2006 World Series of Poker
Rio All-Suites Hotel and Casino - Las Vegas
Official Results and Report
Event #4
Limit Hold'em
Buy-In: $1,500
Number of Entries: 1,068
Total Prize Money: $1,457,820
Defending Champion (2005): Erik Froehlich
Official Results:
1. Kianoush Abolfathi Marina Del Rey, CA $335,289
2. Eric Buchman Valley Stream, NY $174,938
3. Josh Schlein Owings Mills, MD $101,318
4. Michele D. Lewis Houston, TX $72,891
5. Vipul Kothari Edison, NJ $58,313
6. Hank Sparks Long Beach, CA $51,024
7. Patrick Maloney Las Vegas, NV $43,735
8. Lars Hansen Copenhagen, Denmark $36,446
9. Matt Elsby Los Angeles, CA $32,801
10. Brandon Bates New York, NY $29,156
11. Sean Luckey Las Vegas, NV $26,970
12. Robin Mezhibousky Holmdel, NJ $24,783
13. Chad Davis Greenville, TX $22,596
14. Kevin Manley Arlington Heights, IL $20,409
15. Ron Burke La Selva Beach, CA $18,223
16. Gary Margadonna Granbury, TX $16,036
17. Stuart Krasney Tustin, CA $13,849
18. Aaron Z. Bartley Cary, NC $11,663
19. Genki Jinno Kanagawa, Japan $9,476
20. Joe Cassidy Costa Mesa, CA $9,476
21. Phil Ivey Las Vegas, NV $9,476
22. Chris McHugh Las Vegas, NV $9,476
23. Troy Tuggle Brighton, MI $9,476
24. Chris Tsiprailides Syracuse, NY $9,476
25. Steve Wong Hoofddorf, Holland $9,476
26. Jonathan Little Pensacola, FL $9,476
27. Ryan McGuire Las Vegas, NV $9,476
28. Young Phan Garden Crove, CA $7,289
29. Jason Gillis San Clements $7,289
30. Selma Gluhbegovic Las Vegas, NV $7,289
31. Wyley Lynch Henderson, NV $7,289
32. Michael Russ Nutley, NJ $7,289
33. Greg Mueller Boamlager, Germany $7,289
34. Howard Boyd Westchester, OH $7,289
35. Peter Dominie Charlotte, NC $7,289
36. Julio Rodriguez Baily, CO $7,289
37. Jorge Martinez Key Largo, FL $5,831
38. Ed Sass Wallingford, CT $5,831
39. Van Nguyen Bell Gardens, CA $5,831
40. James Giuffre Chicago, IL $5,831
41. Jed Pickerson Oceanside, CA $5,831
42. Phil Gordon Las Vegas, NV $5,831
43. James Green Columbia, MO $5,831
44. Brad Anderson Fresno, CA $5,831
45. Mitch Kroll Solon, OH $5,831
46. Robert Vollmer Springboro, OH $4,373
47. Ed Brodsky San Diego, CA $4,373
48. Michael Hill Wiesbaden $4,373
49. Aaron Ogus Kimbland, WA $4,373
50. Jerry Dunning Sarasota, FL $4,373
51. George Billias E. Lyme, CT $4,373
52. Kuei Chi Chang Taiwan $4,373
53. Bud Lavassani Burbank, CA $4,373
54. Alan Schein N. Miami, FL $4,373
55. Fi Tran Los Angeles, CA $3,645
56. Jim Wavra Spokane, WA $3,645
57. Jesse Martin New York, NY $3,645
58. Christopher Feeney Orlando, FL $3,645
59. Eugene Ji New York, NY $3,645
60. Joshua Blanchfield Boston, MA $3,645
61. Kendrick Roberts Houston, TX $3,645
62. Phuong Nguyen Auborn, WA $3,645
63. Paul A. Taylor Las Vegas, NV $3,645
64. Victor I. Parashiv Chicago, IL $2,916
65. David G. Pincus Davis, CA $2,916
66. Gregory S. Wilson Crystal Lake, IL $2,916
67. Kyle D. Miaso Scottsdale, AZ $2,916
68. Keith N. Sexton Henderson, NV $2,916
69. Eric J. Nickelson San Jose, CA $2,916
70. Andre Ross Montreal, Canada $2,916
71. Unknown NA $2,916
72. John Jenkins Walnut Creek, CA $2,916
73. Cal Namihino Honolulu, HI $2,916
74. Jesse Jamison Phoenix, AZ $2,916
75. Donald Sekorky Medino, OH $2,916
76. B.I. "T.D." Dong Palo Alto, CA $2,916
77. Tom Koral Skokie, IL $2,916
78. Claudie Holland Fayetville, NC $2,916
79. Jonathan Aquiar Boston, MA $2,916
80. Vanessa Rousso Las Vegas, NV $2,916
81. James Richburg Long Beach, CA $2,916
82. Salem Valimahomed Cambridge, MA $2,187
83. Kenny Chanthamalo East Lyme, CT $2,187
84. Mark Jones Manhattan Beach, CA $2,187
85. James Browwer Marysville, WA $2,187
86. Andrew Wynn New York, NY $2,187
87. James Gaill Appomattox, VA $2,187
88. Michael Castelli Ottowa, IL $2,187
89. Chad Burum Muvato, CA $2,187
90. Eric H. Young Ontario, Canada $2,187
91. Ernie Scherer III Los Angeles, CA $2,187
92. David Stroj Chula Vista, CA $2,187
93. Joel Black Rancho Cucamonga, CA $2,187
94. Larry Thomas San Leandro, CA $2,187
95. Christopher James Castleton, NY $2,187
96. Kevin Kim Los Angeles, CA $1,749.60
97. Denton Gleaves North Las Vegas, NV $1,749.60
98. Allan Cunningham Las Vegas, NV $1,749.60
99. Jeff Mervis Las Vegas, NV $1,749.60
100 Tim Post Humcston, IA $1,749.60
Kianoush Abolfathi Wins First WSOP Gold Bracelet
Iranian-born student now living in Los Angeles
wins biggest limit hold'em prize in history!
Las Vegas, NV - Once upon a time there was a poker game called "Limit Hold'em." It was the most popular game in the land. Everywhere you went, in each cardroom and every casino, limit was the game that was played. Then, the earth shook and the poker world changed -- perhaps forever.
When ESPN began showing the 2003 World Series of Poker in prime time, millions of television viewers were exposed to an exciting "new" poker game for the very first time. No-limit hold'em, a game previously tucked away inside smoky backrooms played regularly only by a few dusty old-timers, skyrocketed in popularity and revolutionized poker and the way it is perceived everywhere.
Limit hold'em has since become poker's step-child. Sure, remains widely-played and is a staple game inside many cardrooms. But, in tournament poker, no-limit is king.
Limit poker requires a very different set of skills and strategies to win. Unlike the reckless "all in" mentality often present at no-limit tables, limit is a game of patience and percentages. For that reason it is not nearly as dramatic to watch, due to its more methodological qualities.
Nevertheless, the first limit hold'em event at this year's World Series attracted one of the largest "limit" fields in poker history. A whopping 1,068 players put up $1,500 each for the chance to win a gold bracelet. One-thousand, and sixty-eight entries. Ho-hum. Just another day at the 2006 World Series of Poker.
The winner was a 29-year-old Iranian-born student from Los Angeles named Kianoush Abolfathi. He won $335,289 and his first WSOP gold bracelet. Abolfathi's comeback victory from one of the lowest stacks was as impressive as it was remarkable. He started at the final table eighth in the chip count. It took Abolfathi just under seven hours to obliterate eight would-be champions en route to his first major tournament victory.
After two long days of play, the limit final table was set with the nine survivors. When the first hand was dealt out, seating positions and chips counts were as follows:
Name Chip Count Seat #
Vipul Kothavi $132,000 1
Matt Elsby $51,000 2
Josh Schlein $243,000 3
Michele Lewis $225,000 4
Eric Buchman $213,000 5
Kianoush Abolfathi $75,000 6
Lars Hansen $156,000 7
Hank Sparks $243,000 8
Patrick Maloney $259,000 9
The first player eliminated was the shortest stack. In fact, the hand would set the stage for what would ultimately become "the Kianoush Abolfathi show." Matthew Elsby was dealt pocket aces and got into a raising war with Abolfathi after making trip kings (holding K-Q) when a third-king fell on the river. The big pot put Abolfathi up to third in the chip count, zooming from pretender to contender. Elsby earned $32,801 as the first player out.
Lars Hansen is one of many talented Scandinavian players who have fared well at the WSOP in recent years. However, he went out next when he lost a series of pots and had to commit his final chips with a dog hand. The dog failed to bark, and Hansen marched away in eighth place. He received $36,446.
Patrick Maloney suffered much the same fate – a few bad hands and then low on chips -- a forced final commitment with a weak hand. Maloney's 7-6 failed to slay Michele Lewis' Q-10 and the night was over for the Las Vegas-based poker pro. Seventh place paid $43,735.
Hank Sparks arrived as the co-chip leader at the start, but got a shock on his final hand of the night when his pocket nines lost to Michele Lewis' pocket tens. Sparks, appropriately enough an electrical engineer by trade, got zapped and had to settle for $51,024 for sixth place.
Vipul Kothari, from Edison, NJ was eliminated next. Kothari left in a disappointing way, losing with A-K suited after the flop brought two cards to his suit. But the flush card of salvation failed to come. All of Kothari's chips went over to Kianoush Abolfathi. Kothari went to the cage and collected $58,313 for fifth place.
The first female to make a final table appearance at this year's WSOP was Michele Lewis, a real estate broker and full-time mother of two children. Lewis arrived within striking distance of the chip lead a few times, but suffered a tough beat on her final hand of the tournament. Lewis was dealt pocket aces against Josh Schlein's Q-10 suited. After the flop came with two of Schlein's suits, a raising war broke out. A spade on the river completed Schlein's flush and paved the exit path for Lewis. Part of her $72,891 in winnings, she says, will go to a charity that works to promote and fund cancer research.
Down to three players, just as it looked as though Josh Schlein might start to pull away from his two rivals, he took a number of disappointing beats with the second-best hand and ended up the victim of a complete chip reversal. Schlein finally busted-out with top pair (kings) which lost to Abolfathi's set of deuces. Third-place paid $101,318.
That big hand gave Abolfathi a 4 to 1 chip lead when heads-up play began. His lone opponent, Eric Buchman would prove to be a tough final blockade. Despite being out-chipped by a large margin throughout the final duel, Buchman won several key hands and did his best to pull off a comeback. He got close a few times, but in the end – the big stack and the more aggressive player who knew how to take advantage of the situation won. After 90 minutes of scratching and clawing, Abolfathi finally delivered the knockout blow with a pair of tens to Buchman's no-pair, and a new poker champion was crowned at the Rio.
As the runner-up, Eric Buchman received $174,938 in prize money. The winner showed great appreciation for the moment and proudly snapped on the coveted gold bracelet. Abolfathi was the $1,500 Limit Event champion.
by Nolan Dalla
Note: All content in this report may be re-printed by media.
Overall Tournament Statistics (through end of Event #4):
Total Entries to Date: 6,178
Total Prize Money Distributed: $ 7,305,690
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For official photographs from the 2006 World Series of Poker, please contact Eric Harkins (Image Masters PDI) at: image22@aol.com
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For additions news and information from the 2006 WSOP, please contact: nolandalla@aol.com
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World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Sports and Entertainment Marketing (Licensing) -- Ty Stewart
Director of Sports and Entertainment Marketing (Communications) – Gary Thompson
Vice President of Specialty Gaming -- Howard Greenbaum
WSOP Tournament Director – Robert Daily
WSOP Tournament Director / Director of Poker Operations for Harrah's Entertainment – Jack Effel