SALT LAKE CITY — James Holzhauer’s first outing in the World Series of Poker didn’t break any records.
In fact, Holzhauer, who broke records on “Jeopardy!” earlier this year, ran out of money during his World Series of Poker debut on Monday, according to The Associated Press.
Holzhauer finished 454th among more than 1,800 contestants in the No-Limit Hold’em event. The buy-in cost was $1,500.
Holzhauer did not qualify for any winnings. Only the top 281 players won some of the $2.5 million prize money.
Holzhauer will now compete with Mike Sexton, a Poker Hall of Famer, in a Tag-Team No-Limit Hold’em tournament.
He said he plans to donate half of his winnings to Project 150, which is a Las Vegas nonprofit for disadvantaged high school students, according to The Associated Press.
History: Holzhauer has experience with poker, having played it back when he was a student at the University of Illinois, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
- “I decided to enter because Mike Sexton contacted me and offered to sponsor my buy-ins. I don’t have any plans to enter another WSOP event beyond those two,” Holzhauer told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I played online poker semi-professionally in the early 2000s, but I don’t intend to make a career of it now, as I’m sure I wouldn’t be good enough at it to justify forgoing other opportunities.”