The Inside Straight

Unfolding History: World Series of Poker Events No. 28 through 39
A Veteran Gets His 10th, a Kid Barely Misses
By Bob Pajich

After nearly two months of poker and more than 40 events, the World Series of Poker has awarded more bracelets than ever before. So many events took place that it spanned three issues of Card Player and basically the whole summer. Card Player writers stayed up late to, according to Harrah's, watch history unfold.

Phil Hellmuth, who is always aware of where he stands in poker history, indeed made some of his own by winning his 10th bracelet.

Joe Hachem proved that last year wasn't a fluke in the $2,500 pot-limit hold'em event, the same tourney that showed why John Gale is called "gentleman."

The toughest final table of the tournament took place in the $5,000 no-limit deuce-to-seven draw lowball event. It featured Card Player 2005 Player of the Year Men "The Master" Nguyen, former WSOP Champ Greg Raymer, former WSOP main-event runner-up David Williams, superpro Allen Cunningham, tough-as-nails Layne Flack, and equally tough Danny Alaei.

Erick Lindgren faced wonder boy Jeff Madsen at another final table, and an "Eskimo" tried to add more loot to his already impressive tournament purse against a table of pure sharks in the form of Eric Froehlich and Jeffrey Lisandro.

History indeed unfolded this summer. Consider the following to be our contribution to the record books with a summary of events No. 28 through 39.

Event No. 29 -
John Gale Wins
$2,500 Pot-Limit Hold'em Bracelet
By Alex Henriquez

Nine players, survivors of a 562-player starting field, convened at the $2,500 pot-limit hold'em final table for a shot at a World Series of Poker bracelet and the $374,849 first-place cash prize.

The chip counts going to the final table were as follows:
Alex Jacob - $524,000
Kevin Ho - $287,000
John Gale - $134,000
Lee Markholt - $128,000
Maros Lechman - $101,000
Greg Alston - $80,000
Lee Grove - $66,000
Joseph Hachem - $64,000
Jeffrey Roberson - $24,000

A few big names pulled up a seat, including Foxwoods Poker Classic runner-up Alex Jacob, veteran poker pro John Gale, and Joseph Hachem, who was making his second final-table appearance of the 2006 Series.

Play began with $4,000-$8,000 blinds, and exactly four minutes later, Greg Alston became the final table's first casualty. Alston went all in preflop with the K 4, but took a trip to the rail in ninth place ($25,852) when Kevin Ho's K 7 made two pair.

The next elimination came when Lee Markholt pushed all in preflop on a Ho raise. After a Ho call, Markholt showed the A 7 and Ho turned over the K 2. Ho flopped a pair of deuces, and Markholt went out in eighth place ($38,788) when his hand failed to improve.

After doubling up, Hachem moved two places closer to winning his second bracelet. Jeffrey Roberson finished in seventh place ($51,704) courtesy of Ho's pocket aces, and then Hachem did his own dirty work by taking Lee Grove out in sixth place ($64,630) with a pair of kings.

Hachem followed his elimination of Grove by taking down Jacob, the chip boss coming to the final table. Jacob watched his stack disappear as play progessed, and he eventually put the last of his chips in with the 9 4, only to have Hachem call him with pocket queens. Hachem flopped a set, and Jacob's day ended with a fifth-place finish ($77,556).

A nasty river card put the brakes on any hopes Hachem had for winning bracelet number two. He moved all in on a K 8 4 3 board. Gale called with the A 3 and Hachem had a big lead as he flipped up the K 9. The A river, however, gave Gale two pair, and he eliminated the 2005 WSOP champ in fourth place ($90,482).

Threehanded action lasted only … three hands. Ho, holding the J 9, missed his open-end straight draw after the K and 3 river completed the A 10 8 flop. Gale's A J sent Ho home as the third-place finisher ($103,408).

