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Stateline, NV – The terrestrial waters of tournament poker are always choppy.  There is no such thing as "smooth sailing" on the open poker seas.  Like ship captains, poker players must navigate dangerous waters, forge ahead into the dark, and avoid sinking into the abyss -- which is elimination from the tournament. 

When 23-year-old Edmund Liu looked across the final table as play resumed on the second day of the $500 buy-in No-Limit Hold'em tournament at Harveys Lake Tahoe, he must have felt like a rowboat in the port of battleships.  He was outchipped most of the tournament's later rounds, yet somehow managed to survive long enough to get into a heads-up confrontation with the biggest stack, and then managed to outplay his opponent during the final stage of the match.  It was a classic example of patience and skill ultimately being rewarded with victory.

After 147 players had been eliminated on the first day of play, the nine finalists returned to the feature table on day two.  Nick Loader enjoyed a decisive chip lead when play resumed, with Clint Baskin (last year's WSOP Circuit at Lake Tahoe champion) in second place.  Seating positions and chip counts were as follows:

SEAT 1 Darin Honorof 40,000 
SEAT 2 Clint Baskin  62,000
SEAT 3 Karen Bochenek 8,400 
SEAT 4 Lawrence Dea 17,000
SEAT 5 Rafael Perez  24,300
SEAT 6 "Pancho" List 13,600
SEAT 7 Edmund Liu  33,400
SEAT 8 Nick Loader  98,800
SEAT 9 Jeff Blasy  14,500

Final table play lasted for three hours, a rapid pace of play dictated by lots of aggressive players and forced-action situations.  Players were eliminated in the following order:

9th Place – Karen Bochenek was the sixth female to make it to a final table (in an open event) so far at this year's tournament series.  Unfortunately, she was the first player to bust out.  Lowest on chips from the start, Mrs. Bochenek busted out on a three-way pot holding pocket threes.  She decided to call at a bad time, as Rafael Perez, who had raised, had pocket aces.  Darin Honorof held A-K.  The big pot was scooped by Mr. Perez, when both of the other hands failed to improve.  Mr. Perez took his place up near the chip lead, while Mrs. Bochenek was forced to hit the rail in ninth place.  The deli owner from Truckee, California sliced up $1,513 in prize money.

8th Place – Jeff Blasy became the lowest stack and, predictably, was the next player to be eliminated.  Mr. Blasy moved all-in with A-9 and was called by Clint Baskin holding pocket eights.  Mr. Blasy failed to make a pair, and he was forced to leave the game.  The truck driver from nearby South Lake Tahoe, California (who also plays classical guitar in his spare time) was paid to the tune of $2,270.

7th Place – Pancho List came to play in this event from one of the nation's best ski areas (aside from nearly Heavenly), which is Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  Mr. List made his final stand of the night holding Q-J which lost to Nick Loader's pocket sevens.  List was paid $3,026.

6th Place – Darin Honorof was not able to recover from the early beat, losing with A-K to pocket aces.  That left him in a most vulnerable situation.  Mr. Honorof was forced to try an all-in raise holding K-8, which was called by Nick Loader, holding A-J.  The superior hand held up, and Mr. Honorof went out in sixth place, receiving $3,783. 

5th Place – Next, college student Lawrence Dea tried to be creative with an all-in raise with his last 7,100 in chips.  Hoping to steal, Mr. Dea was distressed to see Edmund Liu call the raise with A-9.  An ace on the flop all but expelled Dea from the final table.  The poker player from Sacramento collected $4,540.

4th Place – Clint Baskin is best remembered in these parts as the main event champion from last season's WSOP Circuit at Lake Tahoe.  The Stockton, California plumbing contractor won a quarter-million dollars in this same casino four months ago, but he could do no better than fourth place on this occasion.  Mr. Baskin ran card dead during the last hour, and made his final commitment with K-J against Edmund Liu's pocket nines.  Forced to play a "50-50" situation, Baskin lost the proverbial coin flip when a face card failed to surface.  Baskin added another $6,053 to his impressive amount of tournament winnings on the WSOP Circuit.

3rd Place – Nick Loader had been the dominant player of the tournament on Day One, and continued to be a force as play continued on the second day.   He knocked out a few players and enjoyed the chip lead during much of the final table.  But ultimately, he was not able to sustain his advantage.  After losing the chip lead to Rafael Perez, on his final hand of the tournament Mr. Loader was dealt pocket sevens and moved all-in.  His nemesis Perez called instantly holding pocket jacks.  All Mr. Loader could do was shake his head in disgust when the cards were tabled and Mr. Perez let out an enthusiastic holler of joy.  The overpair – jacks versus sevens – held up and Mr. Loader was unloaded.  Third place paid $7,566.   
  
2nd Place – When heads-up play began, Rafael Perez held a 2 to 1 chip advantage over Edmund Liu.  Mr. Perez had been the more aggressive player during most of the final table proceedings.  But it was Mr. Liu's patience which ultimately paid off and made the difference.  Mr. Liu seized the chip lead on a series of relatively small pots which collectively added up to a very big one, and Mr. Perez was left to ponder what poker hand he wanted to play in an attempt to double up and draw back to even in the chip count.  However, he chose the wrong hand at the wrong time.  Mr. Perez moved all-in holding A-9 after the flop came K-10-9.  Mr. Liu almost beat his opponent into the pot with his chips, holding A-K.  Mr. Liu had top pair (kings) versus the bottom pair (nines) belonging to Mr. Perez.  Things got a bit more interesting when a queen made a straight possible for both players.  But a blank on the river sealed Mr. Perez' fate as the runner up.  Rafael Perez, from Sacramento, received $12,862.
    
1st Place – The winner was Edmund Liu, a recent graduate of the University of California at Davis.  Liu earned his college degree in mechanical engineering.  Mr. Liu is not new to cashing in major poker tournaments.  He finished in-the-money three times at the 2006 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas.  He also repeated as a finalist in this event for the second straight season.  At the previous Harveys Lake Tahoe $500 buy-in event held a few months ago, Mr. Liu finished ninth.  Given the choice however, Liu prefers this outcome.  "It's always better to win," he said.  "I'm the only player in the tournament who doesn't have a bad beat story to tell."  
 
       
For more information, please contact: 
Nolan Dalla -- WSOP Media Director at (702) 358-4642
Or visit our official website:  www.worldseriesofpoker.com

World Series of Poker Commissioner – Jeffrey Pollack
Director of Poker Operations for Harrah's Entertainment – Jack Effel
Harrah's Lake Tahoe Race and Sportsbook Manager – Steve Schorr
Harvey's Lake Tahoe Poker Room Manager – Vince Contaxis