Event #11: $1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha

After three days of skilled Pot-Limit Omaha play, Event 11 of the World Series of Poker has came to an end. Some 970 players entered the tournament and only nine returned for the final day. Dutchman Vincent Van Der Fluit has claimed his first gold bracelet and $265,211.

The final table was an international affair and returned players from five different countries. Tristan Wade was the only returning WSOP bracelet winner but he had stiff competition with high stakes player Van Der Fluit. Charles Tonne returned as the chip leader for the second day in the tournament.

The first casualty of the final table was David Schnettler. He was one of the returning short stacks and found himself facing a call for his tournament life on a flop of      . He called and Alex Dovzhenko had flopped the nut straight. Schnettler held         and needed some help from the deck. It would not come when the board completed with    .

Just ten minutes later Calvin Anderson found himself all in on a flop of      . Dovzhenko called holding trip sixes and Anderson was on a club flush draw. The turn gave Dovzhenko a full house and Anderson was sent to the rail in 8th place.

The lone Canadian at the final table, Brian Garbe, entered the final table with the shortest stack. Tonne opened from under the gun and Garbe made his final stand and shipped it in holding        . Tonne called holding         and the board ran          . Tonne's two pair sent Garbe home in 7th place.

The quick action kept pace when Rodney Brown moved all in just 15 minutes after Garbe's elimination. The flop was       and Van Der Fluit snap-called tabling two pair with    . The turn gave Van Der Fluit a full house and Brown exited in 6th place.

Dovzhenko had been the most active player at the table and his luck would run out when he got involved with Tonne. They saw a flop of      , Dovzhenko potted and Tonne re-potted. Dovzhenko was all in with a pair of aces. Tonne flopped two pair and turned a full house. The Russian would leave in 5th place.

There was a half hour breather between the next elimination, giving the frantic pace a pause. On the first hand returning from a break Lhommeau got all in preflop against Tonne and Tonne made a straight, eliminating Lhommeau in 4th place.

Just two hands later Wade got his short stack all in holding         against Tonne's        . The board ran           and Wade's pair of queens wasn't enough to keep him in the tournament. He earned a little over $100,000 for his 3rd place finish.

Heads up play mimicked the rest of the tournament and it was a quick affair. Van Der Fluit and Tonne started at relatively even stacks but Van Der Fluit chipped away at Tonne. In one key hand that set Van Der Fluit up for victory occurred when they saw a flop of      . Van Der Fluit called to the turn and then bet 350,000 on the river. Tonne called to see Van Der Fluit flopped a full house holding    .

Van Der Fluit then had a three-to-one chip lead and only two hands later the match was all over. Van Der Fluit opened to 60,000 and Tonne called. After a       flop Van Der Fluit was check-raised to 315,000. Then all the chips got in the middle and Tonne had only a flush draw with        . Van Der Fluit held two pair and a higher flush draw. The board completed     and Van Der Fluit's higher flush sealed the bracelet for him.

Final Table Payouts

Vincent Van Der Fluit opened for 60,000 from the button and Charles Tonne called. The flop came      , Tonne checked and Van Der Fluit bet 65,000. Tonne raised to 150,000 and Van Der Fluit called. The turn came  , Tone bet 250,000 and the Dutchman called again.

The river brought the  , Tonne checked and Van Der Fluit cut out 350,000 to put in the middle. Tonne tanked for a short while and then called.

Van Der Fluit tabled         for a full house and Tonne mucked.

Vincent Van Der Fluit	3,300,000	700,000
Charles Tonne	1,050,000	-750,000

Now that we are at then end of the 23rd level, all of the yellow $1,000 denomination chips have been colored up.

Vincent Van Der Fluit	2,600,000	1,400,000
Charles Tonne	1,800,000	-1,300,000

Charles Tonne opted to open for 50,000 on the button and Vincent Van Der Fluit raised to 150,000. Tonne re-raised to 375,000 and Van Der Fluit called.

The flop fell       and Van Der Fluit potted for 750,000. Tonne mucked his hand and Van Der Fluit earned some chips back.

On the very first hand back from break, Charles Tonne opened from the cutoff position and action folded over to Damien Lhommeau in the big blind, who announced a pot-sized re-raise. Tonne quickly 4-bet the pot and Lhommueau went all in. Tonne called and hands were revealed.

Lhommeau:     
Tonne:     

The board ran out      , giving Tonne a straight on the river and eliminating Lhommeau.

Tonne back in the chip lead with 2,100,000

Charles Tonne	2,100,000	450,000
Damien Lhommeau	0	-450,000

Charles Tonne opened to 40,000 from under-the-gun. Action folded around to Alex Dovzhenko in the small blind, who re-raised to 130,000. Tonne eyed Dovzhenko's stack and made the call.

Flop:    

Dovzhenko announced, "pot," which would be a bet for 280,000. Tonne re-raised the pot and Dovzhenko quickly announced he was all in. Tonne called and Dovzhenko would be at risk for his tournament life.

Dovzhenko:     
Tonne:     

The   turn would improve Tonne to a full house and the   river bricked for Dovzhenko, who was eliminated in 5th place.

Alex Dovzhenko

0

-755,000

Damien Lhommeau opened for 55,000 and Charles Tonne called on the button. The blinds released and the flop came      . Lhommeau check-called 70,000 to see the   turn and then folded when Tonne bet 150,000.