Farha wins third WSOP bracelet

Poker professional Sammy Farha won his third career World Series of Poker championship bracelet early Tuesday morning, outlasting a field of 212 to win the $10,000 buy-in World Championship Omaha High-Low Split event.

Farha, 51, captured the win and $488,241 in prize money following five hours of heads-up play against British poker professional James Dempsey. The event was the 25th of a planned 57 events taking place at the Rio.

The Lebanese-born Farha, a resident of Houston, is a fixture on popular televised poker shows, including “High Stakes Poker.” He first became familiar to poker fans when he finished runner-up in 2003 to World Series of Poker Main Event champion Chris Moneymaker.

According to official records, Farha now has three wins, six final table appearances, and eight cashes at the World Series of Poker. His career tournament earnings now total more than $2.5 million.

“This is very special, of course,” Farha said. “Anytime you can beat a tough field, it’s special. I enjoy the game. This is my hobby. This is my business.”

The win was Farha’s second for World Championship Omaha High-Low Split. He previously won the event in 2006. Farha’s other bracelet came in the 1996 Pot-Limit Omaha event.

Farha is a graduate of the University of Kansas with a degree in business. During the late 1980s, Farha discovered the underground poker scene in Houston and began playing poker in various homes and private clubs.

Dempsey, from England, took home $301,789 for finishing second.