This week, the 1,000th World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet was awarded. 2012 marks the 43rd annual WSOP, a tournament series that has grown to include gold bracelet events in Europe and Australia. The lucky winner of the 1,000th bracelet in WSOP history was Greg Ostrander (pictured), better known as gspot_17 on PocketFives. Ostrander defeated a field of 1,394 players in Event #41, $3,000 No Limit Hold'em.HogWild Poker, a free, U.S.-friendly online poker site, makes PocketFives' WSOP coverage possible. The site is staking 10 players with $500 buy-ins to live events at casino tournaments of their choice every month. On top of that, each month, HogWild is throwing in a $2,000 staking package to a WSOP Circuit Main Event. Sign up for HogWild Poker for free today by clicking here. U.S. players are welcome.
Ostrander is a former police officer who told WSOP officials following his victory over Australia's Jackie Glazier that winning a bracelet – and any tournament he plays in – is his overarching goal: "I mean it's the goal for everybody. I cashed in the Main Event and I think I finished in the #232 spot and I thought that was a really good achievement out of 7,000 players. However, one thing I have learned over the years is no matter how far you go in a tournament, unless you end up winning the tournament, you are always feeling defeated."
In addition to his stint as a police officer, Ostrander modeled for Calvin Klein, Banana Republic, and Tommy Hilfiger. On his eclectic work history, Ostrander explained, "Being a cop is probably the best because financially it was fine, the benefits were awesome, you had vacation, and everything was there for you. But the modeling was toughest – being out in front of people in my underwear was kind of tough!"
Glazier (pictured) entered heads-up play as the chip leader with 7.5 million to Ostrander's 5.0 million. The action paused overnight and Ostrander banked nearly three-quarters of a million dollars and his first gold bracelet when play resumed. In a key moment, he doubled up with A-4 against Q-J to draw back to even.Ostrander eventually assumed the chip lead and on the final hand of the No Limit Hold'em tournament, Glazier check-raised all-in on a board showing 6-9-Q-8-A with three spades. Ostrander called and turned over 10-7 for a 10-high straight, while all Glazier could muster was 8-6 for two pair.
Glazier missed out on becoming the second woman to win a bracelet in an event open to both genders during the 2012 WSOP. The lone female winner this year was Allyn Jaffrey Shulman, who won the Seniors' Event. Shulman's victory broke a streak of 249 straight victories by males in multi-gender tournaments. Here were the final table results from the $3,000 No Limit Hold'em event:
1. Greg gspot_17 Ostrander - $742,072
2. Jackie Glazier - $458,996
3. Paul Vas Nunes - $290,407
4. Morten Mortensen - $210,793
5. Roger Fontes - $155,498
6. Darryl Ronconi - $116,452
7. Joseph JoeBlazenyc Chaplin - $88,481
8. Kyle kylefrey Frey - $68,121
9. Dylan Pokerl)evil Hortin - $53,126
WSOP Vice President of Communications Seth Palansky told PocketFives that while Ostrander won the 1,000th bracelet awarded, the 1,000th bracelet event starts on Tuesday: "You think of 43 years, it's an average of about 20 bracelets per year. Obviously, since we've expanded into Europe and Australia, the number of bracelets awarded is going to go up. We had six couple's events in WSOP history where two bracelets were awarded in one event. So, Event #47 will actually be the 1,000th gold bracelet event."
Phil Hellmuth (pictured) leads the way with 12 bracelets won, two ahead of Doyle Brunson and Johnny Chan, each of whom has 10. "It's a good benchmark to know how many are out there," Palansky said of the milestone of awarding 1,000 gold bracelets. "It's really the stat of record-keeping in terms of how you stack up against your peers."Through 41 events of the 2012 WSOP, American poker players have claimed 31 bracelets, or 75%. Nevada leads the way with eight gold bracelet winners through 41 tournaments, while California has the second highest total at four. Pennsylvania and Texas each have produced three bracelet winners this year, while Ostrander became the second New Yorker to score gold and the 13th PocketFives member to win in 2012.
The very first WSOP was held in 1970 at Binion's in Downtown Las Vegas. Johnny Moss won the lone bracelet awarded that year in the $5,000 Main Event. One year later, five events were held and winners included Puggy Pearson, Jimmy Casella, Bill Boyd, and Moss, who won two more bracelets.
Stay tuned to PocketFives for the latest WSOP coverage of online poker players.
