Event #9
No-Limit Texas Hold’em (with re-buys)
Buy-In: $1,500
Number of Entries: 831
Prize Money: $1,146,780

Official Results:

Strangers in the Night: Scott Fischman Spikes Miracle Card and Wins First Gold Bracelet

As a dealer you are able to get a lot of experience sitting at the table watching everybody, and I think that helps to build your sense of the game.

-- Former poker Dealer Scott Fischman (after winning $300,000 at the 2004 WSOP)

Television’s ubiquitous impact on the game of poker was no where more obvious that at the final table of the $1500 buy-in No-Limit Hold’em event at the 2004 World Series of Poker.  Out of a whopping 831 entries, the overwhelming majority of participants were “unknown” players, relatively new to the tournament poker scene.  Therefore, it’s no surprise that the final table of Event #9 at this year’s WSOP mirrored the thundering explosion of poker’s global popularity.  When the cards were finally in the air at 9:30 on a Saturday night, well over 20 hours into the two-day tournament, nine relative strangers were ready to battle for their first gold bracelet.

Scott Fischman was the second youngest winner ever at the WSOP. (AP Images)

As we continue to see many new faces, and as new stars merge onto the poker stage, “superstars” will find it increasingly difficult to plow through these huge fields and take their seats when the cards are shuffled at the final table.  Sure, the amount of prize money may be higher than we ever imagined – but “getting there” has never been tougher.  Just ask the former world champions who entered -- including Chris Moneymaker (playing in his first event this year), Carlos Mortensen, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson, Scotty Nguyen, Huck Seed, Johnny Chan, Berry Johnston, Tom McEvoy, and Doyle Brunson.  They were all on the rail at the end of day one.

The final table played out in two Acts.  “Act I” was the story of seven players being knocked out within the first two hours.  “Act II” was a laborious and very exciting heads-up duel between two Las Vegans – Scott Fischman and Jaya “Joe” Awata. 

ACT I:  Players at the final table were eliminated in the following order:

JASON VIRIYAYUTHAKORN – Busted out on the second hand of the final table when he moved “all in” with 8-8 and was taken out by pocket aces.  “Jason V,” the Atlantic City-based poker pro who has enjoyed great success as a tournament and cash-game player in recent years, received $22,940 for 9^th place.

TONIO SCALI – Was eliminated when he was short-stacked after a beat, and committed his final chips with K-8 – losing to 8-8 .  Scali, a 42-yer old New Yorker who also plays backgammon and ping pong as seriously as poker, received $34,400 for 8^th place.

ROLLO JOHNSON – Was eliminated when he moved all-in with this last $120K on pocket 6s.  An ace came on board for a higher pair, and Johnson was out.  Johnson, a landlord from Colorado, received $45,880 for 7^th place.

“I had a great time.  I’m honored to be here.  I’ll be back again,” Johnson said.

BLAIR BODMAN – Was the chip leader when the final table began, but lost several critical pots, which cost him a better finish.  ON his final hand, Bodman started with pocket 9s.  He lost to A-J when an ace flopped.  Bodman, a professional gambler (poker, sports betting, blackjack) from Rancho Mirage, CA who was one of the few players with WSOP final table experience, received $57,340 for 6^th place.

“I had two nines – I made the right play.  But with tournaments there is a lot of luck involved and you have to get cards at the right time,” Bodman said.

MARC “MAGS” MAGAZU – Was eliminated when he was severely short-stacked and had to commit hid last $45K with K-5, losing to A-8.  Mags, a computer programmer originally from Boston, received $68,800 for 5^th place.

“I came in short-stacked, so I can’t complain about moving up four places in the money.  It was both good news and bad news.  Good news to wins some money.  But bad news because I didn’t win,” Mags said.

SCOTT EPSTEIN – It was déjà vu all over again a few minutes later.  Epstein aas eliminated when he was short on chips at $34K and went in with K-5, which was topped by K-7.  Epstein flopped a five, but a seven on the turn eliminated Epstein – a graduate of Hofstra on Long Island in New York.  He collected $80,280 for 4^th place.

The chip counts when play became three-handed were:

KENT WASHINGTON:  $630K

SCOTT FISCHMAN:  $345K

JOE AWATA:  $300K

Most interesting was the fact that the last three players either were, or were at one time, poker dealers.  There’s a widely held belief by many overconfident poker players that dealers “can’t play.”  But that myth wasn’t just discarded – it was shattered at this final table.  While over 800 “real” poker players were on the rail watching and wishing they were under the bright lights of ESPN television cameras, the dealers were battling for the remaining half-million dollars in prize money.

Over the next 90 minutes, all three players had the chip lead at one point, but WASHINGTON sustained the worst losses, as his stack shrank from over $600 to less than $200K.

KENT WASHINGTON -- Was eliminated when he pushed a small pair (3-3) too far and ran into FISCHMAN’s A-Q.  An ace flopped and WASHINGTON was on the rail as the 3^rd place finisher.  WASHINGTON, a 42-year-old poker dealer from Oakland, CA, received $91,740 in prize money.

“I fell apart out there tonight.  I had chips, but I just totally fell apart.  There’s nothing else I can say.  I gave it away.  I started going bad, and things just got worse,” Washington said, who was far too hard on himself considering he played brilliant poker over the course of the tournament and came two places away from the championship.

ACT II:  When heads-up play began, the chip counts stood as follows:

JOE AWATA:  $636K

SCOTT FISCHMAN:  $609K

Without a doubt, the key hand of the tournament took place when FISCHMAN caught “runner-runner” and won nearly a million-dollar pot, as a stunned crowd watched and AWATA stared at the table in disbelief.  It was – to date – the most dramatic hand of the 2004 World Series of Poker, thus far.  AWATA had a slight chip advantage and was dealt 5-5.  FISCHMAN started with A-K.  FISCHMAN moved “all in” and AWATA called.  Essentially, the outcome of the tournament hung in the balance. The flop came 9-7-4.  AWATA’s small pocket pair was now an even bigger favorite.  However, the board paired when a nine fell on the turn – giving FISCHMAN a total of nine “outs” to win.  When the board paired again with a seven, the crowd went ballistic.  FISCHMAN had spiked a miracle as the two pair on board played with the ace in Fischman’s hand as the fifth card.  AWATA’s pocket fives were toasted, and AWATA’s chances to win his first gold bracelet were crushed.

With that enormous pot, FISCHMAN seized a 20 to 1 chip lead.  He won the tournament a short time later with A-6 versus K-7 and the final board showed A-K-4-8-J.

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JOE AWATA was the runner-up.  He is a 46-year-old former dealer turned casino games inventor who is married and had six children.  “I’m very happy that I got to the last table.  There’s nothing for me to complain about,” said AWATA following the match.  When asked about the key hand of the night, where FISCHMAN spiked two cards and won the biggest pot of the tournament, AWATA said:  “I felt that I played the hand right.  I judged (my opponent) right.  And, he got lucky on the end and won.  That’s a part of the game you have to accept.”

          The winner was SCOTT FISCHMAN, age 23.  He became the second-youngest player ever to win a gold bracelet at the WSOP (Allen Cunningham is the youngest, by only a few months).  FISCHMAN is originally from Philadelphia and now lives in Las Vegas.  He once worked as a poker dealer at the Mirage.  He now plays poker full-time. 

          “I learned a lot (while) dealing,” FISCHMAN said afterward.  “I decided to quit and play poker full time, and now I’m pretty happy that I did.”

The number of entries (831) was the third-largest in the 35-year history of the World Series of Poker.