One thing had to be on every remaining player’s mind when the final table of the 2008 World Poker Tour Championship began tonight at Bellagio. One of the most successful players in the history of the WPT, Gus Hansen, was at the final table, and not only that, he was the chip leader. Here is a look at the starting stacks when cards got into the air shortly after 5 p.m. PDT:
Seat 1. John Roveto -- 2,720,000
Seat 2. Gus Hansen -- 8,570,000
Seat 3. David Chiu -- 6,050,000
Seat 4. Tommy Le -- 1,950,00
Seat 5. Cory Carroll -- 6,670,000
Seat 6. Jeff King -- 1,305,000
Part I: Gus Hansen Dominates
Gus Hansen took a slight hit on the seventh hand of play, when Jeff King doubled up through him with a pair of kings, but after that the Great Dane went on the most amazing run ever seen at a WPT final table, or any final table in poker history for that matter to eliminate every opponent at the table on the way to heads-up play. Here are the hands, pulled from live updates, (note how quickly the action came down):
Hand #12: Jeff King Eliminated in 6th Place ($263,815)
Cory Carroll has the button in seat 5, Hansen raises under the gun to 415,000, Carroll calls from the button, and King thinks for about a minute before moving all in from the small blind for 1,855,000. Hansen calls, and Carroll folds.
Hansen shows 10
9
, and King shows A
Q
. King needs to win this pot to stay alive.
The flop comes 8
6
4
, and Hansen picks up a gutshot straight draw. The turn is the K
, and King picks up a flush draw. Hansen needs a non-club ten, nine, or seven to bust King here.
The river is the -- 10
!
Gus Hansen rivers a pair of tens to win the pot. Jeff King is eliminated in sixth place, earning $263,815.
Hand #15: Tommy Le Eliminated in 5th Place ($395,725)
Gus Hansen has the button in seat 2, he raises to 415,000, and Le calls from the big blind. The flop comes Q 10 5, and both players check. The turn is the 4, Le moves all in for 615,000, and Hansen quickly calls with 10 10 for a set of tens. Le can't believe it -- he shows 5 5 for a set of fives. Tommy Le is dominated here, and only one card in the deck can save him -- the five of hearts.
The river card is the 3, and Gus Hansen wins the pot with a set of tens. Nhan "Tommy Legend" Le is eliminated in fifth place, earning $395,725.
Hand #16: Cory Carroll Eliminated in 4th Place ($593,645)
David Chiu has the button in seat 3, and there is no small blind. Hansen raises from the cutoff to 480,000, Carroll reraises from the big blind to 1.65 million, and Hansen thinks for a bit before he calls. The two chipleaders apparently aren't afraid to mix it up in a big pot.
The flop comes Q J 6, Carroll checks, and Hansen stands up to get a better look at Carroll's chip stack across the table. After about two minutes of thinking with a pained expression on his face, Gus Hansen moves all in, and the crowd gasps.
Carroll looks surprised, but he takes his time, rechecking his cards and taking a close look at his own chip stack. If he calls and wins, he would be a dominant chipleader with 15 million, but if he loses, he's out of the tournament in fourth place. If he folds, he'll still have a little less than 6 million in chips, which is still a solid second on the leaderboard. Carroll
seems to be studying everything but his opponent -- he only gives occasional glances Hansen's way.
Several times, it looks like Carroll has come to a decision, but then he continues thinking.
Carroll finally calls all in for 6,925,000, and the crowd gasps. Carroll shows A J for a pair of jacks. Hansen shows 7 5 for a diamond flush draw, and he'll need to improve to bust Carroll here.
The turn is the Q, and Carroll is still in the lead with two pair. Hansen needs any diamond but the queen (which would give Carroll a full house) to win the pot.
The river card is -- the 3!
The crowd screams as Gus Hansen rivers a diamond flush to win the biggest pot of the tournament.
Cory Carroll made the right call but got the wrong result, and he is eliminated in fourth place, earning $593,645.
Hand #22: John "Kicker" Roveto Eliminated in 3rd Place ($923,355)
John Roveto has the button in seat 1, he moves all in for 1,985,000, and Hansen quickly calls from the small blind with A
10
. Roveto shows K
K
, and he'll need it to hold up to stay alive.
The flop comes J 9 8, and crowd reacts as Hansen picks up an open-ended straight draw.
