WSOP report: Event #10, Limit Hold 'em, June 13

The looks on their faces said it all. These were the faces of agony and exhaustion, the aching looks often seen in poker rooms at 3 o'clock in the morning, when men and women sit playing a game that for them is so mesmerizing that liberation from the pain becomes secondary to victory.

No one could have foreseen that a limit hold'em tournament that began with 569 entries -- paying $2,000 each -- would end 25 hours later in a backbreaking finale that was as much a relief as a triumph.

Statistics do lie. From the looks of the chip counts and chip positions throughout, one might have thought this was an easy victory for Iranian-born Reza Payvar. After all, he arrived at the final table with an impressive chip lead and consistently maintained his edge during the marathon poker session. But as close to victory as Payvar seemed to be at times, his opponents showed remarkable staying power and forced Payvar to earn every single dollar of his $303,610 in winnings.

The total prize pool amounted $1,046,940. The final table composition included two former gold bracelet winners - "Miami John" Cernuto (with 3 wins) and Toto Leonidas (with one). Payvar enjoyed a somewhat comfortable chip lead when play began. Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place: Eric Liebeler, $20,940
Attorney Eric Liebeler (a.k.a. "Howard Treesong" for those who follow poker newsgroup, RGP) arrived with the shortest stack and, fittingly, was the first player to exit. Liebeler got into a raising war with Q-Q against Robert Shultze's pocket aces, and went out when a queen failed to arrive. Liebeler has won events in Los Angeles and elsewhere. This was his best finish ever at the WSOP.
8th Place: Robert Shultze, $31,410
What the poker gods give, they also take away. Robert Shultze, fresh off his chip acquisition from Liebeler, tried to make a move against John Myung and lost his remaining chips. The businessman from south Texas was making his first final table appearance ever, and should be proud that he topped 562 opponents en route to his payday.
7th Place: Jay Helfert, $31,410
Jay Helfert made his final stand of the night with A-Q. He lost to John Myung's pockets tens. Interestingly, Helfert - better known in billiard halls as "Toupee Jay" - has been a professional pool player. He now owns a pool hall in Los Angeles. Toupee Jay got flipped off the final table in 7th place.
6th Place: Rodeen Talebi, $52,350
Rodeen Talebi is a 29-year-old poker pro from Dallas. He was also low on chips throughout, but managed to stretch out his stay in the finale to a 6th-place finish. Talebi has previously won at poker tournaments in Las Vegas.
5th Place: Tommy Garza, $62,820
Tommy Garza survived longer than anyone might have expected, given his short stack. Always low on chips, Garza managed to stay alive six hours on the final day before his fate was sealed. The native Texan who now lives in Reno has finished high in several major tournaments in recent years, including a win at the Pot of Gold (Reno).
4th Place: "Miami John" Cernuto, $73,285
"Miami John" Cernuto arrived with the greatest depth of experience. The former air traffic controller-turned poker pro has won three gold bracelets, and now has 22 final table appearances (and 33 cashes) in his distinguished WSOP career. Cernuto played well but never seriously challenged the chip leader at any point, despite futile attempts to get to Reza Payvar's stack. Cernuto's last hand was pocket threes, which failed to improve. His opponents checked down the hand and eliminated Cernuto in 4th place.
3rd Place: John Myung, $83,755
Once play became three-handed, a new tournament began. It was the equivalent of the final hill in the Boston Marathon or the final lap of an Olympic decathlon, except it seemed to go on forever. Things started off at a significant disadvantage for both Toto Leonidas and John Myung, since it was obvious Payvar was not going to lose his chip lead easily. It took a mind-numbing four-and-a-half hours for the next player to exit. Players became increasingly exhausted, effectively turning the final table into just as much a test of mental and physical endurance as a test of poker skill. Mercifully, the next player finally went out -- twelve hours after the day began. John Myung went bust and took 3rd place.
Runner up: Toto Leonidas, $160,185
With play entering the 13th hour, it was obvious that Toto Leonidas was going to do everything in his power to win his second gold bracelet. Players who might have taken reckless chances given the chip disparity could have learned a valuable poker lesson from the Philippine-born poker pro.

Leonidas was down by about a 4 to 1 margin and badly needed a rush of cards. He plodded away for nearly an hour before the high blinds and limits finally made it necessary to take a chance and play a big pot. The final hand of the night came when limits were at 15,000-30,000 and Leonidas was down to his last 50,000 in chips. Leonidas made his stand with Q-5 which was covered by Payvar's A-9. When a nine flopped, Leonidas was left drawing to three outs (a queen). The ladies in the deck must have been sleeping, and Leonidas was forced to settle for second place.

Toto Leonidas, one of poker's top pros, won the United States Poker Championship in 2003 and also won his first WSOP gold bracelet that same year (seven card stud).

1st Place: Reza Payvar, $303,610
Reza Payvar, who goes by the poker nickname "Fish," ended up with his first gold bracelet in what is, to date, his only WSOP final table appearance.

Following his victory, Payvar reflected on the special moment. "Last year I found out my father had cancer. I missed the entire 2004 World Series because I went to be with him. I want to dedicate what I did tonight to him."

Sadly, Payvar's father passed away. Payvar wanted poker players and fans to be made aware of the special charity ("Put a Bad Beat on Cancer") that has been established to find a cure for the disease. Like hundreds of players so far at this year's tournament, Payvar will donate a portion of his winnings to the worthy cause.

Payvar added that other family members back in Iran are now taking an interest in poker, encouraged by Payvar's commitment to the game. "My brother watches poker on the Internet and also on satellite (TV)," he said.

Perhaps the Payvar family in Iran will see a clip of tonight's triumph and be able to share in the emotional victory.

View final results.

Tournament reporting by Nolan Dalla / worldseriesofpoker.com