While the poker world most often focuses on the exploits of the game's biggest stars, the WSOP is always loaded with everyman stories as well, of players for whom just getting to play at the WSOP is the fulfillment of a dream.
Chudnovsky's story is more special than most. The Atlanta native scored his first WSOP cash just a few days ago in Event #45: $1,500 Mixed Omaha Hi Low. Chudnovsky loves the game, but it's only the second time he's been able to play at the WSOP. Now 44, he's suffered from Parkinson's for 12 years, and just playing in an event is a difficult and fatiguing task.
Chudnovsky's tour of the WSOP this year has picked up some rooters and backers as well. One of the players at Chudnovsky's Event #45 table as the money bubble loomed was Angela Jordison, one of the most generous players in the game. Jordison and the other players were inspired by Chudnovsky's struggle, and after the event, she decided to provide Chudnovsky with a special bonus, a buy-in to today's Event #55, $1,500 Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better.
It's becoming a wonderful habit for Jordison, who has helped 22 people enter WSOP events this summer, including the 15 veterans that Jordison and Jacki Burkhart helped fund into the Salute to Warriors event.
Chudnovsky visited with PokerOrg's Tiffany Michelle just before the start of today's seven-card stud hi-lo event, where he shared how special this trip has become for him. He's played poker for 20 years, but with the progression of the Parkinson's, it's become more and more difficult for him to take part in the game. Here's Chudnovsky's visit with PokerOrg:
