by Nolan Dalla

Special to VegasInsider.com

Casino Employees World Poker Championship

No-Limit Hold’em

Buy-in: $500

Number of Entries:  662

Total Prize Money: $297,900

Official Results:

1.         Andy Nguyen          Las Vegas, NV                    $83,390

2.         Danilo Flores             San Leandro, CA                  $43,195

3.         Thang Luu                  Las Vegas, NV                      $23,830

4.         Simon Matthews       Victoria, BC (Canada)         $20,855

5.         Steven Cuti                Stockton, CA                         $17,875

6.         Dustin West               Riverside, CA                        $14,895

7.         Todd Dakake                        Las Vegas, NV                      $11,915

8.         David Slowik             Las Vegas, NV                      $8,935

9.         Justin Porter              Kansas City, MO                   $5,960

Andy Nguyen Wins! Poker Dealer at Binion’s Becomes 2005 Casino Employees World Poker Champion

Every year, the World Series of Poker starts off with the Casino Employees World Championship.  To be eligible to enter, players must be active employees at a casino.  The winner of the event receives a gold bracelet and bragging rights as the ‘world champion’ among casino employees.

The 2005 World Series of Poker began with a record-setting parade of poker players who jammed into the Rio in Las Vegas.  The number of entries (662) smashed the previous all-time record for this event, when 279 players entered.  It took 14 long hours for the final table to begin, as 653 players had been eliminated by 2 am.  The final nine players assembled around the final table and were eliminated as follows: 

9^th Place -- Justin Porter, a poker dealer from the Isle of Capri Casino in Kansas City was the 9^th-place finisher.  He collected $5,960 in prize money.

8^th Place – David Slowik, a poker dealer from the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas was the 8^th-place finisher.  He collected $8,935 in prize money.

7^th Place – Todd Dakake, a poker dealer at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas was the 7^th-place finisher.  He collected $11,915 in prize money.

6^th Place – Dustin West, a poker dealer at Casino Morongo near Palm Springs, CA was the 6^th-place finisher.  He collected $14,895.

5^th Place – Steven Cuti, a poker dealer at the Casino Real in Stockton, CA was the 5^th-place finisher.  He collected $17,875.

4^th Place – Simon Matthews, a poker dealer at Great Canadian Casinos in Victoria, British Columbia was the 4^th-place finisher.  He collected $20,855.

3^rd Place – Thang Luu, a craps dealer at Harrah’s Las Vegas was the 3^rd-place finisher.  He collected $23,830.

2^nd Place – The runner up was Danilo Flores, a poker dealer at the Oaks Card Club in Emeryville, CA.  He collected $43,195.

The winner was Andy Nguyen, a poker dealer at Binion’s Casino in Las Vegas.  Nguyen is a 43-year-old native of Vietnam.  He has been in the U.S. for 20 years and has worked at Binion’s since 2001.