It’s always great to watch one of the good guys come through when they need it most. That’s exactly what happened early Monday morning as poker veteran Chris Bell outlasted a field of 284 players to win the $5,000 Pot Limit Omaha Eight or Better Event at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP).
At one of the toughest final tables seen at this year’s WSOP, Bell went from short stack to hero to win his first gold bracelet. Rob Hollink, Leif Force, Erik Seidel, Dave “Devilfish” Ulliott, and Dan Shak each had their shot at the title, but after nearly 11 hours of play, it was Bell and Shak heads-up with several supporters still in attendance.
Shak had the lead going into heads-up play and increased it by chipping away early on, but Bell doubled up to fight his way back into the match. Then, on the final hand of the tournament, Bell limped his button and Shak checked his option. On the Kc-8h-2h flop, Shak check-raised to 460,000 and Bell called. The Kh paired the board on the turn and Shak fired out a bet. Bell moved all-in and Shak called. Bell tabled Ks-Tc-9s-8d for a full house, while Shak had Ah-9h-8s-7s for the nut flush. Shak was looking for a three, four, five, or six on the river to secure the low and half the pot, but the 9c sent him to the rail in second place.
Bell, meanwhile, collected $327,040 for first place, a huge sigh of relief after a long stretch without a big win for the longtime pro. He admitted after the tournament that he had contemplated leaving the game due to the risks involved in bringing up children while playing poker professionally. But, it was the support of a friend – who provided the financial backing Bell desperately needed – that changed his mind.
“I want to thank Erick Lindgren. I would not be in Las Vegas right now if it weren’t for Erick,” Bell said after his big win. “A lot of people had given up on me the last year or so. But Erick didn’t. He’s never told me ‘no.’ He will beg and borrow for his friends. I appreciate him giving me this opportunity. Without a friend like him, I would not be here right now.”
1. Chris Bell – $327,040
2. Dan Shak – $202,142
3. David Ulliott – $150,925
4. Joe Ritzie – $113,444
5. Erik Seidel – $85,800
6. Leif Force – $65,311
7. Rob Hollink – $50,014
8. Perry Green – $38,549
9. Jeremy Harkin – $29,886
The other bracelet awarded on Sunday in was the $1,500 No Limit Hold’em Event #45. A handful of big names, including Sam Trickett and Stephen “stevie4444” Chidwick were in contention for the title when play began, but each fell short of the final table. That left nine players in search of their first bracelet with a $721,373 first place prize on the line.
Finally, at nearly 4 a.m. local time, Jesse Rockowitz was declared the winner, defeating online poker pro Ray Coburn. Rockowitz, a 24 year-old online pro himself, had two pair against Coburn’s open-ended straight draw when the chips went in on the turn and his hand held up on the river to clinch the title:
1. Jesse Rockowitz – $721,373
2. Ray Coburn – $446,274
3. Thiago Nishijima – $315,828
4. Kevin Odell – $228,614
5. Michael Goldfarb – $167,405
6. Steven Brown – $124,006
7. Shaun Malough – $92,900
8. Justin Conley – $70,365
9. Johan Jakobsson – $53,892
The Amazon Room will be flooded with star-gazing fans again on Monday when Day 2 of the Tournament of Champions gets underway at Noon PT. The tournament began with 27 players Sunday and after four one-hour levels, 22 bagged their chips ready to return on Monday. Among those sitting atop the leaderboard are Erik Seidel, Jonny Chan, and Mike Matusow, while Annie Duke, Joe Cada, and Doyle Brunson are nursing short stacks. The plan is to play another four levels on Monday and then conclude the tournament on July 4th. However, the schedule has yet to be finalized. Here’s a look at the top stacks going into Day 2:
1. Erik Seidel – 72,075
2. Johnny Chan- 71,325
3. Mike Matusow – 70,575
4. Barry Greenstein – 56,775
5. Joe Hachem – 55,650
6. Huck Seed – 51,875
7. Bertrand Grospellier – 51,575
8. Allen Cunningham – 49,300
9. Scotty Nguyen – 48,900
10. Dan Harrington – 38,250
One event will play down to a winner on Monday. Twenty-one players will return at 3:00 p.m. local time to crown a champion in the $2,500 Mixed Event, which will award $260,497 for first place. Nikolai Yakovenko is the chip leader going into the final day, but notables Matt “Plattsburgh” Vengrin, Kirk Morrison, Scott Seiver, and Steve Sung are close on his heels.
Stay tuned to Poker News Daily for the continuous updates from the 2010 WSOP.
