Millions of dollars continued to change hands at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas Tuesday as three more events concluded.
The one to watch was Event 8, a $1,500 buy-in Million Maker competition that saw one of the biggest entry fields in WSOP history at 7,977, generating a prize pool worth $10,768,950 (see previous report).
After four tough days Jonathan Dimmig ended up in an epic heads up against Jeffrey Coburn, who had started final table action as the second lowest stack, finally eliminating him at hand 190 to claim the lion’s share of the prize pool and his first winner’s bracelet.
Coburn still took home an impressive $815,963 as runner-up, along with the satisfaction of surviving a massive entry field that included almost every big name in the game, and a very competent final table that comprised Stephen Graner, James Duke, Andrew Teng, Bradley Anderson, Maurice Hawkins and Jason Johnson.
Despite a massive 8 million chip lead at the start of the final table, Graner was unable to make it as far as the heads up and must have been bitterly disappointed.
Californian Jeff Smith took the honours and the $323,125 main prize in Event 9, a $1,000 buy-in NLHE competition that attracted 1,940 entries, creating a prize pool worth $1.74 million.
Smith claimed his first WSOP bracelet after besting runner-up Danny Nguyen in the heads up, sending him to the cashier for a second placing pay check of $199,829.
The victory – his biggest yet – must have been particularly satisfying for Smith, who could only manage a 605th placing in the event last year for $2,700.
In Event 10, the $10,000 buy-in Limit Omaha Hi Lo Split 8 or Better, Marylander Brock Parker took the $443,407 first prize and his third WSOP bracelet after a hard-fought, up-and-down heads up with Richard Ashby, whose second placing was rewarded by a useful $274,019.
There were 178 entries for the event, generating a $1,673,200 prize pool.