Joe Pelton Wins 2006 Legends Of Poker Main EventPelton Wins $1.5 Million First Place Cash Prize In World Poker Tour Event |
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After four days of tournament action, the 2006 Legends of Poker championship came down to six players. On the line were a $1,577,170 first place cash prize, a $25,000 seat into the WPT Championship event at the Bellagio, and a chance to win the first World Poker Tour title since the conclusion of the 2006 World Series of Poker.
The WPT set, blocked off from the rest of the Bicycle Casino cardroom by four walls of black curtain, filled up with fans and media well before the 5:15 p.m. start time.
With the stands packed and cameras circling, the remaining six players, survivors of a starting field of 466, received formal introductions as they walked onto the stage.
The chip counts and seat assignments for the 2006 Legends of Poker final table were as follows:
1. Frankie O'Dell - $3,880,000 (seat 5)
2. Kevin O'Donnell - $2,345,000 (seat 3)
3. Joe Pelton - $$1,100,000 (seat 4)
4. Hoyt Corkins - $1,030,000 (seat 2)
5. Randy Holland - $615,000 (seat 6)
6. Scotty Nguyen - $375,000 (seat 1)
The player introductions finished on time, and at 5:15 p.m. PDT final table action began with $15,000-$30,000 blinds and $3,000 antes.
Scotty Nguyen, the biggest name coming into the action, also brought the shortest stack to the table. A chip boss until the final moments of day three, Nguyen's low-man status occurred after his pocket aces fell to the runner-runner queen-high straight of Frankie O'Dell on the day's last level.
O'Dell's double-up made him the incumbent boss for the WPT final table, and sent Nguyen down to the bottom of the leaderboard. Despite the prospect of facing a dangerous final field that included WSOP bracelet winners and WPT title holders, Nguyen told Card Player that the blinds, and not his opponents, represented the biggest obstacles on the road to victory.
"The only thing that can stop me is the blinds going so high," Nguyen said prior to the final table. "There's nobody there [at the table] who can stop me from winning."
Forty-five minutes into play, and with the blinds on the verge of rising again, Nguyen pushed all in from the small blind for $247,000. Hoyt Corkins, the big blind, made the call, but became a major dog to the former WSOP champ after showing A
7
to Nguyen's A
K.
With the crowd chanting, "Scotty, Scotty, Scotty," Nguyen increased his lead with the 10 8
2 flop. The next card changed everything. The 7 turn paired Corkins hand and the J river spelled the end of Nguyen's tournament run.
The sixth-place finisher ($133,085) Nguyen walked off the WPT set to applause and numerous handshakes from fans in the bleachers.
The railbirds barely had time to take their seats again before the second elimination of the final table. On the first hand after Nguyen's bustout, Randy Holland moved all in for $424,000 over a Joe Pelton raise. While Pelton folded, Kevin O'Donnell called from the big blind.
O'Donnell's A Q made him a huge favorite over Holland's A 3. The J 10 8 7 2 board offered Holland no help, and he exited play as the fifth-place finisher ($177,460).
O'Donnell, no stranger to a Legends of Poker final table after finishing sixth in last year's event, told Card Player he felt confident about improving on his 2005 results, especially after finishing 21st in the 2006 WSOP main event.
While O'Donnell maintained his No. 2 spot on the leaderboard for over two hours, a run-in with the one player ahead of him in chips put an end to his tournament life. In a battle of the "O's," O'Donnell limped from under the gun. When O'Dell raised $250,000, O'Donnell shoved all in. O'Dell made the quick call, and O'Donnell appeared to be caught in a semibluff after he flipped over 7 6. Matters only worsened for O'Donnell when O'Dell showed A Q. A queen on the flop put the finishing touches to O'Donnell's fate, and he ended action as the fourth-place finisher ($226,260), an improvement over last year's final table appearance by two spots.
The win gave O'Dell over $5 million in chips, while Pelton and Corkins had nearly equal stacks, at $1.9 million apiece.
Despite being a former WPT champion, and one of the most feared players on the tournament circuit, Corkins expressed some concerns going into final table action.
"I really don't think my style [of play] is going to work here," Corkins told Card Player's Scott Huff.
"The biggest threat's always the chip leader," Corkins continued. "Frankie's a tough guy to herd. He gets stubborn with some hands and he's a real bruising-style player. So he's going to be difficult to handle."
Although Corkins singled out O'Dell as the danger, the other player in three-handed action, Joe Pelton, proved to be the most lethal opponent.
Unable to drag any significant pots during the day, Corkins came in over the top of a $250,000 Pelton raise for his last $1 million. The move put Felton in the tank, and the young poker player stood up, took off his sunglasses, and thought for several minutes.
After sitting back down, Pelton called. A classic race situation unfolded as Corkins showed 3 3 and Pelton turned over J 10. The A J 9 5 2 board gave Pelton a pair of jacks, and he eliminated Corkins in the No. 3 spot ($381,540).
With the money presentation completed, and over $1.5 million poured out on the table, Pelton and O'Dell squared off for the cash and WPT title.
The chip counts coming into heads-up play were as follows:
1. Frankie O'Dell - $5,670,000
2. Joe Pelton - $3,570,000
O'Dell, a WSOP bracelet winner and LOP champion, and Pelton, a young pro with less than $23,000 in winnings, each enjoyed sizable cheering sections. While O'Dell took down the first three pots, the 2006 Legends of Poker changed on the seventh hand of heads-up action.
With both players in for the blinds, Pelton bet $100,000 on the Q Q 4 flop, only to have O'Dell reraise to $250,000. Pelton counted his stack, repopped to $750,000, and immediately called when O'Dell pushed all in. Pelton's fans drowned out O'Dell's cheering section with a "Joe, Joe, Joe" chant as O'Dell flipped over J 4 and Pelton showed Q 8. The 10 turn and 10 river made Pelton queens full.
The double-up gave Pelton a $4 million dollar chip lead, and the 2006 Legends of Poker came to an end only seven hands later.
The final action of the day started when Pelton raised $400,000 and O'Dell reraised all in. After making an immediate call, Pelton showed A 7 and a race began after O'Dell turned over 6 6. Pelton took the lead with the A J 3 flop and he crossed the finish line after the 2 turn and Q river.
O'Dell, who freerolled into the championship after winning the Legends of Legends and Media preliminary event, took home $776,385 for his runner-up finish.
With $11,000 as his highest cash prior to the LOP, Pelton appeared to be in disbelief about winning the $1,577,170 first-place cash prize.
"Everything's just surreal right now," Pelton explained to Card Player's Scott Huff. "The whole day's just a dream. This whole experience is just so overwhelming."
So how did Pelton plan on celebrating his $1.5 million dollar win?
"Going home to relax," Pelton smiled.
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