Round-up from WSOP

Three more Events have concluded in Las Vegas at the 2006 World Series of Poker, with plenty of prize money flying about.

First up was Event #23, the $3,000 buy-in Limit Hold’em tournament which attracted 352 runners and total prize money of $971,520.

This was a new event won by Ian Johns, a 21-year-old professional poker player from Seattle, Washington. He’s built up a substantial bankroll, but it hasn’t always been plain sailing.

John began his poker adventure by depositing $50 into an online poker account and began playing in low-stakes games. Within a few days, his funds were depleted and down to just $6. Johns told his then-girlfriend (now wife, Mandy) he would quit playing poker if he lost his last six dollars.

Johns studied the game and slowly started to improve. Within a few weeks, his bankroll has swelled to a few hundred, then a few thousand dollars. By the time he was 21-years-old — and eligible to enter the 2006 World Series of Poker — John’s bankroll had blossomed into half a million dollars.

Mandy Twiggs-Johns, the wife of the latest WSOP champion admits she was not happy at first about her husband’s line of work. “Then, he started winning, and we took the cash and bought a new house.”

She continued: “I now see that poker is a game of skill and Ian really enjoys playing, so I have accepted what he does.”

Johns arrived at the final table as chip leader and took that advatnage all the way to heads-up play. He met Jerrod Ankenman in the endgame, who tried to mix it up and unsettle his opponent, but he never held the necessary cards or caught a big break.

The gold bracelet was clearly on Ankenman’s mind throughout play at the final table. As the co-author of the forthcoming book “The Mathematics of Poker,” Ankenman had been forced to watch from the sidelines as his talented co-author Bill Chen won two gold bracelets at this year’s WSOP.

But it was not to be, as the last hand of the tournament was won by Johns, who made two-pair holding ace-three. Ankenman’s final hand was not shown.

Event #23
$3,000 Limit Hold’em
Final table results:

1. Ian Johns $291,755
2. Jerrod Ankenmen $150,586
3. Javier Torresola $75,293
4. Theo Tran $65,881
5. Mark Newhouse $56,470
6. Tad Jurgens $47,058
7. Brendan Taylor $37,646
8. Ben Robinson $28,235
9. Fi Tran $18,823

Next up is Event #24, another new tournament this year, played as Omaha High-Low Split, with a $3,000 buy-in.

The Event attracted 352 players and a total prize pool of $971,520, and was notable for the final table appearance of Phil Hellmuth, in the hunt for his record equalling tenth WSOP gold bracelet. .

Hellmuth came to the final table as the second biggest stack and anticipation hung heavy in the air as supporters and onlookers gathered hoping to see history made.

But it was not to be. Scott Clements, a gritty player from Mt. Vernon in Washington State entered the final stages as chip leader, and it stayed that way all the way to the finish, with his clear superiority never challenged.

Clements was definitely not in town for the party, but for the win.

“I don’t stay on The Strip,” Clements said matter-of-fact, following his win in the latest mega-tournament on the WSOP schedule. “When they are all driving this way, I am driving that way. I come here to play poker….and I expect to win when I sit down at the table.”

There were some heavy hitters at the final table including several well-established tournament veterans. Three players were former gold bracelet winners –Hellmuth (9), Thor Hansen (2), and Brent Carter (2). But the hottest player at the table had to be Michael Guttman, who was making his third final table appearance so far at this year’s World Series. He is the first player to do so in 2006.

But these guys didn’t stand a chance as Clements pounded away. The final hand of the tournament came when Hansen was dealt J-5-4-2 versus Clements’ 10-9-6-5. The final board showed 8-4-2-7-3, with three spades. Clements made a flush and also scooped with the better low.

Event #24
$3,000 Omaha High-Low split
Final table results:

1. Scott Clements $301,175
2. Thor Hansen $155,443
3. Brent Carter $77,722
4. Martin Corpuz $68,006
5. Ron Matsuura $58,291
6. Phil Hellmuth, Jr. $48,576
7. Peter Costa $38,861
8. Stephen Ladowski $29,146
9. Alex Limjoco $19,430

The third result to bring you in this round-up is Event #25, the $3,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout tournament.

This competition followed the shootout format, whereby the winner of each individual table progressed to the next table and so on. This format meant it attracted a round number of competitiors, 600, providing $1,092,000 in prize money. It also meant all ten players reached the final table with the same amount of chips.

The winner David “Dragon” Pham picked his spots enjoyed a dominating 6 to 1 chip lead over Charles Sewell as the tournament moved to heads-up. It didn’t take long for the end to come.

The final hand of the tournament was dealt when Sewell moved all-in holding ace-eight. Pham called with pocket jacks. The board didn’t help either player, so Pham’s jacks held up. Pham took the final pot.

This Event saw a big finish from UK player and ex-writer for our sister publication Inside Roland DeWolfe, he took a tough beat when his ace-seven was edged out by Pham’s ace-eight after an ace flopped. The higher kicker played and De Wolfe was eliminated with $65,520 to console him.

David Pham arrived in the United States at the age of 17 from Vietnam, settling down in the Los Angeles, working a number of low-wage jobs before being introduced to the game of poker by his cousin.

Pham’s cousin had won several major poker tournaments and was quite well-known within the local Vietnamese-American community. He even shared some of his prize money with family members.

The cousin’s name was Men “the Master” Nguyen, now the holder a more than solid six WSOP bracelets.

Pham started playing poker about ten years ago, and tutored by his mentor “the Master,” he gradually improved his game. Before long, Pham was one of the best tournament players in poker.

Pham got so good so fast, that he won Card Player magazine’s “Player of the Year” in 2002. Pham was anointed as “the Dragon,” an odd nickname considering that Pham is one of the calmest and most polite poker players on the tournament circuit.

Prior to this year, Pham won his only WSOP gold bracelet back in 2001, in the S.H.O.E. championship, a contest of four different games.

Event #25
$2,000 No-Limit Hold’em Shootout
Final table results:

1. David “Dragon” Pham $240,222
2. Charlie Sewell $124,488
3. Roland DeWolf $65,520
4. Reno Williamson $49,140
5. Chad Layne $43,680
6. Jason DeWitt $38,220
7. David Bach $32,760
8. Dustin "Neverwin" Woolf $27,300
9. Adam Kagin $21,840
10. Jeff Heiberg $16,380