History in the Making: Andreas Walnum Wins World Poker Tour Festa al Lago Title

Few poker venues rival Bellagio in terms of reputation and popularity. Home turf of the famous "big game," site of the Five-Diamond World Poker Classic and the World Poker Tour Championship, among other major tournaments, Bellagio just might be poker's equivalent of Lambeau Field.

And now, it might mean more (sorry, "cheese-heads").

Bellagio became the host of yet another major tournament with the addition of the Festa al Lago tournament to the World Poker Tour's season five schedule. The $10,000 buy-in event attracted 433 players, a field so large that tournament personnel utilized space in both the casino's Fontana Bar and poker room to house the action.

From Oct. 16 to Oct. 20, pros, amateurs, and the online versions of both converged at Bellagio to play for a WPT title, a $25,000 entry into the World Poker Tour Championship, and a $1,090,025 first-place prize.

Day One - Two-Room Tussle
Making its World Poker Tour circuit debut, as a replacement for the Doyle Brunson North American Poker Championship, Festa al Lago started players with $20,000 stacks and $50-$100 blinds.

Split between the Fontana Bar and the poker room, the field saw a number of big-name players bow out early in the action. While some pros fell, current Card Player Player of the Year (POY) points leader Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi ascended the leader board - one win at a time. "No big hands; I've just made a lot of great value bets with third pair," Mizrachi told Card Player. Despite feeling game fatigue after taking several months off, Mizrachi cited his run at the Player of the Year award as his motivation to play well. "I'm trying to win it," the AbsolutePoker pro stated, "[I've been] leading since February, so why would I stop now?"

Mizrachi dragged enough pots on day one to outlast his two closest POY competitors, Shannon Shorr and Nam Le, who both busted out.
Players migrated to the Fontana Bar throughout the day, and by level five, only one table of Festa al Lago participants remained in Bellagio's poker room.

With the sun setting through the windows of the Fontana Bar, a number of pros made strong pushes for day two. Coming off his victory at the U.S. Poker Championship, Alex Jacob won a number of hands late in the action. He finished in the top 25 in chips, even after being mysteriously absent from his seat for more than two levels.

The biggest move up the leader board, however, came on the last hand of the day. Brandon Cantu pushed all in preflop with pocket aces and doubled up to more than $130,000 when an opponent called and missed a flush draw.

At 8:25 p.m. PDT, Tournament Director Jack McClelland turned the clock off, and, through a random card draw performed by Phil Hellmuth, set a 10-hand cap on play. Twenty-five minutes later, and shortly after the Fontana Bar erupted following the Chicago Bears' come-from-behind victory over the Arizona Cardinals, day one of the 2006 Festa al Lago tournament concluded.

Day Two - Heck No, We Won't … Redraw
Tourists on hand at the Fontana Bar at noon on Oct. 17 had two viewing choices: Bellagio's fountain show or day two of the tournament. Most chose the latter - and it was a good decision.

The 202 returning players wasted little time narrowing the field, meaning that spraying water and Celine Dion songs failed to capture the same excitement as the tournament action, which featured an elimination rate of one player per minute.

Some notables who busted out during the early purge were Blair Rodman (on the first hand of the day), Barry Greenstein, Kristy Gazes, Phil Hellmuth, and Jeff Madsen.

Amid the eliminations of high-profile pros, the most significant move on the leader board involved an amateur player, Brandi Hawbaker. In an all-in hand, Hawbaker eliminated Anthony Lacastro with a full house over trip kings, bumping her stack up to $245,000. The momentum continued for her, and she finished play as the day-two chip boss.

At 5:40 p.m. PDT, the money bubble officially burst with the exit of the 101st-place finisher. Within minutes, Chad Layne earned the distinction of being the first player to leave the Fontana Bar with a paycheck ($12,525).

Controversy soon followed when tournament personnel announced that play would stop after every nine eliminations to allow for table redraws. The policy was met with open resistance, and no player was more vocal about his/her displeasure than Mike Matusow. "The Mouth" led an impromptu player revolt, and, despite receiving a 20-minute penalty for profanity, helped to bring about the dismissal of the nine-eliminations policy.

In a show of solidarity, the remaining field chanted, "Free Mike," and Matusow was allowed back into tournament play without missing a hand.

For the second day in a row, McClelland ditched the clock for a hand cap. The number this time was six, and at 9 p.m. PDT, the action ended.
While the money bubble and player protest drew most of the attention, day two also saw the elimination of a number of big-name pros, including Huck Seed, Joe Bartholdi, Hasan Habib, John Phan, Patrik Antonius, Scotty Nguyen, Phil Ivey, Erick Lindgren, Evelyn Ng, and Mike Matusow, who exited shortly after his pocket queens were cracked by Chip Jett's flopped set of jacks.

