Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:32:32 -0700
Max Greenwood -- Event 44 Champion
23-year-old Max Greenwood from Toronto, Canada has just become your newest World Series of Poker gold bracelet owner. It took just 33 hands of heads up play for Max to complete his impressive come-from-behind win against formidable opponent Rene Mouritsen.
At one point in the tournament when the action was three-handed, a short-stacked Greenwood was all in for his tournament life and drawing to two outs when he managed to spike a miracle five on the river to stay alive. After that fateful hand, he ran his stack up from 900,000 to 3.2 million in a little over a half an hour and the rest is history.
A blazing-fast final table that wrapped up in just under five and a half hours featured everything from zany Danes wearing crowns and bearing axes to drunken Greenwood fans building pyramids with beer cans and chanting "Max.... Max..... MAX!"
The atmosphere was nutty to say the least, but no one that witnessed things go down here this afternoon would've had it any other way -- especially not Greenwood himself, who will walk away with just under $700,000 in prize money for his efforts. Runner-up Rene Mouritsen earned $445,523 for his second place finish, as well as the respect and admiration of the many Danes that came out to support him.
Congratulations to all of today's final table participants for a job well done. Here are your final results:
1st: Max Greenwood ($693,444)
2nd: Rene Mouritsen ($445,523)
3rd: Albert Iversen ($267,314)
4th: Scott Freeman ($223,572)
5th: Jesse Chinni ($183,069)
6th: Aliaksandr Dzianisau ($144,187)
7th: Curits Kohlberg ($111,786)
8th: Phung Ngo ($87,484)
9th: Alex 'Diesel' Bolotin ($63,183)
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:27:00 -0700
Hand #129 - Greenwood Eliminates Mouritsen; Claims Event 44 Crown!
Rene Mouritsen has the button and makes it 120,000 to go. Max Greenwood then asks Mouritsen approximately how many chips he has left behind. Mouritsen moves his hands away from his stack so that Max can see his chips and Greenwood nods his head and makes the call.
The flop comes
and Greenwood knuckles the table, giving Mouritsen the first option. Rene seizes the opportunity and leads out with a bet of 175,000. Greenwood then counters with a check-raise, kicking it up to 500,000. Rene slid his hood over his head and rested his chin on his hands as he considered his move. "I'm all in," said the Dane and Greenwood made a very quick call.
Mouritsen quickly pulled his hood back so that he could see his opponent's hand --
-- which was a single card better than his own:
.
Chaos ensued as cheering sections for both players rushed the stage to catch a glimpse of the board. With his tournament life on the line, Mouritsen would need to catch a king to double up and stay alive, but the board would not comply as the turn and river filled out
,
in favor of Greenwood, your newest 2008 WSOP bracelet winner!
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:18:18 -0700
Updated Chip Counts
Greenwood: 4,575,000
Mouritsen: 2,175,000
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:16:34 -0700
Hand #127 - Max Greenwood
Rene Mouritsen has the button and raises to 120,000. Max Greenwood makes the call and we see a flop of
.
Greenwood leads out with a bet of 175,000 and Mouritsen makes the call.
The turn brings the
and Greenwood puts on the brakes, passing the first action to Mouritsen who bets 325,000. Greenwood then reaches for a bigtime stack of chips and slides 2.025 million worth into the middle. The bet sends Mouritsen into the tank and he appears flustered. He glances down at his stack and takes several deep breaths, all the while shuffling a small stack of chips. Staring across the table at his opponent, Mouritsen flashes the
before reluctantly tossing his cards into the muck.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:09:26 -0700
Hand #126 - Max Greenwood
Max Greenwood has the button, and he raises to 110,000. Rene Mouritsen folds quickly.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:08:39 -0700
Hand #125 - Max Greenwood
Rene Mouritsen has the button, and he gives Max Greenwood a walk.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:07:50 -0700
Hand #124 - Max Greenwood
Max Greenwood has the button, and he limps in. Rene Mouritsen checks his option.
The flop is
. Mouritsen leads out with a bet of 55,000, and Greenwood makes the call.
The turn card is the
. Mouritsen checks this time, as does Greenwood.
