Mitch Schock shocked the world, winning event #39 $2,500 NLHE/PLO for a first place prize of $310,225. The professional poker player, who is a father of three, became the first player from the state of North Dakota to ever win a World Series of Poker Bracelet.
Schock nearly quit poker earlier this year, due to being burned out. After a three month hiatus he came back just in time to become a World Series of Poker Champion. Schock said after his win that his time away from the game enabled him to come back sharper than ever.
Event 39 featured 606 entrants, the most to ever enter this tournament. Schock’s win in this three day tournament wasn’t easy by any means. At the final table, after making it to heads up play, Schock battled for three hours against a 37 year old former insurance salesman from Brea, California, Rodney Brown. Rodney Brown’s cash game is so good he was able to retire from insurance sales and thrive off Los Angeles’ cash game scene. Brown was no easy opponent. The heads up match stayed close until Brown lost a monster pot against Schock’s double suited aces, to take second place and $191,678.
This is Schock’s biggest cash ever. He now was five final table appearances at the WSOP lifetime along with 20 WSOP cashes total. This brings his lifetime total of winnings to $903,699. Schock lives a simple life, plans to use his winnings from event #39 to benefit his three kids ages nine to fifteen.
The other notable player to cash in this tournament was twelfth place for 2005 Main Event winner Joe Hachem. This win gives Schock five, count them, five, cashes at this year’s WSOP, putting him currently in fifth place in the WSOP Player of the Year Race.
Places & payouts WSOP 2011 $2,500 Pot-Limit Hold’em/Omaha event:
1. Mitch Schock (USA) – $310,225
2. Rodney Brown (USA) – $191,678
3. Jan Collado (Germany) – $135,921
4. Carter Gill (USA) – $97,773
5. Tyler Patterson (USA) – $71,317
6. James Vanneman (USA) – $52,747
7. David Lestock (USA) – $39,539
8. Jonas Mackoff (Canada) – $30,040
9. Rami Boukai (USA) – $23,119
10. Cameron New (USA) – $18,018