51-year-old Louisiana poker pro Keith Lehr had to wait twelve years for his second World Series of Poker winner’s bracelet, but he managed it Thursday when he bested 142 other competitors to take down the $10,000 buy-in Heads Up NLHE Championship event in Las Vegas to claim the $334,430 main prize.
It was no mean achievement in a field littered with top players, and involved Lehr beating a string of strong players in his heads up confrontations against Matthew Hyman, Adam Sobolewski, Justin Oliver, Jake Schindler, Valeriu Coca and Dee Tiller.
Lehr earned his first bracelet in 2003 playing in a $1,500 buy-in Pot Limit Hold’em and winning $225,040 after defeating international ace Chris “Jesus” Ferguson in the heads up.
12 years later he faced single bracelet holder Paul Volpe, his last obstacle to winning the NLHE Championship event, number ten on this year’s WSOP schedule.
Within 23 hands Lehr had a commanding lead of 3 to 1 in chips, and he used it to good effect in eliminating Volpe on the next hand.
Other pay-outs for the event included:
Runner up Paul Volpe $206,620
Semi-finalist Dee Tiller $111,525
Semi-finalist Matthew Cooper $111,525
Quarter-finalist Valeriu Coca $54,545
Quarter-finalist J.C. Tran $54,545
Quarter-finalist Tim Adams $54,545
Quarter-finalist Isidro Sifuentes $54,545
Lehr said he would take a short break back home in Louisiana before returning to this year’s WSOP and whatever that may hold for him – probably the two major Omaha events on the schedule.