Imagine a wiley old veteran gunslinger in the Old West, with notches aplenty on his gun barrel, drawing pistols with an upstart young punk who has no notches and who no one has ever heard of.

You’d expect the veteran gunfighter to win, but then, Boot Hill is full of many a gunslinger who thought that way.

A similar scenario played out again in the West at the 2008 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas, but this time the battle involved playing cards, not Colt .45s.

It all took place during WSOP Event #16, a $2,000 buy-in, Omaha hi-lo 8 or better tournament with rebuys that drew 553 participants, had a total prize pool of about $1 million and paid the Top 54 finishers.

The last two players standing–sitting actually–were top poker pro Ted Forrest, who has won five WSOP championship gold bracelets in his career and almost $5 million total playing professionally, and unknown college drop-out Andy Brown, who has never won anything.

Observers likely figured Brown had as much chance of whipping Forrest as Britney Spears has of being named Mother of the Year.

But in the end it became out not to be a Brown-out but instead a Forrest fired.

So, instead of copping his sixth career bracelet, Forrest, of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, flames out and finishes as runnerup to recent New York University dropout Brown of New York City, New York, USA, who earns his first bracelet.

And $226,483.

For his efforts, Forrest picks up $143,420.

Finishing third in the tourney was Jim Pechac of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, who nabs $88,065.

Ending in fourth spot was Soheil Shamseddin of Houston, Texas, USA, garnering $71,961.

Taking fifth was Kia Hooshmand of New York City, pocketing $58,877.

Coming in sixth was Ralph Perry of Las Vegas, earning $46,297.

Nabbing the seventh position was Scott Clements of Mt. Vernon, Washington, USA, snagging $36,233.

At eighth was Allan “Calypso” Enciso of Los Angeles, California, USA, picking up $28,684.

Ninth was Jim Fricke of Mahomet, Illinois, USA, copping $21,136.

In tenth was Lee Grove of Superior, Nebraska, USA, pocketing $13,587.

Top names finishing in the money were Josh Arieh at No. 24, John Juanda at No. 29 and “Miami” John Cernuto at No. 31.

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