WSOP Event #30

Chalk another one up to the well-known pros as HOyt Corkins triumphs in Event #30 the the $2,500 buy-in Six-Handed No-Limit Hold’em championship.

Corkins adds this bracelet to win his first WSOP win back in 1992. In the fifteen years that have passed until now, Corkins quit the poker circuit for about eight years. Since he has returned to the poker scene, Corkins has won and finished high in a variety of tournaments. Yet repeating as a WSOP winner has been an elusive prize. He finally cracked the barrier in this event and cashed for $515,065.

Corkins won his first gold bracelet in Pot-Limit Omaha. There were only 48 entries in that event. This time, the field was considerably larger. Corkins bested a field of 847 players.

Corkins dominated play throughout the tournament. No player this year has demonstrated such supremacy over a three-day period. He ended the first say as the chip leader, and carries that position through to the start of the final table, and he never lost the chip lead throughout the five hour finale. This was Corkins tournament from start to finish.

Corkins’ nickname is “the Alabama Cowboy.” He is known and respected for his black cowboy hat, mirrored shades, and clean cut image.

The runner up was Terrance Chan, one of the most respected players in the Internet poker community. Chan is from Vancouver, BC (Canada) and spent a few years living and working in Costa Rica prior to playing full-time as a pro.

William Lin, the third-place finisher, is a cash game professional from Denver, CO. His regular poker game is $50-100 blind No-Limit Hold’em, which is a huge game by any standards.

Alan Sass arrived at the final table close to Corkins as chip leader. However, the Las Vegan ended up going out in fourth place. Sass finished second in an event here at the WSOP last year.

Sixth-place finisher James “Pitbul” Pittman is famous in the poker world for a rather odd reason. He was the player vocally targeted by the bombastic Phil Hellmuth last year when he announced to the world on ESPN after busting out, “(He) can’t spell the word P-O-K-E-R.”

The 16th-place finisher was Steve Billirakis. Two weeks ago, he set the record as the youngest WSOP gold bracelet winner in history.

Final results:
1. Hoyt Corkins Las Vegas, NV $515,065
2. Terrence Chan Vancouver, BC $287,345
3. William Lin Denver, CO $196,758
4. Alan Sass Las Vegas, NV $132,471
5. Kelly Vandemheen Omaha, NE $96,431
6. James Pittman Yorba Linda, CA $63,118
7. Steve Wong Hoofd, Netherlands $47,339
8. Yakov Hirsch Brooklyn, NY $47,339
9. Russell Barnes Lake Worth, FL $33,507