WPT: John Phan Wins the 2008 Legends of PokerPhan Emerges with the $1,091,428 First-Place Prize and His First WPT Title |
|
The final six players in the 2008 World Poker Tour Legends of Poker $10,000 no-limit hold'em championship event took their seats at the Bicycle Casino in Bell Gardens, California, this afternoon at 4 p.m. A first-place prize worth $1,091,428 was up for grabs, and every player had his eyes set on that prize. Five of those players were at their first WPT final table ever, while one of them, John Phan, was making a back-to-back appearance.
Here is a look at the chip stacks when things began:
Seat 1: Trong Nguyen -- 980,000
Seat 2: Amit Makhija -- 3,225,000
Seat 3: Paul Smith -- 1,130,000
Seat 4: John Phan -- 2,415,000
Seat 5: Zachary Clark -- 2,025,000
Seat 6: Kyle Wilson -- 1,425,000
In the end, it came down to a back-and-forth heads-up battle between Phan and Amit Makhija to decide the top prize. Both players doubled up during the heads-up battle, as the chip lead went through huge swings that tested each player's measure of resolve. The heads-up match lasted three-and-a-half hours, and it was Phan who emerged victorious with his first WPT title. Phan has now made three of the last six WPT final tables, and in between all of that, he won two gold bracelets at the World Series of Poker. Phan also took a huge lead in the Card Player Player of the Year race with the win. Phan now has 5,957 POY points, and he has a lead of 1,377 points over the player in the No. 2 spot, Erik Seidel.
Here are the highlights from the final table as featured in CardPlayer.com's live updates:
Kyle Wilson Eliminated in Sixth Place ($176,035)John Phan raised to 160,000, and Zachary Clark reraised to 560,000. Kyle Wilson immediately moved all in for his last 995,000, and the action folded back around to Phan.
After a few minutes, Phan finally decided to fold. Clark, despite being more than priced in, hesitated before calling, and his suspicions were confirmed when he saw Wilson's pocket kings. Clark did hold one overcard, however, with his A
J
.
The flop came out A
7 5
, and the crowd groaned at the bad beat put on Wilson. The turn and river brought no miracles when they came 5 3.
Wilson was eliminated in sixth place, and Clark was now contending for the chip lead.
Trong Nguyen moved all in for 770,000, and Amit Makhija made the call. They then turned up their hands:
Makhija: A
K
Nguyen: 6 6
Board: J 10 2 10 6
Nguyen doubled up on the hand to survive, and he now held 1.3 million.
Trong Nguyen Eliminated in Fifth Place ($211,245)Amit Makhija raised to 150,000, and Trong Nguyen called from the big blind.
The flop came 7 7 2, and Nguyen bet 300,000. Makhija made the call, and the turn was the 4. Nguyen then moved all in for 800,000.
After some thought, Makhija called and showed 6 6. Nguyen was in bad shape with K Q, and the river failed to give him one of his four outs when the 5 fell.
Nguyen was eliminated in fifth place, earning $211,245.
Paul Smith Eliminated in Fourth Place ($246,450)
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
Makhija then stated that he understood, but perhaps Phan could muck his cards a little more quickly once he decides to fold. He made a statement about the lack of play at this stage of the game and made it clear he wants to see as many hands as possible.
Zachary Clark Eliminated in Third Place ($281,645)
Amit Makhija Doubles Up
