Gavin Smith wins first WSOP bracelet, $268,238
27 Jun 2010
Smith, a 41-year-old poker pro from Guelph, Canada, now living in Las Vegas, Nev., has more than $5 million in career tournament earnings, according to the poker database "The Hendon Mob." One of poker's most beloved personalities, Smith has established a well-deserved reputation as the player almost everyone loves to hang out with, which has taken its toll over the years – mostly on Smith himself.
Prior to playing poker for a living, Smith held a series of odd jobs, including working at a golf course where he mowed the grass. He also drove a taxi for a time.
"I'm just an older guy from Guelph, Ontario, who used to drive a taxi and cut greens," said Smith. "Now I play poker for a living, and I just won hundreds of thousands of dollars. There is nothing in my life that can be considered a curse. Every single minute of it is a blessing."
Smith began playing poker in and around Toronto. He started to play tournament poker when casinos on the East Coast began holding major events. The early events Smith attended were mostly held at Foxwoods (Connecticut) and in Atlantic City (New Jersey).
Smith posted mixed results in WSOP tournaments over the past seven years. Despite obvious talent and dedication, he endured heartbreaking losses in several events – some of the beats self-inflicted. He finished second both in WSOP events and WSOP Circuit championship events.
"I seem to be pretty good at screwing things up," Smith said following the victory. "In the past, I sometimes went out and got drunk or hung out. But this year, I decided to come in and try to play my best the whole time. I came in and the first several events I kept getting my teeth kicked in. I was playing well. I was playing my best. But I wasn't seeing the results. And then when I cashed in the Heads-Up that helped. Then, the last three days everything just clicked. I played well and things went well and everything clicked at the right time."
Smith's victory was arguably the biggest crowd pleaser of any so far at this year's WSOP. As players were eliminated from the final table, the number of spectators swelled to the point where the entire ESPN Main Stage was filled to capacity.
"All of my friends are drunks who show up late," said Smith. "It was actually a very cool final table. Some of the other players had cheering sections. Once it got heads-up there were more people probably for me than Dan, but I think that's a testament to the fact I'm an old man who has been around a long time and I live here and have a lot of friends around here."
Smith was uncharacteristically emotional following his victory. His eyes were filled with tears and he was unable to speak for a few moments when given the opportunity to make a celebratory address to the standing-room only crowd.
When Smith took the microphone and was able to address the hundreds of spectators and well-wishers, it was quite poignant that the first thing Smith noted was the fine performance of the tournament runner up, Danny Hannawa. Guided perhaps by a long personal history and appreciation for the empathy of angst that accompanies a non-win, Smith offered kind words to the second-place finisher.
The final hand came during a limit Hold'em round; Smith was dealt ace-queen of hearts, while Hannawa had 10-eight of diamonds. Smith paired his ace, and Hannawa was unable to improve. Hannawa, a 28-year-old poker pro from West Bloomfield, Mich., earned $166,005 for his second-place showing.
Timothy Finne, from Fanwood, N.J. finished third for $110,324, while Michael Michnik, a student at Rutgers University from Vorhees, N.J., was fourth.
Jamie Rosen, from Boa Raton, Fla., was fifth, Jarred Solomon, from Johannesburg, South Africa was sixth, Dan Idema, from Vancouver, B.C., was seventh, Dwyte Pilgrim, from Brooklyn, N.Y., was eighth, and Mike Santoro, from Egg Harbor Township, N.J., was ninth.
The top 54 finishers in the 507-player event collected prize money. Former WSOP gold bracelet finishers who cashed in this event included: Eli Elezra (23rd), Ivo Donev (51st), Svetlana Gromenkova (52nd), and Eric Froehlich (53rd). Jeff Shulman, who was one of last year's November Nine, ended up as the 50th-place finisher.
Modified from notes provided by Nolan Dalla for www.wsop.com.