46 DAYS, 45 BRACELETS (2006 WSOP)

Your Comprehensive Guide To The 2006 World Series Of Poker
Compiled by Eric Raskin

ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT GOLD, and all that is not won by Gold still can glitter. Yes, Jamie Gold is the big story coming out of the 61/2-week odyssey in the desert that was the 2006 World Series of Poker. But there were 44 other tournaments played out at the Rio during that month-and-a-half, 44 other bright, shiny bracelets handed out, and plenty of compelling stories.

There were the two multiple bracelet winners, William Chen and Jeff Madsen. There was the breaking and re-breaking of a couple of “youngest ever” records. There were the redemption-filled wins of famous runners-ups Sam Farha and David Williams (not to mention Jason Lester, John Gale, Lee Watkinson, and Ralph Perry). There was Chip Reese’s grueling triumph in the HORSE tournament. There was Phil Hellmuth’s extraordinary push for number 10. And, of course, there was some guy named Gold who took home a tidy little $12-million check.

Bottom line: There was a hell of a lot going on, and every last bit of it is detailed below.

Event #1
$500 Casino Employee No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,232
Winner: Chris Gros
Payday: $127,616
Runner-up: Bryan Devonshire
Payday: $66,582

Memorable hand: It’s nearly impossible to win a poker tournament without a little luck, and for Caesars Palace dealer Gros, his most noteworthy stroke of luck came when he eliminated R.J. Wright in third place. On a flop of 6-2-2, Wright pushed all in with A-5, and Gros called with K-Q. A three on the turn changed nothing, but the king on the river sure did, propelling Gros into heads-up play.

Event #2
$1,500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 2,776
Winner: Brandon Cantu
Payday: $757,839
Runner-up: Phong Ly
Payday: $416,816

Memorable hand: With the chip stacks almost dead even about 20 minutes into heads-up play, Cantu raised pre-flop with A-K, Ly called with a suited J-4, and they both caught a piece of the A-J-6 flop, Cantu making top pair and Ly making middle pair. Ly pushed all in after a harmless seven on the turn and Cantu called, and the river brought a queen. Cantu doubled up to $4.1-million in chips, while Ly was left with the proverbial chip and a chair—just a lone $10,000 chip and a chair that would become unoccupied just a couple of minutes later.

Other noteworthy finishers: Carlos Mortensen, 9th; Jennifer Harman, 11th; David Ulliott, 24th; Phil Gordon, 46th; Greg Raymer, 63rd; Phil Hellmuth, 67th

Running Numbers:
1: Number of previous live poker tournaments in history with more entrants (the 2005 WSOP Main Event)
50: Career WSOP cashes by Hellmuth after this event, making him the all-time leader

Event #3
$1,500 Pot-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,102
Winner: Rafe Furst
Payday: $345,984
Runner-up: Rocky Enciso
Payday: $180,508

Memorable hand: Pocket aces (the best starting hand in Hold ’Em) are always preferable to 7-2 (the worst starting hand in Hold ’Em), right? Not when the board reads Q-7-7-3, which was what was showing when Furst got all of his money in with rockets against chip leader Can Kim Hua’s 7-2. Furst had two outs in the deck that could save him from finishing in sixth place … and a miracle ace on the river did precisely that, allowing Furst to survive, double up, and, eventually, take the title. Hua, meanwhile, was eliminated just three hands later.

Other noteworthy finishers: John Juanda, 8th; Dewey Tomko, 10th; Victor Ramdin, 20th; Michael Mizrachi, 54th; Chris Ferguson, 61st

Event #4
$1,500 Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,068
Winner: Kianoush Abolfathi
Payday: $335,289
Runner-up: Eric Buchman
Payday: $174,938

Memorable hand: Abolfathi’s first knockout blow of the day was his most important because he started as one of the short stacks and needed to accumulate chips in a hurry. That he did. The 29-year-old Iranian-born, L.A.-based student held K-Q and cracked Matthew Elsby’s A-A by making trip kings on the river, giving him the chip stack he needed to make a run at the bracelet.

Other noteworthy finishers: Josh Schlein, 3rd; Joe Cassidy, 20th; Phil Ivey, 21st; Young Phan, 28th; Phil Gordon, 42nd

Running Numbers:
8: Abolfathi’s starting chip position, out of nine, at the final table
1: Women at the final table (Michele Lewis), one more than any of the first three events at the ’06 WSOP
0: Previous bracelet winners at the final table

Event #5
$2,500 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,068
Winner: Dutch Boyd
Payday: $475,712
Runner-up: Joseph Hachem
Payday: $256,800

Memorable hand: The final hand of this tournament was one of the most dramatic of the entire World Series—especially because the two players involved were both stars, one of them the defending world champion looking for that legitimacy-establishing second bracelet. After two hours of intense heads-up play, Hachem pushed all in with A-Q and pumped his fist when Boyd called and turned over A-5. The flop came A-K-9. The turn was a jack. Hachem was one card away from taking his largest chip lead of the tournament. And then a five fell on the river, and just like that, the cocky, controversial, colorful Boyd had bagged his first bracelet and nearly a half-million dollars.

