Event #26
Seven-Card Razz 
Buy-In: $1,500
Number of Entries: 195
Prize Money: $269,100

OFFICIAL RESULTS:

1 TJ Cloutier (Richardson, TX) $90,500 
2 Dutch Boyd (Culver City, CA) $46,440 
3 Howard Lederer (Las Vegas, NV) $28,600 
4 Abel Castellano (Woodward, OK) $21,520 
5 John Juanda (Marina Del Ray, CA) $17,500 
6 Hoyt Corkins (Alabama) $13,460 
7 John Spadavecchia (Lighthouse Point, FL) $10,760 
8 Chris Bjorin (London, England) $8,080 
9 David Chui (Rowland Heights, CA) $4,840 
10 Mike Sexton (Las Vegas, NV) $4,840 
11 Mike Werner (Birmingham, England) $4,300 
12 Chip Jett (Las Vegas, NV) $4,300 
13 Tommy Hufnagle (Tempe, AZ) $3,760 
14 Robin Keston (London, England) $3,760 
15 Donn O'Dea (Dublin, Ireland) $3,220 
16 Morris Klenansky (Las Vegas, NV) $3,220

No tournament player has made more final tables and won more tournaments over the past twenty years than T.J. Cloutier. By his own estimate, he’s won over 60 majors and earned millions of dollars as one of the tournament circuit’s most steady performers. That success has translated into five World Series of Poker gold bracelets, dating back to 1987. Cloutier added to his jewelry collection tonight, winning the Razz World Championship, held at the Horseshoe Casino in downtown Las Vegas.

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Cloutier topped a record field that included a 195 entries. He overpowered one of the toughest final tables at this year’s World Series – which included David Chui, Chris Bjorin, John Spadavecchia, Hoyt Corkins, John Juanda, Abel Castellano, Howard Lederer, and Dutch Boyd. When play became three-handed -- between Cloutier, Lederer, and Boyd -- the chip lead changed several times.

At one point, Cloutier was down by at least a 4 to 1 margin and seemed destined for quick elimination. But Cloutier managed to stage a comeback, busted Lederer, then set his sights on Dutch Boyd, who wasn’t even born when Cloutier played his first hand of poker.

The final table was an eclectic mix of backgrounds and personalities. All but two players had previously won titles at the WSOP. In all, there were a total of 12 gold bracelets distributed between six of the eight players with WSOP wins. Here’s how the finishers were determined:

8th – Chris Bjorin – Two-time bracelet winner Bjorin went out first. He came in severely short-stacked and was never a factor at the final table. Bjorin, from London, took $8,080.

7th – John Spadavecchia – Sporting his trademark “Goodfellas” look, Spadavecchia was on the stage no more than 30 minutes before he was eliminated. Spadavecchia has been playing tournament poker for nearly twenty years and won a gold bracelet in 1991 (No-Limit Deuce-to-Seven Lowball). He received $10,760 for 7th place.

6th – Hoyt Corkins – Cowboy-hatted Corkins had a super year in 2003. He was making a bid for his second gold bracelet (winner in 1992 for Pot-Limit Omaha), but came up short this time. Corkins, who is originally from Alabama but now lives in Las Vegas, collected $13,460 for 6th place.

5th – John Juanda – Juanda’s three WSOP wins came in 2002 and 2003. He was crushed by Cloutier, who enjoyed favorable position on his opponent plus the added benefit of a good rush of cards. Junada could do no better than fifth in this event, grossing $17,500 for the effort.

4th – Abel Castellano – It didn’t seem to matter that Catsellano was the only player without a WSOP win. He showed he can play with the best by coming in 4th. Castellano was eliminated in a three-way pot with Boyd and Cloutier. He collected $21,520.

3rd – Howard Lederer – Two-time WSOP winner Howard “The Professor” Lederer (wins in 2000 Omaha High-Low and 2001 Deuce-to-Seven Lowball) had the chip lead at one point. He seemed to be in position to close the night with a victory. But, it wasn’t to be. Lederer went out when he was drawing to a 6-4 (missed) and lost to Cloutier’s 6-5-4-2-A.

When heads-up play began, T.J. Cloutier enjoyed a chip lead over Dutch Boyd -- $172K to $121K. Boyd, one of “The Crew” who have been such a force at this year’s WSOP (most notable for Scott Fischman’s two victories) was facing a bona fide tournament legend in Cloutier. He wasn’t the least bit intimidated. Nevertheless, one had the feeling that a barn cat was toying with a mouse. Cloutier remained firmly in control and never seemed in danger of losing the match. He let the cards come naturally, made his moves at the right time, and was aided by escalating betting limits which put increasing pressure on Boyd, who watched helplessly as his chip stack continued to shrink. Finally, the cat had his way and tore into the mouse.

Cloutier won with a 9-6 low against Boyd, who failed in his attempt to join his “Crew-mates” Scott Fischman and Brett Jungblutt as gold bracelet winners. Boyd received $46,440 as the runner up.

T.J. Cloutier has an interesting past that is well-known to many poker players. He graduated from Cal-Berkeley on a football scholarship and played in the 1959 Rose Bowl. In the 1960s, Cloutier played pro football in Canada. After he retired from sports,

T.J. Cloutier took home another gold braclet at the WSOP. (AP Images)

Cloutier turned to poker to feed his competitive instincts. Essentially, he’s been supporting himself playing poker ever since. It hasn’t always been easy for Cloutier, now in his 60s. He took his toughest beat last summer when he suffered a heart attack. After a few weeks in the hospital and some lifestyle changes, Cloutier rebounded and was back on the tournament trail by September. Now, fresh off his big win, he shows no sign of slowing down.

Cloutier is the author of several books on poker strategy. This is his fifth WSOP gold bracelet. He won in 1987 for Limit Omaha, 1994 for Omaha High-Low, 1994 for Pot-Limit Hold’em, and 1998 for Pot-Limit Omaha. The $90,500 in first-place prize money pushes Cloutier over the $3 million mark in WSOP winnings. He has made more final tables (35) than any player in World Series history. -- Official Report by Nolan Dalla, Media Director -- 2004 World Series of Poker