Gambling
Related Essays and Reports by Andrew W Scott
World
Series of Poker Main Event... Report number 11
Las
Vegas, Nevada, USA
July
18th 2007
Day 7: Tuesday 17 July
Of the 6,358 starters, only the final table of 9 remained
at the start of day 7, the final day. Those 9 men
are:
1
Jon Kalmar 20,320,000 Chorley, Lancashire, England
2 Lee Childs 13,240,000 Reston, VA, USA
3 Philip Hilm 22,070,000 Cambridge, England (born
in Denmark)
4 Jerry Yang 8,459,000 Temecula, CA, USA (born in
Laos)
5 Raymond Rahme 16,320,000 Johannesburg, South Africa
6 Tuan Lam 21,315,000 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
(born in Vietnam)
7 Alex Kravchenko 6,570,000 Moscow, Russia
8 Lee Watkinson 9,925,000 Cheney, WA, USA
9 Hevad Khan 9,205,000 Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
Total
chips: 127,424,000
Play
begins at 12:18pm. It is the thirty-first level. Blinds
are 120,000/240,000 and the ante is 30,000. The first
eight hands are fairly uneventful. Hand number 9.
Childs raises under the gun pre-flop but Yang re-raises.
Child calls. The flop comes 7-4-2 two clubs, Childs
bets 3 million and Yang goes all-in. Yang just has
Childs covered. Childs folds, showing pocket queens.
Yang takes down an 11.63 million pot. This sets the
tone for the rest of the day, during which Yang plays
very aggressively. Hand number 14. Yang moves all-in
again, on a board of A-10-8-3 two diamonds, this time
against Hilm. Hilm folds, and Yang takes down another
11 million pot. Yang is now chip leader.
Hand
number 15. Yang raises from late position to 1 million,
Hilm calls from the small blind. The flop comes Kd-Jd-5c,
Hilm checks, Yang bets 2 million, and Hilm calls.
The turn is 2h, Hilm checks, Yang bets 4 million,
and suddenly Hilm moves all in!! Yang thinks, then
calls. He has Ad-Ks for top pair with top kicker,
Hilm has 8-5 diamonds, for bottom pair and the flush
draw. To survive, Hilm needs a diamond, a five or
an eight – he has 13 outs in the remaining 44 cards.
The river comes 6 of clubs, and the overnight chip
leader is dead. Yang is up to 44.5 million, now dominating
the table. 8
players left.
Hand
number 21. Yang raises from the small blind to 1 million,
Watkinson moves all in from the big blind. Yang asks
for a count, and there is a long delay while Watkinson’s
chips are sorted out. Finally it is determined that
he has 9.715 million. Yang calls, and shows As-9d.
Watkinson has Ac-7h, and must have felt sick. The
board runs out with no help to either player. Watkinson,
probably the most recognised player at the table,
is out. Yang is on fire.7
players left.
Hand
number 28. Blind versus blind. Childs raises from
the small blind to 720,000, but Yang goes all in from
the big blind. Childs only has 4.98 million left.
After a long pause, Childs calls, and shows King-Jack.
Yang has only Jack-8 spades. The flop comes 6-4-4,
Childs is looking good. But the turn is an 8, Yang
hits the front, and the 9 on the river means Childs
is out. Yang can do no wrong. Players
go on a break.
Play
resumes at 2:53pm, at the thirty-second level. Blinds
are 150,000/300,000 with a 40,000 ante. 6 players
left. Yang
has half the chips on the table.
Hand
number 50. Kravchenko doubles up to 5.86 million through
Hevad Khan, who is down to 6.715 million. Hand number
51. Khan wins a pot worth 5.59 million. Hand number
52. Yang raises from middle position to 1.5 million,
and Khan re-raises from the small blind to 6 million,
almost all his chips (he has 3.44 million remaining).
Yang calls, and Khan moves all-in in the dark as the
flop of Kc-4c-2d hits. Yang calls with pockets Jacks,
and Khan shows his Ace-Queen of spades. Khan needs
an Ace, a Queen, or an unlikely runner-runner Jack
and Ten for top straight. The turn and river are the
two black threes and Khan is gone. 5 players left.
They will all receive prize money of at least a million
dollars.
Hand
number 58. Blind versus blind. Kravchenko moves all
in from the small blind for 4.39 million. Yang calls
from the big blind. Kravchenko shows Ace-Ten and Yang
Jack-Ten. The board helps neither and Kravchenko is
up to 9.78 million. Hand number 60. Raymond Rahme
raises to 2.7 million, Jon Kalmar moves all in for
13.245 million from the big blind, and Rahme calls.
Rahme shows a pair of Jacks, Kalmar has Ace-King.
The board comes ten high and Kalmar is busted. 4 players
left. Players take a break, and the $5,000 chips are
raced off.
At
5:48pm, the thirty-third level begins, with blinds
of 200,000/400,000 and a 50,000 ante. Play slows down
and tightens up considerably. Hand number 78. Yang
raises under the gun for 1.5 million. Kravchenko moves
all in for 9.05 million. After a long pause, Yang
calls, with King-Queen. Kravchenko has a pair of 3s.
The flop comes 8-3-2, giving Kravchenko a set, and
he doubles up to 18.5 million (also picking up the
big blind). The players take their dinner break at
7pm, and return to play at 8:30pm.
Hand
number 92. Kravchenko limps on the button for 400,000.
Yang calls from the small blind, and Tuan Lam checks
his option in the big blind. The flop comes Js-10c-4d.
