John Juanda Crowned Champion of WSOPE Main EventPlayers Play for More Than 21 Hours at Final Table |
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The main event of the World Series of Poker Europe, presented by Betfair, came to a fittingly dramatic and epic conclusion
this morning. After playing for more than 21 hours, including an incredible eight hours heads-up, it was American John Juanda who took home the bracelet. The final table will go down in history, not just for its length but for the high standard of play epitomised by Juanda and the unlucky runner-up Stanislaw Alekhin. Juanda claimed his fourth WSOP bracelet with the win and £868,800. Here is how the remaining nine players stacked up coming into the final table:
Seat 1: Robin Keston — 849,000
Seat 2: Daniel Negreanu — 1,002,000
Seat 3: Chris Elliott — 281,000
Seat 4: Bengt Sonnert — 385,000
Seat 5: John Juanda — 1,349,000
Seat 6: Ivan Demidov — 1,006,000
Seat 7: Toni Hiltunen — 386,000
Seat 8: Scott Fischman — 732,000
Seat 9: Stanislav Alekhin — 1,278,000
Despite the snail’s pace it ended at, the final table got off to a roaring start with Chris Elliott's elimination in the first 30 minutes of play. Alekhin raised it up to 32,000 and got a caller from Elliott on the button. They both saw a flop of 10
9 2
, which Alekin led out for 45,000. A call by the Scot. The turn 7 is the card that prompted the carnage to follow. Alekhin decided to continue his aggression by betting enough to put Elliott to a decision for all of his chips. He can’t have liked it, though, when Elliott snap-called him with 10 9 for top two pair. The Russian merely held A 5 for a nut-flush draw. Chris Elliott had only one card to fade to be right back in the mix, but the river fell the K, and without making a wrong move, Elliott was out in ninth for £81,450.
After the first exit, there was a long lull in play, with most pots taken down by a single preflop raise. Alekhin and his countryman Ivan Demidov started to make a gap at the top of the leader board, while others, such as Toni Hiltunen, simply couldn't pick up a card and get the motors running. He was the next out when he went all-in on the button with pocket jacks. It was a good hand, but the problem was that Alekhin had a pair of lovely queens to make the call with. The dominated Hiltunen failed to turn water into wine, and he departed with a cheque for £108,600, and a week to remember.
Though there weren't many big names colliding, the fate of Daniel Negreanu at the table kept the rail's attentions. It was the last remaining Brit, however, Robin Keston, who was the next to find his hopes dashed by Demidov, serial WSOP main-event final tablist. Demidov made a standard raise before the flop, Keston pushed with A 8 and got a swift call from Demidov holding 9 9
. Keston was in trouble, and a K 10 4 flop didn't help matters much. A 9 on the turn opened up a few doors however, as Demidov spiked a set, but Keston found an unlikely flush draw. It was not to be, though, as the river was an anti-climactic 6. Keston fell by the wayside in seventh for a nice cash of £135, 750.
The Russian double act — Alekhin and Demidov — were running over the table, playing aggressively, but also simply having great hands at the important times. The experienced Scott Fischman was the next to feel their wrath, falling in sixth place for £171,950. Demidov made it 39,000 to go before the flop and found two callers, Fischman and Alekhin. A very interesting A J 10 board fell, at which point Demidov checked, Fischman bet 45,000, and Alekhin reraised to 135,000. Demidov got out of the way, yet Fischman moved all in, only to run straight into the stone-cold nuts: Alekhin's K Q, for the flopped Broadway straight. Fischman's A Q was effectively playing for a chop or unlikely running cards for a full house or quads, but the turn 4
and river 4 simply sealed his demise.
With five players remaining, and both Negreanu and Bengt Sonnert running dangerously low on chips, it was only a matter of time until there would be another collision. Unfortunately for the watching crowd, it was the fan favorite Negreanu who eventually succumbed to Alekhin's sword next. The Canadian had already pushed all in numerous times without getting a caller, and when Alekhin put him all in from the small blind, Negreanu must have felt his A-9 would likely be in great shape against the Russian's range. Unfortunately, as was so often the case today, the Russian had the cards to back up his aggression as he flipped over J J. The board was ace-less, and Negreanu left the table to a standing ovation to cash his £217,200 cheque and celebrate a memorable WSOPE with three cashes from four events.
Needless to say, it was Alekhin who dispatched of the likeable Sonnert soon after. All in preflop, the young Russian star again held the best of it: A-8 to Sonnert's dominated A-5. A K-10-8 flop more or less sealed it before a 3 on the turn meant that the Swedish cash game pro was drawing dead. Fourth position paid out a huge £271,500, though, so Sonnert had something to be cheerful about, especially as he had been grinding away on the short stack for most of the final table.
And so onto three-handed play, where it was Full Tilt pro Juanda with his back against the wall, sandwiched in between Demidov and Alekhin. Demidov's dream of capturing WSOP main events, both in Europe and across the pond, was still on, and he got a timely double-up against Juanda to help out. Holding K 10 to Juanda's A-J, he was slightly behind until a 10 on the flop took him across the line.
It was all for naught, though, as the American got his revenge soon after. Juanda raised the button to 105,000, and Demidov
called. The flop was 8 5 3, at which point Juanda checked, and the Russian bet out 170,000. Juanda just called. The turn J saw Juanda checking again, and this time Demidov bet a large 450,000, only for Juanda to check-raise him all in. It didn't take Demidov long to realize he was priced into the call with his Q 10, with plenty of straight and flush outs against Juanda's sneakily played pocket aces. The river bricked out, though, and Demidov will have to be consoled with third place, £344,850 and a place in poker history. He, of course, has another small final table to attend to in November.
With both Alekhin and Juanda strong, aggressive, and fearless players, you might have thought the heads-up battle would be a quick, merciful finale. Instead, for more than eight hours and 241 hands of poker, they played on without a winner. Alekhin had Juanda in huge trouble for much of the match, out-chipping him by over 6-1 for long stretches before Juanda got a crucial double-up that decimated the Russian’s stack.
Juanda raised the button to 165,000, and Alekhin called. The flop fell K Q 7, and Alekhin led out into the initial raiser for 325,000. Juanda didn’t think twice before moving all in. After thinking it over, the Russian eventually made the call with just 4 3 for the flush draw. Juanda was ahead, but in danger, with K 6. The turn 4 was safe, and the 9 on the river saw Juanda take the initiative in the contest for what was surely the final time.
It looked like a formality from here on with the brave Alekhin down to just 600,000, but after the heroics of the previous hours, nobody could be sure. A few hands of jostling later, the inevitable all in clash happened. Alekhin pushed his dwindling stack in with A 9, and Juanda decided to try and end it there and then with K 6. The flop sealed it: 6 6 2 for trips. Fittingly, a fourth 6 fell on the river, making John Juanda quads and the 2008 WSOPE main event champion.
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