After three hours and 45 minutes of heads-up play, the $2,500 pot-limit hold'em event came to an end on the following hand: Maros Lechman made a $90,000 raise, and after a Gale call, he bet the pot in the dark. Gale moved all in on the 10 9 7 flop and Lechman called with the A 6. Gale's K 9 gave him the lead, and when the 5 and 2 came on the turn and the river, Gale eliminated Lechman from the tournament.

Lechman earned $197,768 for his second-place finish.

Gale, who finished second in last year's $5,000 pot-limit hold'em event, took home his first WSOP bracelet and $374,849 in prize money.

Event No. 30 -
Jeff Madsen
Captures $5,000 Shorthanded Title
By Alex Henriquez
The 2006 World Series of Poker, or The Young and the Restless? Jeff Madsen made his third final-table appearance of the tournament, in the $5,000 no-limit hold'em shorthanded event, and continued a trend of players on the young side of 23 vying for, and winning, WSOP bracelets.

Under normal circumstances, Erick Lindgren's final-table appearance would have been the big news of this event, but with Madsen at the table, normal went out the window. Already the youngest bracelet winner in WSOP history, Madsen entered action looking to trump his own record, and take an unprecedented second title.

The chip counts going to the final table were as follows:
Jonathan Gaskell - $727,000
Erick Lindgren - $448,000
Paul Foltyon - $438,000
Tom Franklin - $365,000
Tony Woods - $354,000
Jeff Madsen - $201,000

The first cards hit the air with $6,000-$12,000 blinds and $2,000 antes. Nearly an hour later, Paul Foltyon became the final table's first elimination, when, appearing to be on a bluff, he moved all in preflop with the 8 6. Jonathan Gaskell made the call and his A J held up, sending Foltyon to the rail in sixth place ($83,402).

The next time Gaskell tangled in an all-in pot, it was his chips that were in the pot. He came over the top of a Lindgren raise and appeared to be in good shape when he flipped over pocket kings and Lindgren showed the A K. With the J 8 7 4 board, Gaskell stood only one card away from doubling up, but the A saved Lindgren on the river and Gaskell's day ended in fifth place ($119,145).

Lindgren continued to live up to his billing as "most feared player at the table" with his elimination of Tony Woods in fourth place ($150,123). Lindgren's pocket jacks held up against Wood's A K, and the FullTilt team member moved one spot closer to winning his first bracelet.

Not to be outdone, Madsen stepped into the mix and provided the final elimination before heads-up play. On a 10 6 3 flop, Madsen called an all-in raise by Tom Franklin. Both players held a 10, but Madsen's king gave him a dominant lead over Franklin's queen kicker. The A turn and 7 river brought no help to Franklin, and the longtime poker pro exited in the number three spot ($214,461).

Lindgren went into heads-up action with a $680,000 chip lead. He fought off a push by Madsen that nearly equaled the stacks. Then, up more than $1 million, Lindgren put Madsen all in preflop and a classic race situation played out when Lindgren turned over the A K and Madsen flipped up pocket eights. The A 9 8 flop gave Madsen a set and Lindgren needed help. The 2 turn added outs with a flush draw, but when the 4 fell on the river, Madsen doubled up and took the lead.

Lindgren's hopes for a bracelet diminished as Madsen built his stack above the $2 million mark. With more than $70,000 of his chips already in the pot, Lindgren called an all-in raise by Madsen on a K Q 2 flop. Madsen held a pair with the Q 9 and Lindgren showed the A J. After the 5 turn, Lindgren had both a straight and flush draw, but he hit neither when the 3 came on the river.

Lindgren earned $357,435 for his runner-up finish.

Madsen, now with more than $1 million in WSOP winnings, thanks to the $643,381 cash prize, made history as the youngest player ever to win his second gold bracelet.

Event No. 31 -
Justin Scott Wins
$2,000 No-Limit Hold'em Bracelet
By Shawn Green

The nine remaining players in the $2,000 no-limit hold'em tournament were each looking to take home a coveted gold World Series of Poker bracelet and $842,262 first prize when they took their seats. However, the odds were against most of them, as Justin Scott had almost five times the chip stack of seven of his competitors, and had his closest rival covered by close to $700,000.

