WSOP Event 19 - $1,000 seniors no-limit hold'em

77-Year-Old Clare Miller wins Seniors World Poker Championship

by Nolan Dalla

Number of Entries: 1,184
Total Prize Money: $1,077,440
Defending Champion (2005): Paul McKinney

Official Results:
1. Clare Miller, Alamogordo, NM, $247,814
2. Mike Nargi, Maumelle, AR, $129,293
3. Jake “Doc” Wells, Cibolo, TX, $74,882
4. Judy Carlson, Blackhawk, CO, $53,872
5. David Claiborne, Twin Falls, ID, 43,098
6. Ron Rose, Dayton, OH, $37,710
7. Doug Schuller, Fresno, CA, $32,323
8. Stan Schirer, Las Vegas, NV, $26,936
9. John “JV” Vorhaus, Monrovia, CA, $24,242
10. Scott McClellan, Henderson, NV, $21,549
11. Louis Adams, Marina Del Rey, CA, $19,933
12. Salah Levy, Las Vegas, NV, $18,316
13. Steven Smith, Wichita Falls, TX, $16,700
14. Dennis Richardson, Louisville, KY, $15,084
15. Thomas Thieneman, Louisville, KY, $13,468
16. Robert McClintock, Las Vegas, NV, $11,852
17. James Colombo, New York, NY, $10,236
18. Timothy Bullard, Houston, TX, $8,620
19. Raymond Abels, Jr., Danville, CA, $7,003
20. James Brown, Bradenton, FL, $7,003
21. Bob Miller, Sioux Falls, SD, $7,003
22. Gary Ship, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, $7,003
23. Richard Chavez, Santa Barbara, CA, $7,003
24. Dennis Horton, Las Vegas, NV, $7,003
25. Kenneth Piez, Kemmerer, WY, $7,003
26. Arthur Molloy, La Jolla, CA, $7,003
27. Bruce Corman, Nottingham, UK, $7,003
28. Richard Bell, New York, NY, $5,387
29. Paul Tassopoulos, Fairhaven, MA, $5,387
30. Robert Toft, Yardley, PA, $5,387
31. Dane Christensen, Whitewood, SD, $5,387
32. B.B. Thompson, Bismark, ND, $5,387
33. Charles Wholers, Duchess, Alberta, Canada, $5,387
34. Steven Rassi, Morton, IL, $5,387
35. Arlan Levitan, Las Vegas, NV, $5,387
36. Robert Bright, Las Vegas, NV, $5,387
37. Thomas Vinas, Houston, TX, $4,310
38. Jay Heimowitz, Bethel, NY, $4,310
39. Jaquim Correia, Tulare, CA, $4,310
40. Shelby Miller, Alamogordo, NM, $4,310
41. Frank Vandal, Bullhead City, AZ, $4,310
42. Louise Rocchio, Culver City, CA, $4,310
43. Max Stern, Las Vegas, NV, $4,310
44. Chris Platt, Las Vegas, NV, $4,310
45. Eric Dalby, Wimbledon, UK, $4,310
46. Denis Ethier, Durham, NC, $3,232
47. Mike Downing, Las Vegas, NV, $3,232
48. Larry Satterwhite, Houston, TX, $3,232
49. Dave Fancher, Eagle Point, OR, $3,232
50. Larry Bass, Tamarac, FL, $3,232
51. Ken Kaltschnee, Las Vegas, NV, $3,232
52. Gordon Rubbo, Salinas, CA, $3,232
53. Joseph Baldwin, Palo Alto, CA, $3,232
54. Terry Myers, Yuma, AZ, $3,232
55. Terry Moore, Yorktown, IN, $2,694
56. Joseph Diperri, Boca Raton, FL, $2,694
57. Rex Parsons, Tillamook, OR, $2,694
58. Dennis Savelkoul, Minot, ND, $2,694
59. John Scibelli, Las Vegas, NV, $2,694
60. Rober Fasting, Las Vegas, NV, $2,694
61. Herald Waite, Wichita, KS, $2,694
62. William Ballew, Pleasanton, CA, $2,694
63. Michael Gwyn, Woodstock, VA, $2,694
64. Edward Pellegrini, NA, $2,155
65. Gregg Goldberg, Orland Park, IL, $2,155
66. Thomas Ralph, Sioux Falls, SD, $2,155
67. Floyd Cohen, Las Vegas, NV, $2,155
68. John Bonetti, Houston, TX, $2,155
69. Toshio Nanad, Las Vegas, NV, $2,155
70. James Hopperstead, Cookeville, TN, $2,155
71. Richard Joel, Conyers, GA, $2,155
72. Joe Pharo, Scottsdale, AZ, $2,155
73. Gary Eirhart, Laughlin, NV, $2,155
74. Charles Barker, Richardson, TX, $2,155
75. Edgar Gardner, Redmond, OR, $2,155
76. Mark Smith, Lafayette, LA, $2,155
77. Randall Holland, Minnetka, CA, $2,155
78. Daniel Stotts, Browns Summit, NC, $2,155
79. Leonard Martino, Las Vegas, NV, $2,155
80. Phillip Wade, Conyers, GA, $2,155
81. Shirley Williams, Fort Worth, TX, $2,155
82. Ron Burke, La Selva Bch, CA, $1,616
83. Charles Lochridge, Laughlin, NV, $1,616
84. Donald Geiger, Boulder City, NV, $1,616
85. Reno Williamson, Mooresville, IN, $1,616
86. Robert Zehnka, Del Ray Beach, FL, $1,616
87. Keith Burt, Midwest City, OK, $1,616
88. Carl Ballard, Mohave Valley, AZ, $1,616
89. William Brown, Henderson, NV, $1,616
90. Jeffery Lowenhar, Las Vegas, NV, $1,616
91. Richie W. Wong, Las Vegas, NV, $1,616
92. David Robinson, Ipswich, UK, $1,616
93. Heda Imani, Layton, UT, $1,616
94. Gene Devore, La Porte, CO, $1,616
95. Emile Couturier, Las Vegas, NV, $1,616
96. William Carlton, Chula Vista, CA, $1,616
97. Jeffery Ridenour, Apache Junction, AZ, $1,616
98. David Feder Tempe, AZ, $538
99. Elaine Schweigert, Laurel, MT, $538
100. Norris Reynolds, Morgan Hill, CA, $538
101. Larry Nerenberg, Henderson, NV, $538
102. Gerald D. Thomas, Windsor, IL, $538
103. Quentin Correll, Sunnydale, CA, $538

