BY TOM SOMACH

The 38th annual World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas is well underway, as several more of the 55 separate tournaments that make up the 2007 WSOP have concluded and are in the record books.

In WSOP Event #2, a special $500 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold ‘em tourney for WSOP dealers only, the winner was Frederick Narciso, who earned $104,701 for winning the tournament.

Coming in second was Charles Fisher, who took home $66,392.

The dealers’ tournament had 1,039 entries and a total prize pool of $467,500.

However, because this tournament was open only to poker dealers working this year’s WSOP, and not the general public at large like the other 54 tourneys in the WSOP, this is the only WSOP tourney whose winner does not receive a coveted WSOP championship gold bracelet.

In WSOP Event #3, a $1,500 buy-in, no-limit Texas hold ‘em tourney with 2,998 entrants and a total prize pool of $4,497,000, the winner was Ciaran “Big C” O’Leary of Seattle, Wash., USA, who took home the first-place prize of $727,012.

The runnerup was Paul Evans of Mt. Shasta, Calif., USA, whose second-place money totalled $450,150.

In WSOP Event #4, a $1,500 buy-in, pot-limit Texas hold ‘em tournament that had 780 entrants and a total prize pool of $1,064,700, the winner was Mike Spegal of St. Marys, Ga., USA, who took home $251,957.

Finishing second was Gavin Smith of Las Vegas, Nev., USA, who earned $155,446. In WSOP Event #5, a $2,500 buy-in Omaha/seven card stud high/low 8 or better tourney with 327 entrants and a total prize pool of $752,100, the winner was Tom Schneider of Phoenix, Ariz., USA, who earned $214,347.

The runnerup was Ed Tonnellier of Windsor, Calif., USA, who took home second-place money totalling $118,456.

Finishing in third place was the top female poker player in the world, Annie Duke of Los Angeles, Calif., USA, who garnered $75,210.

Finishing in fourth place was Chris “Jesus” Ferguson of Pacific Palisades, Calif., USA, who copped $50,391.

(E-mail Tom Somach at tomsomach@yahoo.com.)