Event #6: No-Limit Texas Hold 'em
Location: Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Buy-in: $1,000 (+60)
Number of Entries: 84
Total Prize Money: $81,480

Lake Tahoe's $1,000 buy-in no-limit hold'em event attracted 84 entries competing for $81,480 in prize money. Day One resulted in the elimination of 75 players. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Tony O'Hagan and Chris "The Armenian Express" Grigorian as the chip leaders. Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place: Yuctan Hodge, $2,445
Hodge, a retired businessman from the Caribbean island nation of Anguilla, arrived lowest in chips, had J-J, and lost to A-K when a king flopped.
8th Place: Bert Cardenas, $3,260
Cardenas had A-A and was all-in against Tony O'Hara's 6-6. Just when it appeared Cardenas would double up, the turn showed Q=9=8=K. Then a six fell on the river, giving O'Hara a set. Cardenas was eliminated.
7th Place: Greg Cash, $4,075
Eric Cloutier doubled up and took the chip lead over Chris Grigorian when his A-Q spiked an ace, crushing Grigorian's pocket jacks. Cash wasn't so fortunate. A short time later, he was short-stacked and lost to Grigorian's two pair. Grigorian got some of those chips back and it was a two-way tie for first in the chip count.
6th Place: Sam Lam, $4,890
Lam desperately needed to double up and decided to make a stand with 2-2. The tiny pocket pair lost to A-K when an ace flopped.
5th Place: Keith Collins, $5,705
Collins had A-3, moved all-in and was covered by Grigorian, with A-J. Neither player made a pair and the jack played.
4th Place: Chris Grigorian, $6,520
At this point, Tony O'Hagan was the chip leader, the result of a few big hands. Grigorian started off with 7-7 and was all-in against Cloutier's A-K. The "coin flip" hand turned out very well for Cloutier when an ace flopped.
3rd Place: Tony O'Hagan, $8,965
O'Hagan lost a few pots and gave up the chip lead. He committed his final chips with 10-6 when a 10 was the high-card on the turn. Unfortunately, Boyd Fricke (holding 3-4) had flopped trip 4s. O'Hagan, who finished 4th previously here in Lake Tahoe, took 3rd place this time.
Runner up: Eric Cloutier, $16,295
1st Place: Boyd Fricke, $29,325
The heads-up duel between Fricke and Cloutier began with Fricke holding a 2-to-1 chip advantage. Cloutier had been in this spot before, finishing second in Event #4. He had hoped to avoid repeat bridesmaid status, but was doomed to yet another finish as the runner-up. Just a few hands into play, Cloutier moved all-in with A-9 and was called by Fricke holding A-7 suited. The two spades in Fricke's hand were the difference as the turn brought a third spade - giving Fricke the flush and a WSOPC victory. Cloutier took the "loss" in stride. He received $16,295 and has won over $50,000 this year at Lake Tahoe.

View final results.