The chip counts going to the final table were:
Justin Scott - $1,500,000
Nathan Templeton - $832,000
Robert Bright - $324,000
Josh Wakeman - $319,000
Carl Olson - $301,000
Gregory Glass - $267,000
Bryan Micon - $224,000
Jason Johnson - $174,000
Farzad Rouhani - $133,000

Just over an hour into the action, Scott raised and Bryan Micon moved all in. Jason Johnson then moved all in for even more, and Scott folded. Micon showed the K K and Johnson turned over the A K. The board came A 4 3 5 A, and Micon was eliminated in ninth place ($74,620).

However, Johnson didn't have long to enjoy his newfound wealth, as he found himself all in preflop against Scott. Johnson flipped up the A Q and was dominated when he saw Scott's A K. The board improved neither player and Johnson earned $93,275 for his eighth-place finish.

The next elimination occurred in a battle of the blinds. Greg Glass moved all in from the small blind and was called all in by Josh Wakeman in the big blind. Glass showed the Q 7 and Wakeman turned over the A J for the lead. The flop was horrible news for Wakeman, as it came Q Q 8. The turn and river were no help when they put the 3 and the 2 on the board, and Wakeman busted out in seventh place for $111,930.

It took almost three hours for another player to be eliminated. On a flop of A 8 3, Carl "colson10" Olson pushed all in and was called by Scott, who showed the A 7 for top pair. Olson had only pocket sixes and was eliminated when the turn and river did not improve his hand. Olson took home $130,585 for his sixth-place finish.

Scott also eliminated Nathan Templeton 30 minutes later when his pocket deuces held up against Templeton's Q 10. Templeton pocketed $149,240 for his fifth-place finish, and Scott's chip stack had continued to grow. In fact, Scott's stack showed no signs of reaching a plateau, as he took out the next player.

Glass limped in from the small blind and Scott raised from the big blind. Glass then moved all in and was immediately called by Scott. Glass showed the K 10 and Scott turned over the A K. The board came K J 6 6 2 and Glass was eliminated in fourth place ($186,550).

Scott kept on rolling as both he and Farzad Rouhani called when Bob Bright pushed all in. Scott and Rouhani checked on every street as the board came J 9 5 9 8. Bright turned over A-6, but was trumped when Rouhani flipped up A-Q. However, they both were denied the pot, as Scott showed pocket threes for two pair. Bright was eliminated in third place ($261,170), while Scott dominated Rouhani with more than a 12-1 chip advantage.

Despite such a huge chip lead, it took 40 minutes for the final hand to be played. Rouhani called all in, not even able to cover Scott's big blind. Rouhani turned over the 8 8 and Scott showed the Q 6 and would need to improve. And he did just that when the board came A Q 6 4 3, for two pair. Rouhani earned $429,065 for his second-place finish.

Justin Scott took home the gold bracelet and $842,262.

Event No. 32 -
Jason Lester Wins $5,000 Pot-Limit Hold'em Bracelet
By Shawn Green

Going to the final table of the $5,000 pot-limit hold'em event, there was no outrageous front-runner for the title.

The chip counts as play began were as follows:
Alan Sass - $431,000
Michael Tedesco - $278,000
Tommy Smith - $238,000
Jason Lester - $222,000
Stuart Fox - $214,000
Tony Hartmann - $163,000
Kirill Gerasimov - $124,000
Gregg Turk - $122,000
Emad Tahtouh - $97,000

The action was fast, as the first elimination took place just five hands into play. Emad Tahtouh raised from middle position and Kirill Gerasimov reraised from late position. Tommy Smith then reraised again from the button. Tahtouh folded and Gerasimov called all in, turning over the A K. Smith flipped up the Q Q for the lead, and the board came Q 3 2 2 4. Smith won the pot with a full house, eliminating Gerasimov in ninth place ($35,532).

