News
TOMMY HANG GETS REDEMPTION AND WINS A BRACELET
Jun 14 2014 10:02 PM EST
Just missing out on a bracelet can be tough, especially when you have several close calls. The best way to get over a disappointing runner-up finish? Go ahead and win the next one. Tommy Hang has won the $1,500 HORSE event after coming up just short in this event six years ago. In 2008 Hang finished second to James Schaaf in this event. Besides that runner-up finish, Hang has finished third twice and fourth once in WSOP events. Hang has been ever so close to the that first bracelet and today, he has finally broke though to earn his first.
"I have been shooting for a bracelet for years now, and have always been falling slightly short," said Hang about his near misses in the previous years. "Each year I have progressed and learned new things, new tactics and I have been applying them. It seems to be paying off so far."
The 34-year-old from Newcastle, Washington made quick work of the final table, knocking out the final three players. Hang entered heads up play with a more than 2:1 chip lead against bracelet winner Jim Collopy. He crippled Collopy early into heads up play, expanding his lead to a 12:1 chip advantage and getting ever closer to his first bracelet. Collopy slowly clawed his way back into it, threatening to rip Hang's first bracelet right from him. Hang never relinquished the chip lead however and a little after two levels of heads-up play, Hang had claimed all of the chips and his first bracelet.
Hang almost did not even play in this event. He has been here since the beginning of the series and he had planned to go home for Father's Day weekend to be with his wife and kids. At the very end of late registration, Hang decided to hop into the tournament, although it did take some convincing of his wife to do so, and gave it an all or nothing go. Hang told his wife "I'll either win it or I'll bust." Hang did not lie, and two days later won the tournament. Hang has a flight scheduled back home for tomorrow morning.
This marks Hang's 25th WSOP cash and sixth WSOP final table. This is his largest cash and, with this victory, Hang has eclipsed the $1 million earnings mark. Hang is no stranger to mixed games as 10 of his 25 cashes have come in the mixed game format.
This final table featured two bracelet winners in runner up finisher Jim Collopy and eighth place finisher David “ODB” Baker. It also included some accomplished younger mixed game players like Christopher George (6th) and Stewart Yancik (7th).
This year’s $1,500 HORSE event drew 743 players and generated a prize pool of $1,003,050. The top 80 finishers each earned a payday. Some of the notables who cashed include Richard Ashby (72nd), James Van Alstyne (51st), Huck Seed (27th), Joe Cassidy (21st), Chris Klodnicki (19th), bracelet winner Aaron Steury (17th), and Dutch Boyd (11th).
Here are the final table results of the $1,500 HORSE event:
2nd: Jim Collopy - $142,533
3rd: Kristan Lord - $96,894
4th: Brandon Guss - $67,435
5th: Joe Villella - $47,905
6th: Christopher George - $34,725
7th: - Stewart Yancik - $19,338
8th: David “ODB” Baker - $19,338
