Italy wins again

Three more tournament results to bring you from the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, three more fascinating stories, and another win for Italy!

First up is Event #11 the $1,500 Limit Hold’em competition which was claimed by businessman Bob ‘Big Red’ Chalmers, who won through after a marathon nine hour final table battle.

The 56-year-old business consultant from Vancouver, British Columbia vanquished 700 challengers winning his first World Series of Poker gold bracelet. Chalmers’ extensive business background served him well at this final table.

“What I realized from playing at this final table is that it takes a lot of work to win,” Chalmers said in a post-tournament interview.

“Sure, some luck helps. But, it’s really hard work. There was not a time when I was not thinking of my stay at the final table as like working. It seemed like a long time. The easy thing for me was to understand that (winning) wasn’t going to happen in just a hand or two, but it rather would be a process that took time — so I looked at it that way.”

Several new faces made it to the final table for the first time. The only former WSOP gold bracelet winner present was Doug Saab, who arrived second in the chip count to the eventual winner.

Event #11
$1,500 Limit Hold’em
Final table results:

1.Bob “Big Red” Chalmers $258,344
2.Tam Ho Las Vegas $135,396
3.Warren Woolridge $76,549
4.Thanh Nguyen $66,981
5.Doug Saab $57,412
6.Jan Sjavik $47,843
7.Graham Duke $38,275
8.Bob Bartmann $28,706
9.David Calla $16,137

Next to be settled was Event #12 the $5,000 Omaha High-Low competition, the final stages of which saw two heavyweights go head to head.

Sam Farha, another Main Event runner-up and well known face, took down the player who many believe to be the best in the World, Phil Ivey.

In what could very well have been one of the toughest fields in poker history, 265 players – the vast majority of them former WSOP gold bracelet winners, top-notch tournament players, and high-limit cash-game specialists played for 20 hours over two long days.

Farha’s competition was formidable. The biggest menace was poker marvel Phil Ivey, shooting for gold bracelet number six. Mike Wattel and Brian Nadell also brought many years of top-flight tournament experience to the final table. There was also the top Russian poker pro Kirill Gerasimov.

With all due respect to the other finalists, this was the heads-up match that everyone wanted to see.

With about 1,300,000 chips in play and the betting limits set at 25,000-50,000, two or three scooped pots was all it took to shift the momentum from one player to the other.

Both players began heads-up play about even but the momentum was with Farha and nearing at 4am, the final hand of the night came when Farha made two pair – jacks and sevens against a (losing) hand not shown by Ivey.

Phil Ivey, unaccustomed to finishing second, received $219,208 in prize money. The 29-year-old poker prodigy won his fifth gold bracelet last year. He is one of only two players ever to win three WSOP titles in a single year (in 2002 – Ted Forrest is the other).

Event #12
$5,000 Omaha High-Low
Final table results:

1.Sammy Farha $398,560
2.Phil Ivey $219,208
3.Kirill Gerasimov $112,095
4.Mike Henrich $87,185
5.Mike Wattel $74,730
6.Brian Nadell $62,275
7.Jeff King $49,820
8.Jim Ferrel $37,365
9.Ryan Hughes $24,910

After that clash of poker titans, Event #13 was the $2,500 No-Limit Hold’em and it brought an Italian winner, just hours after the Italian football team lifted the World Cup in Berlin.

Max Pescatori from Milan, Italy was late to the final table, because he was watching the match in which his countrymen beat France on penalties.

“I have been playing poker for a very long time,” Pescatori said afterward. “I have won other big tournaments including a few on the WSOP Circuit — but never at the World Series of Poker. To win this bracelet for me is very special, especially on the same day that my Italy won.”

Pescatori came through a field of 1,290 players and collected $682,389 for first place out of a total $2,967,000. He was by no means the favourite at the final table, which featured Mike Matusow, and the Italian had to overcome Anthony Reategui’s substantial chip advantage.

The game winner came when Pescatori was dealt jack-eight suited against Reategui’s queen-ten off-suit. The flop came 10-7-6. Reategui moved all-in with the top pair (tens) and Pescatori called with an inside-straight draw. A blank on the turn helped neither player.

“Nothing can beat this. For me, this is incredible,” Pescatori said. “I told all my friends that they have to watch for Italy to win (the World Cup) and then afterward to cheer for me on the Internet to win here at the World Series. This is the greatest day of my life.”

Event #13
$2,500 No-Limit Hold’em
Final table results:

1.Max Pescatori $682,389
2.Anthony Reategui $356,040
3.Justin Pechie $206,207
4.Michael Scott Lesle $148,350
1.Corey Cheresnick $118,680
6.Tri Ma $103,845
7.Mike Matusow $89,010
8.Terrence Chan $74,175
9.Matt Heintschel $66,758