Other noteworthy finishers: Daniel Negreanu, 8th; Gavin Smith, 12th; Freddy Deeb, 21st; Kathy Liebert, 26th; Erick Lindgren, 31st; Mike Matusow, 33rd

Event #6
$2,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,919
Winner: Mark Vos
Payday: $803,274
Runner-up: Nam Le
Payday: $401,647

Memorable hand: Having come back from a 3-to-1 chip deficit at the start of heads-up play to build a 2-to-1 lead, Vos caught a queen on the flop while holding Q-J and bet out. Le called. Vos bet again on the turn. Le called. Another queen came on the river, and Vos moved all in. Le, holding just pocket sixes, was certain Vos was bluffing, so he called. Just like that, the 23-year-old Vos became the third Australian ever to win a WSOP bracelet, joining Joe Hachem and Gary Benson in that exclusive club.

Other noteworthy finishers: Carlos Mortensen 9th; Billy Baxter, 20th; Jennifer Harman, 47th; Cyndy Violette, 58th; Johnny Chan, 84th

Event #7
$3,000 Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 415
Winner: William Chen
Payday: $343,618
Runner-up: Yueqi “Rich” Zhu
Payday: $184,409

Memorable hand: Chen, whose new book The Mathematics Of Poker is due out this fall, ought to have a chapter on the mathematics of calling with middle pair, which is exactly what he did on the final hand of the tournament. Chen had A-4, Zhu 10-5, and the flop of 7-4-3 gave them both something to work with. With an inside straight draw (and two overcards, as it turned out), Zhu pushed all of his remaining chips in on a semi-bluff, and Chen made the call. Two blanks later, the math genius from the Philadelphia suburbs had his first WSOP bracelet.

Other noteworthy finishers: Jeffrey Lisando, 9th; Barry Shulman, 11th; Phil Hellmuth, 13th; Darrell Dicken, 21st; John Phan, 23rd

Event #8
$2,000 Omaha High-Low
Number of entries: 670
Winner: Jack Zwerner
Payday: $341,426
Runner-up: Florante “Rusty” Mandap
Payday: $176,813

Memorable hand: On the final hand, Mandap had a starting hand with great high and low potential (A-A-10-3), but the board of 6-5-3-7-2 (with three hearts) did him no good. It did “Action” Zwerner plenty of good, however. The 58-year-old former Las Vegas casino executive held A-8-7-4 with two hearts, making him a flush and a better low to scoop the pot and claim the title.

Other noteworthy finishers: Jeff Madsen, 3rd; Daniel Negreanu, 7th; Huck Seed, 11th; Andy Bloch, 23rd; John Juanda, 28th

Running Numbers:
14: Years since Zwerner had last played in the World Series
97,552: Dollars earned by Madsen for his third-place finish—about 6.8% of what he would go on to earn over the course of the WSOP

Event #9
$5,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 622
Winner: Jeff Cabanillas
Payday: $818,546
Runner-up: Phil Hellmuth
Payday: $423,893

Memorable hand: With play three-handed, the ballsy 22-year-old Cabanillas pulled off a bluff against Hellmuth that would pave the way to victory several hours later. There was about $400,000 in chips already in the pot, and with the board showing Q-J-9-7-6, Cabanillas pushed in his remaining $600,000. Hellmuth took his time. He ran through all of the scenarios in his mind. He considered all of the possibilities. And he finally mucked his cards. Cabanillas could have mucked his too, but he didn’t, showing everyone his A-K that failed to connect with the board. If his intent was to put Hellmuth on tilt, then it worked, because a chair-slamming tirade from “The Poker Brat” followed. Fortunately, Hellmuth was better behaved when he congratulated Cabanillas on his win at the end of four hours of heads-up play.

Other noteworthy finishers: Marcel Luske, 4th; Isabella Mercier, 5th; Jean-Robert Bellande, 21st; Marco Traniello, 46th; Rene Angelil, 49th

Running Numbers:
9: The seat Hellmuth sat in at the final table
9: The number of bracelets Hellmuth had won prior to this event
9: The number of bracelets Hellmuth had won after this event

Event #10
$1,500 Seven-Card Stud
Number of entries: 478
Winner: David Williams
Payday: $163,118
Runner-up: John Hoang
Payday: $110,920

Memorable hand: The final hand was memorable for how bad both players’ hands were. Williams held (6s-4s) Ks-3h-4c-Jd (8h), good for just a pair of fours—but good enough, as it turned out. Hoang had a lousy ace-high with his (Ad-8s) 4c-5s-9d-3c (10c), making former Main Event runner-up Williams a WSOP bracelet winner for the first time.

