Barry Greenstein Reaches Out in WSOP Victory

Nobody can be in two places at once, but Barry Greenstein seemed to do just that Monday night at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).

Greenstein was the chip leader entering final table play at the $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event, but he had a problem. He was playing in the $5,000 Pot-Limit Hold’em tournament at the same time the Omaha final table was to start (as was fellow finalist, Chris “Jesus” Ferguson). What to do? Play in both, of course.

On his way to claiming his second WSOP bracelet and the $128,505 prize, Greenstein actually took advantage of a break and played in the other tournament. According to Dave "The Devilfish" Ulliott, Greenstein’s chips had just been moved to Ulliott’s table when Greenstein showed up to play a hand. He promptly hit a straight and won enough chips to keep him in good shape while he finished the Omaha event. The other players at the Hold’em table must have been thrilled.

While battling restauranteur, Paul Vinci, heads-up, fellow pros Eli Elezra and John Phan came over from the other tournament during an unscheduled delay to cheer on Greenstein. Elezra kept Greenstein updated on his status, letting him know at one point that he was looking good with an $11,000 chip stack in the Hold’em event.



After claiming Omaha victory, Greenstein did not stay long to pose for pictures and conduct interviews, since he needed to get back to the other tournament. He did take the microphone from Assistant Tournament Director, Jack Effel, however, to speak to audience.

In a touching tribute, Greenstein announced that his championship was dedicated to a young man in Tennessee named Charlie Tuttle. Charlie, who has a popular poker blog, has been battling cancer and the tumors in his lungs have been creating major breathing problems. Some friends were able to pull some strings and were able to get Greenstein, Marcel Luske, John Juanda, and Max Pescatori to all give Charlie a call. Charlie was obviously on Greenstein’s mind, as he announced the dedication before even accepting the WSOP bracelet.

More information about Charlie Tuttle can be found at Jason Kirk's poker blog.

Complete Final Table Standings

(Place/Player/Prize Money)

1. Barry Greenstein - $128,505
2. Paul Vinci - $70,680
3. Chris Lindenmayer - $36,140
4. Toto Leonidas - $28,110
5. Tim Martz - $24,110
6. Paul Maxfield - $20,080
7. Chris "Jesus" Ferguson - $16,065
8. Sam Silverman - $12,045
9. Eric Bloore - $8,030

Originally published June 21, 2005