It would take approximately another half-hour before the next player busted out. Alan Sass raised from early position and was faced with a reraise from Smith in the cutoff seat. Sass just called, and the flop came Q 6 2. Both players checked, and the turn put the A on the board. This ace sent both players into a frenzy, as Sass bet out, Smith raised, Sass moved all in, and Smith called all in. Smith turned over the 6 6 for a flopped set. Sass topped that when he turned over the Q Q for a better set. The river was a blank, the J, and Smith was eliminated in eighth place ($53,298).

By this point, Sass had a commanding chip lead over the field. His next-closest rival, Michael Tedesco, narrowed the gap, however. Tahtouh called all in preflop against Tedesco and turned over the K 5. He would need help, however, when he saw Tedesco's A J. Things didn't look good when Tedesco spiked an ace on the flop, and it was all over when a jack hit on the river, giving Tedesco two pair to bust out Tahtouh in seventh place ($71,064). With this win, Tedesco cut Sass' chip advantage significantly.

Gregg Turk was the next to go when he got all in preflop against Jason Lester. Turk turned over the A Q and was in a virtual coin-flip situation against Lester's pocket eights. Lester's eights held up and Turk finished in sixth ($88,830).

The next elimination took place when Stuart Fox raised from the button and Tedesco reraised all in from the big blind. Fox called and turned over the A 8 and found he was dominated when Tedesco showed the A Q. The flop was a good one for Fox when it came 8 7 4 to give him the lead with a pair of eights, and the turn and river did not help Tedesco. Fox raked in the pot and eliminated Tedesco in fifth place ($106,596).

The next elimination was a little more complicated, requiring a floorman's intervention. Tony Hartmann raised from the button and Sass reraised from the big blind. Hartmann then reraised, and Sass called. Sass then mistakenly turned up his hand (9 9), thinking Hartmann was all in. The floorman gave Sass a choice: muck his hand or take a two-round penalty after the hand. Sass chose the second option and the hand continued. The flop came 10 7 2 and Sass bet out. Hartmann called all in, turning up the A K, and Sass again flipped up his nines. The turn and river were no help to Hartmann, who was eliminated in fourth place ($124,362).

Sass was now way ahead of the competition with $1,290,000 compared to Fox's $365,000 and Lester's $245,000.

The chip gap between Lester and Sass narrowed slightly over the next few hands, until Lester pushed all in preflop and was called by Sass. Sass turned over the A J and found he would need to improve against Lester's pocket sevens. He did just that when the flop came J 6 3, giving him top pair, top kicker. Lester needed a 7 on the turn or river to catch up and survive. A miracle 7 hit on the turn, putting Lester back in the lead and leaving Sass drawing dead. Lester doubled up to take a $100,000 chip lead.

An hour later, Fox pushed all in preflop against Lester and showed the K 3. Lester flipped up the A 9 for the lead. The board helped neither player and Fox was eliminated in third place ($142,128). This put Lester and Sass heads up. Lester chipped away at Sass for the next hour until the final hand.

On a flop of 9 3 2, Sass bet and Lester raised. Sass moved all in and Lester made the call. Sass showed the 6 4 for a gutshot-straight draw, and Lester turned over the 9 7 for top pair. The turn was the Q and the river was the K. Lester won the pot and eliminated Sass, who pocketed $284,256 for second place.

Jason Lester won the WSOP bracelet and $550,746.

Event No. 33 -
James Richburg Captures $1,500 Razz Title
By Shawn Green

Going to the final table of the $1,500 razz event, the approximate chip counts were as follows:

Juan Carlos Mortensen - $118,000
James Richburg - $115,000
Ron Ritchie - $80,000
"Miami" John Cernuto - $55,000
Steven Diano - $50,000
Richard Sklar - $35,000
Cliff Josephy - $27,000
Jamie Brooks - $22,000

A series of raises and reraises put Jamie Brooks all in against James Richburg. Richburg's final board showed 2-4-4-5-5-8-Q. Brooks' cards through sixth street were A-2-2-4-4-10, and any nonpairing card other than a king or a queen on seventh street would save him from elimination. Brooks' river card was a king to bust him out in eighth place ($13,957).

