Event number five in the World Series of Poker came to a close and Michael Banducci was the winner. He took home the bracelet along with $636,736. Quite the chunk of cash for a $1000 dollar buy-in. Banducci considers his winnings beer money, at least that’s what he played for in the past with his buddies. Things have changed significantly for him with the winning of Event five in the World Series of Poker.
In an amusing light the winner Banducci celebrated winning the tournament by slamming a can of Milwaukee’s Best Light. This went right along with the partying his friends and supporters did during his entire stint at the final table. With over $600,000 in his pocket there will be plenty of beer money for him and hopefully will be spent on some of the finer brews!
Another notable aspect to this final table was the ages of the players involved in heads up play. With Banducci ranking in at 23 and Williams two years younger at 21 it was one of the youngest heads up tournaments in World Series of Poker history! That’s certainly a good chunk of change to come home with for either player. Williams brought in over $400,000 in second place!
“The amount of time it takes to become a good player is reduced by playing (on the computer). We play so many hands. We talk to our friends (about the hands). You learn so fast,” said Banducci. “I think younger players understand the fundamentals much better. Older players probably know about the real-life aspects of the game. But the future of poker (success) depends on understanding the fundamentals.”
It looks like Event five turned out to be a success for some of the younger generation of poker. It’s likely that events like this will continue with the younger players practicing online and in their home games more and more.