Event #37: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha

If there’s a music soundtrack to the latest WSOP gold bracelet victory, it’s most certainly Queen’s epic anthem, “We are the Champions.”

“I listened to that on the way to the final day, when I was driving in,” Xu said moments after achieving his first WSOP victory.  “I was pumped up and determined to win.”

The amateur poker player from Columbia, MD in the northern Washington, DC suburbs won the $1,500 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha, which was played over three days and nights and just concluded at the Rio in Las Vegas.  Xu collected $212,128 in prize money, making this the biggest win of his career.

The latest champion has previous cashed eight times at the series, dating all the way back to 2009.  However, other than a 12^th-place finish in his first event, Xu hadn’t really demonstrated anything that revealed the expectation he’d emerge from a big and tough field as the latest WSOP champion.

Indeed, perhaps it was the music.

“The cards fell my way at the right time,” Xu said.  “I knew that if I could get deep I would have a chance and things went right for me.”

Xu won his victory by coming out on top at a final table which included an international consortium of touch opponents from five different nations – including Great Britain, Australia, Norway, France, and the United States.  The moment of triumph came when Xu scooped the final pot of the tournament against Brit, Jeffrey Duvall who finished as the runner up.  His consolation prize amounted to $131,073.

This tourney attracted 776 entrants which created a prize pool totaling $1,047,600.  The top 117 finishers collected prize money.

Aside from the winner, here’s a brief report of the other top finishers who made the final table:

Second Place:  Jeffrey Duvall, from Royal Herbert, UK finished as the runner up.  He’s only had two cashes at the series, including this deep run and a showing in the money back in 2010.  Duvall collected $131,073.

Third Place:  Pallas Aidinian made the most of her WSOP final table debut by coming in third place, which paid $91,369.  She had not cashed before, so this was quite a feat.  Other than a second-place finish in Event #1, no female, other than Lisa Meredith (Event #14) who also finished third, has finished as high at this year’s series.

Fourth Place:  Joshua Pham, from Sydney, Australia came in fourth.  He had not previously cashed in a WSOP event, until this tournament.  Pham pocketed $64,654.

Fifth Place:  Tommy Le, from Tustin, CA posted his highest WSOP finish in nine WSOP cashes, including three final table appearances with this fifth-place showing.  He collected $46,452.

Sixth Place:  Richard Austin, from Jeffersonville, IN came in sixth.  He won a gold bracelet back in 2009.  He won the $5,000 buy-in Pot-Limit Omaha event that year.  Austin received $33,895.

Seventh Place:  Jon Ho Christensen, from Oslo, Norway cashed for the fourth time at the WSOP with this nice showing, which paid $25,123.

Eighth Place:  Thibaut Klinghammer, from Lamperthiem, France took second place in this event back in 2010.  He made another deep run coming in eighth, which paid $18,922.  This marked his fourth time to cash at the series.

Ninth Place:  Bryce Eckhart, from Auburn, WA cashed for the first time in a series event and also made a final table.  He pocketed $14,484.

Jiaqi Xu limps from the button for 50,000, and Jeff Duvall check his option.

The flop comes    , and both players check.

They both check again on the   turn, but on the   river, Xu bets 50,000. Duvall folds.

Jeffrey Duvall - 2,400,000 (48 bb)
Jiaqi Xu - 3,400,000 (68 bb)

Hand 1

Jeffrey Duvall raises to 125,000 from the button and Pallas Aidinian reraises for the pot to 415,000 out of the small blind. Duvall folds and Aidinian wins the pot.

Hand 2

Jiaqi Xu limps the small blind and Duvall checks in the big blind. The     flop goes check, check.

On the   turn, Xu bets 45,000 and Duvall calls. The   river is checked through and Xu announces two pairs. Duvall rolls over      for a set of jacks and wins the pot.

Hand 3

Xu raises to 85,000 from the button and Duvall calls in the small blind. The flop of     goes check, check. Duvall also checks the   turn and Xu bets 80,000, Duvall folds.

Pallas Aidinian limps from the small blind and Jiaqi Xu checks his option in the big blind.

On the     flop, Aidinian checks, Xu bets 65,000, and Aidinian calls.

The   appears on the turn and Aidinian checks again. Xu bets 160,000 and Aidinian calls.

After the   river, Aidinian checks and Xu checks behind, showing some frustration. Aidinian announces a flush and turns over      and Xu mucks     with the words "straight also."

Pallas Aidinian - 1,005,000 (25 bb)
Jiaqi Xu - 3,050,000 (76 bb)

Jiaqi Xu limps in from the small blind and Jeffrey Duvall checks his option in the big blind

On the     flop, Xu bets 65,000 and Duvall calls.

After the   turn, Xu bets 160,000 and Duvall calls again.

Xu checks the   river and Duvall bets 400,000 with around 800,000 behind. Xu gives it some thought and folds, Duvall shows him      for a missed wrap and ten-high.

Jeffrey Duvall - 1,765,000 (44 bb)
Jiaqi Xu - 3,255,000 (81 bb)

Jeffrey Duvall

From the button, Jeffrey Duvall raises to 125,000. Pallas Aidinian calls from the small blind, and Jiaqi Xu folds in the big blind.

Duvall and Aidinian see a flop of    , and when Aidinian checks, Duvall bets 280,000, with 330,000 behind.

Aidinian raises pot, and Duvall quickly calls all-in, creating a showdown.

Aidinian:     , for three of a kind fours.
Duvall:     , for the overpair.

The turn   is safe for Aidinian, but the river   gives Duvall a full house, doubling him to a healthy 1,500,000 stack again.

Pallas Aidinian - 750,000 (18 bb)
Jeffrey Duvall - 1,500,000 (36 bb)

Jiaqi Xu raises to 85,000 from the button and Jeffrey Duvall calls in the small blind, Pallas Aidinian calls in the big blind.

The flop of     is checked to Xu and he bets 85,000. Duvall folds and Aidinian calls.

After the   turn, Aidinian checks, Xu bets 140,000 and Aidinian then check-raises to 440,000. Xu folds.

Pallas Aidinian - 1,570,000 (39 bb)
Jiaqi Xu - 3,715,000 (92 bb)

Pallas Aidinian opens to 70,000 and, from the big blind, Jeffrey Duvall calls.

The flop is    , and both players check.

The turn   is also checked around, and the same goes for the river  .

Duvall says he has second pair, and Aidinian then shows the winning hand,     .

Jeffrey Duvall - 600,000 (20 bb)

Joshua Pham Eliminated in 4th Place ($64,654)

Joshua Pham raises to 60,000 first to act and Jeffrey Duvall calls on the button, Jiaqi Xu defends his big blind.

The flop comes     and Xu bets 90,000. Pham calls, Duvall folds.

On the   turn, Xu bets the size of the pot for 390,000 and Pham moves all in for slightly more, Xu calls.

Pham:      - a straight and straight flush draw
Xu:      for a wrap and higher flush draw

The   river improves Xu to a nine-high straight and Pham is eliminated.

Jiaqi Xu - 3,200,000 (106 bb)
Joshua Pham - Eliminated in 4th Place ($64,654)