game that has clearly become more
challenging in recent years, especially for the sake of his family - his wife and two kids. It was through the help of his good friend Erick Lindgren, who gave him the financial backing he desperately needed to bridge the tournament poker playing psyche-wrecker called variance. Apart from that, Erick Lindgren also provided Chris Bell with a lot of self-confidence, and certainly enough for him to get back on the winning track after several disappointments.
On his speech after winning, Chris Bell shared, “I want to thank Erick Lindgren. I would not be in Las Vegas right now if it weren’t for Erick," Bell stated afterward. "A lot of people had given up on me the last year or so. But Erick didn’t. He’s never told me ‘no.’ He will beg and borrow for his friends. I appreciate him giving me this opportunity. Without a friend like him, I would not be here right now.”
And as if the universe conspired for Chris Bell, his good friend Gavin Smith also won a WSOP gold bracelet the previous day for a Mixed Hold'em event.
On that topic, Chris Bell said, “Last year, I was broke. That was a pretty low moment. That’s another thing Gavin and I had in common. We stayed broke together for the last year. I wanted Gavin to win more than anybody. This is something we can talk about the rest of our lives. We will always be friends. When I was playing the other day, I almost could not concentrate because I was paying attention to what Gavin was doing. I know how bad he wanted it. He is such a good guy.”
The runner up was Dan Shak from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, who won $202,142. Dan Shak had won the 2010 Aussie Millions Championship earlier this year. Dan Shak is also fondly remembered as the co-winner of the inaugural Ante-Up for Africa charity tournament. In 2007, Dan Shak and his co-champ Brandon Moran collectively donated the entire cash prize for first and second place to the international relief effort in Darfur amounting to $380K.
The third-place finisher was former WSOP gold bracelet winner English poker star Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott from Hull, England, who won $150,925. Dave "Devilfish" Ulliott now has 30 WSOP cashes.
The fourth-place finisher was Joe Ritze from Hamilton, Ohio, who. made his second cash at the WSOP and got paid $113,444.
The fifth-place finisher was eight-time gold bracelet winner Erik Seidel, who now has more than $4.3 million in WSOP earnings after collecting $85,800 in this tournament.
The sixth-place finisher was Leif Force from Tallahassee, Florida, who marked his seventh time to cash at the WSOP, winning $65,311 in this tournament to bring his career WSOP winnings to over $1.2 million.
The seventh-place finisher was former gold bracelet winner Rob Hollink from Groningen, Holland, and got paid $50,014.
The eighth-place finisher was Perry Green from Anchorage, Alaska, who marked his first time to cash at the WSOP in four years, and his first final table appearance in 13 years. The three-time WSOP gold bracelet winner earned his titles in 1976, 1977, and 1979. Had Perry Green somehow won this tournament, he would have shattered the record for longest gap between WSOP wins – at 31 years. He once finished second to poker legend Stu Ungar in the 1981 WSOP Main Event. Many poker fans were happy to see Perry Green’s name back on the cash out list. His win in this tournament amounted to $38,549.
The ninth-place finisher was Jeremy Harkin from Troutdale, Oregon, who marked his third time to cash at the WSOP and marked his first final table appearance to win $29,886.
Aside from those who made the final table, former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included – “Miami” John Cernuto (12th), Dan Heimiller (19th), and Barry Greenstein (24th).
Erik Seidel now has 60 career cashes. This currently ranks fifth on the all-time WSOP cashes list.
Dan Heimiller cashed for the sixth time this year.
Allen “Chainsaw” Kessler cashed for the seventh time at this year’s WSOP. He is now in serious contention to challenge Nikolay Evdakov’s record set in 2008 for most cashes in a single year – at 10. Nine more open events remain on the schedule, with five more gold bracelet events scheduled for WSOP Europe (which count towards all WSOP records).
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