Bach wins $50k H.O.R.S.E

At just under 19 hours long the final table was the second longest WSOP final table in history (only the WSOPE 2008 Main event final table was longer) and eventually it was David Bach who triumphed after a long heads up battle against John Hanson. Bach collected $1,276,802, the Chip Reese memorial trophy and more importantly the bracelet that all the pros crave. ‘It hasn’t even sunken in yet,’ said Bach shortly after his victory. ‘This is Chip Reese’s tournament. I think it is the best tournament of the whole year. It means the world to win.’

Bach and Hanson, neither of whom had previously won a bracelet, started heads up play almost exactly even in chips with about $7.1 million each. Hanson finished third in this same event in 2007 and is an experienced mixed game player. He is based in New York and also featured on High Stakes Golf.

Bach, who finished 11th in this event in 2008, is from Athens, Georgia and had previously made four other WSOP final tables with his closest taste of victory being a second place finish in a $1500 pot-limit Omaha hi-low event in 2007.

The first person eliminated from the final table was eight time bracelet winner Eric Seidel who succombed in the stud hi/lo round. Almost instantly he was follwed to the rail by a short stacked Chau Giang. It took over five hours before the next player, Ville Wahlbeck, was eliminated in sixth. The biggest name left in the field was definitely Huck Seed, but he was also the short stack and he couldn’t mount a comeback and succumbed in fifth spot. Next to hit the rail was Vitaly Lunkin who fell just short of a momentus double of $40,000 no-limit Hold’em and $50,000 H.O.R.S.E bracelets. And eliminated in third was start of the day chip leader Eric Sagstrom.

H.O.R.S.E is a rotation of five different limit games, limit Hold’em, limit Omaha hi/lo, razz, stud and stud hi/lo. The game changes every eight hands.

1. David Bach, $1,276,802
2. John Hanson, $789,199
3. Eric Sagstrom, $522,394
4. Vitaly Lunkin, $368,813
5. Huck Seed, $276,610
6. Ville Wahlbeck, $219,655
7. Chau Giang, $184,087
8. Eric Seidel, $162,382