Event #34: $1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold’em Championship

The Seniors Championship has come to an end with 78 year-old Harold Angle outlasting a record field of 3,142 to take down the gold bracelet and nearly half a million dollar first-place prize. The day started with 23 players on the march to a winner. Eliminations came fast and furious, with ten players busting within the first two hours. Among those eliminated was 2007 Player of the Year, Tom Schneider, who was the sole notable name remaining in the field. After a few more eliminations, the final table was set.

It was at the final table that John Woo built up a large chip stack and seemed to be in control of the table. He made some tremendous calls that stunned the crowd and allowed him to make it all the way to the final three players alongside Mike Minetti and Harold Angle.

Angle played a solid, aggressive game to build a stack of his own and was nearly even with Woo when a hand that changed the tournament developed. Woo held pocket queens and was up against the ten-jack of Angle, who had flopped two pair. Woo couldn't improve and Angle doubled to over 8 million while both Woo and Minetti were left with less than a million apeice.

Woo never managed to recover from his loss to Angle and was eliminated in third place. Heads-up play began with Angle holding a commanding 9-1 chip lead over Minetti. The two jockeyed back and forth for over an hour, with Minetti managing to double up early on; however, Angle's dominant chip lead proved too much to overcome. Minetti was dispatched when Angle's king-jack flopped a king and defeated Minetti's pocket jacks.

Even though he has been playing poker for over 60 years, the Seniors Championship was Angle's first major tournament and first WSOP event. The Sun City, Florida resident will take home nearly half a million dollars and a WSOP gold bracelet.

Congratulations to Harold Angle, Event #34 Champion!

Michael Minetti went all in on the button for 365,000 and Harold Angle made the call.

Angle:   

Minetti:   

The hand was pretty much over when the flop came down    , giving Minetti trips. The   turn and   river changed nothing and Minetti doubled to about 750,000.

Harold Angle called from the button and Mike Minetti checked his option from the big blind. The two saw a flop of     and both checked. Minetti bet 115,000 when the   came on the turn only to have Harold Angle raise to 315,000.

Minetti mucked and dropped to 1.26 million.

Mike Minetti was on the button and raised to 190,000. Angle made the call and the flop came    . Angle checked and Minetti bet 125,000. Angle folded and Minetti has managed to grind his way up to 2.05 million.

Harold Angle, who entered heads-up play with a commanding chip lead, limped from the small blind and Minetti checked his option.

Both players checked the     flop. Minetti then checked the   on the turn and Angle moved all in. Minetti called and showed    for three of a kind, which was way ahead of Angle's   . Angle couldn't hit a king on the river and Minetti doubled to 1.26 million. Angle still has around 8.4 million.

Mike Minetti moved all in from the small blind and John Woo called for his remaining 205,000 from the big.

Woo:   

Minetti:   

The flop was kind to Woo when it came    . The   on the turn ensured his double up and the   was put on the river for good measure. Woo is up to 440,000 while Minetti dropped to 960,000.

John Woo called from the small blind and Harold Angle checked his option from the big. The flop came     and Woo checked. Angle fired out 150,000 and Woo made the call.

Woo again checked when the   came on the turn. Angle bet 150,000 and Woo called. Both players checked the   on the river. Angle showed    but was no good against Woo's   . Woo is up to 4.08 million while Angle sits with 3.87 million.

John Woo was on the button and limped. Harold Angle then raised to 190,000 from the small blind. The big blind folded and Woo made the call.

The flop came down     and Angle bet 250,000. Woo raised to 750,000 and Angle immediately reraised to 1.425 million. Woo, who was left with 3.715 million, mucked and gave a big chunk of change to Angle, who is the new chipleader with 4.205 million.

John Woo raised to 185,000 from the small blind and Eric Stemp made the call from the big. The flop came down    . Woo moved all in and Stemp instantly called and showed   .

Stemp's supporter's seemed to like his chances, that is until they saw the    of Woo. Stemp's supporters started calling for a seven, to complete the straight, and began to cheer when the   hit the turn. It took a moment for them to realize that the card gave both players a flush.

Stemp did pick up a straight flush draw. He was looking for the seven or three of clubs to stay alive. It was not meant to be as the   came on the river. Woo increased his stack to around 4.8 million while Stemp was eliminated from the tournament in fourth place ($154,624).

Mike Minetti raised to 170,000 from the cutoff and Harold Angle called from the big blind. The flop came down     and Angle bet 175,000. Minetti made the call as the   hit the turn.

Angle bet 300,000 and again Minetti called. When the   was put out on the river, Angle bet 500,000 and Minetti made the call. When Angle showed   , Minetti mucked. He is down to around 900,000 while Angle is over 3 million.