Day Three - The Mighty Fall
If the Festa al Lago were the Boston Marathon, day three of the tournament would be "Heartbreak Hill," the portion of the race when many runners, no matter how strong they appeared early on, succumb to the event's mounting pressure and seemingly endless strain.

Scott Fischman, who survived all of day two despite playing at a table that featured Chip Jett, Mike Matusow, Erik Seidel, Hasan Habib, and Thor Hansen, felt disappointment, but also some satisfaction, in his elimination.

"I'm excited to get my first World Poker Tour cash," Fischman commented with a smile prior to finishing in 62nd place ($12,525). "I've sucked in the WPT and I've hated myself for sucking."

Four hours into play, day-two chip boss Brandi Hawbaker became the 35th-place finisher ($20,875). Her downfall started with a double-up of Chris Loveland and ended when, all in preflop, her A J failed to improve against Webber Kang's A K.

Victor Ramdin, who brought the fourth-largest chip stack into play, soon followed Hawbaker. After doubling up James Van Alstyne, Ramdin moved all in with the A 10, and appeared to be in good position when Joe Pelton, holding the 10 9, called. The Q 9 9 4 2 board, however, gave Pelton trip nines, and Ramdin finished in 31st place ($20,875).

Pelton's luck continued on a hand that changed the complexion of day three. The action started when Pelton made a $26,000 preflop raise. Nick "The Takeover" Schulman reraised $85,000 and Pelton pushed all in. After an immediate call by Schulman, Pelton found himself in a huge hole with the J 8 against Schulman's J J. Despite being an 84 percent favorite, Schulman watched as the flop brought the A 6 2. Pelton's flush held up, making him the chip boss and crippling Schulman.

Only 20 players remained going into the fifth and final level of the day, and within 20 minutes, Mimi Tran became the last female player to exit when her set of eights fell to Chris Loveland's set of tens.

The win put Loveland, who started action with only $25,000, in second place on the leader board.

On the next hand, Loi Phan knocked out Joe Cordi in 19th place ($33,395), and day-three play concluded.

Day Four - The Road to One Table
Forget the money. Day four came down to the tournament's second bubble, the one that bursts when only six players remain; that's right - the World Poker Tour televised final-table bubble.

The ninehanded, two-table action began at noon PDT with $5,000-$10,000 blinds and $1,000 antes. As a result of the previous day's redraw, four of the top five stacks started play at the same table, including the chip boss, Joe Pelton.

At the 14-minute mark, Pelton (9 7) eliminated Brandon Cantu (7 7), the tournament's number-three chip stack, when he caught runner-runner nines on a 10 7 2 9 9 board to beat Cantu's lower full house.

The win gave Pelton a stack in excess of $1.9 million, and made a shocked Cantu the 18th-place finisher ($33,395).

While Cantu failed in his bid to double up, Andreas Walnum found nothing but success every time he moved all in. Starting in dead last with only $103,000, Walnum doubled up five times during the first two hours of play. This helped Walnum outlast a number of players with bigger stacks, including Stan Wasserkrug (16th - $33,395), Ted McNeely (15th - $41,745), and the two biggest names left in the field, Carlos Mortensen (14th - $41,745) and Michael "The Grinder" Mizrachi (13th - $41,475).

Mortensen, who hit a one-outer to survive on day three, exited tournament play when his pocket sixes collided with Can Kim Hua's pocket tens. Five minutes after knocking out Mortensen, Hua delivered the day's second high-profile elimination.

In a heads-up hand, Hua pushed all in over the top of a Mizrachi raise. After a call, Hua showed the K K and Mizrachi turned over the A Q. The J 5 3 2 board gave Mizrachi 15 outs, but he missed all of them with the 8 river.

The next elimination came courtesy of FullTilt's Danny Smith. His pocket nines held up against Michael Eckes' pocket fives, making Eckes the tournament's 12th-place finisher ($41,475).

At 2:37 p.m. PDT, "Captain" Tom Franklin, forced to make a move with the short stack, pushed all in preflop and his A 2 failed to improve against Chris Cellery's A K. Franklin finished in 11th place ($41,475), and the 10 remaining players consolidated to the 2006 Festa al Lago final table.

