Isaac Baron Wins Caesars Palace Classic Main EventBaron Awarded $246,928 For Beating Stacked Final Table |
|
Isaac Baron and Glen Chorny have a history. The two faced off at the 2008 EPT Grand Final in Monte Carlo, where Chorny got the better of the 2007 Card Player Online Player of the Year. Baron busted in fourth, and Chorny went on to the $3.2 million victory.
Thursday’s final table at the Caesars Palace Classic would prove to be a different story, as Baron, the man simply known as “Menlo,” steamrolled the competition to his first major live win and $246,928.
With seven players left, Baron, Chorny, and innocent bystander Theo Tran got involved in a crucial pot, one that wound up determining the eventual champion. Chorny opened on the button, Tran shoved, and Baron shoved behind him. Everyone expected a quick fold, but Chorny brought the crowd to its feet when he made the call.
The flop and turn helped Baron pick up a few more outs, but his nines were still behind to Chorny’s tens. He sat there motionless, seemingly unshaken by the events that had just transpired. Six outs from elimination, Baron calmly watched as the river filled his inside straight draw, snatching the momentum-shifting pot from his rival.
Baron proceeded to go on a tear, building his chip fortress so wide that by the time he took out Alex Keating in fourth place, he had amassed nearly four-fifths of the total chips in play.
Chorny hung on for as long as he could on the short stack, but Baron finally put him away for good in third place to go into heads-up play with a more than 5-1 lead against Michael Benvenuti. Thanks to a few fortunate cards, heads-up play went quickly, making Baron the last man standing.
Here are the final table results:
1. Isaac “westmenloAA” Baron — $246,928
2. Michael “WatchOutFish” Benvenuti — $129,562
3. Glen “choron” Chorny — $76,213
4. Alex “Kadabra” Keating — $60,970
5. Jimmy Tran — $45,728
6. Erik Nomberg — $38,106
7. Theo “pittrounder” Tran — $30,485
8. Kathy Liebert — $22,864
9. Mark Ketteringham — $15,243
Take a look at how the action went down according CardPlayer.com’s Live Updates:
Mark Ketteringham Eliminated in Ninth Place ($15,243)
Michael Benvenuti raised to 32,000, and Mark Ketteringham moved all in for 170,000 behind him.
Action folded back to Benvenuti, who made the call with pocket queens, while Ketteringham showed A
7
.
The board rolled out 10 10 2
K 2, and Ketteringham was eliminated.
Glen Chorny Makes Great Call Against Erik Nomberg
Erik Nomberg raised to 35,000, and Glen Chorny called behind him. The flop came down 7 6 3
, and Nomberg continued with a bet of 60,000.
Chorny called, and the turn was the 10. Nomberg bet 155,000, and Chorny called once again.
The river is the 6, and after some thought, Nomberg announced “same bet,” which amounted to 155,000 of his 332,000 stack. Chorny took about 15 seconds before calling, and Nomberg congratulated him, showing A K.
Chorny showed pocket fours and took down the massive pot, leaving Nomberg with 155,000. Chorny is now a commanding chip leader with 1.25 million.
Kathy Liebert Eliminated in Eighth Place ($22,864)
Kathy Liebert moved all in for about 140,000, and Isaac Baron made the call from the big blind.
Liebert showed pocket kings, and Baron showed pocket sevens. The board came out Q 7 6 Q 4, and Baron’s full house eliminated Liebert from the tournament.
Theo Tran Eliminated in Seventh Place ($30,485)
Glen Chorny raised on the button to 38,000, and Theo Tran moved all in for 261,000 in the small blind.
The action came to Isaac Baron in the big blind, who asked for a count. After thinking it over, he announced all in for about 735,000. Chorny then asked for a count from the dealer, and after a few moments, he decided to call, as well.
Tran turned over A K, hoping the other two had pairs. He got his wish when Baron showed 9 9 and Chorny showed the superior 10 10.
The board rolled out 7 6 5 3 8, and Baron spiked a straight on the river to double up to a massive chip lead of more than 1.7 million. Chorny was left with 595,000, and Tran was eliminated from the tournament.
Erik Nomberg Eliminated in Sixth Place ($38,106)
Action folded to Erik Nomberg in the small blind, and he moved all in for just over 140,000. Glen Chorny snap-called with A 9, and Nomberg showed a dominated A 8.
The board came down 6 5 2 10 J, and Nomberg was eliminated, giving Chorny back some of the chips he gave up to Baron.
Jimmy Tran Eliminated in Fifth Place ($45,728)
Jimmy Tran got the last of his chips into the middle preflop against Alex Keating, and they turned over their cards. Tran held A Q, and Keating showed Q Q.
The board was dealt J 8 8 2 2 and Tran was eliminated.
Keating is now tied for the chip lead with 1.4 million.
Alex Keating Eliminated in Fourth Place ($60,970)
Isaac Baron raised to 54,000 on the button, and Alex Keating called in the big blind. The flop came down Q Q 4, and Keating checked.
Baron bet 75,000, and Keating check-raised to 170,000. Baron made it 270,000, and Keating reraised to 420,000.
The dealer brought in the 270,000, and Baron moved all in for an additional 1,295,000. Keating made the call, having Baron covered by about 15,000 in chips, not even enough for a big blind.
Baron showed A Q and had Keating’s Q 9 out-kicked. The turn and river fell 3 and J, and Baron took a commanding lead of over 3.2 million in the tournament. Keating was eliminated shortly thereafter.
Glen Chorny Eliminated in Third Place ($76,213)
Isaac Baron raised on the button to 54,000, and Glen Chorny moved all in for about 250,000 in the big blind.
Baron instantly called with A K, and Chorny showed down a dominated A9.
The board ran out 8 4 2 J 3, and Chorny was eliminated.
Isaac Baron Wins Caesars Palace Classic ($246,928), Michael Benvenuti Eliminated in Second Place ($129,562)
Just a few hands into the heads-up match, Isaac Baron raised 30,000 on the button, and Michael Benvenuti reraised all in for 399,000. Baron made the call, and Benvenuti turned over A 9.
Baron flipped over A 7 and he needed a 7 to win the tournament. The board obliged when it was dealt Q 7 4 10 K, and Baron was the champion of the 2009 Caesars Palace Classic.
Benvenuti was awarded $129,562 in prize money for his runner-up finish, and Baron took home the top prize of $246,928. He was also awarded the championship trophy and championship watch.
Copyright © 2001-2024
CardPlayer.com. All rights reserved.
