News / nono / 20 June 2008 / Leave a comment

The 2008 Seven-Card Stud High-Low Split World Champion is Sebastian Ruthenberg, from Hamburg, Germany. He is a 24-year-old poker pro, who has been playing full-time for about two years. Prior to playing poker, Ruthenberg had just completed his studies and as an IT specialist.

Ruthenberg collected $328,762 for first place. He also earned his first WSOP gold bracelet. This was his second year to play at the WSOP.

Ruthenberg becomes the second German national to win at the WSOP this year. He also becomes only the fifth German ever to win a gold bracelet, following Matthias Rohnacher (1997), Eddy Scharf (2001 and 2003), Katja Thater (2007), and Jen Voertmann (2008).

Ruthernberg's best previous finish in a major poker tournament had been 3rd place in the European Poker Tour's Dortmund championship.

Following his upset victory over one of poker's living legends, Ruthenberg complimented his rival by saying, "(Chris Ferguson) is the better player. He really is a better player than me....I have only been playing this game for six months and he has played so much more than me."