On Thursday night, Alexander Kuzmin came away with the title in the Southern Poker Championship, a stop on the World Poker Tour (WPT). He lodged a payday worth $601,000 after a 222-hand final table.
One-time tournament chip leader and two-time bracelet winner Ryan Hughes was the first casualty of the six-handed finale, which was staged at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Mississippi. Hughes open-shoved all-in on a flop of J-9-4 and showed 7-4 for bottom pair. Shannon Shorr made the call and flipped up J-10 for top pair, which held when the board filled out 8-3. Hughes survived just 14 hands at the televised final table and picked up $89,000.
It took 62 hands for another player to fall. Leif Force 5bet all-in before the flop and Patrick Mahoney called for his tournament life, tabling pocket kings. Force flipped over pocket queens, meaning that Mahoney was a 4:1 favorite for a double up. The flop was a rather uneventful J-6-2, but the king of spades on the turn gave Mahoney a set and Force a flush draw. Sure enough, a spade that didn’t pair the board hit on the river and Mahoney was out in fifth place for $113,000.
Shorr bowed out in fourth place for $145,000. He was all-in for his final 13 big blinds with J-7 offsuit before the flop from the small blind. 2009 Southern Poker Championship winner Allen Carter, who was in the big blind, made the call with Q-J, which held when the board came A-9-3-Q-3. The pot gave Carter more chips three-handed than his two opponents combined.
Ultimately, Force doubled through Carter after flopping two pair with K-9 on a K-Q-9 board. Carter held A-K for top pair, top kicker, but couldn’t improve. Nevertheless, the 2009 champ still sat with nearly 60 big blinds after providing the double up.
Carter hit the rail after 4betting all-in pre-flop with J-9 for about 40 big blinds. Kuzmin tanked for two minutes before calling with A-Q of diamonds. The flop was 10-7-2, keeping Kuzmin ahead, but the jack of diamonds on the turn improved Carter to a pair and also put two diamonds on board. Sure enough, a third diamond hit on the river to give Kuzmin the nut flush and a 2:1 chip lead over Force entering heads-up play.
Carter was seeking to become the first ever two-time winner of a WPT event, but will instead have to settle for a $218,000 bankroll boost.
Sixty hands later, Kuzmin shoved all-in with K-4 and Force called for his tournament life with J-9 of clubs. The board fell Q-5-4-3-2 and no upset was in store, as Kuzmin took down the WPT Southern Poker Championship title. Force banked a not-so-paltry $315,000.
Kuzmin was the co-chip leader with Carter entering the final table and told WPT hostess Kimberly Lansing quite simply that he was “happy.” Here’s how the final table shook out in the 2011 running of the WPT Southern Poker Championship:
1. Alexander Kuzmin – $601,469
2. Leif Force – $315,790
3. Allen Carter – $218,471
4. Shannon Shorr – $144,985
5. Pat Mahoney – $113,208
6. Ryan Hughes – $89,375
WPT staff will now make a trip to Italy for WPT Venice from February 3rd to 8th at the Casino Di Venezia on the Grand Canal. Then, the action returns to the United States for the Celebrity Invitational and L.A. Poker Classic at the Commerce Casino in Los Angeles beginning on February 19th. Keep it tuned to Poker News Daily for the latest WPT headlines.
