The 25th bracelet event, $5,000 No-Limit Hold'em 8-Handed - one of the toughest events on the WSOP schedule, drew 493 players who battled it out for four days of play.
Although several big names made it to the final table - Dominick Nitsche, Anthony Zinno and Dan O'Brien (just to mention 3) - it was a 51-year-old high school teacher, football coach and part-time poker player who stood tall as the winner at the end of it all.
Jeffrey Tomlinson's win was a really big surprise to say the least, especially given the extremely tough competition this tournament offered. Also worth to mentioning is the fact that he overcame a 3-1 chip disadvantage when heads-up play started.
"I don't have any fear. I mean, I'm here to play my game," Tomlinson said afterward. "It doesn't mean I'll win ten gold bracelets, but from the moment I sat down I knew I could win. Before the final table started, one of my buddies told me - do you know that guy? He won a few bracelets. That one of there? He wrote a poker book. Me? Hey, I'm a football coach."
It was a well-desereved win by Tomlinson, who now is a proud owner of a gold bracelet. In addition, he received $567,724 in prize money!
Final table results:
Winner info:
Name: Jeffrey Tomlinson
Birthplace: Philadelphia, PA (USA)
Age: 51
Current Residence: Jupiter, FL (USA)
Marital Status: Single
Children: 3
Profession: High School Teacher / Football Coach
Number of WSOP Cashes: 5
Number of WSOP Final Table Appearances: 1
Number of WSOP Gold Bracelet Victories: 1
Best Previous WSOP Finish: 58th (2013)
Total WSOP Earnings: $587,209
Personal Facts: Tomlinson's football team, the Palm Beach Gardens Gators, made it to the Florida State Championship semi-finals two years ago.
FUN FACTS:
Gender breakdown: There were 477 males who entered this event, compared with just 16 females.
The average age of participants was 34.5 years - about the WSOP average for all events.