Other noteworthy finishers: “Miami” John Cernuto, 5th; Johnny Chan, 7th; Jim McManus, 14th; John Hennigan, 18th; Humberto Brenes, 19th

Running Numbers:
$3,336,882: Amount by which Williams’ haul for second place in the ’04 Main Event exceeded his payday for his first bracelet
14: Previous bracelet wins by the eight players at the final table

Event #11
$1,500 Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 701
Winner: Bob Chalmers
Payday: $258,344
Runner-up: Tam Ho
Payday: $135,396

Memorable hand: With just three players remaining, Chalmers won a key pot with the absolute nuts, holding the case ace on a board of A-A-4-4-A. Warren Woolridge came into that hand with the chip lead, but “Big Red” Chalmers took over the lead there and never looked back, eliminating Woolridge soon after and taking out Ho after just 28 minutes of heads-up play.

Other noteworthy finishers: Doug Saab, 5th; Jan Sjavik, 6th; Matthew Hilger, 19th; Joe Sebok, 23rd; Steven Diano, 43rd

Event #12
$5,000 Omaha High-Low
Number of entries: 265
Winner: Sammy Farha
Payday: $398,560
Runner-up: Phil Ivey
Payday: $219,208

Memorable hand: Though this wasn’t an event ESPN planned on filming, they wised up when they saw who the final two were—and we’ll have to wait for the TV broadcast to know what Ivey was holding on the final hand. Whatever it was, it was second best to Farha’s jacks over sevens, and Ivey mucked his cards, giving Sammy his second career bracelet and first in 10 years.

Other noteworthy finishers: Kirill Gerasimov, 3rd; Mike Caro, 14th; Gavin Smith, 22nd; Andy Bloch, 23rd; Andrew Black, 25th

Event #13
$2.500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,290
Winner: Max Pescatori
Payday: $682,389
Runner-up: Anthony Reategui
Payday: $356,040

Memorable hand: There were several unforgettable hands that Pescatori won late in the final table, including one in which he made a gutsy and brilliant call on the river with only king high, and one in which he and Justin Pechie both flopped sets and “The Italian Pirate” made quads on the river. But the best was saved for last. On a 10-7-6 flop, Reategui moved all in with Q-10, and Pescatori called with J-8. The turn was no help to Pescatori, who needed either a jack for top pair or a nine to fill his straight. The river was a nine, and on the same day Italy won the World Cup, one of its top poker exports collected his first bracelet.

Other noteworthy finishers: Corey Cheresnick, 5th; Mike Matusow, 7th; David Chiu, 15th; Erick Lindgren, 22nd; Scott Fischman, 46th

Event #14
$1,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em (with re-buys)
Number of entries: 752
Winner: Allen Cunningham
Payday: $625,830
Runner-up: David Rheem
Payday: $327,981

Memorable hand: Early in heads-up play, Rheem held the chip lead and had a chance to eliminate Cunningham and end the tournament—but it wasn’t a great chance, as his A-Q was an underdog to Cunningham’s pocket ladies. Rheem needed an ace but didn’t get it, and Cunningham took a chip lead he would never again relinquish, finally finishing Rheem off after three hours of one-on-one play.

Other noteworthy finishers: “Captain” Tom Franklin, 3rd; Andy Bloch, 8th; Kenna James, 17th; Amir Vahedi, 24th; John Juanda, 25th; Michael Gracz, 27th

Running Numbers:
1,670: Total number of re-buys
5: Number of players to have won four bracelets before turning 30 (Cunningham, Stu Ungar, Phil Hellmuth, Layne Flack, and Phil Ivey)
10: Minutes ninth-place finisher Alex Jacob lasted at the final table

Event #15
$1,000 Ladies No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,128
Winner: Mary Jones Meyer
Payday: $236,094
Runner-up: Shawnee Barton
Payday: $123,178

Memorable hand: Lady luck definitely helped out the lady who would go on to win this event on a key hand during heads-up play. After a flop of 9-7-2, Meyer took a $200,000 stab holding A-10, and Barton, holding top pair with K-9, raised $700,000 more to put Meyer all in. Holding just two overcards, but apparently suspecting a bluff, Meyer called. Barton was two cards from being crowned champion. And then an ace spiked on the river, giving Meyer a huge lead that she would ride to victory a few hands later.

Running Numbers:
527: Increase in players in this event over 2005
33: Place in which actress (and former Mrs. Tom Cruise) Mimi Rogers finished

Event #16
$10,000 Pot-Limit Omaha
Number of entries: 218
Winner: Lee Watkinson
Payday: $655,746
Runner-up: Mike Guttman
Payday: $360,659

Memorable hand: Watkinson finished second in this event two years ago—and would have had to settle for a worse finish this year if not for the perfect river card falling when play was seven-handed. Early chip leader Jani Vilmunen held 8-7-6-5 and Watkinson held one of Omaha’s best starting hands, A-A-Q-Q. The flop came J-6-5, and the turn brought another six, giving Vilmunen a full house. But a queen came on the river to make a better full house for Watkinson, and he raked in a monstrous pot that would prove key in propelling the animal rights activist to victory.

