Like a good Hollywood screenplay, the 2007
L.A. Poker Classic broke down into three acts. Act One: A poker army, 791 strong, descends on the Commerce Casino, making the 2007
LAPC the largest $10,000 event in
WPT history. Act Two: The field dwindles, many notable characters perish, and the money bubble pops. Act Three: The six survivors battle at the final table, and one player emerges as the tournament's newest champion, and the winner of a $2.4 million first-place cash prize.
Sure, the plot sounds a little melodramatic, but it's Hollywood, baby; what else did you expect?
Held in the Commerce Casino's Crown Ballroom, set up with the familiar lights and cameras of the
WPT's televised final table stage, play began at 5:13 p.m. PST with $30,000-$60,000 blinds and $10,000 antes.
The chip counts coming into the final table were as follows:
1. J.C. Tran - $3,470,000 (seat No. 4)
2. Paul Wasicka - $3,390,000 (seat No. 3)
3. Jacobo Fernandez - $3,370,000 (seat No. 1)
4. Eric Hershler - $2,160,000 (seat No. 6)
5. David Bach - $2,070,000 (seat No. 5)
6. Chau Giang - $1,370,000 (seat No. 2)
Whether a by product of fatigue or strategy, play lasted over three hours before fans witnessed the final table's first elimination.
Doubling up Chau Giang (A-K holding against A-9) sent David Bach to the bottom of the leader board. The Georgia native survived for an additional half hour before pushing all in with his last $205,000. Jacobo Fernandez and Eric Hershler both called. Following a checked A
10
4
flop, Hershler moved all in on the 2
turn. With Fernandez out of the way, Bach turned over the A
2
for two pair, but Hershler showed 2
2
. The set stayed ahead on the 3
river, and Bach exited as the sixth-place finisher ($257,425).
Despite his double-up, Giang dragged no other substantial pots and remained one of the table's short stacks. With the blinds at $120,000-$240,000, Giang moved all in, only to have J.C Tran push from the button. A member of the Bellagio's world famous "Big Game," and arguably one of poker's most respected competitors, Giang saw his 2007
LAPC end in a fifth-place finish ($341,710) when his 8
4
dropped to Tran's A
J
on the Q
9
4
3
A
board.
While Paul Wasicka admitted the $2.4 million meant more than the title, the 2006
WSOP runner-up recognized a special value in winning a
WPT championship event.
"A win here would possibly eliminate some doubt in people's minds about me being a one-time thing at the
World Series," Wasicka said.
Only one month removed from a 12th-place finish at the 2007
Aussie Millions, Wasicka outlasted a record-setting field en route to his
LAPC final table appearance. His bid for a title, however, fell short. After sliding down the leader board, Wasicka reraised all in over the top of a Tran preflop raise. Wasicka's A
7
needed help against Tran's 3
3
, but the K
K
3
6
10
board boated Tran up, and Wasicka walked off the final table set in fourth place ($455,615).
In three-handed play, Hershler used two double-ups through Tran (K
Q
beating 10
7
, and Q
10
topping J
10
) to pull even with Fernandez in second place. Hershler then proceeded to net over $2 million from Fernandez, courtesy of an uncalled reraise on an A
K
2
flop.
The table's new short stack, Fernandez pushed all in minutes later with J
2
, only to have Hershler, holding A
A
, call. The A
8
2
5
2
gave Hershler the full house, and sent Fernandez home as the third-place finisher ($607,490).
With Fernandez's elimination, the $2.4 million prize came down to Hershler, a man playing in his first live tournament, and Tran, a circuit veteran with a noted
L.A. Poker Classic past.
The chip leader coming into last year's
LAPC final table, Tran lost on a two-outer (pocket aces cracked by pocket fives) to eventual champ Alan Goehring, and ultimately finished the event in fifth place.
The chip counts were as follows:
1. Eric Hershler - $8,700,000
2. J.C Tran - $7,400,00
At 11:23 p.m., and after over six hours of play, the 2007
LAPC ended on the first hand of heads-up action.
Hershler limped from the button, then called Tran's $700,000 raise. The A
J
6
flop lead to a $1.2 million bet by Tran. When Hershler raised all in, Tran called. Hershler showed J
6
, giving him the lead over Tran's A
7
top pair, and the tournament came to a close after the turn and river brought the 4
and 9
.
Tran, making his second consecutive
LAPC final table appearance, earned $1,177,000 for the runner-up finish.
A South Africa native, and Los Angeles resident, Hershler's 2007
L.A. Poker Classic purse included a trophy, the $2.4 million dollar first place prize, and a $25,000 entry into April's
WPT Championship event.
Unproven rookie tops heavily favored seasoned pro? Sounds like the classic Hollywood underdog story. Somebody call Ari Gold.