Just 10 minutes later, "Miami" John Cernuto raised all in preflop, showing a 3. Steven Diano called, showing a deuce. Cernuto's complete board read 3-7-8-9-J-Q-Q, for a jack low, while Diano's was A-2-6-7-8-10-K, for an 8 low and the pot. Cernuto was eliminated in seventh place ($19,540).

Richard Sklar was crippled when he lost a three-way pot between Juan Carlos Mortensen, Cliff Josephy, and himself. Josephy won the pot with a 7 low, and Sklar was down to only $1,500. He went all in on the next hand. Mortensen eliminated him with a jack low when Sklar could manage only a queen low. Sklar walked away with $25,123 for his sixth-place finish.

It was another three hours before Mortensen dealt his next blow. Ron Ritchie moved all in on fourth street and was called by Mortensen, whose 10-low was good enough to eliminate Ritchie ($30,706).

Shortly thereafter, Josephy was all in on fourth street and eventually made a jack low with 2-2-5-6-9-9-J, giving Richburg the pot when he made an 8 low, A-3-4-7-8-Q-Q. Josephy pocketed $39,080 for his fourth-place showing.

The momentum continued as the next elimination took place just 15 minutes later when Richburg busted Diano in third place ($61,411).

Richburg then began a lengthy heads-up match with Mortensen. Their match lasted more than two hours, with blinds and antes being traded regularly and both winning some large pots. Richburg finally gained some momentum after crippling Mortensen over the span of a few hands, and Mortensen eventually pushed his remaining chips into the middle. Richburg called and showed 3-4-6-8-9-3-6, while Mortensen briefly showed and mucked a worse low. Mortensen was eliminated in second place ($94,908), just out of reach of winning his third bracelet.

James Richburg was awarded $139,576 and a gold bracelet for his efforts.

Event No. 34 -
Phil Hellmuth a Perfect 10 in $1,000 No-Limit Hold'em Rebuy Event
By Alex Henriquez

In the $1,000 no-limit hold'em rebuy event, the players and chip counts going to the final table were as follows:
Phil Hellmuth Jr. - $768,000
Daryn Firicano - $450,000
Juha Helppi - $436,000
Ralph Perry - $235,000
Terris Preston - $164,000
John Spadavecchia - $122,000
David Plastik - $121,000
Elio Cabrera - $95,000
Antanas "Tony G" Guoga - $77,000

The cards hit the air with $4,000-$8,000 blinds and $1,000 antes. Antanas "Tony G" Guoga entered play needing to make a move in order to survive. He pushed all in for $66,000 from the cutoff and received a call from Elio Cabrera. Tony G's Q 2 was almost a 2-1 underdog to Cabrera's A 10. The J 7 6 5 4 board offered Tony G no help, and he exited the tournament in ninth place ($46,805).

A battle of pocket pairs decided the next elimination when Ralph Perry called an all-in preflop reraise by Hellmuth. His 9 9 made him an instant dog to Hellmuth's J J. Hellmuth hit a set on the flop, and sent Perry home as the eighth-place finisher ($70,207).

Hellmuth followed the Perry elimination by again using a dominant pocket pair to take an opponent out. This time, David Plastik, all in preflop, held pocket jacks (J J), only to have Hellmuth call with the A A. The pocket rockets stayed true, which meant a seventh-place finish for Plastik ($93,610) and one more dangerous obstacle out of the way for Hellmuth.

If Hellmuth cleared a bit more of the path by busting Plastik, he stepped into a trap with the next elimination. After a K Q 9 flop, Hellmuth called an all-in reraise by Cabrera. Holding the J 10, Cabrera appeared in perfect position to double up through Hellmuth and his K 5. The 2 turn and 7 river made Hellmuth jump out of his seat and collapse to the floor. The runner-runner diamond flush bested Cabrera's straight and he hit the rail as the sixth-place finisher ($117,012).