Other noteworthy finishers: Hasan Habib, 5th; Mickey Appleman, 9th; Barry Greenstein, 13th; James McManus, 14th; Patrik Antonius, 15th; William Chen, 19th; Daniel Negreanu, 20th

Event #17
$1,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 2,891
Winner: Jon Friedberg
Payday: $526,185
Runner-up: John Phan
Payday: $289,389

Memorable hand: On the final hand, Phan tried to make a pre-flop steal by going all in with Q-4 suited, and Friedberg called with A-7 suited. Phan got no help from the 10-9-3-2-7 board, and the unknown Friedberg beat the pro for the bracelet. Coming into heads-up play, Friedberg held a 4-to-1 chip lead over “The Razor,” and the humble champion acknowledged afterward how critical that was. “I think I needed a 4-to-1 chip lead to beat John … I was scared to death to play him heads up and, even at 4-to-1, I was scared to play against him.”

Other noteworthy finishers: Humberto Brenes, 7th; Carlos Mortensen, 10th; Jason Stern, 31st; Greg Mueller, 47th

Running Numbers:
1: Number of previous live poker tournaments in history with more entrants (the 2005 WSOP Main Event)
30: Percent of the total chips in play held by Michael Pomeroy at the start of the final table
13: Years since Brenes last won a bracelet (he won two in 1993)

Event #18
$2,000 Pot-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 590
Winner: Eric Kesselman
Payday: $311,403
Runner-up: Hyon “Skip” Kim
Payday: $164,291

Memorable hand: There’s only one hand better than the pocket kings Kevin Ross pushed all in with pre-flop when play was four-handed … and Kesselman had it. Ross raised to $40,000 in chips with his cowboys, Kesselman re-raised to $100,000, Ross re-raised all in, and Kesselman wasted no time calling with his aces. The pocket rockets held up, and Ross went home in fourth place. Not too long after, Kesselman, who’d never before cashed in three years of testing his luck at the WSOP, cashed to the tune of more than 300-grand and a gold bracelet.

Other noteworthy finishers: James McManus, 6th; Joe Hachem, 15th; Daniel Alaei, 29th; Jason Lester, 36th; Men Nguyen, 44th

Event #19
$1,000 Seniors No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,184
Winner: Clare Miller
Payday: $247,814
Runner-up: Mike Nargi
Payday: $129,293

Memorable hand: Calling an all-in bet with Q-8 suited is a somewhat iffy proposition, but it was the right move for Miller, as she was about 50-50 against her opponent Nargi’s underpair (threes). Nargi still led after the 10-4-2 flop, and still led after the six on the turn. But he no longer led after an eight hit on the river, making the 61-year-old Miller the winner of this 50-and-over tournament.

Other noteworthy finishers: Ron Rose, 6th; Jon Vorhaus, 9th; Jay Heimowitz, 38th; John Bonetti, 68th; Shirley Williams, 81st

Running Numbers:
0: Previous women who won the WSOP seniors event
40: Position in which Shelby Miller finished, 39 behind his wife

Event #20
$50,000 HORSE
Number of entries: 143
Winner: Chip Reese
Payday: $1,784,640
Runner-up: Andy Bloch
Payday: $1,029,600

Memorable hand: Much of the final table is detailed elsewhere in this magazine (see page 78), but the final hand of play prior to the start of the final table was as fascinating as anything that happened afterward. With five players each on two tables, the game was Omaha Eight-Or-Better, and Robert Williamson III was eliminated on one of the tables. Meanwhile, on the other table, Patrik Antonius was involved in a large pot with Reese. The young Fin was completely pot committed, with just $13,000 left in front of him (the next shortest stack was $351,000, and the largest was more than $1.7-million), yet he folded on the river, knowing that would put him at the final TV table. It was truly a fascinating play to ensure survival.

Other noteworthy finishers: Phil Ivey, 3rd; T.J. Cloutier, 5th; Doyle Brunson, 8th; Robert Williamson III, 10th; Gavin Smith, 11th; Barry Greenstein, 12th

Running Numbers:
21: Hours Day Two lasted
7 and 6: Hours and minutes that the Reese-Bloch heads-up match lasted

Event #21
$2,500 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 740
Winner: William Chen
Payday: $442,511
Runner-up: Nath Pizzolatto
Payday: $238,280

Memorable hand: The final hand was a classic case of one player getting just the card he was hoping for on the river, only to find out it was the worst possible card that could have hit. With a board of J-7-5-10, Pizzolatto held 6-8, needing either a nine or a four to make a straight. Chen held K-Q, needing either a nine or an ace to make a straight. The nine came, giving Pizzolatto his straight but giving Chen the nuts. Pizzolatto bet out, Chen raised all in, and Pizzolatto called and handed Chen his second bracelet of the 2006 WSOP.

