VANESSA SELBST WINS 2008 WSOP EVENT #19

In one of the wildest final tables heads-up matches a determined Vanessa Selbst fought back from near ruin to finally stop the unorthodox plays of her opponent, Jamie Pickering. Pickering would often raise the pot and re-pot out to the river in the $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha…in the dark without so much as a peek at his cards. This style of play is rarely seen when two players are heads-up for a WSOP championship bracelet. A large crowd gathered to watch the incredible action from the rail.

Vanessa stuck to her game plan even when the luck and her chips were going the other way. Solid play paid off and Vanessa Selbst goes home with the bragging rights, the cash and the coveted gold WSOP bracelet. Vanessa received $227,965 for outlasting the other 758 players in the starting field. James Pickering pockets $145,459 which is enough to keep him in beer for a few months. Stanley Statkiewicz Jr completed the top three and collected $88,062 for third.

Congratulations to Vanessa Selbst for winning her first WSOP bracelet.