World Poker Tour Championship - Season Four, Part II: Records and Riches

In Part I (available at CardPlayer.com), I highlighted the preliminary action at the recently concluded World Poker Tour (WPT) Championship. Since the players left the starting gate in two flights, each of the six survivors competed for five days. During the 37 hours of actual play, 95 competitors hit the Bellagio cashiers cage for more than $6.59 million in prize payouts after being eliminated. That leaves approximately $8 million for the six finalists to vie for, and there are no deals allowed at WPT events.

Before we move to some terrific final-table action and learn who will walk away with the winner's share ($3,760,165), the WPT deserves a few words. The strong contributor to poker mania continues to garner fan popularity and establish player attendance records. Set enhancements, event additions, and a solid staff combine for great televised gaming entertainment. Speaking of set modifications, stay tuned for a completely new production look next year. In founder and CEO Steve Lipscomb's words, "This set is gonna kick ass."

Looking back at season four, players began at The Mirage in May 2005. Many traveled tens of thousands of miles by land, air, and sea to participate in one or more of the 17 tour stops during the 2005-2006 campaign. Partners of the WPT, such as Bellagio, distributed a total of approximately $85 million in prize money. As esteemed announcer Mike Sexton loves to tell us, "There's a new millionaire made each week on the WPT." Well, Mike, there will be three new (or enhanced) millionaires when the chips settle tonight (this event will be telecast via the Travel Channel on June 28). So, let's find out who the new deep-pocket players will be, and which one will succeed past winners Alan Goehring, Martin de Knijff, and reigning champ Tuan Le.

Here are the players, their seating arrangement for tonight's battle, and their remaining chips:

I catch Men "The Master" Nguyen prior to the start of play. He is happy to have survived 599 players, and talks about his short-stack situation: "I'm low in chips. I can't sit around with blinds this high and just wait for a hand. Lee, tell your readers, when they are short, they can't be scared to play. If they find a hand, they should go all in."

The Master, as usual, is in tune with the situation. We will begin play with the blinds at $60,000-$120,000, and every player will ante $15,000. That means an orbit will cost each competitor $270,000. If Nguyen were to wait for a big hand, he would be blinded down quickly. With each loss of a black and yellow $25,000 chip, Men's eventual all-in raise would become less threatening.

Hand No. 1: At 4:31 p.m., following player introductions, the button is placed in front of Roland De Wolfe. The Londoner has dark hair. He is dressed in dark jeans and a black shirt. Based on this millennium's poker accessory trends, I'm somewhat surprised that none of our players sport a pair of sunglasses or a cap. I recall both James Van Alstyne and Joe Bartholdi wearing shades on previous days. Van Alstyne makes a minimum raise from under the gun and takes down the pot. Note that the Las Vegan invested only $120,000 to win $270,000 (including his ante). Since players rarely want to go out on the first hand of a televised final table, I like the chip leader's play from a risk/reward perspective.

Hand No. 2: After David Matthew folds, Bartholdi, a former dealer who is comfortably dressed in a dark T-shirt under a brown zipper sweatshirt, raises $230,000 and picks up the blinds and antes. Now a Las Vegan, Joe is originally from San Diego.

Hand No. 3: With Claus Nielsen (blond hair, black Martin's Poker logo polo shirt) on the button, Joe again raises (this time $330,000, to $450,000). He wins uncontested.

Hand No. 4: I'll use first names during hand descriptions from this point on to help familiarize you with the players. In addition, on June 28, in-house announcers Linda Johnson and Jack McClelland will refer to the players by their first names.

We see our initial flop after Claus, who won his way into this event via satellite, raises to $385,000 from the cutoff seat (one to the right of the button), James calls, and Joe decides to play. Joe observes the 4 4 3 flop and leads with $600,000. Claus folds. James, dressed in black from neck to foot, pushes to $1.6 million. Joe calls. After the A is turned, Joe checks and James bets $1.4 million. Joe contemplates for 37 seconds with his hands by his chin. He calls. Joe gently pounds the table with his right fist when the river card (6) arrives. Will James fire again? After 40 seconds, he checks. Joe tables pocket eights and rakes in a monstrous $7.3 million pot after James mucks his hand. The ace worked as a blocker for Joe. The powerful turn card (combined with Joe's $1.4 million scary call on the turn) prevented James from making an all-in continuation bet on the river. The lesson: An ace can be your ally in several ways.