Other noteworthy finishers: Harry Demtriou, 6th; Phil Gordon, 16th; Kenna James, 29th; Farzad Bonyadi, 51st; Tony G., 68th

Running Numbers:
5: Consecutive years with at least one player winning multiple bracelets
23: Players before Chen who won at least two bracelets in a single year
2: Number of heads-up hands Chen and Pizzolatto played

Event #22
$2,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,579
Winner: Jeff Madsen
Payday: $660,948
Runner-up: Paul Sheng
Payday: $330,485

Memorable hand: Normally, J-7 isn’t much of a starting hand, especially when your opponent has you dominated with A-7. But J-7 is a hell of a good hand when the flop comes 10-9-8, and it’s especially handy when the turn brings a six, making your opponent an inferior straight. This is precisely what happened on the final hand of the tournament, with Madsen holding the J-7 and Sheng the A-7, and Sheng got all of his money in on the turn, only to receive the bad news. He needed a jack on the river to chop, and it didn’t come, making U.C. Santa Barbara film student Madsen the youngest bracelet winner in history.

Other noteworthy finishers: Julian Gardner, 3rd; Alex Brenes, 27th; Jeff Shulman, 65th; Dave Colclough, 92nd; Men Nguyen, 142nd

Running Numbers:
21, 1, 9: Madsen’s age in years, months, and days at the time of his victory
3: Consecutive years in which the record for youngest WSOP winner has been broken

Event #23
$3,000 Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 341
Winner: Ian Johns
Payday: $291,755
Runner-up: Jerrod Ankenmen
Payday: $150,586

Memorable hand: On what would be the final hand of the tournament, Johns’ A-3 completely missed the 9-5-2 flop. But it didn’t miss the turn (a trey) or the river (an ace), and his two pair was better than the hand that Ankenmen mucked, giving Johns the title. It was the capper to an amazing story for the 21-year-old Johns. Just a few years ago, he was playing poker online and his bankroll was down to $6, and he promised his then-girlfriend he would quit if that bankroll ran out. It never did, and heading into the 2006 WSOP, he had more than a half-million dollars in his poker bankroll. Now he’s up over three-quarters of a million.

Other noteworthy finishers: Carlos Mortensen, 17th; Barry Greenstein, 21st; Marco Traniello, 25th; Scott Lazar, 31st

Running Numbers:
2: Consecutive events won by 21-year-olds
2: Players over the age of 30 at the final table

Event #24
$3,000 Omaha High-Low
Number of entries: 352
Winner: Scott Clements
Payday: $301,175
Runner-up: Thor Hansen
Payday: $155,443

Memorable hand: Not to diminish Clements’ fine win, but the real story coming into this table was Phil Hellmuth’s bid for a record-tying 10th bracelet, something he seemed in position to do when he came into the final table second in chips (behind Clements). But Hellmuth could never get anything going, and the hand that eliminated him pretty well summed up his day. Hellmuth was dealt A-Q-6-5, which put him narrowly behind his opponent’s A-K-6-3 in terms of both the high and the low. The board of 10-8-8-3-8 didn’t connect with either player, sending Hellmuth home in sixth place.

Other noteworthy finishers: Brent Carter, 3rd; Andrew Black, 11th; Chad Brown, 17th; Allen Cunningham, 18th; Huck Seed, 24th

Event #25
$2,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em Shootout
Number of entries: 600
Winner: David Pham
Payday: $240,222
Runner-up: Charlie Sewell
Payday: $124,488

Memorable hand: Runner-up Sewell had a tough trip to Vegas, as he was involved in a serious car accident and hit by a taxi cab as a pedestrian prior to participating in this event. His luck mostly turned around at the poker table, but it ran out on the final hand. Sewell pushed all in with A-8 and Pham made the automatic call with pocket jacks. The jacks held up, and “The Dragon” had himself his second career bracelet.

Other noteworthy finishers: Roland de Wolfe, 3rd; Kathy Liebert, 11th; Yosh Nakano, 12th; Mike Sexton, 20th; Josh Arieh, 48th; Todd Brunson, 49th; James Woods, 56th

Event #26A
$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha
Number of entries: 525
Winner: Ralph Perry
Payday: $207,817
Runner-up: George Abdallah
Payday: $109,644

Memorable hand: Perry, the Russian-born veteran who finished third in the 2002 Main Event, had a large chip advantage at the start of heads-up play, but he didn’t have the advantage midway through the final hand. With a flop of 10-7-3, Abdallah’s Q-10-4-3 gave him two pair, while Perry had just a pair of tens with his K-J-10-2. Abdallah moved all in, and Perry called. The turn brought a nine, giving Perry a double belly-buster straight draw. And the river delivered an eight, completing a come-from-behind jack-high straight for Perry and giving him his first career bracelet.

Other noteworthy finishers: Russ Salzer, 9th; David Williams, 19th; Juha Helppi, 20th; Berry Johnston, 21st; David Ulliott, 35th

Event #26B
$1,500 Pot-Limit Omaha (with re-buys)
Number of entries: 158
Winner: Eric Froehlich
Payday: $299,675
Runner-up: Sherkhan Farnood
Payday: $165,274

Memorable hand: On the final hand, both players held pocket pairs—7-7-Q-6 for Froehlich and a superior K-K-6-3 for Farnood. But the flop put Froehlich in the lead, as the 10-7-5 board gave him trip sevens. Theturn and river were both jacks, making the 22-year-old “E-Fro” a full house and giving him his second career WSOP title.

