It took a while, but 21-year-old online phenom Yevgeniy "Jovial Gent" Timoshenko won the 2009 Five-Star World Poker Classic WPT Championship late Saturday night. The feat took eight days and thousands of hands, but in the end, the young gun got it done, besting a stacked final table that included Scotty Nguyen, Shannon Shorr, Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier, Christian Harder, and eventual runner-up Ran Azor.
This was Timoshenko’s third live victory of his very short career, after claiming wins at the Irish Poker Open and at the APT Macau main event. Timoshenko had previously had four six-figure cashes on his poker résumé, but the $2,149,960 he pocketed for first place here by far eclipsed his largest score since joining the tour.
With his third-place finish, Bertrand Grospellier overtook John Phan to become the World Poker Tour Player of the Year. Grospellier joins an elite group of pros that includes Jonathan Little, Daniel Negreanu, Erick Lindgren, Howard Lederer, Gavin Smith, and J.C. Tran.
Here’s how all of the final table action went down according to Card Player’s live updates:
Final Table Starting Stacks and Seating Assignments
Seat 1: Bertrand "ElkY" Grospellier — 5,955,000
Seat 2: Scotty Nguyen — 3,275,000
Seat 3: Shannon Shorr — 1,130,000
Seat 4: Yevgeniy "Jovial Gent" Timoshenko — 13,300,000
Seat 5: Christian "charder30" Harder — 7,425,000
Seat 6: Ran Azor — 2,525,000
Shannon Shorr Doubles UpRan Azor raised from middle position to 420,000, and Scotty Nguyen made the call on the button. Shannon Shorr moved all in from the small blind to 2,080,000.
Azor mucked, and Nguyen made the call, showing pocket sixes. Shorr showed pocket tens, and they held when the board ran out A
K
3 7
Q.
Shorr won the hand to double up, and he now holds 4,870,000. Nguyen is crippled with 400,000 after the hand.
Scotty Nguyen Eliminated in Sixth Place ($285,985)
Scotty Nguyen moved all in from middle position for his last 390,000, and Shannon Shorr called from the cutoff. Christian Harder called from the small blind, and both he and Shorr checked down a board of A K 2
A 7 to the river.
Harder then bet 600,000, and Shorr folded. Nugyen showed A-4 for trips, but Harder showed A-9 to win the pot with a higher kicker, boosting his stack to 7,995,000.
Nguyen is eliminated in sixth place and earns $285,985.
Timoshenko Dominates With One-OuterYevgeniy Timoshenko raised to 480,000 from the small blind, and Christian Harder made the call from the big blind.
The flop came A 10 4, and Timoshenko continued with a bet of 360,000. Harder made the call, and the turn was the 7. Both players checked, and the river was the J. Timoshenko fired out 1,120,000, and harder called, showing A J for two pair.
However, Timoshenko showed pocket jacks to take the huge pot with a rivered set. He now has nearly 16 million chips, more than half of the remaining chips in play.
Timoshenko Picks Up Another Huge Pot
Yevgeniy Timoshenko raised to 375,000 from under the gun, and Shannon Shorr called in the big blind. The flop came out Q 10 4, and Shorr bet 490,000.
Timoshenko called, and the turn was the 10. Both players checked, and the river was the A. Shorr bet 1.3 million, and Timoshenko called.
Shorr revealed pocket eights, but Timoshenko turned over A Q to bring his stack to a massive 18,385,000. Shorr was left with 2,970,000.
Shannon Shorr Eliminated in Fifth Place ($408,550)
Shannon Shorr moved all in from the small blind for 2,620,000, and Yevgeniy Timoshenko made the call from the big blind with 4 4.
Shorr showed 7 6 for two overcards, but they bricked when the board ran out A 9 3 J K.
Timoshenko continues to steamroll as he brings his chip count to 22,245,000. Shorr earned $408,550 for his fifth-place finish.
Christian Harder Eliminated in Fourth Place ($571,965), Bertrand Grospellier Eliminated in Third Place ($776,245) Christian Harder moved all in from the button for 1.9 million, and Ran Azor called from the small blind. Bertrand Grospellier moved all in over the top from the big blind for 2,790,000, and Azor called that, as well.
Grospellier showed the best hand with A J, Harder had the next best hand with A 8, and Azor showed the worst hand with A 7.
The board came K 7 3 Q 2, however, and Azor’s pair of sevens eliminated both Harder and Grospellier. Harder finished in fourth place and earned $571,965 because he had the shorter stack. Grospellier finished in third place and earned $776,245.
There will now be a short break for the money presentation.
Ran Azor Eliminated in Second Place ($1,446,265)On the very first hand back from the break, Ran Azor raised to 800,000, and Yevgeniy Timoshenko moved all in. Azor quickly called with Q 10, and Timoshenko showed a superior A 3.
The flop rolled out Q J 7, and the audience groaned, knowing Azor was now a favorite to double up. The turn was the K, giving Timoshenko some outs to the straight.
The river was the 10, and Timoshenko hit his Broadway straight on the river, taking down the pot and the tournament. Azor finished in second place and earned $1,446,265.
Yevgeniy Timoshenko Wins 2009 WPT Championship ($2,149,960)
Here are the final results:
- Yevgeniy Timoshenko — $2,149,960
- Ran Azor — $1,446,265
- Bertrand Grospellier — $776,245
- Christian Harder — $571,965
- Shannon Shorr — $408,550
- Scotty Nguyen — $285,985
