Internet Amateur Wins Top Poker Pot

LAS VEGAS —  For the second consecutive year, an Internet unknown won the famed World Series of Poker, ravaging a field of professional players on his way to glory and riches.

Greg “Fossilman” Raymer, a patent lawyer from Stonington, Conn., earned a spot in the 35th annual No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em event after winning a $150 satellite tournament on PokerStars.com.

His victory Friday would have been astonishing had it not been for Chris Moneymaker’s first-place finish in 2003. The 28-year-old accountant’s improbable win rocked the poker world.

Moneymaker landed a seat in last year’s finals after coming out on top in a $40 Internet tournament. His tiny investment earned him $2.5 million, while Raymer pocketed a record $5 million this year.

“I played the best poker of my life and I got as lucky as I’ve ever gotten in my life for such a sustained period of time,” Raymer said after winning the final table late Friday. “I was able to advance past a lot of great, great players.”

Whatever advantage the pros once held over the amateurs seems to have dissipated, experts say. The Internet has leveled a playing field once ruled by the game’s old guard.

“Players can get a huge amount of experience in a short time playing online and can translate that into success in major tournaments,” said Dan Goldman, vice president of marketing for PokerStars.com.

Raymer, 39, wasn’t the only Internet player to land at Friday’s nine-person table, which was the dramatic finale to a grueling seven-day tournament at Binion’s Horseshoe Hotel & Casino. PokerStars.com also sent David Anthony Williams, 23, Matt Dean, 25, and Mike McClain, a 39-year-old pro. They finished second, seventh and ninth, respectively.

In No-Limit Texas Hold ‘Em, players are dealt two cards each and can use five communal cards to make the best poker hand. The betting is nonstop and players can risk everything on a single turn of a card.

In all, about 40% of the 2,576 people who made it to the final tournament came from the Internet, Goldman said. Competitors who didn’t win an Internet or casino satellite tournament put up a $10,000 buy-in fee.