YOUNG GUNS The World Series of Poker has thrown up its youngest ever Event Winner in the shape of University student Jeff Madsen (age just twenty one years-one month). Madsen defeated 1600 other players to win Event 22 and walk away with $660,500. No mean achievement and entirely appropriate given the way in which university students have en masse embraced online poker as their major leisure time activity. More intelligent than binge drinking.
$20,000 AN HOUR Young Jeff Madsen, who returns for his senior year after he World Series, estimates his poker playing “summer job” has earned him roughly $20,000 an hour. Not sure University is going to be able to teach this particular young guy very much at all about survival in the real world.
BEGINNER’S LUCK? Just in case you’re thinking this is some young upstart’s beginner’s luck, think again. Madsen had already come third in the Omaha-High-Low Championship, another earlier event in this very same World Series. How much did he win? Just $97,552! Small change to the new kid on the block. So, how did the “heads up” of that final game of the $660,500 Event 22 play out?
STRAIGHT FOR THE MONEY Jeff Madsen had better than a two-to-one chip advantage against Paul Scheng going into the heads up. Madsen was holding Jack-Seven versus Sheng’s more powerful Ace- Seven. With a completely dominated hand you would have expected nerves from the twenty year old. Not a bit of it. All the chips went into the pot with the board showing a dramatic Ten-Nine-Eight-Six. With both Sheng and Madsen holding Sevens they had each completed their straights. The hidden crusher for Sheng was Madsen’s Jack-in-the-hole giving the twenty one year old student a one card higher run of Seven-Eight-Nine-Ten-Jack! Never mind, Paul Sheng left with close on a third of a million dollars as runner up, but well aware he was the first major notch of many to come on the young gun’s belt.
SECRET OF SUCCESS? Despite his youth, Jeff began playing at the legal age of 18 at various Indian reservation casinos in his home State of California. However, Nevada gaming laws prevented the youngster from entering the World Series of Poker until he turned twenty one. Just four weeks after his twenty first celebrations he has taken down the two major cash prizes above as belated birthday presents. Madsen claims those three years playing on the reservation were invaluable. I’d say he’ll be taking scalps for a long time to come.
