You know a poker tournament is special nowadays when it gets the legendary Doyle Brunson to register. Such was the case with 2014 World Series of Poker Event #18: $10,000 Seven Card Razz, the most expensive razz tournament in WSOP history. “Texas Dolly” doesn’t compete in this tournaments much anymore, but this one was apparently too good to resist. This isn’t about Brunson, though, who was unable to cash, but rather the event’s winner, Germany’s George Danzer.
The 30-year old Danzer had come close to a WSOP bracelet on a number of occasions, previously reaching six final tables, including the $10,000 2-7 Triple Draw event last week and a runner-up finish in the 2012 WSOP $ 2,500 Omaha /Seven Card Stud Hi/Lo Event. Until yesterday, though, he had never gone all the way. Perhaps because of his numerous near-misses, Danzer was particularly emotional about this win, telling WSOP officials after the match that it means “everything” to him.
“For ten years now, since I was 21, I always wanted to come to the World Series and be a World Champion,” he said. “I was always watching the news to see who won, and I wanted to be like them. I come over every year, and it’s my tenth year now. When you get close, you get a taste of it, and I came close a couple of times. I’m really, really happy now.”
Danzer’s live tournament resume (thanks go out to TheHendonMob.com) is interesting in that for such a good player, he has “only” 29 live tournament cashes, yet a large portion of them – ten – were accomplished in the World Series of Poker. And, of course, seventy percent of those WSOP cashes are now final table journeys, with one final table bubble in 2007 (9th place).
As one would expect in such a high buy-in tournament, the final table was full of strong players. David Bach, Naoya Kihura, and Brian Hastings are all bracelet owners and Yuval Bronshtein was sitting at his fifth final table, including one in another razz event earlier in this World Series of Poker. None of them made to the heads-up portion of the event against Danzer, though. That honor went to Brandon Shack-Harris.
It was a close one going into heads-up, with Danzer holding a 1,850,000 to 1,510,000 edge over Shack-Harris. Shack-Harris claimed the lead quickly, getting his stack up to 2,000,000, but Danzer grabbed it right back. And once he did that, there was no looking back. He lengthened and lengthened the lead until Shack-Harris was under 200,000 chips. There was no give-up in Shack-Harris, though, as he doubled three times to at least give himself some semblance of life. Unfortunately for him, that life was short-lived.
On the final hand, Shack-Harris had the bring-in, Danzer completed, Shack-Harris raised, and Danzer re-raised to put Shack-Harris all-in. Shack-Harris obliged, and by the river, he had Q-2 / 7-3-T-6, for a ten-seven against Danzer’s 6-2 / K-J-5-4. Danzer’s last card was an Ace, giving him the winning 6-high hand and his first WSOP bracelet
2014 World Series of Poker Event #18: $10,000 Seven Card Razz – Final Table Results
1. George Danzer – $294,792
2. Brandon Shack-Harris – $182,155
3. Todd Barlow – $114,081
4. Yuval Bronshtein – $82,602
5. Brian Hastings – $64,557
6. Todd Dakake – $51,481
7. Naoya Kihara – $41,806
8. David Bach – $34,500
* Touranment and hand information courtesy WSOP.com