Fifth street:
. Mouritsen bets out 125,000, and Greenwood makes the call. Mouritsen just mucks his hand, and Greenwood wins an easy pot.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:05:29 -0700
Hand #123 - Rene Mouritsen
Rene Mouritsen has the button, and he puts in a raise to 120,000. Max Greenwood folds quickly.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:04:34 -0700
Hand #122 - Max Greenwood
Max Greenwood has the button, and he raises to 110,000. Rene Mouritsen quickly folds.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:03:46 -0700
Hand #121 - Max Greenwood
Rene Mouritsen has the button, and he gives his opponent a walk.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:03:12 -0700
Hand #120 - Max Greenwood
Max Greenwood has the button and makes it 110,000 to go. Rene Mouritsen surrenders his big blind.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:02:13 -0700
Hand #119 - Rene Mouritsen
Rene Mouritsen has the button, and he limps in. Max Greenwood checks his option.
The dealer spreads out
, and both men check.
The turn is the
. Greenwood checks, and Mouritsen bets 50,000. That's enough for Greenwood, and he ducks out.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:01:36 -0700
An International Battle
There are two heads-up battles going on in the room right now. The first is the one on center stage, the battle at the poker table between Max Greenwood and Rene Mouritsen.
The second, and possibly more entertaining battle, is going on in the bleachers, where Greenwood and Mouritsen have their cheering sections seated on opposite sides of the arena.
From one side, we hear "M-A-X.. Max, Max, Max!" and "Green! ... Wood!..."
Across the room, the Danes are dancing and cheering loudly in their own style. The melodies of their chants are recognizable, but the language is foreign.
The cheering is spirited and light-hearted... and extremely loud at times, taking on the feel of a big sporting event. However, it has just begun to get a little excessive within the last few minutes. The tournament director has recently had to warn the spectators a number of times to keep it down during hands.
"You can have all the fun you want between hands, though," he says. The fans are certainly heeding that piece of admonition.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 19:00:26 -0700
Hand #118 - Max Greenwood
Max Greenwood has the button and kicks it up to 110,000. Rene Mouritsen makes the call and sees a flop of
.
Both players check the flop and the
falls on the turn. Mouritsen checks once more, as does Greenwood, bringing us to 5th Street -- the
.
Mouritsen passes the action to Greenwood who fires a 200,000 bet. Mouritsen makes the call and Greenwood tables
for two pair which is good enough to take down the pot.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:57:13 -0700
Hand #117 - Rene Mouritsen
Rene Mouritsen has the button, and he raises to 110,000. Max Greenwood comes along with a call.
The flop shows up
. Greenwood checks. Mouritsen bets 140,000, and Greenwood makes the call.
The turn is the
, and Greenwood checks again. Mouritsen keeps the heat on, putting out a bet of 350,000. Greenwood knocks the table and folds his hand.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:54:20 -0700
Hand #116 - Rene Mouritsen
Max Greenwood has the button and folds, giving Rene Mouritsen a walk.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:53:46 -0700
Hand #115 - Max Greenwood
Rene Mouritsen has the button, and he raises to 120,000. Max Greenwood makes the call.
The flop rolls out
, and both players check.
The turn is the
. Greenwood checks, allowing Mouritsen to bet out 150,000. Greenwood decides to raise, making it 450,000 total, and Mouritsen quickly lays it down.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:51:21 -0700
Hand #114 - Rene Mouritsen
Max Greenwood has the button and completes the bet; Rene Mouritsen checks his option in the big blind and we see a flop of
.
Both players check the flop and the turn brings the
. Rene then leads out with a bet of 40,000; Max makes the call.
The last card off the deck is the
and a check-check sequence brings us to the showdown, at which point Rene tables a
for trips and Max mucks his hand.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:49:33 -0700
Hand #113 - Max Greenwood
Rene Mouritsen has the button, and he raises to 100,000. Max Greenwood comes along to the flop with a call.
The dealer spreads out
. Greenwood checks, and Mouritsen throws 125,000 in green chips into the middle. Greenwood calls.
The turn comes the
. Greenwood passes again, and Mouritsen slows down, tapping the table.
The river brings the
, and both players check again. Greenwood shows
. Mouritsen twirls the
in his hand, but then flips both cards into the muck. The nine kicker plays for Greenwood, and he takes down the pot.
Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:46:05 -0700
Hand #112 - Max Greenwood
Max Greenwood has the button and completes from the small blind; Rene Mouritsen checks his option in the big.
The flop comes
and Rene passes the first option to Max who bets 50,000. Rene shows the
and folds.
