2005 WSOP Event #15: $1,500 Limit Holdem Shootout

A shootout tournament differs from a regular tournament (which also is known as a "freezeout" tournament). A shootout features several single-table tournaments. The winners of all the single table tournaments combine to a new table and play down to the winner of that table. This is done as many times as needed to cater to all the entrants before a winner is declared.

In the recent WSOP shootout, Mark Seif was king. Seif is an interesting story because he quit a well-paying job as a defense lawyer to play poker professionally. His love for competition and cards lead him to grind out a living playing poker. In Event #15, Seif's poker aspirations were validated with a shiny gold bracelet and a cool $181,330 in cash.

Last year in this event, Kathy Liebert won her first career gold bracelet. This year, she almost repeated as champion, but fell just short with a 7th place finish that paid $24,840. Robert Mizrachi, brother of the well-known pro Michael "the Grinder" Mizrachi, finished 4th to win $40,465.

William Shaw, a former musician who has played drums with the Rolling Stones and John Lee Hooker, finished 2nd to Seif and won $93,770.

Return to Poker News