Other noteworthy finishers: Chau Giang, 3rd; Bruno Fitoussi, 5th; Davood Mehrmand, 11th; Tony G., 13th; Jeffrey Lisandro, 15th

Running Numbers:
472: Total number of re-buys
0: Multiple bracelet winners in history younger than Froehlich (for a few days, anyway)
2014: Year in which Froehlich will win his 10th bracelet, based on his current pace

Event #27
$1,500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 2,126
Winner: Mats Rahmn
Payday: $655,141
Runner-up: Richard Toth
Payday: $333,729

Memorable hand: All of the final three players were European, and after Irishman Padraig Parkinson was eliminated in third place, that left Hungarian Toth and Swede Rahmn. The final hand between them was a fascinating one. The J-10-9 flop hit Toth’s J-8 pretty hard, but he still trailed the pocket kings of Rahmn. The Swede led out for $150,000 with his overpair, Toth moved all in for $500,000 more, and Rahmn called. Toth needed a seven, eight, jack, or queen, but couldn’t find any of what he needed on the turn or river, making Rahmn the champ.

Other noteworthy finishers: Hoyt Corkins, 30th; J.C. Tran, 36th; Michael Mizrachi, 67th; David Sklansky, 74th; T.J. Cloutier, 152nd

Event #28
$5,000 Seven-Card Stud
Number of entries: 182
Winner: Benjamin Lin
Payday: $256,620
Runner-up: Shawn Sheikhan
Payday: $171,080

Memorable hand: Sheikhan just couldn’t seem to catch a break once heads-up play began, and the final hand of the night typified that. Through six streets, “Sheiky” led with (9-6) K-A-K-J, while Lin had (9-9) 6-8-10-5. On seventh street, Sheikhan picked up a meaningless deuce. Meanwhile, Lin was dealt a not-so-meaningless seven, completing a ten-high straight and making the 31-year-old Washington, D.C. accountant a WSOP champion.

Other noteworthy finishers: Cyndy Violette, 3rd; Allen Kessler, 4th; “Miami” John Cernuto, 5th; Mike Caro, 8th; David Singer, 13th; David Grey, 14th

Running Numbers:
20: Years since Caro’s last WSOP final-table appearance
3: Consecutive years in which Violette has made a WSOP final table

Event #29
$2,500 Pot-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 562
Winner: John Gale
Payday: $374,849
Runner-up: Maros Lechman
Payday: $197,768

Memorable hand: Reigning world champion Joe Hachem rarely gets his money in with the worst hand, and the hand that saw him eliminated in fourth place was no exception. Hachem moved all in with K-9 on a flop of K-4-3, and Gale called with A-3, needing to spike a five-outer. He did just that on the river, catching an ace to oust Hachem and capture the chip lead with three players remaining.

Other noteworthy finishers: Alex Jacob, 5th; Alex Brenes, 19th; Lee Watkinson, 30th; Daniel Negreanu, 38th; Mike Sexton, 47th

Event #30
$5,000 Short-Handed No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 507
Winner: Jeff Madsen
Payday: $643,381
Runner-up: Erick Lindgren
Payday: $357,435

Memorable hand: While 21-year-old Madsen’s second bracelet win was obviously the big story, he wasn’t involved at all in the tournament’s best hand. Jonathan Gaskell was the chip leader coming into the final day, and he looked to be in great shape with pocket kings against Lindgren’s A-K when they got all the money in pre-flop. The first four board cards missed “E-Dog,” but the river brought an ace, eliminating Gaskell in fifth place. Lindgren got lucky there, but his luck didn’t follow him to heads-up play, where his A-J would ultimately lose to Madsen’s Q-9.

Other noteworthy finishers: Vanessa Rousso, 8th; Paul Wasicka, 12th; John Juanda, 17th; Robert Williamson III, 21st; Jennifer Tilly, 41st; Phil Hellmuth, 44th

Running Numbers:
6: Previous times multiple players have won two or more bracelets in a single year
5: Days Eric Froehlich’s record as the youngest two-bracelet winner in history lasted
6th: Madsen’s chip position, out of six, when the final table began

Event #31
$2,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 2,050
Winner: Justin Scott
Payday: $842,262
Runner-up: Farzad Rouhani
Payday: $429,065

Memorable hand: Capping a final-table performance so dominant that Jamie Gold would have been jealous, Scott, as he did all day, got the cards he needed to win after all the money went in. The extremely short-stacked Rouhani pushed all in with pocket eights and Scott made the call with Q-6, but even when Scott was an underdog, it seemed like he was a favorite. Sure enough, the 22-year-old caught a queen, and Rouhani was history.

