Tom Schneider became the first player to win his second WSOP bracelet this year, taking down the $1k Seven Card Stud Eight or Better title. Combined with his Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Mixed Event title, he is the odds-on favorite to take the WSOP Player of the Year title.
The smallest buy-in event of the WSOP brought out 668 players to try their hand at the old standard in poker, Seven Card Stud Eight or Better. This split pot game is one of patience and scooping pots, something that Schneider has become quite adept at in June.
Schneider was chip leader heading into the Final Table, but around him were some top players.
Tom Schneider (275k)
Miguel de la Cruz (253k)
Scotty Nguyen (203k)
Saundra Taylor (202k)
Hoyt Verner (129k)
Tommy Hang (110k)
Woody Deck (110k)
Tony Ma (60k)
Antes started at 2k, bring-in of 3k, with bets of 10k/20k. Woody Deck ran into a buzz saw named Miguel de la Cruz, who scooped two pots deck Woody, out in 8th ($11,063). Ma tangled with Nguyen and de la Cruz. They both folded on fifth street, with Nguyen's 
to Ma's 
. Nguyen showed the ace-high flush, and Ma was down to 8k. He scooped a pot with Schneider to get up from the canvas long enough for Tommy Hang to take the de la Cruz/Schneider scoop combination. Hang was hung, out in 7th ($14,711). Nguyen finally did Tony Ma in with rolled up fours that became a full house, and the elegant Ma was out in 6th ($19,270).
After Schneider scooped two pots, the chip counts were:
Hoyt Verner (525k)
Tom Schneider (320k)
Miguel de la Cruz (300k)
Scotty Nguyen (140k)
Saundra Taylor (60k)
Antes moved up to 5k with a 5k bring-in, and bets moved to 20k/40k. Every hand was crucial from here out. Chipleader made the wheel, A-2-3-4-5, to scoop the pot and knock out Saundra Taylor in 5th ($24,619). It was Taylor's third WSOP cash and her biggest win in eleven years of tournament play.
Schneider and de la Cruz tangled in a monster hand that pushed Schneider up to the chip lead.
Schneider 
de la Cruz 
de la Cruz bet out through sixth street, where Schneider raised him. He check/called Schneider's seventh street bet and showed his kings and deuces with no low. Schneider showed 
for the ten high street and the scoop. He crippled de la Cruz a few hands later.
Schneider 
de la Cruz 
Again Schneider raised de la Cruz on sixth street, and he folded with only 30k left. Scotty Nguyen busted in a hand with Verner (4th $31,610), then Schneider finished off de la Cruz (3rd $51,670). Schneider was up to 620k to Verner's 670k, so heads-up play started fairly evenly. Verner moved up to 800k after taking down a few pots, but Schneider hung tough.
Antes moved to 7k with 30k/60k bets. Schneider scooped three straight pots to take the chip lead at 800k. Schneider then took a consecutive pots with sixth street hands
Schneider 
Verner 
Then
Verner 
Schneider 
Verner couldn't connect on the final hand, with his 
with in the hole. He was all-in against Schneider's with for two pair. Hoyt Verner finished 2nd ($82,064), bettering his 6th place finish in the same event last year.
The day belonged to Tom Schneider (1st $147,713). With 255 points, he moved ahead of Jeffrey Lisandro (220 points) into first place of the WSOP Player of the Year leaderboard. His wife joined him in celebration, as they joined friends for a more subdued celebration compared to his first bracelet. They're old pros now at winning bracelets, after all.