WSOP Events 36-40 Recap

Event: 36 Buy in: $5,000 Game: Omaha Hi/Lo

Young Canadian Professional John Guth outlasted a field filled with pros as he took down event 36 winning $363,216. Guth, who had never cashed in a WSOP event before, knocked out Mike Matusow, Todd Brunson, and Annie Duke on his way to the final table. John "Sir Scoopalot" Guth was a 2-1 chip favorite when heads up play began against 2nd place finisher Robert Stevanovski.

Event: 37 Buy in: $2,000 Game: PL Hold'em

Alaskan tournament grinder Greg Hopkins won his first WSOP bracelet and a first place prize of $269,274. Although the final table was not filled with any top pros, T.J. Cloutier finished in 11th place. Cloutier has not finished at any final tables to this point in the 2007 WSOP, but has cashed in the top 20 in multiple events.

Event: 38 Buy in: $1,500 Game: NL Hold'em

Nearly 2,800 players came out for event 38, but in the end Robert Cheung was the last man left standing. Cheung, who began playing only a few years ago, won $673,628 for his performance. As if outlasting such a big field is not impressive enough, Cheung had cashed in two other WSOP events within the same week. Sixth place finisher Chris Bjorin has now made 3 final tables in the 2007 WSOP.

Event: 39 Buy in: $50,000 Game: HORSE

When the WSOP began nearly 40 years ago, the tournaments were filled with a small group of the day's elite poker players. While the fields were small, the incredible talent of all of the participants made winning an extremely difficult task. Some say that today's fields are so big that it detracts from the quality and significance of winning a tournament. For such purists, there is one event that remains. The $50,000 buy in HORSE tournament is meant for pros who truly understand the nuances of tournament poker. While the main event is filled with amateurs who may only know how to play one game, this event rewards the well-rounded poker player. This year's winner was none other than Kassem "Freddy" Deeb. Deeb studied in the United States but began gambling after he lost contact with his parents (who sent him money) after civil war broke out in his home country of Lebanon. He has since made a name for himself as one of poker's top cash game players. The HORSE victory landed him a 2.3 million dollar payday, and his 2nd gold bracelet. David Singer, who finished in 6th, was the only player to make it to the HORSE final table back to back years. Barry Greenstein finished in 7th, taking home $259,296.

Event: 40 Buy in: $1,500 Game; Mixed Limit/ NL Hold'em

Last year's WSOP Main Event 10th place finisher Fred Goldberg won his first bracelet taking home $205,271. Goldberg is among the leaders in this year's WSOP in cashes, as this victory gave him his 5th. Notably, poker Author Michael Craig finished in 7th place.

-Benjamin Ryan