WPT World Championship Final Table Set
Friday, 25 April 2008
Seventeen players had the chance to make it to the televised final
table of this year’s WPT World Championship. The final six have
been set, and one player will be more than used to sitting under
the bright lights at the Bellagio.
Seventeen players had the chance to make it to the televised final
table of this year’s WPT World Championship. The final six have
been set, and one player will be more than used to sitting under
the bright lights at the Bellagio.
Back in the very first WPT show to air, a young Dane by the name
of Gus Hansen won the Five Diamond World Poker Classic for
$556,480. Times have changed a little in Las Vegas, and today
Hansen will sit down with a chance to net $3,389,140 for first
place.
As on the day before, action at the Bellagio got underway with
an elimination on the first hand. Amir Vahedi was a little late to
the table, although he would have hardly noticed the big blind
which was posted in his absence. Jeff Shulman decided to exploit
that absence by moving all in from the button, but was called by
Kenny Tran in the small blind. Shulman’s A-6 was behind to Tran’s
A-7. The board brought a seven for Tran, and Shulman left the
tournament in 17th place.
Andy Black had come back to Day 5 with one of the shortest
stack, but found the best possible situation to get his money in
the middle after looking down at two red aces. Robert Mizrachi felt
the need to test the honesty of our favourite Irish Buddhist poker
player with Jc-9c, and when the flop delivered an innocuous T-T-6,
the Mad Monk was two cards away from a much needed double-up. As
fate would have it, the turn six and river eight meant Black took
one of the harshest beats available, with runner-runner gutshot
straight bringing his rockets crashing back to earth. At least he
knows the game can send you mad from time to time.
The action slowed down a little with the elimination of Black, a
lull which Tom Dwan thought he would liven up a little by donning
his pink flamingo hat. The apparel might not be the most usual
choice of poker players, who have traditionally opted for baseball
caps or the occasional Stetson, but ‘Durrrr’ was having to wear
something a little more outlandish after losing a prop bet before
the event.
The man with a pink hat did get involved in some intense hands
with Amir Vahedi who, with his stern Middle-Eastern face, shades
and cigar, is about as far away in look from the youthful looks of
Dwan in a flamingo hat.
The break brought some relief from the building tension, but the
show was just about to begin, as Hansen took the tournament by the
scruff of its neck. Whether rivering flushes to eliminate Nick
Binger, or being dealt aces to shoot down David Tran, the Dane
raced to over 5 million in chips, but had decided that wasn’t
enough to see him through to the final table.
With 11 players remaining, the final table bubble may have taken
a while to burst, but you somehow feel that Gus creates explosive
poker situations wherever he goes.
Michael Gracz and Hansen clashed in a huge pot after Gracz
raised from mid position to 180,000 and Hansen called from the big
blind. The flop came 8-3-2 with two clubs, and when Hansen
check-raised the 400,000 bet on the flop to set Gracz all in, the
North Carolinan couldn’t call fast enough with the bottom set of
deuces. Hansen had a huge draw though, showing Ac-5c for the nut
flush and gutshot straight draw. Pairing the ace on the turn didn’t
change things, but the Tc on the river certainly did, sending
Hansen’s stack to well over 7.5 million.
With a final ten hosting Hansen, Kenny Tran and Tom Dwan and his
flamingo hat, there was a distinct chance of one of the most
intriguing WPT final tables ever being recorded. Sadly, Tran fell
in tenth after Dwan’s pocket sevens held up against the Jc-8c of
Tran. All hope of the hat making it to the final table were
scuppered fifteen minutes later though, as Dwan suffered his own
bad beat tale, pocket Kings succumbing to the A-J of Cory
Carroll.
Hansen’s AK won a race which sent Karga Holt out in eighth,
while the televised bubble was burst after Vahedi would no longer
nurse his short stack and ran his pair into the over pair of… yes,
Gus Hansen.
So there we have it; a final table of six which could have
looked like a cross of ‘The A-Team’ and a day out at London Zoo.
Instead we have Gus Hansen leading five others to the WPT
Championship final table. Can we expect any other winner?
The Final Table Seating and Chip Counts
Seat 1 – John Roveto – 2,720,000
Seat 2 – Gus Hansen – 8,570,000
Seat 3 – David Chiu – 6,050,000
Seat 4 – Tommy Le – 1,950,000
Seat 5 – Cory Carroll – 6,670,000
Seat 6 – Jeff King - 1,305,000