After the hand, Hellmuth took the tournament director's microphone and made an announcement that Cabrera outplayed him and deserved to win the pot.

Veteran pro John Spadavecchia ended Hellmuth's streak of knockouts by making Terris Preston the final table's fifth-place finisher ($140,414). Spadavecchia called Preston's all-in raise on the Q 5 4 flop, and his Q 7 top pair held up against Preston's K J flush draw.

Fourhanded play lasted three hours, with the smaller stacks trading potshots and Hellmuth maintaining his $1 million chip lead.
Spadavecchia took some hits and moved all in for his remaining $73,000 from the button. Hellmuth re-entered the bust-out business when his A 10 put him ahead of Spadavecchia's Q 8. The A A 9 6 4 board gave Hellmuth trip aces, and Spadavecchia exited in the No. 4 spot ($163,817).

If Hellmuth's elimination of Spadavecchia brought him one step closer to history, Helppi and Firicano made sure that further forward progress would not be easy. Firicano doubled up through Hellmuth, and Helppi won enough pots to snatch the chip lead.

The Finnish poker pro then eliminated Firicano in third place ($187,219). Helppi's A 8 and Firicano's K Q both missed the J 8 7 4 3 board, and the lone ace proved to be enough to send the final table into heads-up action.

The chip counts for the two players were as follows:
Juha Helppi - $1,650,000
Phil Hellmuth - $850,000

With his opponent approaching $2 million in chips, Hellmuth pushed all in with the 5 5. After several minutes of thought, Helppi called and showed the A 6. The K J 5 flop gave Hellmuth a set of fives. The Q turn made Helppi's diamond flush and silenced the crowd chanting, "Ten! Ten! Ten!" Knowing Hellmuth was dead to a paired board or the case 5, Helppi stood back and prepared to celebrate. Instead, he clutched his chair to keep from falling when the Q spiked on the river. Hellmuth briefly walked off the stage with his fists in the air, now down by only $100,000 in chips.

Hellmuth followed up the miracle full house by doubling up when his pocket kings (K K) held up against Helppi's A 10.

Finally, Helppi pushed all in preflop. His A 9 and Hellmuth's call with the A J sent the crowd into another frenzy of "Ten! Ten! Ten!" chants. At his third final table, his third shot at history, a K Q 8 6 2 board gave Hellmuth the victory and his record-tying 10th gold bracelet.

Helppi's runner-up finish netted him $331,144.

Hellmuth admitted to having doubts about winning his 10th, saying that he felt exhausted after a month of tournament action. And by the way, he also pocketed $631,863.

Event No. 35 -
Patrick Poels Wins $1,000 Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better Bracelet
By Alex Henriquez

The $1,000 seven-card stud eight-or-better event marked the fourth final-table appearance of the 2006 World Series of Poker for Jeff Madsen. Despite being the short stack coming into action, fans crowded along the rails to see if the 21-year-old could win his third gold bracelet.

The chip counts of the eight remaining players were as follows:
Greg Dinkin - $259,000
Rod Pardey - $210,000
William "Bill" Edler - $191,000
Mark Bershad - $110,000
Patrick Poels - $109,000
Hoyt Verner - $103,000
Leo Fasen - $102,000
Jeff Madsen - $99,000

The cards hit the air and shortly after the starting time, the action moved to $3,000 antes, $3,000 bring-ins, and $8,000-$16,000 limits.

Mark Bershad provided the first elimination. His two pair and 7 low scooped the pot against Leo Fasen's pair of queens, and Fasen hit the rail in eighth place ($17,927).

Fifteen minutes later, Bershad continued to shorten the field when his ace-high diamond flush bested Rod Pardey's trip kings. Pardey exited the tournament as the seventh-place finisher ($25,098).

