Bennett Wins 2007 Seniors Poker World Championship

LAS VEGAS -- The winner of the 2007 Seniors Poker World Championship is Ernest Bennett, a 55-year-old former business owner from Encino, CA. This was his first WSOP victory.

Bennett was born in Canada
Ernest Bennett wins the Seniors World Poker Championship at the 2007 WSOP.  and moved to the U.S. at a young age. He attended college and earned a B.S. in civil engineering and then owned a successful chain of dry cleaners and recently sold off his businesses.

Bennett started playing seriously about five years ago. He learned the game mostly through playing with friends. He has a very impressive string of cashes in recent years. In fact, Bennett has cashed over 30 times in tournaments since 2004. However, he had yet to win a major tournament.

Bennett arrived at the final table with a significant chip advantage. It took him just over five hours to achieve victory. This was Bennett’s first time ever to cash at the WSOP. First place paid $348,423.

"Aggressive poker – that’s the only way I know how to play," Bennett said in a post-tournament interview. "I’m always raising. Sometimes I have to try and slow it down, but I think the aggressive style works for me."

Leon Lewis was the 6th-place finisher. Lewis was once a nationally-ranked pistol shooter and former police officer.

This event was won by a woman last year – the first such occasion. Clare Miller became the first lady to win the seniors event in history. Women players did not fare as well this year. The highest woman finisher in this tournament was Jeanne David of Las Vegas (18th).

The age requirement to play in the Seniors World Poker Championship was 50 years or higher. Player ages at the final table ranged from 51 (youngest) to 71 (oldest).

This was the largest seniors poker event of all time. The 1,882 entries destroyed the previous record that was set last year (1,184) by more than 30 percent.

Former WSOP gold bracelet winner and poker writer/author Vince Burgio finished in 26th place.

1991 world poker champion Brad Daugherty finished in 29th place.

Two-time WSOP gold bracelet winner Howard "Tahoe" Andrew finished in 50th place. This is Tahoe’s 34th consecutive year to play at the WSOP, which is the all-time record.

Gambling author and psychologist Arthur Reber (The New Gambler’s Bible) formally an academic at Brooklyn College took 68th place.

Poker legend "Amarillo Slim" Preston, the 1972 world poker champion cashed for the first time in five years at the WSOP. The poker icon finished in 96th place and was given a nice ovation from the crowd.

Former WSOP gold bracelet winner and mystic Phil "Doc" Earle, from Newfoundland, Canada cashed in 145th place.