2007 WSOP Event #47 – Blair Rodman Wins $2,000 No-Limit Hold’em

Blair Rodman has been gambling in Las Vegas for long time, but had never won a World Series of Poker bracelet until this year.  The professional gambler (he not only plays poker, but also bets on sports, golf, and blackjack) finally came through, taking the $2,000 no-limit hold’em bracelet and over $700,000.   

To poker fans, Rodman is perhaps best known for his popular book, Kill Phil, which is more than just a run-of-the-mill poker strategy book.  It actually gives specific strategies for better the best players in the world.  Apparently, when it came to WSOP play, he had a bit of a trouble implementing his teachings. 

Rodman began the final table in the bottom half of the chip rankings with 712,000 (four hand over a million and one player was close) and was soon down to less than 500,000.  But he managed to double-up through recent WPT success story, Anna Wroblewski to break a million and then knock out David Schnettler (8^th place) to eclipse 1.3 million. 

A couple hands later, he made a tough call of Joe Pelton’s pre-flop all-in.  Having already raised, he probably felt he was getting the right odds with his K-Q and managed to out draw Pelton’s 10-10 to knock him out in 7^th and shoot up to over 2 million in chips. 

He was quiet for a while after that, winning few small pots and one big one, but by the time play was three handed, he and his two opponents were virtually tied with around 2.8 million chips each.  Shortly after three-handed play started, Rodman eliminated Klein Kim Bach in third to take more than a 2-to-1 chip lead into heads-up with Amato Galasso.   

But despite the lead, heads-up was far from a cakewalk.  It took more than one hundred hands to determine the title, and at one point, Rodman found himself behind, 6.36 million to 1.74 million. 

Rodman battled his way back, doubling up when he had the courage to push on the turn of hand 144 with just a flush draw.  He caught it, of course.  He doubled again a few hands later with 10-10 versus Galasso’s 4-4.  This gave him the chip lead. 

On the final hand, Rodman got lucky again.  He moved all-in pre-flop with A-J and was called by Galasso, who had A-K.  Fortunately for Rodman, he flopped a Jack and won the bracelet. 

Final Table Standings 

1. Blair Rodman -- $707,898
2. Amato Galasso -- $448,808
3. Klein Bach -- $289,314
4. Anna Wroblewski -- $192,876
5. Steven Crawford -- $135,384
6. Roland De Wolfe -- $98,293
7. Joe Pelton -- $74,183
8. David Schnettler -- $55,637
9. Mark McKibben -- $42,655