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Event 36: Limit Hold'em Shootout. Victor Perches Wins His First WSOP Gold Bracelet.

victor perches Official Results and Report from the 2006 World Series of Poker.
Event 36: Limit Hold'em Shootout with Buy-in of $1,500.

Victoriano Perches came to this country as many good people do - to seek a better life. The native of Chihuahua, Mexico arrived in the United States 25 years ago and began working inside a food processing plant in Oregon. He eventually moved to Las Vegas and started playing in local poker games for fun. Along the way, Perches discovered he had a hidden talent for the game and progressively started playing for higher-stakes. He now plays regularly in big cash games - frequently as high as $200-400 limit.

It's not the typical Mexican-American success story. But Perches demonstrates that every person's path to the promised land takes a different highway. On July 26, 2006, the 57-year-old poker pro won his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet and $157,338 in cash.

The Limit Hold'em Shootout championship was played over a three-day period. There were 524 entries. It took two days to eliminate 518 players. The six finalists returned to the Rio poker stage on Day Three. The final table consisted mostly of limit cash game players with high-stakes experience. However, none of the final six had previously won a WSOP title.

Name Chip Count Seat
Ralph Porter $150,000 1
Anders Henriksson $150,000 2
Mariano Garcia $150,000 3
Victoriano Perches $150,000 4
Thomas Schneider $150,000 5
Arnold Spee $150,000 6

The shootout format meant that each of the six players began with the same number of chips. Hence, all players started the final table as equals.

Mariano Garcia went out first when his ace-ten was capped by Rep Porter's ace-jack. Garcia flopped top pair, but three spades on board gave Porter a flush. Garcia failed to improve, which meant an early sixth-place exit for the 26-year-old player from San Francisco. Garcia received $17,882. Tom Schneider (a.k.a. "Donkey Bomber") was eliminated next when he moved all-in from the small blind holding a marginal hand, which lost to Arnold Spee's flush. Schneider, a poker player, author, and gaming consultant from Phoenix, earned $28,610 for fifth place. Interestingly, Schneider once wrote a book titled, "Oops! I Won Too Much Money." It is unknown as to whether Schneider intends to write a sequel after chasing out in this event.

Ralph "Rep" Porter busted out a short time later. The Washington State investor and poker player finished second at the Caesar's Palace championship, part of last year's World Series of Poker Circuit. This time, Porter took fourth when his ten-eight paired up on the flop but lost to Victor Perches' pair of aces. Porter was paid $39,339.

Anders Henriksson went out next. The Swede lost all of his last chips with ace-eight versus Victor Perches' king-ten. Perches flopped a king, which left Henriksson in trouble. An ace failed to rescue the poker pro, which meant a third place finish. Henriksson collected $50,068.

Heads-up play began with Arnold Spee holding a 2 to 1 chip lead over Victor Perches. One hour later, the chip lead was reversed. Exactly one hour later, Perches won the final pot of the night. A key hand in the confrontation took place when Spee committed a large number of chips with pocket nines to a board of 7-7-4-3-Q. Perches, betting and raising all the way, flipped over seven-six - good for trip sevens. He scooped a huge pot.

Down to less than 100,000 in chips of 900,000 in play, Spee fizzled out with queen-jack. Up against Perches' ace-six, all of Spee's chips were committed on the turn on a board which showed A-J-9-6. Spee, up against two pair, was drawing to two outs. A jack failed to fall from the deck, ending the tournament in Perches' favor. As the runner up, Arnold Spee collected $78,679. Victor Perches, adorned in a western-style hat, was thrilled with his victory. Cheered on by family members in the crowd, Perches posed for photographs following his win and enjoyed his first time in the poker limelight.

Oddly enough, although natives of Bolivia, Costa Rica, and other Latin American countries have won gold bracelets - in the 37-year history of the World Series, Perches is believed to be the first poker champ ever born in Mexico.

Official Results:

1. Victor Perches Las Vegas, NV $157,338
2. Arnold Spee Thousand Oaks, CA $78,679
3. Anders Henriksson Stockholm, Sweden $50,068
4. Ralph Porter Woodinville, WA $39,339
5. Thomas Schneider Phoenix, AZ $28,610
6. Mariano Garcia Fremont, CA $17,882
7. Chris McCormick Las Vegas, NV $7,153
8. Peter Fischer Silkeborg, Denmark $7,153
9. Pedro Rios Houston, TX $7,153
10. Bill Burdick St. Petersburg, FL $7,153
11. Hyon Chun Cerritos, CA $7,153
12. Todd Witteles Las Vegas, NV $7,153
13. Kenneth Cruz Orange, CA $7,153
14. Chad Layne Las Vegas, NV $7,153
15. Scott Regner Walnut, CA $7,153
16. Justin Sadauskas Chicago, IL $7,153
17. Todd Taylor Las Vegas, NV $7,153
18. Hang Ha Vancouver, Canada $7,153
19. Michael Baker Boston, MA $7,153
20. Mike Caro unknown $7,153
21. Michael Banducci Travers City, MI $7,153
22. Kevin Daly London, UK $7,153
23. Danny Wong Los Angeles, CA $7,153
24. Joseph Thomas Paxton, MA $7,153
25. Craig Brockman Las Vegas, NV $7,153
26. Andrew Bloch Las Vegas, NV $7,153
27. Bon John Phan Los Angeles, CA $7,153
28. Chris Moneymaker Nashville, TN $7,153
29. Jeffrey H. Frerichs Henderson, NV $7,153
30. David Plaskett Boulder Creek, CA $7,153
31. Robert Guthmann Atlanta, GA $7,153
32. Eric L. Froehlich Springfield, VA $7,153
33. Howard Lederer Las Vegas, NV $7,153
34. Paul Niemela Las Vegas, NV $7,153
35. Scott Bohlman Homer Glen, IL $7,153
36. Vanco Nikolic Sterling Heights, MI $7,153
37. Marco Traniello Las Vegas, NV $7,153
38. Jamin A. Stokes Rockford, MI $7,153
39. William H. Jensen III Silver Spring, MD $7,153
40. John Carlisle Mt. Morris, MI $7,153
41. Andreas Hagen Stavanger, Norway $7,153
42. Mario Esquerra Whittier, CA $7,153
43. Darren Drandes Clearwater, FL $7,153
44. Zachary Fritz Las Vegas, NV $7,153
45. Gunnar Ostebrod Oslo, Norway $7,153
46. Tuan Jeff Lam San Jose, CA $7,153
47. Thmas Fiore Cranston ,RI $7,153
48. Johnny R. Kitchens III Jacksonville, FL $7,153
49. Michael Cribb Rochester Hills, MI $7,153
50. Jeffrey S. Whitson St. Michael, MN $7,153
51. Ha P.T. Pham Whittier, CA $7,153
52. Thomas Dunwoodie Newcastle, UK $7,153
53. Dean Hamrick Plymouth, MI $7,153
54. Allen N. Sorensen Hawthorne, CA $7,153

Source: www.WorldSeriesOfPoker.com, by Nolan Dalla

Tags: Event 36, WSOP 2006, Victor Perches, Results, Limit Hold'em, Shootout.

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