Yang checks, Lam bets 1.5 million, Kravchenko folds,
Yang raises to 4.5 million, and Lam moves all in for
10.8 million. Of course the crowd goes wild and Yang
thinks for a long time. Finally, he calls. Yang shows
As-10h for a pair of tens, and Lam shows Ks-Qc for
the open-ended straight draw. Lam needs an Ace, King,
Queen or nine. 13 outs. The turn is 4h, and it is
looking like this could be the end of Tuan Lam. The
river is Qd and the crowd goes wild. Lam doubles up
to 23 million. It is a big moment.
Hand number 95. Kravchenko limps from the small blind
for 400,000, and Yang checks in the big blind. Blind
versus blind. The flop comes 8-5-4 rainbow. Both check.
The turn is an Ace, making two hearts on board. Kravchenko
bets 600,000. Yang raises to 2.6 million. Kravchenko
stops and thinks for a couple of minutes, then pushes
all-in for 10.35 million! Yang folds, and Kravchenko
is up to 13.95 million. At 9:31pm, the thirty-fourth
level begins. Blinds are 250,000/500,000 and antes
50,000. Four players remain.
Hand
number 108. Kravchenko raises to 1.4 million on the
button. Yang re-raises in the small blind to 4.9 million,
and Kravchenko moves all in for 13.45 million. Yang
calls with Ace-10, Kravchenko shows pocket Kings.
The board is no help to Yang, and Kravchenko doubles
up to 27.6 million. Yang is at 47.725 million.
Hand
number 129. Yang raises on the button to 2.5 million.
Tuan Lam moves all in for 11.65 million. Rahme moves
all-in over the top for 28.75 million, and Yang folds.
Rahme has pocket Queens to Lam’s Ace-5. The flop comes
A-10-10, no change on the turn or river and Lam is
up to 26 million. Rahme goes down to 17.1 million.
At 11:55pm, the thirty-fifth level begins. Blinds
are 300,000/600,000 and antes 75,000. Four players
remain. Play grinds down and the crowd become restless.
Nothing is happening.
Hand
number 149. Kravchenko raises under the gun to 1.75
million. Yang re-raises from the button to 6.25 million,
but Rahme moves all-in from the big blind for 17.125
million. Kravchenko folds. Yang thinks, then calls,
showing a pair of Queens. Rahme has Ace-Queen, and
feels sick. The flop comes A-9-4 and Rahme’s fans
go wild. No change on the turn or river, and Rahme
moves up to 36.6 million. Yang drops back to 41.625,
still in the lead, but not by much.
Hand number 167. Kravchenko raises from the small
blind to 2.1 million, Yang pushes all-in from the
big blind, and Kravchenko calls all-in for 19.825.
Yang has pockets 8s, and Kravchenko Ace-King. The
flop comes with an 8, and Kravchenko is busted. 3
players left: Yang, Rahme and Lam.
Hand
number 169. Yang raises on the button to 2.6 million.
Rahme re-raises in the big blind to 8.6 million. Yang
calls. The flop comes Ad-Jh-8h. Rahme checks, Yang
bets 10 million, but Rahme moves all-in for 27.35
million. Yang doesn’t like it, and goes into the tank
for a very long time. Finally he calls. Rahme has
pocket Kings, and Yang Ace-5. The rest of the board
doesn’t help, and Rahme is out.
We
are down to heads-up play. Yang has bust all bar one
of the seven players out so far. Heads-up starts with
Yang holding 104.45 million in chips, and Lam 23.025
million in chips, an 81/19 ratio. It is a tough ask
for Lam to win it. Yang is the first person in the
history of the world to hold over 100 million in tournament
chips. At the beginning of the tournament there was
play in green $25 chips. Now the peach coloured $25,000
chips seem like smash. Lam plays passively, perhaps
he gets atrocious cards. He folds regularly. Yang
goes all-in once, but Lam folds. By the time hand
190 comes around, the start of the next level, Yang
has 117.425 million to Lam’s 10.05 million. At 3:07am,
the thirty-sixth level begins. Blinds are 400,000/800,000
and antes 100,000.
Hand
number 192. Lam moves all in on the button for 9.05
million, and Yang calls with Ace-10. Lam shows 4-3
diamonds. The flop comes with a 4, no improvement
for Yang on the rest of the board and Lam doubles
up to 18.3 million.
Hand
number 205. Yang has the button and raises to 2.3
million, Lam moves all in for 22.2 million. Yang calls,
showing pocket 8s. Lam shows Ace-Queen of diamonds.
Yang is in front, and the crowd can smell the end.
The flop comes Q-9-5 and Lam hits the front. The Canadians
in the crowd go wild. If Lam can double up to about
45 million, we will have a real contest on our hands.
The turn comes 7, and Yang picks up the 6 as an out
with an inside straight draw as well as the 8 for
a set. He goes from 2 outs to 6 outs. The river is
– 6! Yang wins with a straight, and at 3:48am, we
have our champion.
The
final standings were:
1st
Jerry Yang $8,250,000 Temecula, CA, USA (born in Laos)
2nd Tuan Lam $4,840,981 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
(born in Vietnam)
3th Raymond Rahme $3,048,025 Johannesburg, South Africa
4th Alex Kravchenko $1,852,721 Moscow, Russia
5th Jon Kalmar $1,255,069 Chorley, Lancashire, England
6th Hevad Khan $956,243 Poughkeepsie, NY, USA
7th Lee Childs $705,229 Reston, VA, USA
8th Lee Watkinson $585,699 Cheney, WA, USA
9th Philip Hilm $525,934 Cambridge, England (born
in Denmark)
Total
final table prizes: $22,019,901
©
2007 Andrew W Scott
andrew@andrewscott.com
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