WSOP: Vitaly Lunkin Wins Event No. 27

Another large field at the 2008 World Series of Poker was unable to play down to just one final table on the second day of play in event No. 27, and when day 3 began, 17 of them still remained in the hunt. The $1,500 buy-in event attracted 2,706 entrants, and eliminating 2,697 of them proved to be too much to fit into two days of play. There was neither a big-name professional nor a runaway chip leader when the day began, so the tournament and its $628,417 first-place prize were anyone's for the taking.

In the end, it was the player who held the slight chip lead to start the day that emerged with the gold bracelet. Russian player Vitaly Lunkin held 912,000 when the day began, and 12 hours later he held every chip in the tournament. He remained solid all day long, despite some frustrating setbacks dealt to him by lady luck.

Here are highlights from all of the action, as featured in CardPlayer.com’s live coverage of the final table:

Philip Yeh Eliminated in Ninth Place ($57,990)

Philip Yeh open-shoved all in preflop and Vitaly Lunkin made the call. Their cards:

Yeh: A 9
Lunkin: A J

Board: Q J 7 5 5

Yeh was eliminated in ninth place, and he took home $57,990 in prize money. The hand put Lunkin in first chip position heading into eight-handed play.

Robert Brown Eliminated in Eighth Place ($84,594)

Robert Brown moved all in preflop for 250,000 and Trevor Donaldson made the call. Their cards:

Brown: Q J
Donaldson: A Q

Board: K 5 3 7 K

Brown was eliminated in eighth place, and he took home $84,594 in prize money.

Barry Schultz Eliminated in Seventh Place ($112,657)

Barry Schultz raised to 150,000, and Bobby Firestone reraised all in for over 1 million. Schultz made the call all in, and the two players turned up their hands:

Schultz: 4 4
Firestone: A 2

Board: J 8 5 A J

Schultz was eliminated on the hand in seventh place, and he took home $112,657 in prize money.

Richard Alm Eliminated in Sixth Place ($149,594)

Richard Alm moved all in preflop and Bobby Fireston made the call. Their cards:

Alm: A 8
Firestone: 7 7

Board: 10 6 4 J K

Alm was eliminated on the hand, and he took home $149,594 in prize money.

Trevor Donaldson Eliminated in Fifth Place ($190,225)

Brett Kimes raised to 160,000 preflop, and Trevor Donaldson reraised all in. Firestone reraised all in over the top of everyone, and Kimes got out of the way. The final two players then turned up their hands:

Firestone: K K
Donaldson: A K

Board: 10 9 3 4 6

Donaldson was eliminated in fifth place, and he took home $190,225 in prize money.

Kenneth Terrell Eliminated in Fourth Place ($232,702)

Vitaly Lunkin raised to 200,000, and Kenneth Terrell reraised to 1,000,000. Lunkin made the call, and they turned up their hands:

Lunkin: J J
Terrell: A J

Board: Q 6 4 K 2

Terrell was eliminated in fourth place, and he took home $232,702 in prize money.

Bobby Firestone Eliminated in Third Place ($277,026)

The flop read 10 9 6 when Vitaly Lunkin checked his option, and Bobby Firestone bet 200,000. Lunkin reraised all in, and Firestone made the all-in call. Their cards:

Lunkin: J 8
Firestone: 10 3

Turn and River: 5 7

Firestone was eliminated in third place, and he took home $277,026 in prize money.

Heads-Up Chip Counts

Kimes: 4,700,000
Lunkin: 3,500,000

Lunkin's Hopes Get Crushed by a Flush

Brett Kimes raised to 620,000 preflop, and Vitaly Lunkin made the call. The flop was dealt 9 6 5, and Kimes fired a million-chip bullet into the pot. Lunkin reraised all in for 2,876,000. Kimes made the call, and Lunkin turned up 8 7 for the nut straight. Kimes flipped over A 6 and was behind, but the turn and river were dealt 3 Q to put a flush on the table. The pot was chopped and Kimes dodged a major bullet thanks to the fifth diamond.

Vitaly Lunkin Wins Event No. 27 ($628,417)

Lunkin raised to 600,000 preflop, and Kimes made the call. The flop hit the table J 4 2, and both players checked. The turn brought the 8 and Lunkin opened the action for a million. Kimes raised all in and Lunkin made the call. Kimes was committed for his tournament life with 10 8, while Lunkin had him covered with A J in the hole. The river card was the K, and Lunkin clinched the gold bracelet as well as $628,417 for the victory. Kimes was awarded $387,837 for his second-place finish.

Related Articles

Healthy Competition? The $48.5M* Gamble In The Bahamas

Hellmuth Denied 18th Bracelet While Straver Wins First

Schulman Captures Sixth World Series of Poker Bracelet

Most Viewed Articles