WORLD SERIES OF POKER 2003

EVENT No. 13, Seven-Card Stud
April 27, 2003
Buy-in - $2,500
Total Entries - 103
Total Prize Pool - $239,475
Daily Results

From the Kitchen Table to the Final Table: Dr. Michael Saltzburg Wins Championship in First Try

By Nolan Dalla

"Life is but a series of experiences. It's the experience that's the most rewarding thing."
-- Dr. Michael Saltzburg (reflecting on his win at the World Series of Poker)

To say Michael Saltzburg's win in the $2,500 Buy-in Seven Card Stud event was an "upset" would be a gross understatement. After all, Saltzburg had never even played in, let alone won, any event at the World Series of Poker. He faced a formidable lineup of foes, including two former gold bracelet winners -- T.J. Cloutier and Jerri Thomas. Clearly from the outset, Cloutier appeared to pose the biggest obstacle, although chip-leader Thithi "Mimi" Tran would also prove to be tough.

Saltzburg played masterfully most of the day, but also enjoyed a favorable rush of cards at several key moments which propelled him to victory. Clearly, the biggest hand of the tournament occurred mid-way into the final table when Saltzburg destroyed Kenna James, with quad-fours against a big full house. Incredibly, James had aces-full, a veritable powerhouse in poker which can only be beaten by one of two hands. Saltzburg had one of them. The four-4s gave Saltzburg a mountain of chips which effectively kept him at the final table until he was into a virtual dead heat with T.J. Cloutier and Mimi Tran.

Earlier in the day, Ralph Perry, Nitin Malik, and David Valliancourt were eliminated in 8th, 7th, and 6th place respectively. Then, Jerri Thomas hit the rail in 5th place followed by Rick Salzman, who finished fourth. That put Saltzburg into the unenviable position of facing Mimi Tran, who was playing very well and T.J. Cloutier, the four -time gold bracelet winner with 40 cashes at the World Series of Poker.

Saltzburg got another boost from the deck when he cracked Cloutier's monster starting hand, and took down a pot on the river when Cloutier was convinced he was beat. Cloutier started off with (Q-J) K-10-Q with three clubs in the first five cards and then watched in horror as he caught two red rags, ending up with only a weak pair of queens. Saltzburg had the bring-in and was forced to play a hand he probably would not have been involved in, except for catching what appeared to be a straight by the fifth card. By sixth street, Saltzburg showed upcards of 3-4-6-7 and continued betting. Cloutier was unable to make a (higher) straight and folded to Saltzburg's bet on the final round. That hand effectively took Cloutier out of the running and made it a heads-up match between Saltzburg and Tran.

What was most interesting about the end of the matchup was the high level of play between the two finalists. Both players pushed small edges and frequently won pots with the thinnest of margins. One player would often win with two pair against the opponent's smaller two pair. On one hand, Tran bet a air of jacks on seventh street (that was all she had) and was called by Saltzburg with a smaller pair. The play may not have seemed significant, but the extra $8K and $10K bets that were gained on later rounds were critical. Salzburg did some value betting of his own, and mixed up his play well enough to keep Tran constantly guessing as to the strength of his hand.

Salzburg made one error which, at the time, looked as though it might have cost him the tournament. Saltzburg bet aggressively on every round on a draw and missed. On seventh street, Saltzburg fired $10K into the pot and Tran called with two pair. Saltzburg mucked his cards on a bluff, which gave Tran a 3 to 1 chip advantage. Tran, who has finished second at the final table before was eager to seize her first World Series of Poker victory.

But that bluff may have paid dividends down the road when Saltzburg actually did pick up a big hand and would ultimately get paid off along the way. One big hand came for Saltzburg when he made a full house against Tran's club flush. That swung the momentum of the duel in the newcomer's favor and put Saltzburg back in the chip lead.

A few minutes later -- Saltzburg would effectively end the match with four-jacks against Tran, which gave the good Doctor an almost insurmountable chip advantage. Son thereafter, the final hand came as follows:

SALTZBURG: (Q-5) 10-10-4-8 (Q)
TRAN: (A-A) Q-6-3-K (2)

Michael Saltzburg is an orthopedic surgeon in Pennsylvania. He plays poker in home games and frequents Atlantic City casinos and cardrooms regularly. "For me, this is an experience," he said. "To come here and just be part of the excitement is all I ever wanted to do. To win an event at the World Series of Poker is more than I could ask for."

Final table standings:
Mimi Tran, 64,800 chips, seat 7
T.J.Cloutier, 54,700 chips, seat 2
Michael Saltzburg 51,800 chips seat 8
Rick Sazzman, 28,300 chips, Seat 3
Jerri Thomas, 18,700 chips, Seat 6
David Vaillancourt, 18,000 chips, seat 6
Nitin Malik, 13,600 chips, seat 4
Ralph Perry, 7,400 chips, seat 1

Daily WSOP Results
Official Money Winners
1.	Michael Saltzburg	Hollidaysburg, PA	$95,580
2.	Mimi Tran	Torrance, CA	47,700
3.	T.J. Cloutier	Ricahrdson, TX	23,915
4.	David Vaillancourt	Tyngsborough, MA	14,360
5.	Richard Salzman	Alpine, CA	11,980
6.	Jerri Thomas	Hamilton, OH	9,580
7.	Nitin Malik	Marietta, GA	7,180
8.	Ralph Perry	Las Vegas	4,780
9th-12th, received $3,600 Peter Costa, Leicester, England; Toto Leonidas, Glendale, CA; Thor Hansen, El Segundo, CA; Ron Long, Ft. Wayne, IN
13th-16th, received $2,500 John Womack, Lauderhill, FL; Jaime Ateneldff, Eaodor; Harry Thomas, Hamilton OH; Helmut Koch, New Baltimore, MI

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