George Mamacas entered as the short stack, and within 20 minutes, the Australian player better known as "Tasmaniac" dropped out in 10th place ($50,095) when his A J fell to David Baker's full house.

Chris Cellery became the next player to exit the final table. He moved all in preflop with the A J, only to have Steve Wong call with the A Q, making Cellery the ninth-place finisher ($58,445).

A matchup of short stack versus chip boss led to Loi Phan's elimination in eighth place ($66,795). Down to his last $78,000, Phan pushed all in against Joe Pelton. His A J put him in good position against Pelton's 9 7, but Pelton continued his run of luck by making a heart flush on the Q J 10 9 6 board.

More than an hour after Phan's departure, the bubble for the World Poker Tour televised final table burst with the elimination of Danny Smith. With blinds of $10,000-$20,000 and $3,000 antes, Smith moved all in for an additional $242,000 over the top of a $55,000 bet by David Baker. Smith shook his head as he flipped over the K 10 and Baker showed the A 8. When the board brought the A 6 5 4 4, Smith, the seventh-place finisher ($75,145), stood and shook hands with the six remaining players.

The Final Table
Six players, survivors of a 433-player starting field, gathered in Bellagio's Grand Ballroom to settle a four-daylong question. Who would win the World Poker Tour Festa al Lago championship and take home a $1,090,025 first-place cash prize?

While the remaining group featured five professional players, the buzz entering action centered on the final table's lone amateur, Joe Pelton, who was on the verge of winning his second World Poker Tour season five title.

Pelton, the 2006 Legends of Poker winner, came into the last day of action with the opportunity to join Gus Hansen, Howard Lederer, Erick Lindgren, and Daniel Negreanu as the only players to win multiple championship events in a single WPT season.

At 4:07 p.m. PDT, Tournament Director Jack McClelland introduced the six participants and the final table began with $10,000-$20,000 blinds and $2,000 antes.

The chip counts and seating were as follows:
1. Joe Pelton - $2,923,000 (seat No. 4)
2. David Baker - $1,652,000 (seat No. 6)
3. Andreas Walnum - $1,374,000 (seat No. 2)
4. Chris Loveland - $1,059,000 (seat No. 5)
5. Steve Wong - $886,000 (seat No. 3)
6. Can Kim Hua - $765,000 (seat No. 1)

Employing an aggressive playing style since taking the chip lead on day three, Pelton continued to apply pressure on his opponents at the final table, albeit with much less success. On the second hand of play, Pelton doubled up Steve Wong after Wong, holding the A K, called Pelton's A 9 all-in preflop raise.

One hand later, with the board showing the A Q 8 8 6, Pelton called an all-in reraise by Andreas Walnum. When Walnum flipped over the 6 6, Pelton mucked. The win gave Walnum the chip lead, and dropped Pelton's stack down to $850,000.

At one time ahead by more than $1 million, Pelton fell to the bottom of the leader board, but he would not be the first player to exit the final table. An hour and 45 minutes into play, the other short stack, Can Kim Hua, called an all-in reraise by David Baker. A veteran pro with more than $2 million in tournament winnings but no major titles, Hua showed the A K, only to have Baker turn up the A A. Baker's aces held up and Hua became the sixth-place finisher ($83,490).

Despite the win over Hua, Baker failed to drag any other significant pots, and his stack steadily declined. Down to his last $720,000, Baker, a high-stakes limit player, moved all in preflop, and Pelton, again wielding a sizable chip stack after doubling up several times, called. A slight race situation developed with Baker's A 5 against Pelton's K Q. The Q 9 2 flop and K turn, however, gave Pelton two pair, and Baker's tournament run ended with a fifth-place finish ($125,240).

Like Baker, Chris Loveland seldom found himself on the winning end of big hands at the final table. Less than 20 minutes after doubling up through Pelton, and still the short stack, Loveland pushed all in over the top of a Walnum preflop raise. Walnum called and flipped over the A K, and Loveland took a slight lead with the 7 7. The statistical edge vanished when Walnum paired his ace on the flop, and Loveland exited in fourth place ($187,745).

The departure of Loveland put Pelton within two eliminations of tying a WPT record, but any hopes of joining the likes of Lindgren and Negreanu ended two hands later. On a K 8 7 flop, Pelton made an all-in call, and his J 9 needed to improve after Walnum turned over the K Q. Pelton missed his outs with the 3 turn and A river. After making two WPT final tables in two months and flirting with poker history, Pelton walked off the set as the third-place finisher ($292,220).

