Event #7: No-Limit Texas Hold 'em Championship Event
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Buy-in: $10,000
Number of Entries: 259
Total Prize Money: $2,460,500

What are the odds that the World Series of Poker Circuit's last championship event would produce a final showdown featuring two graduates of Louisiana State University? Walter Chambers (Class of 2000) and Corey A. Bierria (Class of 1998) outlasted a WSOP Cicruit record field of 259 players and carved up over a million dollars in prize money. Bierria earned $433,050 as the runner up, while Chambers collected $787,340, plus the gold ring presented to all WSOP Circuit champions.

Players were eliminated as follows:

9th Place: Cyril "Sid" Gittens, $49,210
Gittens lasted only a few hands. The Trinidad-born Floridian was dealt J-J and moved all-in after the flop came A=10=9. It was the wrong move, with the wrong cards, at the wrong time. Antonio Esfandiari called instantly with A-K, good for top pair, top kicker. Gittens was down to just a few outs. Two blanks sealed Gitten's fate - a 9th place finish worth $49,210.
8th Place: Marlon Labbe, $73,815
Ninety minutes into play, Labbe was getting short on chips and made his last stand with A-Q of spades. Harry Cullen, Jr. was delighted to be heads-up holding the dominant A-K, but he had a scare on the flop. Two spades to a 10=8=5 flop gave Labbe several outs, and when the board paired with an 8 on the turn, Labbe still had a number of ways to win or chop the pot. But a blank 3 brought disappointment in the end, which put Labbe on the rail in 8th place. This was Labbe's first trip to any final table, so he could certainly be proud of his $73,815 in winnings.
7th Place: Imre Leibold, $98,420
Leibold had the best hand when he moved all-in with 6-6. Esfandiari was in the big blind and called a small raise with 9-2. Esfandiari's trash turned into treasure when he flopped a nine, essentially leaving Leibold with just two outs. Leibold missed, which translated into a payoff of $98,420.
6th Place: Harry Cullen, Jr., $123,025
Harry Cullen, Jr. went card dead about mid-way through the final table. He committed his last 140,000 with A-7, which was called by Esfandiari, with K-Q. The final board showed K=J=8=9=10 which completed a straight for Esfandiari.
5th Place: Mark Cole, $147,630
Cole made a big leap forward at the final table. He arrived as the shortest stack, and lasted nearly six full hours before meeting his inevitable doom. With blinds and antes racing around Cole moved all-in with 10-10 and was called by Esfandiari, with K-J. The flop (Q=6=3) was good for Cole, but a king on the turn was the crushing blow. Esfandiari's higher pair held up and Cole was toast.
4th Place: Nick "Chairman" Mao, $172,235
Mao was about to enter the red. He was dealt 7-6 and flopped two pair. Unfortunately, Walter Chambers hit a better flop with a heart flush. Mao was down to four outs, needing another 7 or 6 to make a full house. Mao was out in 4th place.
3rd Place: Antonio "the Magician" Esfandiari, $221,445
Things went from bad to worse for Esfandiari. He suffered every poker player's nightmare when he was dealt K-K. That would normally be a good thing, but when your opponent is dealt A-A, holding an underpair is a sure ticket to elimination. Even worse, the pocket aces belonged to Wally Chambers - who easily covered Esfandiari's chip count. Five blanks fell which might have been five nails in Esfandiari's coffin. Expectations that Esfandiari might run over the final table and seize his second WSOP title were crushed, and the Magician disappeared in 3rd place, good for $221,445.
Runner up: Corey A. Bierria, $433,050
1st Place: Walter Chambers, $787,340
The heads up duel between Walter Chambers and Corey A. Bierria began with Chambers holding a commanding chip lead - 2,400,000 to 160,000. Bierria doubled up on the second hand of the duel, to 340,000 in chips. But that was his last breath. The final was dealt when Chambers had 8-7 versus Bierria's 3-3. It looked like Bierria might double up again when the turn showed K-10-2-9. But an 8 on the river gave Chambers a higher pair and the tournament was over.

View final results.

Tournament reporting by Nolan Dalla / worldseriesofpoker.com