LAS VEGAS, Nev. – There was a point very late in the 2006 Seniors World Poker Championship when tournament officials approached the surviving players and offered them the option of calling it a night and returning the next day. The seniors had played two lengthy, grueling days during which more than a thousand players had been eliminated. Amongst the nine exhausted survivors, there were some weary faces. When the tournament director approached 77-year old Clare Miller, her answer was uncompromising and to the point.

“Deal the cards, we’re playin’!” she snapped.

Poker is a natural pastime for all seniors. It very well may be the only competitive game which allows persons 50, 60, 70, or even 80-years and older to compete on an equal playing field with younger players in their 20s and 30s. Where else but a poker table could a 77-year-old grandmother become a “world champion?”

Poker not only affords opportunities for seniors to compete and win. More important, poker brings people of all walks of life together in a friendly social atmosphere. Many friendships are built around poker tables. Kuei Chi Chang, an 80-year-old woman from Las Vegas, who competed in her first-ever poker tournament at the World Series of Poker last week, said it best: “Poker makes me feel young again.”

This year’s Seniors World Poker Championship was the largest such competition ever in poker history. In a World Series which continues to shatter every conceivable record ever posted in poker, 1,184 players flooded into the Rio Las Vegas to compete for over a million dollars in prize money, including first place -- $247,814 in cash.

