Tuesday, June 15, 2010 6:08 AM Local Time
Wow, when did this final day begin? Yesterday at 3:00 p.m. was when things kicked off for the last day of play and here we are at a few minutes before 7:00 a.m. the following morning watching Sammy Farha wrap his third gold bracelet around his wrist.
Farha holds two prior bracelets and both came in Omaha events; one in Omaha Hi-Low in 2006 and one in Pot-Limit Omaha in 1996. When asked if he considers himself to be one of the best Omaha players in the world, Farha reposonded by saying, "I think so," with a big smile on his face.
The battle between runner-up finisher James Dempsey and Farha lasted just about four hours. Numerous times Farha had Dempsey's hopes looking bleak, but he was able to come back from the dead each time. Dempsey even took the chip lead from Farha a couple of times during their epic battle. Farha was asked about how he felt about the long match with Dempsey and if he found it frustrating.
"I didn't get frustrated," said Farha. "That's not normally me. I didn't get a good night's sleep so I was surprised that I wan't getting frustrated, which is good."
Throughout the entire match, Farha was able to keep his composure and not let it phase him that Dempsey kept coming back time after time.
Farha not only scored his third bracelet and further cemented himself in the WSOP history books, he also won the first-place prize of $488,237! Congratulations to Farha for taking down Event No. 25 and winning his third gold bracelet.
As for us, we're going to bed. Finally.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:55 AM Local Time
After being crippled the previous hand, James Dempsey got his last 200,000 in the middle with . Sam Farha didn't have much of a hand either. He called with . He and Dempsey awaited what just about everyone expected would be the end.
"That's not a good flop for me," said Farha. He made a pair of fours but Dempsey had all kinds of draws to improve. The turn was the .
"That's a good turn for me," said Farha. "A queen would be ok on the river."
The river wasn't a queen, but it was a third ten, . It took everyone crowded around the stage a moment to realize that both players had three tens, and the Farha's just barely out-pipped Dempsey's . Once Farha realized he had the best hand, he stood out of his chair, hands outstretched to each side of himself in victory.
Dempsey was crushed to have fought so long and so hard and to come up just a little bit short. But he should leave with head held high. 2nd place, and $301,790, is a great achievement.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:52 AM Local Time
James Dempsey had the button and raised before Sammy Farha reraised from the big blind and made it three bets to go. Dempsey made the call and the pot swelled to over a million chips before the flop was even dealt.
The flop came down and Farha bet out. Dempsey made the call and the pot got even bigger. The turn card came the and Farha fired again. Dempsey made another call as a sea of green T25,000 chips were strewn across the felt in front of both players.
The river card completed the board with the and Farha didn't slow down one bit, immediately reaching for chips and firing one last bet. Dempsey paused. He reached for his breakfast sandwich that was just delivered to him and took a big bite while he sat in the tank.
"What you think you've got aces full?" said Farha before Dempsey eventually made the call.
"Aces full!" announced Farha with a big grin on his face, tabling the for a rivered full house. Dempsey complimented Farha on a nice hand and mucked his cards, having just 200,000 chips left in his stack.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:45 AM Local Time
James Dempsey may be down to 1.9 million in chips, but he's up one cup of orange juice and a sausage sandwich, both of which were just delivered to him at the final table by one of his railbirds. Because, you know, the sun is up and it's almost 7am here. Normal people are getting out of bed, starting their days and getting ready to go to their jobs. The ones that they work at when the sun is shining.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:40 AM Local Time
Sam Farha has just taken a chip lead -- again -- by making a running two pair on a board of . When he called sevens and deuces, Dempsey couldn't believe his ears. He stared at his own hand for about twenty seconds before mucking angrily.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:38 AM Local Time
The blinds right now are 90,000-180,000 and the players have basically resorted to just setting them as 100,000-200,000. Even after the flop, the players are resorting to just saying the betting amounts instead of actually grabbing the chips. Heads-up play has been going for about three and a half hours now. On top of that, these players started the day more then 13 hours ago at 3:00 p.m. yesterday! Anything goes really at this time.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:19 AM Local Time
Improbably, we've reached the end of Level 30. The players are on a short break.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:11 AM Local Time
We're surprised more chips didn't go in the pot between James Dempsey and Sam Farha. Each player flopped a set on a flop. Dempsey bet and Farha called. It was the same action on the turn. When the filled a bunch of draws on the river, both players cecked. Dempsey showed down for a set of jacks. Farha flashed a set of sixes and mucked.