Hand No. 15: After moving in for $1.1 million and winning without showing four hands ago, Men pushes all of his chips forward 45 minutes into play. Claus calls quickly and reveals the Q Q. He has Men's tens crushed (Men rates to win only 18 times in 100 tries). The crowd screams, "10, 10, 10," to no avail. The board comes A 9 5 8 K. Men rises, waves to his fans, and heads to Courtney Friel, who will conduct a brief interview. Does Men know how to find the cashier? The Master has 223 tourney cashes from January 2000 to present, and many were at Bellagio. The four-time Card Player Player of the Year is an extraordinary competitor.

Hand No. 17: Claus raises to $360,000 from under the gun (UTG). James calls. With only $1.8 million (6 percent of the chips in play) remaining, and in the big blind, Roland decides his best course of action is to move in preflop. He takes down the pot. Roland didn't want to call and go up against two players in this situation. He returns his cards facedown. I expect to see a hand such as 9-9 when we view the show on June 28.

Hand No. 27: After posting his big blind, Roland has $1,765,000. Claus mucks. James moves all in. Holding the K 6, our former chip leader certainly doesn't want callers. He is not pleased when Roland rapidly rams his chips into the pot and turns over the K K. James' hand is dominated. He rates to win only 12 times in 100 tries. The flop gives the Las Vegan hope. He needs an 8 for a straight and running spades for a flush. But the 5 and 3 take James ever so close to the felt. He has, literally, a chip (one red $10,000 check) and a chair. The 2004 WPPA (World Poker Player Association) champion's four opponents hold an aggregate $30,185,000. Joe knocks James out during the next hand.

Let's take a look at the current, approximate chip counts, and how many pots each has won after 28 hands:

Not only has Joe won the most hands, he has been our most active player. David, as he did when I watched him play yesterday, has come over the top most frequently. He likes to put players to the test for big chunks of their stacks. Roland has been our least involved participant of those remaining.

Hand No. 29: Playing fourhanded with the blinds at $100,000-$200,000 and antes at $20,000, these combatants will not need a premium hand to play aggressively. After two folds, Claus tosses $100,000 in from the small blind. David passes on his option to raise from the big blind. Both check the 10 5 5 flop. The dealer burns and turns the 2. After six seconds, Claus bets $400,000. I like this bet. David is either trapping or he missed the flop. His check (in position) on the flop tells us that. Now, a card that rates to add nothing to either man's hand arrives. Often, the first player to move chips wins the pot when neither has connected. But David, after an eight-second thought process, announces, "Raise." He sends $1 million forward. Claus takes a mere four seconds to say, "I'm all in." He tells Linda that he has $6,385,000.

The action has been rapid-fire for the last two days. I estimate that 90 percent of the decisions have taken less than 10 seconds. Business mogul and TV star Donald Trump tells us, "Be decisive, but don't be so quick that you make a mistake." Did Claus act too quickly? Will he be gone in 60 seconds? It appears that David will be taking his time. He begins to play with his chips. His left hand covers his chin and left cheek. Now, he folds his hands in front of his face a la Chris "Jesus" Ferguson. David is dressed in black. He wears a ParadisePoker.net polo shirt. David folds after 99 seconds. I have no read on Claus. I'll be interested to see if he held a 5. I believe he did.

