WSOP 2008, Event #11, $5,000 No Limit Hold’em Shootout: Phil Tom Wins
Monday, 9 June 2008
While thousands of players come to Vegas to toil for days on end to win their bracelet, Phil Tom has a slightly more urbane path to his. Playing for seven hours to win his table on Day 1, before a five hour day to navigate through Day 2, the bracelet win
While thousands of players come to Vegas to toil for days on end to win their bracelet, Phil Tom has a slightly more urbane path to his. Playing for seven hours to win his table on Day 1, before a five hour day to navigate through Day 2, the bracelet win came in seven hours on the final day. Nineteen hours for one bracelet? Bargain!
Of course, such frantic action shouldn’t have come as a surprise for those who stumped up their $5,000 for the short-handed No Limit Hold’em Shootout event. Tom had bettered the likes of Bill Blanda, Remy Biechel and Ariel Schneller on the previous two days, only to find himself pitted against Greg “FBT” Mueller and Tim “Tmay420” West, two of the best internet players out there.
It took 100 hands before an elimination was made, but once one had been knocked out, the floodgates opened and carnage ensued. Tom didn’t get his hands dirty though, as he played a more peek-a-boo style, letting those around him do their work. In the mean time, he picked up a series of small pot to keep his head above the water.
The key moment came on hand 163 when Tom had gone to heads-up play with Mueller. On a board of T-8-4, all hearts, Mueller made a big fold after his check raise was greeted with an all-in from Tom. Mueller never recovered from that pot, and it took just thirteen more hands before the tournament was over.
Tom took home over $477,000 and his first bracelet, that to accompany another cash he’d already made earlier in the series.
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Poker News, WSOP, 2008, , Event, #11, , $5, 000, No, Limit, Hold’em, Shootout:, Phil, Tom, Wins