26th Annual
World Series of Poker

$5,000 Buy-in
Entries: 24*
Rebuys: 26*
Total Prize Money: $250,000

1994 Winner: New Event

1995 Champion: STEVE ZOLOTOW

• The Winners.
• The Showdown.
• The Final Table.
• The Final Hand.

1. Steve Zolotow				$112,500
Las Vegas, Nevada
2. Doyle Brunson				  62,500
Las Vegas, Nevada
3. Denny Axel					  37,500
Las Vegas, Nevada
4. Herb Bronstein				  25,000
Las Vegas, Nevada
5. Howard Lederer				  12,500
Las Vegas, Nevada

. This is the first World Series title for Zolotow, who has cashed in several major poker competitions and also has won numerous bridge and backgammon tournaments. A semi-professional gambler, he has been playing both poker and bridge since childhood.

. When heads-up play began, Zolotow was outchipped 2-to-1 by runner-up Doyle Brunson. But the tide soon began to turn, and two hours later, Brunson was down to only one $5,000 chip. It was all over on the next hand when Zolotow showed down his winning combination -- four eights in back, kings up for the middle hand, and J-10-7 in front. Brunson set his final hand as follows: tens up in back, a pair of jacks in the middle, and A-K-Q in front.

. Brunson, the World Champion of Poker in both 1976 and 1977, received $62,500 for his second-place finish. A 61-year-old professional gambler from Las Vegas, Brunson won the first-ever Chinese Poker Championship tournament during the 1994 Hall of Fame Poker Classic. He holds numerous titles from major poker competitions -- including seven from the WSP -- and is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame. With total World Series earnings of $1,516,175, Brunson ranks No. 4 on the roster of all-time WSP money winners.

. Denny Axel of Las Vegas won third place and $37,500. The 45-year-old co-owner of Card Player magazine, Axel has cashed in one previous WSP tournament, as well as in several other major poker competitions. He has played poker on a serious level for 8 years.

The Final Hand

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