Poker instructor wins $488,283, WSOP bracelet

Mark Schmid, a 31-year-old professional poker player from Grand Rapids, Mich., won the latest $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em event at the World Series of Poker, defeating a field of 3,144 players to claim the $488,283 first-place prize.

Schmid’s victory was due in part to his efforts and association as an online pro and instructor for poker training website Sharkscopers.com. Schmid has posted about 60 training videos to the site.

However, his talent clearly extends beyond just poker as an academic exercise. Schmid has cashed in nearly half of the WSOP tournaments he's entered over the last two years. This marked his sixth career in-the money finish.

Schmid endured a roller coaster final table. He had the chip lead during much of play; however, Schmid lost the chip advantage late in the tournament to Australian Justin Cohen. Schmid played a tenacious game, never tilting or giving up despite enduring a number of emotional and financial swings.

"It all comes down to making the right decisions," Schmid said just moments after his victory. "There are wild swings in tournament poker. All you can do is make the best possible (expected value) decision and hope for the best. It all worked out for me tonight."

Cohen is a native of Sydney, Australia. He won $302,031 in the event, his second final table appearance at this year’s WSOP.

Rudnik, a 24-year-old student at Georgetown from Johnstown, Pa., finished third for $312.747. Rudnik started his poker bankroll a few years ago with a $20 deposit online, prior to the April 15 indictment of the owners of PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker and Absolute Bet.

Jonathan Clancy, from Portland, Ore., was fourth for $154,722, while Trevor Vanderveen, from Bellingham, Wash., was fifth for $113,297.

Ben Volpe, a graduate of Emory University from Chicago who now works as an accountant, was sixth, Robbie Verspui, from Hoornaar, Netherlands, was seventh, Michael Souza, from San Diego, Calif., was eighth, and Jeremy Kottler, from Los Angeles, was ninth.

The top 324 finishers collected prize money. Former gold bracelet winners who cashed in this tournament included: Tomer Berda (61st), Mike “Little Man” Sica (76th), Simon Watt (101st) and Barry Shulman (258th).

Tournament summary by Nolan Dalla, WSOP Media Director, reprinted by permission.