The event began with a solemn moment. The roll call of names from poker’s glorious past were called out over a silent room packed to full capacity. Poker’s proud pioneers were remembered -- including Benny Binion, Johnny Moss, and Puggy Pearson who passed away only a few months ago. “Oklahoma Johnny” Hale was the perfect host for the proceedings. As the event’s Grand Marshall, Hale inducted two new members into the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame. Mike “the Mad Genius” Caro and Paul McKinney were introduced in a brief ceremony.

With that, the senior’s event began. The competition was open to persons aged 50 and older. The event attracted an eclectic mix of poker players. Paul McKinney, last year’s 82-year-old seniors champion (and the latest inductee into the Seniors Poker Hall of Fame) was on hand to defend his title. Jan Fisher, the popular writer and columnist for Card Player magazine entered, along with her father, Dr. Peter Fisher. The Fishers participation likely marked the first time that a father and daughter played together in the seniors championship. Also, a husband and wife from Alamogordo, New Mexico entered the tournament. Shelby Miller would outlast all but 39 players in this event. His wife, Clare Miller would ultimately fare much better.

The final table began with nine players, including one former winner, Ron Rose. The first player to exit was the well-known poker writer and commentator John Vorhaus, a.k.a. “JV.” The 50-year-old poker celebrity from Los Angeles, author of the highly-acclaimed “Killer Poker” book series, received $24,292 for ninth place.

Stan Schirer went out next. The 70-year-old Las Vegas retiree, originally from Nebraska, was the third-place finisher in the WSOP main event back in 2001. This time he finished eighth, good for $26,936.

Doug Schuller, a concrete dispatcher from Fresno, California cemented a seventh-place finish. The 54-year-old said plays poker as a hobby. Not too many hobbies pay $32,323 in prize money – which is what Schuller took home.

Ron Rose arrived with most impressive poker resume – with several major tournament victories including a win in the Seniors World Poker Championship back in 2003. Rose’s bid to become the first two-time champion in this event’s history was foiled as the former Internet guru from Dayton, Ohio had to settle for a sixth-place finish. Rose earned $37,710.

David Claiborne was the next player to exit. The auto dealer from Twin Falls, Idaho drove off with $43,098 for fifth place. Claiborne also finished in the top five percent in last year’s main event.

Judy Carlson was one of two ladies at the final table. Carlson ended up as the fourth-place finisher. The Blackhawk, Colorado poker pro added $53,872 to her poker brankroll.

Third place went to Jake “Doc” Wells. The horse veterinarian from Texas galloped off the final table with $74,882 in prize money.

Clare Miller had the chip lead most of the way. There had been a point earlier in the night when Miller caught a big break. She won a race with ace-king versus pocket queens, which essentially gave her the chips that would propel her on to victory. “It was luck,” Miller modestly explained in a post-tournament interview. “You have to have a lot of luck to win.”

The final hand of the tournament came when Mike Nargi was dealt pocket threes and moved all-in. Miller, holding queen-eight suited, called. The final board showed 10-4-2-6-8. An eight on the river eliminated Nargi and gave Miller her victory.
The runner up, Mike Nargi is a 53-year-old former craps dealer from Arkansas, who now gambles professionally. Nargi had a nice run at the poker table before he finally sevened-out. Second-place paid $129,293.

Clare Miller was overjoyed with her victory. She broke into tears and her voice quivered as she experienced the thrill of a lifetime. Afterward, Miller told her own personal story that she and her husband had struggled in their earlier years together. Through a lot of hard work and love, the couple built a few businesses and eventually became quite successful. In their retirement years they turned to poker as an activity they could play and enjoy together. The fact that Mr. Shelby Miller finished 40th in the same tournament was clear evidence that this would be the Miller’s day. Fittingly, the happy couple is celebrating their 41st wedding anniversary this week.

Miller put everything into proper perspective when she was presented with the coveted WSOP gold bracelet and prize money totaling nearly a quarter-of-a-million dollars. “We are very lucky and live very comfortably now, so at this stage the bracelet is probably more important,” she said. “But they don’t mean anything compared to my 41-years with Shelby.”

Overall Tournament Statistics (through end of Event #18):
Total Entries to Date:18,686
Total Prize Money Distributed: $32,960,132