It took hours longer than anybody could have imagined, but the mounting blinds and antes finally put an end to a marathon heads-up session that saw numerous lead changes, huge hands, and even bigger bluffs. When all was said and done, Jonathan Little bested Jonathan Jaffe for his second WPT title and nearly $1.2 million.
Here were the chip counts heading into the final table:
Seat 1: David Pham — 2,038,000
Seat 2: Jonathan Jaffe — 4,131,000
Seat 3: Jonathan Little — 2,021,000
Seat 4: Charles Marchese — 1,718,000
Seat 5: Jack Schanbacher — 1,592,000
Seat 6: Mike Matusow — 816,000
Here's how all of the action went according to CardPlayer.com's live updates page:
Jack Schanbacher Doubles Through Jonathan Jaffe
Jonathan Little raised under the gun to 125,000. Mike Matusow then moved all in for 900,000 from the button. Little made the call and showed pocket nines and once again Matusow was racing with A J.
The board came K 5 3 5 4, and Matusow was eliminated in sixth place, earning $124,048. After the hand, Little's stack was boosted to 3.765 million.
Jack Schanbacher Eliminated in Fifth Place ($182,196)
Jack Schanbacher moved all in for his last 800,000, and David Pham called from the cutoff. The action moved to Jonathan Little in the small blind, who raised to 1.5 million, putting Pham's last 600,000 all in.
Pham tanked for bit before folding pocket tens, and Little showed Q Q. Schanbacher was way behind with 9 8, and the board came J 6 5 6 8 to send him to the rail in fifth place, good for $182,196.
After the hand, Little took the chip lead with 5.825 million. Pham was extremely short-stacked with 595,000.
Charles Marchese Doubles Up
Jonathan Jaffe raised to 140,000, and Charles Marchese moved all in from the small blind for his last 785,000. Jaffe made the call with pocket fives, but was in trouble to Marchese and his pocket sixes.
The board offered no help for Jaffe, and Marchese doubled up to 1.65 million.
David Pham Eliminated in Fourth Place ($240,344)
Charles Marchese completed from the small blind, and David Pham moved all in from the big blind. Marchese called with K J, and Pham showed pocket deuces.
The board came A J 4 A 9, and Marchese paired his jack to eliminate Pham in fourth place. Pham earned $240,344 for his efforts and also added a projected 1,230 points to his Card Player Player of the Year standings.
That brings his total to 5,252, putting him in third place, leap-frogging Ivan Demidov, who finished second in the WSOP main event last night. Had Pham won tonight, he would have only been 300 points shy of John Phan, who has held what once looked like an insurmountable lead since August.
Flashback - 2007 WPT Niagara
As we watch this three-handed battle between Jonathan Little, Jonathan Jaffe, and Charles Marchese, I am reminded of a similar situation, also featuring the young gun Little.
Three-handed at the 2007 World Poker Tour stop in Niagara Falls, Canada, Little, Scott Clements, and unknown David Cloutier played a marathon session of small-ball poker. Little and Clements took turns grinding the relatively passive Cloutier down and chopped up his blinds and antes accordingly.
With Marchese playing less than one-tenth of the hands he's been dealt, it looks like Jaffe and Little will have no problem recreating the same risk-free situation as they march toward heads-up play. Of course, in poker, all things are possible, as the two Jonathans have already shown a propensity to play big pots against each other.
Charles Marchese Eliminated in Third Place ($337,256)
Jonathan Little raised to 150,000, and Charles Marchese moved all in for 1.69 million. Little made the call and showed pocket queens, and Marchese was in trouble with A J.
The board came 9 8 2 6 2, and Marchese was eliminated. His patience throughout the tournament netted him $337,256.
Marathon Heads-Up Play
Both players exchanged the chip lead several times for more than five hours before the tournament was ultimately decided. In the process, Jonathan Little broke his own record for the amount of hands played at a WPT final table with 275. The old record was 271, when Little was defeated by Scott Clements at the 2007 North American Poker Championships.
Jonathan Jaffe Eliminated in Second Place ($670,636)
Jonathan Little raised to 850,000, and Jonathan Jaffe moved all in. Little made the call with A Q, and Jaffe showed A 10. The board ran out 8 8 6 K Q, and Little claimed his second WPT title and nearly $1.2 million.
Jaffe earned $670,636 for his runner-up performance.
Jonathan Little Wins the 2008 Foxwoods World Poker Finals
Here are the final results:
1. Jonathan Little — $1,120,310
2. Jonathan Jaffe — $670,636
3. Charles Marchese — $337,256
4. David “The Dragon” Pham — $240,344
5. Jack Schanbacher — $182,196
6. Mike “The Mouth” Matusow — $124,048