Francois Safieddine Wins Event #19 at the WSOPThe Final Table Is Defined by Dizzying Heights and Crushing Lows |
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Each final table at the World Series of Poker, or any poker tournament for that matter, develops an identity. Tight, loose, aggressive, passive, flamboyant, boring, long, short, etc. Whatever adjective you choose to describe the table is really chosen for you by unseen forces. The final table of the $2,500 no-limit hold'em event is described best as schizophrenic. At times it was talkative and at others standoffish, at times quick-paced, and at others stuck in the doldrums. For all the opposing themes that emerged during the course of action, this table was downright cruel in the end.
Francois Safieddine won the gold bracelet and $521,785. Don't let the name fool you, Safieddine lives in Denver and owns a chain of bars in the area. He doubled up numerous times in the early going and eventually built the largest stack at the table. He began the day with the smallest. Once he was king of the mountain, he didn't forget how he got their and poured on the all-in aggression until he owned every chip on the table. "I was putting pressure on every single hand," said Safieddine. Safieddine attacked John Phan in their heads-up match, both strategically and psychologically. When he didn't have Phan cornered on a decision for all of his chips, he pressured him time-wise by calling the clock. "I tried to get him off his game," said Safieddine. Ultimately, a miracle 4 on the river gave the gold bracelet to Safieddine, but by that point he had a huge chip lead. When asked what it meant to him, Safieddine found many words to describe his feelings, "It just makes me feel good…It's another accomplishment…It feels great."
Here is how the heads-up match played out in the CardPlayer.com event logs:
Heads Up!
Action was now down to heads up and the chip stacks were as follows:
Francois Safieddine: $3.6 million
John Phan: $1.4 million
Sharpening the Razor
After 15 minutes of inactivity, John Phan moved all in and the crowd came to life. Safiedinne mucked his hand and the crowd broke into applause. Phan was extremely focused at this point and he had placed all his energy on the task at hand. Phan is usually the most talkative player at his table, but not tonight. He had begun to make some inroads and now held $2 million to Safiedinne's $3 million.
Stop Watch
Safieddine has been quick on the trigger to call the clock throughout the heads-up match. On one hand, he called it after only 15 seconds. Tournament director Chris Spears then explained to him that you have to give your opponent a reasonable amount of time before you call the clock. Phan eventually mucked the A
face up on the table and action continued.
Here We Go Again
Safieddine moved all in yet again and Phan went into the tank on a flop of 6 4
3. Safieddine called the clock again and Phan used every second of his allotted time before he mucked his hand.
Rolling on the River
On a board of Q
2 2
9, Safiedinne bet $200,000 and Phan made the call. The river brought the 10 and both players checked. Phan turned over 9-7 and Safiedinne showed J-10. He took down the pot with the 10 on the river and now held $3.9 million. Phan was down to $1,150,000.
All-In-a-Thon
Safieddine then moved all in on the next three hands, and each time Phan folded. He moved all in again a few hands later and Phan took a moment to take a swig of his drink before he folded. Safiedinne now had over $4 million.
Francois Safieddine Wins Event #19 ($521,785)
Francois Safieddine moved all in and John Phan made the call. Safieddine flipped over pocket fours and Phan turned over pocket aces. The crowd began to cheer as the board was dealt J 8 2 5. Those cheers quickly turned into gasps of terror when the 4 was dealt on the turn. Safieddine won the gold bracelet and $521,785 when that four hit the board. Phan took home $330,486 for second place in the $2,500 no-limit hold'em event.
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