Event #2: Limit Texas Hold 'em
Location: Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Buy-in: $500 (+50)
Number of Entries: 156
Total Prize Money: $75,660
The limit hold'em tournament started with 156 entries. Day One resulted in the elimination of 147 players. Places 10 through 18 received prize money ranging from $755 up to $1,060. The nine finalists returned on Day Two, with Chris Wong from Sacramento holding a commanding 3 to 1 chip lead over his closest rival. The final table was played in front of the Hard Rock Café on the second floor at Harveys Lake Tahoe. Players were eliminated as follows:
9th Place: Dan Rosner, $1,515
Rosner was one of six players grouped together in second place, with over 20K in chips at the start. Unfortunately, his stay in the finale lasted a brief 22 minutes.
8th Place: Robert Schorr, $2,270
Schorr had been second-lowest in chips coming into Day Two and finished on par as the 8th-place finisher.
7th Place: Albert Sands, $3,025
Sands has cashed in many online tournaments and also finished second at a major poker tournament in Biloxi, MS a few years ago.
6th Place: Gary Smith, $3,785
Smith, who was the shortest-stack from the start, moved up three places on the money ladder. He was eliminated next when he moved his last chip into the pot with both a straight and flush draw - but missed both.
5th Place: Tony Le, $4,540
When play became five-handed, Wong still held the chip lead, although his 3 to 1 chip advantage had been diminished to roughly 3 to 2. Tony Le hoped to make things more interesting by doubling up against Wong, but missed his straight draw. Le's A-7 failed to connect with the final board - which showed K=Q=10=4=6 - and he lost his remaining chips.
4th Place: Dan Schmiech, $6,055
Schmiech was all-in pre-flop with A-8 against Chris Wong's 4-4. Wong flopped a set of fours, but the board showed 4=5=6, giving Schmiech hope with a straight draw. Two successive blanks on the turn and river ended any chance of a comeback, and Schmiech hit the rail in 4th place.
3rd Place: James Jewett, $7,565
Three-handed play was a nightmare for Wong. He played the final table perfectly, nurturing his stack size and never stepping out of line while his opponents, usually in desperation, were forced to commit precious chips with marginal hands. But nothing can stop a good poker player like Quang Le, when on a rush. Wong watched his chips slowly evaporate, while Quang Le was busy building a giant chip fortress. Jewett looked as though he might be the only player left to stop the 'Quang Le express,' but he ultimately ran out of steam. After losing a few key hands, Jewett was down to his final 24K and made his last stand with Q-10. Quang Le had A-2 and was delighted to see the flop come K=2=2.
Runner up: Dinh Quang Le, $13,770
1st Place: Chris Wong, $24,960
The heads-up duel between Quang Le and Chris Wong began with Quang Le holding a 4-to-1 chip advantage. However, Wong went on a tear and completely dominated the final 20 minutes of the 75-minute heads-up duel. With limits escalating to 8K-16K, three key hands was all it took to bust either player. Wong won two significant showdowns - once with two pair and the other by calling down Quang Le's bluff with ace-high. Ultimately, on the final hand of the night, it was an ace-high that crowned the winner. Quang Le was down to just 28K and raised pre-flop with K-10. Wong wasn't about to fold his hand, holding A-8. After the flop Quang Le's last chip went into the pot and the final board showed 9=4=3=J=3, no pair for either player. Wong's ace played. A new poker champion was crowned.
View final results.