World Series of Poker -- Owais Ahmed Wins $2,500 Omaha/Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-BetterAhmed Beats Michael Mizrachi Heads Up for his First Gold Bracelet |
|
Owais Ahmed faced a 3-1 chip disadvantage at the start of the heads up final in Event No. 47 ($2,500 Omaha/seven-card stud eight-or-better) at the 2011 World Series of Poker. Michael Mizrachi held the advantage and it looked like he would take home the gold bracelet, but Ahmed dug deep to come back and take home the victory, the gold bracelet, and $255,959. “I can’t believe it’s real right now. I played my heart out, I played my A-game, and in the end it all worked out for me. I’m ecstatic," said Ahmed after the win.
He continued, "The final table started with Mike Mizrachi –- ‘The Grinder.’ He had a third of the chips in play. We had Scotty Nguyen, Abe Mosseri, another online player, a lot of really, really good players. And I just played my hands, I picked my spots. And I waited it out until I got heads-up and Grinder had like a 3-1 chip lead heads-up, and you know, I just grinded through it. I just played my A-game, picked my spots, flustered him a few times, and got some hands.”
Ahmed is a 27-year-old data warehouse analyst and supply chain project manager from Irvine, CA. He was born in Karachi, Pakistan. The amateur joined Hasan Habib as the only other player born in Pakistan to win a gold bracelet. “I spent a lot of time in America, but my family is from Pakistan. I’m just representing Pakistan in the World Series of Poker. It’s a great honor. Growing up, I watched Pakistan win the Field Hockey World Cup, the Cricket World Cup, and now…Pakistan has a World Series of Poker champion. And that is a great honor for me,” said Ahmed.
Here is a look at the elimination hands as featured on CardPlayer.com’s live updates:
Thomas Whitehair Eliminated in 8th Place ($22,819)
Stud 8
Thomas Whitehair began the official eight-handed final table as the short stack and was the first one eliminated shortly after play began. Whitehair was all in on sixth street against Abe Mosseri.
Whitehair: Q
3
2 3
Mosseri: 6 4 6
4
Whitehair showed Q – 7 for two pair and Mosseri showed another 4 or a full house to win the pot. Thomas Whitehair was eliminated in 8th place ($22,819).
Gregory Jamison Eliminated in 7th Place ($29,791)
Omaha 8
Gregory Jamison was all in before the flop with a pair of deuces against Abe Mosseri’s pair of kings.
Jamison: 4 3 2 2
Mosseri: K K 8 2
The board came A 4 3 J A, giving Mosseri top two pair to scoop the pot. Gregory Jamison was eliminated in 7th place ($29,791).
Gerard Rechnitzer Eliminated in 6th Place ($39,475)
Omaha 8
Gerard Rechnitzer had preciously been quartered by Abe Mosseri in a huge pot that left him on the short stack. Rechnitzer then got it all in pre-flop against both Abe Mosseri and Scotty Nguyen
The flop came Q Q 2, Mosseri checked, Nguyen bet the side pot and Mosseri called.
The turn was the K, and both players checked.
The river was the 6, Mosseri checked, Nguyen bet and Mosseri folded.
Nguyen: A A 3 2
Rechnitzer: A 10 7 2
Nguyen turned over pocket aces to scoop the pot. Gerard Rechnitzer was eliminated in 6th place ($39,475).
Scotty Nguyen Eliminated in 5th Place ($53,091)
Omaha 8
Scotty Nguyen opened for a raise before the flop and Michael Mizrachi called from the big blind.
The flop came K Q 7, Mizrachi bet and Nguyen called.
The turn was the A, Mizrachi bet and Nguyen called all in.
Mizrachi: A Q 9 9
Nguyen: A J 3 2
Both players flopped an ace but Mizrachi was ahead with top two pair. The river was the K, and Mizrachi won the pot. Scotty Nguyen was eliminated in 5th place ($53,091).
Scott Bohlman Eliminated in 4th Place ($72,491)
Omaha 8
Scott Bohlman got it all in on a flop of A K 2 against Owais Ahmed.
Bohlman: A A 9 4
Ahmed: K 7 5 4
Bohlman was head with top set on the flop, but the turn and river were the 4 and the 3, giving Ahmed the wheel on the river to scoop the pot. Scott Bohlman was eliminated in 4th place ($72,491).
Abe Mosseri Eliminated in 3rd place ($100,532)
Omaha 8
Abe Mosseri raised from the small blind before the flop, Owais Ahmed reraised from the big blind and Mosseri called.
The flop came Q Q 10, Mosseri bet and Ahmed called.
The turn was the 10, Mosseri bet all in and Ahmed called.
Mosseri: A J 7 5
Ahmed: A 5 4 2
The river was the 8, giving Ahmed a flush to win the pot. Abe Mosseri was eliminated in 3rd place ($100,532).
Michael Mizrachi Eliminated in 2nd Place ($158,148)
After the elimination of Abe Mosseri in 3rd place, Michael Mizrachi took a 2:1 chip over Owais Ahmed going into heads-up play. Mizrachi quickly expanded his lead to almost 6:1 with 2,850,000 to Ahmed’s 500,000 towards the end of Level 26 after rivering a straight in the Omaha 8 round.
Ahmed quickly chipped up to even after the break and eventually managed to steal a slight lead himself about halfway through Level 27 before Mizrachi reclaimed the lead after scooping a big pot with queens-up in the Stud 8 portion. The lead went back and forth pretty aggressively throughout the remainder of that level, but Mizrachi closed it out on top with more than 2 million to 1.3 million.
Ahmed won two key pots that saw a showdown in Level 28, first taking the chip lead with two pair (aces and kings) during the Stud 8 round and then crippling Mizrachi in Omaha 8 after scooping a big pot with trips. That hand left Mizrachi on the short stack with just 300,000 to Ahmed’s 3,075,000.
On the final hand of the tournament, Mizrachi button-raised before the flop and Ahmed called from the big blind.
The flop came A J 4, Ahmed checked, Mizrachi bet, Ahmed check-raised and Mizrachi called.
The turn was the 10 and Mizrachi got it all in.
Mizrachi: A Q 10 3
Ahmed: Q 10 5 3
Mizrachi was ahead with two pair (aces and tens) while Ahmed had a live flush draw and an inside straight draw.
The river was the 6, giving Ahmed a flush to win the pot. Michael Mizrachi was eliminated in 2nd place ($158,148) while Owais Ahmed wins the gold bracelet for
Event #47 and the $255,959 grand prize.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
