Jason Warner wins Event #12 at the WSOPA Short-Handed Roller Coaster Ride Crowns a New Champion |
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It is clear that poker is a game of skill, but if you ask Jason Warner, he would most likely tell you there is some luck involved as well. Warner was down to his last card in his heads-up match against David Zeitlin, when he spiked a set to double up. He then rode the momentum to his first World Series of Poker victory and a $481,698 payday. Warner, a 22-year-old from Vancouver, British Colombia, outlasted the original field of 1,427 players to win the top prize in the $1,500 six-handed no-limit hold'em event. He had the chip lead entering the final table, with $945,000, and the rest of the field shaped up like this: David Zeitlin ($899,000), Brian Miller ($831,000), David Mitchell-Lolis ($736,000), Steve Olek ($484,000), and Matt Brady (381,000). Second-place finisher David Zeitlin, nursed a short stack for much of the final table, scored a huge double up, and then played aggressive big-stack poker to challenge for the bracelet.
Zeitlin made his move earlier in the day on this hand against David Mitchell-Lolis. On a flop of 6
4
3
, Zeitlin moved all in with 6
4, and was called by Mitchell Lolis with 7 5, the nut straight. Zeitlin stood up and started to retrieve his personal belongings. But the turn brought the 6, filling Zeitlin up. He won the hand and shortly thereafter picked up pocket queens. This gave him the chip lead. Zeitlin would carry the lead until the heads-up battle and his fateful run-in with Warner.
Heads-up play began with Zeitlin holding a $2.9 million to $1.3 million chip lead. Warner limped on the button with 5 5 and Zeitlin raised to $300,000. Warner moved all in and Zeitlin made the call with 7 7. The flop came K 10 9 and Zeitlin was still in command. The turn was the Q, which gave Warner outs to a split, but Zeitlin was still just one card away from winning a WSOP bracelet. The river came a devastating 5, which gave Warner a set and the pot. He went from one card away from elimination to the new chip leader. Zeitlin was not able to recover after the loss.
With Zeitlin down to his last $600,000, he moved all in preflop with Q 4 and Warner called with A 6. The first four cards came 9 7 3 4, and Zeitlin was just one card away from doubling up. The river again caught Warner up when it was dealt the 6. Warner made the best hand and won the pot and the tournament. Zeitlin's second-place finish earned him $269,778. Warner takes home the money, the bracelet, and bragging rights over Canadian second-place finishers Gavin Smith and Greg Mueller.
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