Jerry Yang Is Your New WSOP Champ

Filed in archive Tournament News on July 19, 2007

For $19.95 you could have watched the entire fifteen hours of the World Series of Poker's Main Event final table. Event number 56 (we'll skip a few previously reported events for the sake of announcing this "fresh") was the world championship $10,000 buy in No Limit Hold Em' donkfest known as the finale of the WSOP and poker Immortality to the person with all the chips after the last dealt hand.

Me, I followed along what capped off a gracious and eye-opening effort by the Pokernews Live Reporting team as they covered hand for hand the entire final table along with up to the second chip counts. With the live reporting and virtual hand histories, it took internet coverage to another level which hopefully will return next year.

Jerry Yang with a heartwarming story shot down the final table with a rivered runner runner straight and is now over $8.5 million richer. Some charities are also cheering the 1st place finisher's decision to donate 10% of his winnings to their worthy causes.

Here's John Caldwell from Pokernews.com with a little back story of the newly crowned "World Champion of Poker":

We are about to set off on an interesting journey in the poker world. What's it going to be like to have a soft-spoken, 'nice guy' as our world champion? Although he has only been world champion for a few hours, Jerry Yang seems to stand out among champions of the past.

Does that mean none of the champions of the past are nice guys? No, but I can't ever recall a world champion who had six kids, worked as a social worker/psychologist, and made sure to remember to thank God in every post game interview he did.

To have a humble, quiet guy in poker's 'White House' should be a fascinating ride. The story is vaguely familiar - guy goes to first WSOP, guy puts up $225, wins a seat, goes

on to win - but somehow, only hours later it already feels different. At least at first glance, Yang seems to be truly the everyman of the modern America. Yang was born in Laos, immigrated in his teens, and has worked hard to raise his family and find his place in the U.S. Yang took up poker a couple years ago, and is now your world champion.

I have read things this morning like Yang was so poor when he was growing up in Laos, when his family would kill a pig for food, the kids would blow up the pig's bladder, and use it as a ball. A far cry indeed from a Hollywood Agent, or an East Coast patent attorney.

It will be really interesting to see how the mainstream media reacts to Yang, and if his humble, conservative nature will strike a chord with those who stand in the way of poker - many of whom are similarly aligned. Yang's apparent 'aw shucks' attitude may be just what the doctor ordered in a year that will have a lot to do with how the poker business operates in the U.S. for years to come.

Yang's reign will start right away, as one would assume he will be booked on the talk show circuit immediately, and will start today his era as a prime ambassador of the game of poker.

There is something very refreshing about having a champion that middle America can once again identify with. Where will the next year take us? Only time will tell. Count on God and family being two planks of Yang's platform as champ. It should be interesting to watch. Don't touch that dial