Other noteworthy finishers: Tony Bloom, 16th; Dan Harrington, 23rd; John Spadavecchia, 42nd; Alex Brenes, 43rd; Jennifer Tilly, 99th

Running Numbers:
37: Percent of the chips in play held by Scott at the start of the final table
13-to-1: Chip advantage held by Scott entering heads-up play
7: Players at the final table busted by Scott

Event #32
$5,000 Pot-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 378
Winner: Jason Lester
Payday: $550,764
Runner-up: Alan Sass
Payday: $284,256

Memorable hand: Veteran Lester waited a long time to win his first bracelet, and the hand that clinched it for him was the highlight of the tournament. Lester, holding 9-7, flopped top pair on a 9-3-2 board, and Sass got frisky and pushed all in with 6-4 and an inside straight draw. Lester called, Sass didn’t find the five he needed, and Lester, who famously finished fourth in the historic 2003 Main Event, finished three spots higher than that in this one.

Other noteworthy finishers: Kirill Gerasimov, 9th; Nam Le, 10th; Chau Giang, 12th; Cyndi Violette, 16th; Nick Schulman, 19th; Erik Seidel, 34th

Event #33
$1,500 Seven-Card Razz
Number of entries: 409
Winner: James Richburg
Payday: $139,576
Runner-up: Carlos Mortensen
Payday: $94,908

Memorable hand: Razz isn’t a kid’s game, it’s an older person’s game that requires great patience, and there wasn’t a player under the age of 38 at the final table. Richburg last reached a WSOP final table back in 1991 (the first year in which the Main Event paid its winner $1-million), and he made this return trip count, polishing off former Main Event champion Mortensen with one of the better Razz hands, a 9-8 low (3-4-6-8-9-3-6). Mortensen mucked his hand, and since Razz doesn’t make the TV cut, we’ll never know what he had. But we know it was only second best. Or perhaps, since this is Razz, we should say “only second worst.”

Other noteworthy finishers: Cliff Josephy, 4th; “Miami” John Cernuto, 7th; Eric Froehlich, 10th; Perry Friedman, 14th; Eskimo Clark, 33rd

Event #34
$1,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em (with re-buys)
Number of entries: 754
Winner: Phil Hellmuth
Payday: $631,863
Runner-up: Juha Helppi
Payday: $331,144

Memorable hand: Hellmuth was one card away from heartbreak in his pursuit of that elusive 10th career bracelet. Midway through heads-up play, Helppi raised to $90,000 pre-flop, and Hellmuth moved all in for his last $480,000 with pocket fives. Helppi called with Ah-6d, and the race was on. The flop came Kd-Jd-5d, giving Hellmuth a set—but giving Helppi a flush draw. The Qd on the turn made Helppi his flush. “The Poker Brat” needed the board to pair. And pair it did, as the river brought the Qh, doubling Hellmuth up and propelling him to a historic victory that would come about 30 hands later.

Other noteworthy finishers: John Spadavecchia, 4th; Ralph Perry, 8th; Tony G., 9th; Joe Bartholdi, 23rd; Patrik Antonius, 70th

Running Numbers:
1,691: Total number of re-buys
48: Re-buys by Daniel Negreanu
42: Hellmuth’s age, making him the youngest player to reach 10 bracelets

Event #35
$1,000 Seven-Card Stud High-Low
Number of entries: 788
Winner: Pat Poels
Payday: $172,091
Runner-up: Greg Dinkin
Payday: $102,542

Memorable hand: After a little more than an hour of heads-up jousting, Poels won a big pot with a phenomenal hand—quad kings. The eventual victor had A-K-2-5 showing, while Dinkin had 8-3-8-3 showing. Little did Dinkin know that Poels had three kings face down. The hand put Poels in the pole position with around $1,000,000 in chips, while Dinkin was left with only $190,000—and he would be left with about $190,000 less than that just a couple of hands later.

Other noteworthy finishers: Jeff Madsen, 3rd; Dan Heimiller, 9th; John Juanda, 24th; Cyndy Violette, 31st; Annie Duke, 33rd

Event #36
$1,500 Limit Hold ’Em Shootout
Number of entries: 524
Winner: Victor Perches
Payday: $157,338
Runner-up: Arnold Spee
Payday: $78,679

Memorable hand: It wasn’t the hand that ended the competition, but it was the hand that, for all intents and purposes, determined the winner. With just two players remaining, Perches was betting and raising all the way with 7-6 after two sevens flopped, and former WPT champ Spee, holding pocket nines, kept calling. When the final board read 7-7-4-3-Q, Perches had himself a huge pot and a nearly insurmountable chip lead. With the victory that came soon after, Perches became the first WSOP bracelet winner born in Mexico.
Other noteworthy finishers: Todd Witteles, 12th; Mike Caro, 20th; Andy Bloch, 26th; Chris Moneymaker, 28th; Eric Froehlich, 32nd; Howard Lederer, 33rd

Event #37
$1,500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 2,803
Winner: James Gorham
Payday: $765,226
Runner-up: Osman Kibar
Payday: $420,870