The turn is the 6, and Hansen needs an ace, a queen, or a seven (11 outs) to bust Roveto here.
The river card is -- the 7!
The crowd laughs through their applause as Gus Hansen wins the pot with a jack-high straight.
John Roveto is eliminated in third place, earning $923,355.
Hansen held a huge chip lead after this impressive run. He averaged an elimination every 5.5 hands along the way to heads-up play. While Hansen had been quite busy busting four players, David Chiu had chosen to sit back and relax. During the first 22 hands of the final table he played two hands, and won only one of them. Here is a look at the mis-matched chip stacks (Hansen held 84 percent of the chips in play) heading into the final battle:
Gus Hansen - 22,905,000
David Chiu - 4,360,000
Part II: David Chiu Pulls off the Unthinkable Comeback
Chiu doubled up, and then continued to chip up against Hansen and grew his stack to over 11 million. Chiu then cotinued to play solid heads-up poker, and caught a little help from lady luck to continue his march to the unthinkable comeback against the once untsoppable Hansen. Chiu marched back to even with Hansen and then pulled ahead to take the lead after 50 hands had transpired between them. Here are the pivotal hands from the heads-up match, pulled from live updates:
Hand #33: David Chiu Doubles Through Gus Hansen
David Chiu has the button, he raises to 505,000, Hansen moves all in, and Chiu thinks for about 15 seconds before he calls all in for 3.79 million with 5 5. Hansen shows 2 2, and Chiu is in a dominating position to double up here.
The flop comes K J 7, and Chiu retains the lead. The turn pairs the board with the 7, and if the board double-pairs, it'll be a chopped pot.
The river
The river is the Q, and David Chiu wins the pot with two pair, sevens and fives, doubling up to 7.59 million.
Hand #76: David Chiu Wins a Huge Pot
Gus Hansen has the button, he raises to 775,000, Chiu reraises to 1.85 million, and Hansen thinks for more than 30 seconds before he calls. There is already 3.75 million in the pot.
The flop comes J
6
3
, and Chiu thinks for more than a minute before he bets 1.6 million. Gus thinks for nearly two minutes before he calls, firing the chips into the pot with both hands.
The turn card pairs the board with the 6
, and Chiu thinks for about a minute before he moves all in for 5.175 million. Hansen quickly folds, and David Chiu takes the pot, giving him the most chips he's had yet in this heads-up match.
Gus Hansen - 15,150,000
David Chiu - 12,125,000
Hand #78: David Chiu Takes the Chip Lead
Gus Hansen has the button, he raises to 800,000, and Chiu calls. Both players check to the river on a board of 554 A 9, Chiu checks, Hansen bets 900,000, and Chiu thinks for about a minute before he calls with 9-7 for two pair, nines and fives. Hansen mucks, and David Chiu wins the pot.
Gus Hansen - 13,100,000
David Chiu - 14,175,000
Hand #80: David Chiu Wins the WPT World Championship! ($3,389,140)
Gus Hansen has the button, he raises to 750,000, and Chiu calls. The flop comes A 10 8, Chiu checks, Hansen bets 900,000, and Chiu calls. There is already 3.35 million in the pot.
The turn card is the 5, Chiu bets 1.2 million, and Hansen thinks for about 30 seconds before he moves all in for 8,675,000. After nearly two minutes of counting out his own chips, Chiu says, "I call."
The crowd leaps to their feet, waiting to see the cards. Gus Hansen shows 10 8 for two pair, while David Chiu shows A 9 for a pair of aces with a flush draw. Chiu needs an ace, a nine, a five, or any spade to win the tournament right here.
The river card is -- the A!
The crowd cheers in surprise as David Chiu leaps in celebration, and quickly gets his hand on a Chinese flag that he waves near the table.
After the initial excitement of the hand wears off, the audience stands in stunned silence. Gus Hansen walks over to David Chiu as if he is in a daze.
Gus Hansen finishes in second place, earning $1,714,800. He'll have to wait for his fourth
WPT title.
David Chiu defies the odds and the early momentum of Gus Hansen to win the Season VI
WPT World Championship, earning $3,389,140, two bracelets (one from Bellagio, one from
WPT), a trophy. That prize also includes his entry into next season's
WPT World Championship.
For a full list of the results from the
WPT Championship, click
here.