Hand No. 31: Claus is first to act. He raises $530,000. After two folds, Roland seems interested. It takes him only five seconds to announce, "All in." While Claus thinks, he asks for a count on Roland's checks. Roland turns to Linda, who determines he has $3,550,000. Claus calls and shows the 7 7. I'm surprised to see that relatively weak hand, based on the betting and Roland's image. I suppose Claus put Roland on A-K and figured, if so, his pocket pair would be the favorite. But Roland is in great shape with the J J. Neither player improves and Roland doubles up. When Men departed, Roland had only $1.8 million. He has done a nice job of picking his spots for major confrontations.

Hand No. 32: David raises to $500,000 from UTG. After Joe folds, both players in the blinds enter the pot. All three check the flop of 10 4 2. Frank, our dealer, provides the 2. Roland checks. Claus quickly places $700,000 in front of him. David immediately raises all in (about $6 million more). Roland folds quickly, and Claus mucks after 37 seconds.

Hand No. 33: It appears that David has decided to play "big ball." He check-raises all in, forcing Joe to fold. We've seen an inordinate number of all-in moves, considering that the blinds are a minute percentage of the chips in play. Of course, players might be looking ahead, realizing the blinds and antes move up every hour at WPT final tables.

Yesterday, I found out that David incorrectly thought he was scheduled to play in the second starting flight (on Wednesday). On Tuesday, he and his wife toured Las Vegas. After an early dinner, he decided to visit the Fontana Lounge to see how the first flight was making out. At that time, he learned that he was a player in the first tier, and had been blinded down for six hours. He immediately took his seat, counted his $44,000 in chips, and, as we now know, made up for lost time. How's that for a fortuitous mistake?

Between Hands No. 52 and 53: It's 7:22 p.m. and we have some technical problems, so I'll be able to get an accurate chip count. Joe, with mother, father, sister, brother, and many friends in attendance, leads with $10.3 million. David ($8.6 million), Claus ($5.8 million), and Roland ($5.4 million) all are very much in contention. Although we have no small stacks, the blinds have moved to $150,000-$300,000 with $30,000 antes, and three of these players have been very active, so I expect some fast play.

Hand No. 54: Roland mucks. Claus raises $800,000 from the button. With $570,000 in each pot preflop, this size raise will not elevate any eyebrows. Joe wants to see a flop. The two players study the 9 7 2. Joe checks. I expect Claus to bet, but he taps the table. That's a poker green light for Joe. I assume he will bet any turn card, with the possible exception of an ace. He fires $1 million after the 7 arrives. Claus is game. The river puts a third diamond on the board (the queen). Claus decides his hand is worth a $2 million wager. Joe wants all of Claus' chips. He moves in for an additional $4.1 million. Claus calls quickly, being pot-committed and not having nearly $4.1 million left (I think he had about $1.5 million remaining). Joe shows a flush (the K 9, or possibly the K 10) and wins. Claus, after showing A-Q, leaves with $659,120, by far the best tournament take of his life. Joe, the benefactor of a perfect river card, regains the lead.

Hand No. 61: Playing threehanded, the button player acts first. David folds, as does Joe. Thus, Roland wins in a walkover, also known as a groundskinner. The players have been so contentious that this is our first walkover in the two and a half hours of play.

Hand No. 72: David, a small-business owner and amateur poker player, raises to $900,000 and takes the pot. Since Claus left, only 17 hands have been contested in an hour's time, due to another technical difficulty - the sound system is acting up. Roland has opened up his game and pulled in six pots, the same number as David. Joe has taken five hands.

Hand No. 73: Just when I'm thinking this three-way battle may have long legs, Joe raises to $900,000 and Roland indicates he's all in for a total of $5,425,000. Joe calls quickly and shows red queens. Roland tables red sixes. Mike Sexton is undoubtedly telling the viewers that Joe's cards have blocked Roland from making a winning flush. In fact, the 2004 WPT Grand Prix de Paris champ is an 81-19 underdog. The first four community cards are the Q 8 5 4. The four sevens are Roland's out cards, but the river is a 3. After Men departed, Roland had only $1.8 million. He did a nice job of building to a more threatening position, picking his spots, and maneuvering into a $1,025,205 prize.