Memorable hand: At a final table full of guys you’ve never heard of, the final hand of the last big Hold ’Em event before the Main Event was a good one. Gorham limped from the small blind with 7-6 suited, and Kibar correctly raised with pocket kings. Gorham took a chance and made the call—and was glad he did when the 10-6-6 flop hit. Kibar bet out, and Gorham smooth called. A seven came on the turn, making Gorham a full house, and Kibar picked the wrong time to push all in with his overpair. Kibar was dead to a king and the river brought a queen, allowing San Diego’s Gorham to emerge victorious from this massive field.
Other noteworthy finishers: Joe Awada, 14th; Johan Storakers, 60th; Julian Gardner, 80th; Phil Laak, 89th; Berry Johnston, 108th; T.J. Cloutier, 120th

Event #38
$5,000 No-Limit Deuce-To-Seven Lowball (with re-buys)
Number of entries: 81
Winner: Daniel Alaei
Payday: $430,698
Runner-up: David Williams
Payday: $256,091

Memorable hand: Any hand on which two players are eliminated is memorable, and early in the final table, Williams eliminated Allen Cunningham (in sixth) and Eliyahu Levy (in seventh) on the same hand. Levy pushed all in pre-draw, all three players drew one card, and Cunningham went all in after drawing. Williams called immediately and showed an excellent 8-6-5-4-2. That narrowly edged out Cunningham’s 8-7-6-5-2, and Levy paired up on the draw for a lousy 8-6-4-4-3.

Other noteworthy finishers: Men Nguyen, 4th; Greg Raymer, 5th; Allen Cunningham, 6th; Layne Flack, 8th; Mike Matusow, 12th; Johnny Chan, 21st

Running Numbers:
159: Total number of re-buys
7: Places that paid, the least of any tournament at the ’06 WSOP

Event #39
$10,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em Championship
Number of entries: 8,773
Winner: Jamie Gold
Payday: $12,000,000
Runner-up: Paul Wasicka
Payday: $6,102,499

Memorable hand: Wasicka’s fold on the final hand before heads-up play began will be debated for months to come. On a flop of 10c-6s-5s, Michael Binger bet $3.5-million and massive chip leader Gold re-raised enough to put the other two players all in. Wasicka, holding 7s-8s for an open-ended straight-flush draw, said “This is sick” several times, and ultimately folded. Binger called off the rest of his chips with Ah-10h. Gold showed that he was behind with the 3c-4s, holding just an open-ended straight draw. The turn was a seven, making Gold’s straight, and the river was the Qs, meaning Wasicka would have won the pot with a flush if he’d stayed in. That would have meant he’d have gone into heads-up play with Gold with more than 40 percent of the chips, instead of being outchipped about 6-to-1. Woulda, coulda, shoulda. One guy who left the final table with no wouldas, couldas, or shouldas was Jamie Gold, who put on a big-stack clinic to win the richest poker tournament of all-time.

Other noteworthy finishers: Allen Cunningham, 4th; Humberto Brenes, 36th; Annie Duke, 88th; Daniel Negreanu, 229th; Joe Hachem, 238th

Running Numbers:
56: Percent increase in the field size over last year
60: Percent increase in the first-place payout over last year
1045: Percent increase in the field size in the three years since Chris Moneymaker won

Event #40
$1,000 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,100
Winner: Praz Bansi
Payday: $230,209
Runner-up: Anh Lu
Payday: $120,120

Other noteworthy finishers: Fabrice Soulier, 4th; Jim Worth, 16th; Davood Mehrmand, 29th; Bill Gazes, 61st

Event #41
$1,500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 1,007
Winner: Paul Kobel
Payday: $316,144
Runner-up: Tyler Andrews
Payday: $164,947

Other noteworthy finishers: Ralph Perry, 3rd; Lonnie Heimowitz, 12th; Mel Judah, 19th; Steve Dannenmann, 26th; Phil Hellmuth, 44th

Event #42
$1,500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 362
Winner: Jim Mitchell
Payday: $153,173
Runner-up: Stuart Fox
Payday: $79,061

Other noteworthy finishers: Todd Witteles, 4th; Davood Mehrmand, 15th; Barry Greenstein, 29th

Event #43
$1,500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 420
Winner: Kevin Nathan
Payday: $171,987
Runner-up: J.C. Tran
Payday: $92,301

Other noteworthy finishers: William Chen, 7th; Randy Holland, 8th; Tom McEvoy, 11th; Clonie Gowen, 19th; Max Pescatori, 34th

Event #44
$1,500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 481
Winner: Kevin Cover
Payday: $196,968
Runner-up: Joseph Brandenberg
Payday: $105,707

Other noteworthy finishers: Davood Mehrmand, 12th; Joanne “J.J.” Liu, 17th; Mel Judah, 23rd; Chris Tsiprailidis, 27th

Event #45
$1,500 No-Limit Hold ’Em
Number of entries: 494
Winner: Anders Hedriksson
Payday: $202,291
Runner-up: Maureen Feduniak
Payday: $108,564

Other noteworthy finishers: Phil Hellmuth, 3rd; Lee Markholt, 5th; David Chiu, 20th; Doyle Brunson, 21st; Cyndy Violette, 24th

Running Numbers:
8: Total cashes by Hellmuth at the ’06 WSOP
57: Total career WSOP cashes by Hellmuth, the all-time record