Hoyt Verner then became the second player to exit via a flush. He moved all in when showing the A A J 7 6, and Greg Dinkin called with the Q 10 9 5 2. The A sixth street and 5 seventh street offered Verner no help, and Dinkin's flush sent Verner home in sixth place ($32,269).

After losing a big pot to Madsen, Bill Edler moved all in with a straight draw against Patrick Poels. Poels made two pair on sixth street and Edler's missed straight made him the fifth-place finisher ($39,439).

With two eliminations to his name, Bershad was an integral part of the next one, except that he was on the receiving end. His jacks and tens ran into Dinkin's aces and fours. Not making the low, Bershad's day ended with a fourth-place finish ($49,479).

Madsen's run at a record-tying third bracelet in one Series then came to an end. The player being called "boy wonder" survived most of the night on a short stack, but finally went down when his pair of jacks ran into Poels' pair of aces. The third-place finish ($65,971) gave Madsen two first-place and two third-place finishes in the 2006 WSOP.

In a heads-up match that saw few hands go beyond fourth street, the turning point occurred when Dinkin, showing the 8 8 3 3, mucked his holecards to Poels' (A K 5 2) set of kings. The pot put Poels over $1 million and left Dinkin with less than $200,000 in chips.

Short-stacked, Dinkin pushed all in with the 10 9 7 5 showing, and Poels made the call while showing the K Q Q J. After the river card, Poels called his hand as a pair of queens with no low. Dinkin showed a pair of nines as his best hand, and Poels eliminated him from the tournament.

Dinkin's second-place finish paid $102,542 in prize money.

Poels, who won last year's $1,500 Omaha eight-or-better event, took home his second WSOP bracelet and $172,091.

Event No. 36 -
Victor Perches Walks Away With
$1,500 Limit Hold'em Shootout Bracelet
By Alex Henriquez

The $1,500 limit hold'em shootout started with 524 participants spread out over more than 50 tables. The 10-handed sit-and-go format saw the field whittled down until only six players remained, each with a shot at a $157,338 first-place cash prize and a gold World Series of Poker bracelet.

The players involved in final-table action were:
Ralph "Rep" Porter
Anders Henriksson
Marianno Garcia
Victoriano "Victor" Perches
Tom Schneider
Arnold Spee

All players started with $150,000 in chips and play began with $1,000-$2,000 blinds and $2,000-$4,000 limits.

Marianno Garcia became the first player picked off in the shootout. Just under three hours into play, and after a series of raises, he pushed all in on a 10 7 3 flop. Rep Porter called, and Garcia's A 10 top pair put him in a huge hole against Porter's A J flush. Garcia's hand failed to improve and he exited play in sixth place ($17,882).

Another flush was responsible for the next elimination. After calling a preflop all-in raise, Arnold Spee's 9 6 needed help against Tom Schneider's K 3. The A 8 7 6 2 board gave Spee the heart flush and sent Schneider home as the fifth-place finisher ($28,610).

An Anders Henriksson full house, sixes full of threes, crippled Porter, and he moved all in from the big blind on the next hand. With his remaining chips in the pot, Porter found his 10 8 up against Victoriano "Victor" Perches' A 4. The A Q 8 flop gave both players a pair. The aces held up for Perches, and Porter's day ended with a fourth-place finish ($39,339).

Players entered threehanded action nearly equal in chips, but Spee took down a number of pots and built a $250,000 lead.
Perches closed the gap with his elimination of Henriksson in third ($50,068). Perches's K 10 made two pair on the K 9 7 6 6 board, crushing Henriksson's A 8.

Spee lost his chip lead only a few minutes after action went heads up when Perches dragged a big pot with top pair. Once in front, Perches never looked back. He flopped trip sevens to crack pocket nines, leaving Spee with $100,000 in chips.

The hand crippled the 2005 World Poker Championship winner, and the tournament ended on the following hand: With an A J 9 flop, Perches bet $15,000 and Spee called. Perches reraised Spee all in on the 6, and Perches raked in the final pot of the day.