The two players are roughly level again.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:05 AM Local Time
"Every big hand," said Farha after a recent pot. "He sucks out every big hand." Farha had re-raised pre-flop after James Dempsey opened with a raise. Dempsey called, then called another bet on a flop of . Farha checked the turn, then folded to a bet from Dempsey - but not before his speech.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 5:02 AM Local Time
If there's a way to describe the action right now that doesn't involve some form of "tiring" or "tired", it might be that Sam Farha is trying to find one more gear to take this home. He's upped his aggression in the last 10 to 15 minutes, perhaps looking to take advantage of Dempsey's apparent exhaustion. It seems to be working. Dempsey keeps surrendering small pots on the flop or turn. Farha's chip lead is back up to 3-to-1.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:53 AM Local Time
The energy's gone from the room and from the final table. Everyone in the room is in a varying state of exhaustion. The aggression level at the final table is suffering as a result. The silver lining is that even the dumbest jokes and comments seem hilarious at this point, and there are a couple of guys in the gallery who are providing legions.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:43 AM Local Time
Nothing much is changing here in the Amazon Room. One player will scoop a big pot; a few minutes later the other player will scoop back. It's going to take a streak of unlucky hands for one of the two players in order to end this epic heads-up match.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:37 AM Local Time
Sammy Farha just asked the tournament announcer what today's tournament is. Later today, the $2,500 Pot-Limit Omaha event begins at 12:00 p.m. That's less than seven hours from now and Farha said, "Well, I have to play it, how can I not?"
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:31 AM Local Time
When the big bet represents 10% of the average stack, expect big swings. Sam Farha limped into a pot and James Dempsey checked behind. On a flop of Dempsey had first action and bet. Farha called.
The turn came . Dempsey fired again and seemed surprised to see Farha raise. He considered his options briefly before calling. The board paired on the river . Dempsey checked and then tanked for almost a minute after Farha bet. He finally opted to call, but Farha had the nuts. He showed down quad sixes to claim a huge pot.
Farha has the chip lead again.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:15 AM Local Time
James Dempsey has scooped Sammy Farha out of another pot by flopping a set and finishing with a full house. Dempsey waited for the turn to raise Farha, then got one more bet in after he filled on the river. Dempsey's and a fourth card was way good on a board of .
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 4:03 AM Local Time
Sam Farha and James Dempsey are just trading pots back and forth now. Dempsey check-called all the way down on a flop of . At showdown he tabled a king and a queen in his hand for three queens. That was the winner.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 3:57 AM Local Time
Sometimes it takes a little run-good to win a tournament. Sam Farha just got some when his made trips with running sixes, . He's putting some distance between himself and James Dempsey again.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 3:53 AM Local Time
Sam Farha waited until the turn to raise James Dempsey. With the board showing , Dempsey bet and Farha raised. Dempsey called to see the board pair on the river, . Both players checked. Farha showed . He flopped two pair, queens and sevens, but was playing queens and tens by the river. It was good enough to scoop.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 3:40 AM Local Time
Back from the grave, James Dempsey is making the most of his second life. He called a pre-flop raise from Sammy Farha. On a flop of , Dempsey checked and then raised after Farha bet. Farha called.
Dempsey bet the turn and the river. Farha thought long and hard before he called the river bet. Dempsey showed and a fourth card we couldn't see. He made a Broadway straight to collect the whole pot.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010 3:35 AM Local Time
James Dempsey made it two bets from the button and Sammy Farha called. The flop came down and Farha checked. Dempsey bet and Farha called.
The turn was the and Farha check-called another bet from Dempsey. The river was the and both players checked.
Dempsey tabled the and Farha mucked his hand, giving Dempsey this pot.