The chip counts going into heads-up play were as follows:
1. Andreas Walnum - $6,200,000
2. Steve Wong - $2,600,000

A 23-year-old Norwegian pro, Walnum spoke few words other than "all in" and "raise" during the entire tournament. Wong, on the other hand, stood out as one of the tournament's more talkative players. The 33-year-old Dutch player developed a following while reaching the final table of the WSOP $1,000 no-limit hold'em (with rebuys) event, and he continued to gain attention with his outgoing persona and free-wheeling playing style.

In the end, however, the all-European heads-up match lasted only two hands, and in keeping with a current trend in World Poker Tour events, the winner was yet another up-and-coming young player.

The final hand started when Walnum made a $175,000 raise from the big blind and Wong called. Walnum bet another $200,000 on the K J 2 flop. The 8 turn brought a $400,000 bet by Wong, followed by Walnum raising to $800,000. When the 5 came on the river, Walnum pushed all in. Wong called, flipped over the K 4, and then turned away from the table when Walnum showed the 2 2.

Wong earned $542,000 for his runner-up finish.

As for Walnum, the youngest player at the Festa al Lago final table took home a diamond-encrusted Bellagio bracelet, a $1,090,025 first-place cash prize, and a $25,000 entry into the World Poker Tour Championship event.

Cited by more than one opponent as a player who maintained his composure despite being on a short stack, Walnum let his austere demeanor slip upon winning his first WPT title.

"It feels sick," the 23-year-old exclaimed with grin. "It's a dream come true."

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What Makes Pelton Tick?
A Look Behind the Two-Time World Poker Tour Finalist

With two World Poker Tour final tables in his last two attempts (Legends of Poker champion and third place in the Festa al Lago tournament), Joe Pelton continues to impress. Card Player's Michael Friedman spoke with him before his second WPT final table.

Michael Friedman: Where were you born and raised?
Joe Pelton: I was born in Waterloo, Iowa. I lived there until I was 18, and then moved to California for college.
MF: What was life like growing up?
JP: There's nothing really interesting in Iowa to talk about. I didn't live on a farm. I lived in a city of more than 70,000 people, like normal people do. It's not all corn.
MF: What was your first introduction to poker?
JP: We played a little bit in college. At that time, were playing a lot of crazy games, like having five wild cards at once. It really wasn't about poker at the time, it was more about staying in a hand to see who won. After college, I was watching the PartyPoker Million on television, and that was it.
MF: When did you start playing poker seriously?
JP: About three years ago.
MF: What attracted you to the game?
JP: I like gambling games and I like card games. Basically, I like anything where I can be competitive with other people. Then you add money into it, and it's a no-brainer. I also enjoy the fact that I can apply my analytical and math skills to the game, as well.
MF: When did you realize that playing poker was what you wanted to do?
JP: About two years ago I thought about playing professionally. I spent nine months trying to make it. I really didn't like being on the road all the time or the lifestyle. I actually went back to work this year and kept poker as my hobby. I really don't aspire to be a professional poker player every day of the week.
MF: What's your favorite part of the game?
JP: I guess it is when I have hard decisions to make and I make them correctly. I'm just really competitive and like to be right when I have a hard decision to make. In fact, that's one of my weaknesses. I call too much because I want to know if I'm right or not.
MF: Who has influenced your game?
JP: Watching Gus Hansen in early World Poker Tour shows had a big influence. He showed that you could play all of these random hands, and if you played them well, you could make a lot of money. I also learned a lot from my friend Chris "Triple Draw" Fargis. He's a great online player and we discussed the game frequently. He was there from the beginning, and really helped develop my game.
MF: Define your playing style.
JP: My style is pretty aggressive. I like to play a lot of pots, especially when I have a lot of chips. I like to call raises in position. It's just more fun to play than to sit and watch others have fun.
MF: Which do you prefer, live or online play?
JP: I've always preferred online play, because you get so many more hands and can play multiple tables. Lately, I've spent a lot more time in live events, and have gotten a lot better at watching what players do and how they act. I'm starting to like playing live more because I can better understand what people are trying to do, whereas online, you're playing against betting patterns. Online is definitely less stressful. You don't have to worry about what tells you're giving off.
MF: What does it take to beat fields of 400 players?
JP: It takes a lot of luck. That's the number one thing you need. I'm not a better player than Negreanu, the Grinder, Scott Fischman, and Carlos. All of these guys are great players, and if they had the luck I had, they would be one of the chip leaders, too. I've always said that I put myself in a position to get lucky, and if I ever got lucky, I would do well. In the last two tournaments I've played, I've gotten lucky when I needed to and made two final tables.