Spee netted $78,679 for his runner-up finish.

Perches, a limit hold'em specialist with two previous WSOP cashes, took home his first bracelet and $157,338.

Event No. 37 -
James Gorham Captures $1,500 No-Limit Hold'em Title
By Alex Henriquez

On the eve of the $10,000 main event, nine players gathered for the $1,500 no-limit hold'em final table. While the "big one" would boast a field of more than 8,000 entrants, these participants were survivors of a 2,803-player starting field.

The chip counts going into final-table action were as follows:
Osman Kibar - $796,000
Nick Ronyecz - $789,000
James Gorham - $717,000
Peter Dalhuijsen - $477,000
Miff Fagerlie - $367,000
Age Spets - $316,000
George Christian - $262,000
Jason Strasser - $254,000
Mohammad Ilyas - $252,000

With a gold World Series of Poker bracelet and $765,226 first-place prize on the line, the action started with $8,000-$16,000 blinds and $2,000 antes.

The first elimination came a mere seven minutes into play. Peter Dalhuijsen moved over the top of an Osman Kibar raise on an A Q J 9 board and Kibar called. Dalhuijsen's A Q gave him top two pair, but Kibar had him dominated with the J J flopped set. No help arrived, and Dalhuijsen bowed out of action in ninth place ($72,313).

The win put Kibar well over the $1 million mark. While Jason Strasser did not have the same kind of stack as Kibar, he did have enough to make George Christian the next elimination.

Strasser, on the button, called an all-in raise by Christian before the flop. A classic race situation developed as Christian showed the 4 4 and Strasser flipped over the A Q. A queen on the river gave Strasser the win and Christian an eighth-place finish ($89,531).

The bouncer soon became the bounced when Strasser's pocket jacks ran into the pocket aces of James Gorham. The A 7 2 flop all but ended any hope for Strasser, and he ended the day as the seventh-place finisher ($108,661).

The day's second race situation featured Miff Fagerlie's 9 9 versus Mohammad Ilyas' A J. All in before the flop, Fagerlie exited tournament play in sixth place ($128,174) after the A 6 3 2 2 board paired Ilyas' ace.

The next elimination featured a battle of three pocket pairs. After an Age Spets all-in raise, and a 9 6 5 flop, Nick Ronyecz also pushed all in and Kibar called. Spets flipped over the K K, Kibar showed the Q Q, and Ronyecz turned over the J J. Spets' kings held, tripling him up, and Kibar's queens knocked Ronyecz to the rail in fifth place ($153,044).

Spets lost the majority of his chips to an Ilyas ace-high straight; he then pushed the rest of his stack in with the K K and appeared to be in good shape to double up when Kibar called with the 10 9. The 9 4 4 2 board gave Spets a dominant two pair, but a 9 came on the river, and Kibar eliminated Spets in fourth place ($178,296) with a full house.

Twelve minutes after the players returned from the dinner break, the field narrowed down to the final two. With a series of raises between them, Ilyas pushed all in on Gorham preflop. Gorham's Q Q gave him the lead over Ilyas' A J. The K 10 9 6 3 board sealed Ilyas' fate, and he finished the tournament in third place ($228,800).

That pot loaded Gorham with nearly $3,000,000 in chips, putting him well ahead of Kibar's $1,220,000.

After six hands that failed to go beyond the flop, Kibar fired a $90,000 bet and Gorham called. A 10 6 6 flop drew a $150,000 bet out of Kibar, and he moved all in on the 7 turn. Gorham immediately made the call. Kibar flipped over pocket kings, for two pair, but Gorham trumped him with the 7 6, a full house. The Q that fell on the river proved to be the last card of the $1,500 no-limit hold'em event.

Kibar's second-place finish was good for a $420,870 payday.

Gorham, a San Diego native with $27,063 in lifetime winnings, earned $765,226 and took home his first W