WSOP -- Thang Luu Wins Event No. 3Luu Wins Back-to-Back $1,500 Omaha Eight-or-Better Events |
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In 2007, Thang Luu entered his first World Series of Poker final table with a shot at a bracelet. He fell just short and vowed to close out the victory if he ever got the chance again. In 2008, Luu made the very same final table… and won. Heading into Sunday’s final table of event No. 3 ($1,500 Omaha eight-or-better), Luu had a chance to join a very exclusive club of players to have finished in the top two of the very same event in three consecutive years.
After a long, grueling day which saw 18 eliminations, Luu once again came out on top, picking up his second bracelet and accomplishing a feat that hasn’t been done since Johnny Chan went first, first, and second in the main event from 1987-1989. For the win, Luu banked $263,135, his highest score to date.
The day began with 19 players since the previous day’s play had failed to determine a final table. Just over three hours in, 2008 bracelet winner Sebastian Ruthenberg was eliminated in 10th place, setting up the final nine.
Also sitting at the final table were notables Freddy Deeb, Jordan Rich, and Ming Reslock, wife of bracelet winner Chris Reslock.
Luu nearly led wire-to-wire in this tournament, ending day 1 with the chip lead and day 2 in second position, but his time at the final table was anything but smooth sailing. At one point, Luu was the short stack at the table, but he battled back to keep his head above water. When play got three-handed, Luu simply took over and bombarded his opponents with aggression they hadn’t seen all tournament.
After Reslock went out in third place, Luu proceeded to raise and take nearly every hand against his heads-up opponent, Ed Smith. On one key hand, Luu finally let Smith do the betting for him as he sat there with the flopped nut low and diamond flush. A raise on the river got him extra value and all but sealed Smith’s fate. Just a short while later, Luu’s pair of queens held up against Smith’s pair of nines with a heart flush draw to take the title.
Here are the final results:
1. Thang Luu — $263,135
2. Ed Smith — $162,110
3. Ming Reslock — $106,373
4. Robet Price — $73,405
5. Pascal Leyo — $53,293
6. Jordan Rich — $40,612
7. Jim Geary — $32,404
8. Freddy Deeb — $27,029
9. Senovio Ramirez — $23,520
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