Hand No. 74: Our only two players with facial hair begin their heads-up battle with Joe holding a $21.7 million to $8.4 million advantage. They played for many hours yesterday in reverse positions (Joe sitting to the immediate right of David). The two competitors had several interesting battles involving shown bluffs, so I anticipate fast action as we start heads-up play precisely five hours after our first hand was dealt. It's hard to get a chip count because Joe usually keeps his chips in uneven, tall stacks, reminiscent of the landscape in Las Vegas. The city has grown far and wide. Now, unless the gambling mecca expands to the foot of the mountains, Vegas must grow vertically - and high-rise condos are the order of the decade.

David, realizing that he needs to make up ground, comes out firing. The man from Toronto wins the first three hands. Joe halts his streak by taking hand No. 77. The blinds go up after that hand (to $250,000-$500,000). The combatants are each anteing the same amount of chips as they started with seven days ago - $50,000.

Hand No. 94: The competitors have each won 10 heads-up hands. David limps in from his small blind/button position. Joe knuckles the felt, and the dealer shows us the K J 6. Both check. Joe bets a feeler-type $700,000 after the 8 arrives on the turn. David feels strong, and raises $1.3 million. Joe announces, "Raise." But, before he can either verbally declare the amount of his raise or push his chips, David pre-empts the action. The Canadian tells Jack McClelland that he's all in. Joe looks up at Jack with an inquiring expression. Jack tells us that Joe must make at least the minimum raise ($1.3 million). Joe counts out $1.3 million, pushes the chips forward, and mucks his cards.

Hand No. 100: We have passed the 10 p.m. hour. The $25,000 chips are being removed. The blinds will now be set at an action-inspiring $400,000-$800,000 with Joe and David posting $100,000 antes. I can't recall WPT preflop pot money being more than $1.4 million in previous events. Despite having split the 26 heads-up hands, David has pulled to within $2.6 million of his opponent by winning the larger pots. After David limps in from the button, Joe turns up the heat with a $2.4 million raise. David gets out of his way.

Hand No. 116: Now in our seventh hour of play, Joe has pulled away in the heads-up hands-won battle (by a 25-17 count). His chip lead is $18.4 million to $11.8 million. David is on the button. He completes to $800,000. Joe is willing to see the cheap flop of A 9 8. David quickly fires the minimum bet ($800,000) after Joe checks. It takes Joe 16 seconds to put $2.8 million in front of the yellow oval line around the table that separates playing with chips behind the demarcation and betting by placing chips in front of the line. After the same interval, David announces that he is reraising all in. Another 22 seconds pass until Joe calls. Based on the betting and Joe's relatively rapid call of David's last $7.3 million, I expect two strong hands, so I am surprised to see David's 10 4 flush draw and Joe's 9-5 (middle pair, ugly kicker). The made hand is a small favorite. The 2 improves Joe's win probability to just under 73 percent. An ace (diamonds) on the river is the last card dealt in this great event. The players still have some enjoyable work ahead - completing forms and cashing in. David will take home $1,903,950. His previous best poker payday was $10,400.

After getting into tournament play six years ago, Joe has been gently knocking on the door to poker riches for the last two years. Tonight, at 159 pounds soaking wet, he smashed the door off its hinges with a $3,760,165 well-deserved payout.

Let's chronologically review how Bartholdi took down this tough field. After his first day of play, the 26-year-old resided in 123rd place with $81,850, a $25 chip less than Phil Hellmuth Jr. When the two flights combined, Joe moved up to 106th place, bagging $124,700. With 71 players remaining, he climbed to a respectable 36th place with $363,000 in chips. The following day, the field was reduced to 19, and Joe soared to fifth place, holding $2,350,000. The song composer who is just as comfortable with guitar in hand as he is shuffling chips moved up to second place with $7,135,000 (23.6 percent of the checks in play) when the final six were formed. When his 604 opponents had been relieved of their chips, Joe sat behind $30,195,000 in chips and a beautiful trophy emblematic of the season four WPT Championship. The victory will net Joe approximately $2,467,389 after federal income tax.